Patch Picks: It's Hockey Season Again in the 'Burgh

The Baldwin-Whitehall Patch presents its weekly Patch Picks feature, highlighting editor and reader picks of great local businesses, destinations, services, organizations, ways to spend a day off and more.

This week's Patch Picks are five reasons to be excited about the 2011-12 Pittsburgh Penguins, who start their newest campaign in Vancouver, Canada, on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 10 p.m. EST.

• "Geno": Evgeni Malkin, the NHL's 2008-09 scoring champion and playoffs MVP is back ... really back. Malkin, who will be counted on to provide the bulk of the offense for the Penguins this season, at least until captain Sidney Crosby returns from concussion symptoms, has perhaps never looked better in his career than he has this preseason.
• CONSOL Energy Center: The NHL's newest arena and the home of the Penguins is also considered its best in terms of fan experience. 
• Marc-Andre Fleury: The Penguins terrific goaltender and team MVP from this past season has come into his own as one of the NHL's premier netminders.
• Dec. 29, 2011: Former Penguins Jaromir Jagr and the once-beloved Maxime Talbot come back to Pittsburgh to play, this time for the hated Philadelphia Flyers. The fans' reactions at CONSOL should be interesting to say the least.
• Sid the Kid: The former league MVP and youngest captain to ever win the Stanley Cup (in 2009) missed most of the 2010-11 season with concussion symptoms. Crosby will not open this season on the Penguins' active roster, but here's to hoping that hockey fans see him again sooner rather than later.

Drop the puck! And check back each week for more Patch Picks!

Here are , which featured five birthday gift ideas for a loved one.