Mark Madden stories, Page 38
Mark Madden: Bad offensive line might sink Steelers
There’s no Madden Markdown when it comes to refreshing sports notes. You pay full price, but get maximum value. • Trai Turner being signed to patchwork the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line is like slapping a butterfly stitch on a shotgun wound. Pro Football Focus: “Turner (was) the lowest-graded right guard...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Bringing back Marc-Andre Fleury would transform the Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins will not rebuild. That will be evident when they extend the contracts of defenseman Kris Letang and center Evgeni Malkin this offseason barring squabbles over price. The Penguins will not get appreciably bigger and tougher. The components aren’t available. Winger Jake Guentzel couldn’t be traded even-up for,...
Mark Madden: Losing David DeCastro has end-of-an-era vibe for Steelers
David DeCastro’s release has Pittsburgh Steelers fans looking forward and backward. Neither view is appetizing. In a little more than a year, the Steelers lost their entire starting offensive line: DeCastro, Matt Feiler, Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey and Alejandro Villanueva are all ex- of this parish. Replacing them is a...
Mark Madden: Playoff hockey is tense but needs more excitement to draw casual fans
Forgive the melodrama, but the ongoing Stanley Cup semifinals are a battle for hockey’s soul. Two of the teams have major talent. They play the game the right way, as I’ve heard it said. Their opponents are of lesser (but still considerable) talent. They do everything possible to slow the...
Mark Madden: Beware of goaltenders handling pucks
The value of a goaltender’s puckhandling seems overrated in the NHL, and horribly so. It provides value but gets goalies in a lot of jams. Tristan Jarry’s puckhandling was supposed be a strength. But we all remember how Game 5 against the New York Islanders turned out. Tom Barrasso’s puckhandling...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Want to be popular? Offer to buy the Pirates
I’m putting together a group to buy the Pittsburgh Pirates. We will bring back the Bulls, Condors, Crawfords, Hardhats, Forge, Maulers, Phantoms, Power, Spirit and Triangles, too. (That’s indoor lacrosse, pro basketball, Negro League baseball, softball, junior hockey, football, roller hockey, arena football, indoor soccer and team tennis.) Robert Morris...
Mark Madden: Cheating can’t become an accepted part of baseball
Plenty of dumb stuff has been said by pitchers since MLB decided to crack down on the use of foreign substances to improve grip. Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees (and formerly of this parish) seemed to be nearing a breakdown when he spoke Wednesday after pitching: “It’s so...
Mark Madden: Steelers OC Matt Canada’s real changes will start with Ben Roethlisberger’s successor
Matt Canada is the Steelers’ new offensive coordinator — kind of. If there was any doubt regarding who’s the real boss, Canada erased that Tuesday when he said, “We are going to do what Ben (Roethlisberger) wants to do and how he wants to do it.” Meet the new bobo....
Mark Madden: Jenn Sterger deserves a chance with NFL Network
Jenn (Sterger) Decker is back in the news. That’s a shame because it means the problem isn’t solved. Sterger had indecent proposals and photos texted to her by Brett Favre in 2008 when both were employed by the New York Jets: Favre as a quarterback, Sterger as their game day...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Marc-Andre Fleury’s story keeps getting better … just not in Pittsburgh
Marc-Andre Fleury got Vegas past Colorado in the NHL playoffs’ second round. The Golden Knights face Montreal next. Fleury goes home. He very likely will eliminate the Canadiens. The story gets better and better. Just not in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ goaltending has gotten worse since the day Fleury went...
Mark Madden: Sidney Crosby not being among Hart Trophy finalists shows criteria are skewed
Sidney Crosby had little chance to win the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. He finished 10th in points with 62 in 55 games, a whopping 43 behind scoring champ Connor McDavid of Edmonton. But Crosby isn’t even a finalist. In the era of 200-foot hockey, Crosby is the best 200-foot...
Mark Madden: Ben Roethlisberger must risk more for Steelers offense to reap rewards
Matt Canada is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ new offensive coordinator. He served as the quarterbacks coach last season. Canada was supposed to have influence on the offense then. If he did, it was negligible. But now Canada is in charge. Or maybe he’s quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s new bobo. Canada’s offense features...
