Chris Adamski stories, Page 108
Steelers NFL Draft bio in brief: Najee Harris
Najee Harris First-round pick, No. 24 overall Running back, Alabama 6-foot-1, 232 pounds Stats: 1,466 rushing yards (5.8 per carry), 43 catches for 425 yards, 30 TDs in 2020; 3,843 rushing yards, 57 TDs from scrimmage in career Hometown: Antioch, Ala. Tidbits: Reigning Doak Walker Award winner as college football’s...
Chris Adamski’s mock draft: After years of misses in mid rounds, Steelers go RB in 1st
Sure, the “modern” thing to do is to resist the allure of taking a running back in the first round of the NFL Draft. The analytics prove it, the anecdotal evidence seems to support it and the smartest guys in the room all swear by it. Problem is for the...
Spot in Penguins lineup appears secure for Frederick Gaudreau upon return
When Pittsburgh Penguins turned to Frederick Gaudreau last month, it partly was out of desperation and lack of other options. When the Penguins next deploy Gaudreau in a game, it will be for an entirely different reason. “He’s really had a positive impact on the games that he’s been in,”...
Will Evgeni Malkin return to Penguins’ No. 1 power play? Mike Sullivan won’t commit
Is Evgeni Malkin about to get Wally Pipp-ed? When it comes to the power play, indications are mixed. Malkin’s return to the lineup appears imminent, with the future Hall of Fame center practicing with teammates Wednesday on what coach Mike Sullivan termed a “full-contact” basis. Malkin will travel with the...
Penguins petition state for less-distanced ‘vaccinated sections’ at home games
Restaurants once had smoking and non-smoking sections. The Pittsburgh Penguins are working to allow for vaccinated and non-vaccinated sections at PPG Paints Arena. In an email sent to season-ticket holders, the Penguins said they have petitioned Pennsylvania state government and the commonwealth’s Department of Health about the idea, which would...
Mike Sullivan: Evgeni Malkin ‘full contact’ at practice, will travel with Penguins
A pair of injured centers continue to practice with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and each will travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. Evgeni Malkin and Frederick Gaudreau each had what could be characterized as a robust participation in Wednesday’s practice in Cranberry. While Malkin wore a white jersey...
Alan Faneca chooses former Steelers teammate Hines Ward to present him for the Hall of Fame
Add another beloved Pittsburgh Steeler to this summer’s Hall of Fame ceremonies. Alan Faneca chose longtime former Steelers teammate Hines Ward to serve as his presenter for his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in August. Before he became a six-time All Pro guard, Faneca and Ward were part of...
Penguins notebook: Tristan Jarry has been brilliant since awful period vs. Devils
Sunday’s shutout lowered Tristan Jarry’s season goals-against average to 2.70 and raised his save percentage to .911. If you take away Jarry’s third period during last Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, those season numbers would improve to 2.54 GAA and .915. The period — in which Jarry allowed...
Division titles largely have eluded Penguins, Sidney Crosby — but it’s within reach this year
When measured against his contemporaries, Sidney Crosby, more often than not, has the edge. But there is one area that the likes of Ryan Getzlaf and Patrice Bergeron and the Sedin twins can snag some bragging rights over Crosby. The same team-based metric in which Alex Ovechkin reigns supreme. All...
Evgeni Malkin returns to Penguins’ practice, albeit in ‘no-contact’ jersey
Geno was back on the PPG Paints Arena ice Friday. Evgeni Malkin participated in the Pittsburgh Penguins practice session at their home rink, the first time he has joined teammates for a full session since suffering a suspected right knee injury during a game March 16. Malkin remains on long-term...
Mike Sullivan addresses Tuesday’s collapse with Penguins but vows team has moved on
Less than 15 hours after a meltdown like few in franchise history, the Pittsburgh Penguins were subjected to what had the look of a de facto team meeting before Wednesday’s practice in Cranberry. Similar to how they would during a typical practice, players gathered around coach Mike Sullivan near the...
While still ‘a work in progress,’ Jeff Carter fitting in well with Penguins
Of the 390 NHL goals Jeff Carter had scored before Tuesday, only three had been a first one for a new team. So his goal that made it 4-0 late in the first period of a victory against the New Jersey Devils held at least some special meaning to Carter...
