Jonathan Bombulie stories, Page 15
Some Steelers surprises as Madden NFL 20 releases player rankings
According to the minds behind the popular Madden NFL 20 video game, the best players on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster aren’t necessarily who you might think. According to the video game, which ranks all NFL players on a 99-point scale for attributes such as awareness, speed, acceleration, agility and strength,...
Ryan Switzer working to perfect role as slot receiver for Steelers
Last season ended with New England’s Julian Edelman carrying his Super Bowl MVP trophy to Disney World. When free agency opened, teams were quick to sign players such as Golden Tate, Adam Humphries, Jamison Crowder and Danny Amendola to lucrative, multi-year contracts. The evidence has piled up for years. The...
Vegas sours on Penguins after last season’s struggles
After a 100-point season followed by a first-round playoff exit, Las Vegas doesn’t like the Pittsburgh Penguins quite as much as they used to. The Penguins are a 10-1 choice to win the Eastern Conference in odds released by BetOnline.ag on Monday. They were a 6-1 pick to win the...
Former Penguins center’s dog hits charts with rendition of ‘Old Town Road’
There’s a good chance Josh Jooris’ dog is about to become more famous than he is. Last Thursday, the former Penguins center posted a video on Instagram of his Australian Shepherd, Charlie, singing along when the Lil Nas X hit “Old Town Road” starts playing. The video went viral. View...
Steelers’ Vince Williams strives to connect with fans on social media
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Vince Williams has a gift for forging a fun connection with his fans. Like that time in 2017 when, after Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and Chris Boswell were receiving acclaim as the team’s “Killer Bs,” he changed his Twitter name to Bince Williams and declared...
Pittsburgh athletes trying to find ways to avoid social media messes
On many summer nights, 25 ticking time bombs can be located on the ground floor of PNC Park. In the fall, 53 incendiary devices can be found Sundays at Heinz Field. In the winter, there often are 23 potential explosives on the premises at PPG Paints Arena. In the era...
Penguins re-sign speedy winger Adam Johnson
The Pittsburgh Penguins signed one of their four remaining restricted free agents Friday, agreeing with winger Adam Johnson on a one-year, two-way deal worth $700,000 at the NHL level. Johnson, 25, signed with the Penguins as an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota-Duluth in July 2017. A speedy left wing,...
Retiring Matt Cullen: Penguins Stanley Cup runs were ‘the best years’
Matt Cullen, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the oldest player to appear in a game for the team, announced his retirement Wednesday at the age of 42. Cullen made the announcement in a video and essay posted on the team’s website. “I will spend the...
Former Penguins center Greg Johnson dies at age 48
Former Pittsburgh Penguins center Greg Johnson, who spent parts of two seasons with the team in 1997, died Sunday in Detroit at age 48, according to multiple reports Tuesday. A cause of death was not immediately known. A skilled center who was the University of North Dakota’s all-time leading scorer,...
Arbitration date set for Penguins winger Zach-Aston Reese
The arbitration hearing for Pittsburgh Penguins winger Zach Aston-Reese is set for July 22 in Toronto. Aston-Reese, 24, recorded eight goals and 17 points in 43 games with the Penguins last season while making $925,000. Evolving Wild’s contract projections suggest he is in line for a two-year deal worth about...
Penguins sign veteran goalie Dustin Tokarski to AHL contract
The Penguins signed one of the top minor league goalies on the free agent market Monday, adding Dustin Tokarski on a one-year AHL deal. Tokarski, 29, has won the Calder Cup twice in his 10-year pro career, including last season with the Charlotte Checkers. He was dealt to Charlotte at...
Penguins turn to college all-stars to replenish prospect pool
In the latter stages last season, any time the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins took the ice, it looked like hockey’s version of football’s Senior Bowl. No fewer than six college free agents reported to the AHL team for their first taste of pro hockey, representing schools such as Boston College, Penn State,...
5 things on Penguins coach Mike Sullivan’s summer agenda
Signing a four-year contract extension is the one thing Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan will do this summer that will have the longest-lasting impact on his life and career. He’s got plenty of other offseason irons in the fire as well, though. Here’s a look at five things Sullivan has...
