Mark Madden Columns category, Page 16
Mark Madden: Rempe-mania is grabbing headlines, but his showbiz act doesn’t belong in NHL
The NHL’s newest sensation is a 6-foot-7 slug who handles the puck like he’s trying to beat a snake to death with a tree branch. But he fights and plays in New York City. So welcome to stardom, Matt Rempe. It’s Rempe-mania. A stupid version of Lin-sanity. (Remember him? Nah,...
Mark Madden: Penguins need change at trade deadline, but options are limited
Nobody should be mad about the Pittsburgh Penguins for falling apart. It’s organic and was inevitable. The Penguins made the playoffs every year from 2007-22. They were legit Stanley Cup contenders every year from 2008-18, winning three times and reaching another final. Great teams in capped leagues ultimately go splat....
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Penguins have few options with aging Evgeni Malkin
Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang, both 36, have prepared to play when they’re 40 since they were 10. Crosby is thusly still one of the NHL’s five best players, and Letang is very good. Their conditioning is insane. Evgeni Malkin didn’t do that. Malkin is 37. He’s aged like a...
Mark Madden: Pittsburgh is lucky to have had all-time great sports announcers
Bill Hillgrove retired. Kind of. He will cease doing Pittsburgh Steelers radio broadcasts after 30 years. But Hillgrove will continue to do Pitt football and basketball. It says a lot about Hillgrove’s limitless energy when, at 83, he wants to slow down gradually. And continue to serve as the midnight mayor...
Mark Madden: Liverpool FC’s Carabao Cup victory will remain my most vivid sports memory
I’ve attended Super Bowl XXX, two World Series, five Stanley Cup finals, Mario Lemieux’s comeback game in 2000, Pitt-Penn State football and several Pittsburgh Condors games. I’ve seen Neil O’Donnell disappoint, Roberto Clemente dazzle, Lemieux score with 13 seconds left, Jaromir Jagr perform heroically on one leg and John Brisker...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Mitch Keller signing means little
The Athletic posted a lengthy, detailed story exposing the Pittsburgh Pirates’ frugality, pettiness and incompetence Wednesday. The Pirates signed No. 1 starter Mitch Keller to a five-year, $77 million contract extension Thursday. That timing was not coincidence. The Pirates needed to get their PR train back on track after Wednesday’s...
Mark Madden: Trading Tristan Jarry would bring value, lay groundwork for Penguins’ future
As the NHL’s March 8 trade deadline approaches, a few obvious moves beckon for Kyle Dubas, the Penguins’ president of hockey ops/GM. Trade winger Jake Guentzel. It will be a shame to see him go, but Guentzel is a free agent at season’s end. He can’t be allowed to walk...
Mark Madden: Coaching isn’t the Penguins’ biggest problem, but it impacts major flaws
Firing Mike Sullivan wouldn’t matter now, nor would a coaching switch have changed the course of the Penguins’ season had it happened earlier. This isn’t 2009 0r 2016. These Penguins were going to go splat at some point, and that time is upon us. But it’s fair to say that...
Mark Madden: Which Penguins will be next to have their numbers retired?
No. 68 is in the rafters at PPG Paints Arena. Sunday’s ceremony to honor Jaromir Jagr was among the best of its kind, as was Jagr’s charismatic speech. Jagr’s return to Pittsburgh was everything that could have been hoped for. His legend was heightened. The question now: Who’s the next...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: How can the Pirates still have uncertainty with Henry Davis?
The Pittsburgh Pirates took catcher Henry Davis with the first pick of the 2021 MLB Draft. When you select a player 1/1, he should make big-league impact fairly quickly. You should have a clear plan in place for his progress. With Davis, the Pirates didn’t. If they did, it was...
Mark Madden: From Kladno to Bayside, Jaromir Jagr put smiles on hockey fans’ faces
Only in a city that’s had a hockey timeline like Pittsburgh’s since 1984 could a player the caliber of Jaromir Jagr get somewhat lost in the shuffle. But that’s what happened. Out of sight, out of mind. Obscured by the permanent shadow of Mario Lemieux and by the commotion and...