Mark Madden: Penguins should see how Evgeni Malkin recovers before considering contract extension
Evgeni Malkin participated in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ playoff series vs. the New York Islanders despite a severe injury to his right knee. It required major surgery. Malkin’s availability for the start of training camp (and perhaps the start of the season) is in doubt. Malkin deserves credit for gutting it...
Mark Madden Hot Take: There’s an obvious choice to replace Tunch Ilkin in Steelers booth
Tunch Ilkin became a Steeler in 1980 and will never stop being one. His playing days ended in 1993, and he just retired from broadcasting, but Ilkin is as black and gold as any Rooney. Ilkin has been a faithful servant and supporter of the cause. More important, he is...
Mark Madden: Mark Scheifele’s hit has polarized hockey fans, but the incident has shades of gray
Near the conclusion of Wednesday’s NHL playoff game between Montreal and Winnipeg, the Canadiens’ Jake Evans scored a game-clinching empty-net goal on a wraparound. The Jets’ Mark Scheifele chugged into Evans just after he scored and knocked him flying. Evans received on-ice medical treatment for 10 minutes, then got stretchered...
Mark Madden: The Penguins need change, and trading Jake Guentzel would likely provide big return
Mike Sullivan will reportedly be back as Penguins coach. It’s a good bet the core three will return. Sidney Crosby will never leave unless he asks out. Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin are entering the final year of their contracts. Tickets can (and need to be) sold next season, so...
Mark Madden: Behavior of select NBA fans is deplorable
Fans are trickling back into the stands at American sporting events, and it’s not all good. That applies particularly at NBA games. Ja Morant’s parents were bombarded with racist language when Morant’s Memphis team played at Utah. Washington’s Russell Westbrook had popcorn dumped on him at Philadelphia. Atlanta’s Trae Young...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Bringing back Mike Sullivan is not a no-brainer for Penguins
Mike Sullivan will probably coach the Pittsburgh Penguins next season. But there might be some debate in management’s mind. Sullivan won Stanley Cups in 2016 and ’17. But his Penguins have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for three straight seasons. Recent bias does Sullivan no favors....
Mark Madden: After another early playoff exit, changes are needed within Penguins organization
It’s time for refreshing Pittsburgh Penguins notes, playoff edition: one-and-done for a third straight year, just like the Penguins. • The Penguins’ championship window closed after the 2018 playoffs. Do you believe me yet? They organically disintegrated. Just like Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles before them. • Goalie Tristan Jarry...
Mark Madden: Penguins find themselves on the brink because they blink
The Penguins didn’t play horribly Monday. The Penguins are a good team. But they blink. There are many reasons the New York Islanders beat the Penguins, 3-2, in double overtime and lead the first-round series 3-2. Tristan Jarry isn’t a No. 1 goaltender. The stars have aged out of dominating...
Mark Madden: Penguins could benefit from changing up Sidney Crosby’s line
Saturday’s 4-1 loss at Long Island was frustrating and disappointing but hardly cataclysmic. The New York Islanders are good, too. Just like the Penguins, they want to win. That’s obvious and elementary but too often gets lost via home-team fervor. If coach Mike Sullivan went with exactly the same lineup...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Unwritten rules are height of stupidity
Nothing in sports is dumber than the unwritten codes. Example No. 1: The NHL playoffs have specialized in stupid since the puck dropped. Violence and dirty play are heightened as the league continues its descent back to thuggery. A particularly idiotic example occurred Thursday in the series opener between Montreal...
Mark Madden: Penguins overcame Islanders, officiating in Game 3, but can they really keep up this pace?
“Penguins ill-equipped for heavy hockey” — my column’s headline two days ago. So it was written. So it did come to pass. Don’t be blinded by Thursday’s result, as impressive as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ gutsy 5-4 win on Long Island was. That farce of a game displayed much that’s bad...
Mark Madden: Penguins are ill-equipped for heavy hockey
The Pittsburgh Penguins won Game 2 over the New York Islanders. That’s most important. But Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech slammed Jake Guentzel to the ice with a check that was a bit late. Who rushed to Guentzel’s aid? The last person who should have to: Sidney Crosby. Brian Dumoulin got...
Mark Madden: Penguins need Tristan Jarry to rebound before it’s too late
Very rarely does one player lose a hockey game. But that’s what happened Sunday. Tristan Jarry was that player. Jarry’s rotten goaltending was the primary reason the Penguins lost Game 1 to the New York Islanders. None of the four goals conceded was terrible. But they all were stoppable. You...