Kasperi Kapanen part of Penguins practice free of ‘no-contact’ restrictions
On Wednesday, another small step was taken toward the Pittsburgh Penguins returning to a fully healthy lineup. Injured wing Kasperi Kapanen participated in practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. Out since March 24 because of an injury he acknowledged Wednesday was to his left foot, Kapanen wore a...
Pirates closer Rodriguez attributes solid start to being in good place mentally, physically
As the hair — on his face and on the top of his head — has grown over the past three years, so has Richard Rodriguez’s role and stature within the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen. Rodriguez joined the Pirates as a castoff from the woebegone Baltimore Orioles, making his debut in...
Pirates-Tigers game postponed by wintry weather; doubleheader Wednesday
Early evening in Pittsburgh featured clear, sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60s. About 4½ hours to the northwest, though, cold and snowflakes led to a postponement of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ game. The Pirates’ scheduled game at the Detroit Tigers was called just before 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the Tigers...
Steelers, Mike Tomlin agree to 3-year contract extension
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to a three-year contract extension that ties the team and its longtime coach through the 2024 season. Tomlin is entering his 15th season as coach, tying him with predecessor Bill Cowher for the second-longest tenure in Steelers history behind Hall of Famer Chuck...
Pitt women’s volleyball misses out on Final Four in excruciating NCAA regional final loss
Pitt came within a set — and, for brief moments, a point — of the athletic department’s first Final Four in 70 years. Playing in its first NCAA regional final in program history, the Panthers women’s volleyball team lost an excruciating fashion to Washington in a five-set thriller Monday afternoon...
Pirates fall in deep hole early, lose to Brewers
MLB over the past two seasons has instituted a variety moves intended to shorten games. Perhaps the Pittsburgh Pirates should propose eliminating the first inning. The first inning continued to haunt the Pirates on Saturday in Milwaukee. The Brewers scored five runs in the bottom of the first and cruised...
Penguins shake up forward lines with Jeff Carter in the fold
Given a new 6-foot-4 puzzle piece to play with, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan had to consider the best way to deploy it in his forward lineup. Sullivan divulged Tuesday that Jeff Carter would start out at center, the position he played for most of his career until trending to...
Jeff Carter centers 2nd line in 1st Penguins practice
Jeff Carter did everything as advertised during his first practice with the Pittsburgh Penguins. A day after Mike Sullivan indicated Carter would start his Penguins career at center and contribute to both special teams, that’s exactly what Carter did during Wednesday’s workout at PPG Paints Arena. Acquired from the Los...
Jeff Carter will play center initially for Penguins, who plan on utilizing his versatility
Over his 1,080 career NHL games, Jeff Carter has played center and wing. He has killed penalties, and he has worked on the power play. At some points, he has been heavily relied upon as a scorer, and at others, he has served as a checking forward. With his new...
Penguins’ Frederick Gaudreau out week to week; Kasperi Kapanen resumes skating
The seemingly endless revolving door of injured Pittsburgh Penguins forwards continues to turn. During the game in which bottom-six forward Teddy Blueger returned from a four-week injury absence, another checking-line center suffered an injury that will keep him out for a significant period of time. Frederick Gaudreau was termed “week...
UMass defeats St. Cloud State at PPG Paints Arena for 1st national title
Thursday night featured a Mass-ive moment. Saturday, a Mass-terful performance. The result was a first-time national champion. In his return after missing the semifinals because of covid protocols, Filip Lindberg stopped all 25 shots he faced, and Massachusetts won the NCAA men’s hockey title with a 5-0 win against St....
Frozen Four in Pittsburgh: UMass beats 2-time defending champ Minnesota Duluth in OT
It’s been almost seven decades since college hockey has had a national championship “three-peat.” Fans of the sport who want to see another are going to have to Wait. Garrett Wait scored 14½ minutes into overtime to earn Massachusetts a berth in a second consecutive Frozen Four title game. The...
Frozen Four in Pittsburgh: Final-minute goal gives St. Cloud State thrilling win
Nolan Walker sent these Huskies to Cloud Nine. Walker’s goal with 53.2 seconds to play sent St. Cloud State to its first hockey national championship game, lifting the Huskies to a 5-4 win against Minnesota State in the first of two Frozen Four semifinals Thursday evening at PPG Paints Arena....