Penguins’ Zach Aston-Reese files for salary arbitration
Pittsburgh Penguins winger Zach Aston-Reese was the only one of the team’s four remaining restricted free agents to file for salary arbitration by Friday’s 5 p.m. deadline. Forwards Teddy Blueger and Adam Johnson elected not to file. Defenseman Marcus Pettersson did not have enough service time to earn the right...
Penguins sign coach Mike Sullivan to 4-year contract extension
With a new contract in his pocket, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is attempting to pull off a trick extraordinarily rare in hockey circles. It might be more difficult than winning back-to-back Stanley Cups like he did in 2016-17. He’s going to try to coach the same NHL team for...
Penguins’ Andy Chiodo sees star rise in goalie coaching world
Up until recently, Andy Chiodo’s greatest claim to fame in NHL circles was probably something he did on a Wednesday night in February in Glendale, Ariz., 15 years ago. As a rookie with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chiodo was the goalie who ended a team-record 18-game losing streak with a 28-save...
Penguins re-sign agitating forward Joseph Blandisi
The Pittsburgh Penguins kept one of their restricted free agents Wednesday, signing winger Joseph Blandisi to a one-year, two-way contract. Blandisi, 24, will make $700,000 when in the NHL and $200,000 at the AHL level. Acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Derek Grant in January, Blandisi went scoreless...
Which direction are Penguins headed after offseason roster changes?
Just after signing with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday afternoon, winger Brandon Tanev held a conference call with reporters. It was clear that he had a different take on the state of the Penguins than those who were lobbing questions at him. The inquisitors wanted to know what Tanev was...
Mike Sullivan’s contract status remains unfinished business for Penguins
The most impactful signing Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford must ponder this offseason might have nothing to do with a forward, defenseman or goalie. Coach Mike Sullivan is heading into the final year of his contract. Now that he’s handled the bulk of his player-acquisition duties for the summer,...
Penguins will have to cut salary after dipping into free agent pool
Dipping into the free agent pool will have consequences for the Pittsburgh Penguins. After signing winger Brandon Tanev to a six-year, $21 million contract Monday afternoon, the Penguins have about $79.2 million committed to 20 players, leaving them about $2.3 million under the cap. They still need to re-sign restricted...
Penguins add depth free agents, sign David Warsofsky, Andrew Agozzino
The Pittsburgh Penguins added to their depth chart in free agency Monday afternoon, signing defenseman David Warsofsky and forward Andrew Agozzino to two-year, two-way contracts. Both players will be paid $700,000 when in the NHL. Warsofsky, 29, spent the better part of two seasons in the Penguins organization from 2015-17,...
Penguins sign ‘fast and tenacious’ winger Brandon Tanev
Becoming harder to play against can be expensive. That was the lesson general manager Jim Rutherford and the Pittsburgh Penguins learned as the NHL’s free-agent signing period opened Monday afternoon. The Penguins signed 27-year-old winger Brandon Tanev to a six-year deal — the longest the Penguins ever have handed out...
Alex Galchenyuk excited to tackle tough task after trade to Penguins
In explaining his rationale for trading winger Phil Kessel to the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night, general manager Jim Rutherford said he wanted to add players to his locker room who weren’t content with their accomplishments and were excited to be Pittsburgh Penguins. He checked those boxes with Alex Galchenyuk....
After trading Phil Kessel, Penguins can dip toes into free agent pool
As of now, the trade Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford made Saturday night will be remembered as the Phil Kessel-for-Alex Galchenyuk swap. By Monday afternoon, it could have a slightly different flavor. Before saving $1.9 million in salary cap space by completing the Kessel deal, Rutherford said the Penguins...
Answering 8 burning questions about the Phil Kessel trade
The first question that springs to mind after the Pittsburgh Penguins traded winger Phil Kessel to the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night is the easiest one to answer. Friday, Dec. 6. That’s when the Coyotes visit PPG Paints Arena this season, giving fans the chance to show their appreciation for...