Mark Madden: Pirates, Steelers would be smart to sign Trevor Bauer, Matt Araiza
The Pittsburgh Pirates should sign pitcher Trevor Bauer. The Steelers should sign punter Matt Araiza. Wrongs would be righted. Both teams would be helped. We rush to crucify when malicious deeds are said to have occurred. But we drag our feet when it comes to vindicating the falsely accused. Bauer...
Mark Madden: The Penguins face a tall task to reach the playoffs, so where do they go from here?
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ run is over. (It’s actually been over for years, but now there’s no denying.) The Penguins are a withered husk of what they used to be and fancy they still are. Sidney Crosby is their primary strength. That’s easy to believe. But the Penguins can’t score. They...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: No-showing NFL Honors bad look for Steelers’ T.J. Watt
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, this past Thursday’s NFL Honors show was an evening of triumph and perceived tragedy. The triumph was Cameron Heyward being given the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in recognition of off-the-field community service. Heyward is a thoroughly good man who has given back from...
Mark Madden: Jaromir Jagr’s larger-than-life accomplishments helped shape Penguins’ history
The Pittsburgh Penguins retire Jaromir Jagr’s No. 68 on Feb. 18 before their game against Los Angeles at PPG Paints Arena. Let’s prepare with refreshing Jagr notes. Big hair, big backside, big stats, larger than life. • Jagr’s biggest moment as a Penguin: Beating No. 1 seed New Jersey nearly...
Mark Madden: Caitlin Clark is a unicorn, so the WNBA should treat her like one
Caitlin Clark is a legit phenomenon. The 6-foot senior guard for the University of Iowa is impacting her sport like nobody before her. Never mind her considerable skills, which have her 66 points away from becoming the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball. Clark moves the needle. That’s what...
Mark Madden: How the Steelers handle the quarterback position will show their true ‘urgency’
The Super Bowl hasn’t yet been played. But Pittsburgh Steelers offseason talk is constant and onerous. It’s aggravating to no end, not least when it involves the quarterback position. (Nonstop mock drafts will soon accelerate the stupidity. There’s no way to know in February who the Steelers will pick 20th...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: NHL, media minions should be thrilled by Sidney Crosby’s all-star participation
Some among the NHL’s media chose to target Sidney Crosby, of all people, during All-Star Week. Crosby is one of the top five hockey players ever, is having an epic season at 36, is constantly accessible and never has embarrassed himself, his team or his sport. In the midst of...
Mark Madden: If the Steelers won’t change Arthur Smith’s staff, maybe they’ll upgrade personnel?
This is a magical time of year for Pittsburgh Steelers fans. Optimism runs rampant. Mock drafts pile up. We imagine that new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will revolutionize, not be a different take on the same outdated offensive philosophy. (The vision is Mike Tomlin’s, not the coordinator’s.) We’re told Smith...
Mark Madden: Hiring Arthur Smith hardly makes Steelers better but is a sensible choice with Kenny Pickett at QB
Arthur Smith is the new offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s an indictment of Kenny Pickett and potential opportunity for Ryan Tannehill. Smith relies on the run and plays it safe with quarterbacks. He wasn’t hired to develop Pickett. Smith will minimize Pickett and try to mask his deficiencies. That...
Mark Madden: More changes needed for Penguins to contend after All-Star break
The Pittsburgh Penguins have nine days between games and are five points out of a playoff berth as the NHL All-Star break beckons. They have won 21 games, lost 23. They have games in hand on seven of the eight teams they’re chasing. The Eastern Conference is mostly rotten. The...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: How about Jurgen Klopp as Steelers’ next offensive coordinator?
The Steelers are trying to convince a promising young offensive mind to take the job as offensive coordinator and conquer the notion that you can’t shine excrement. They might have to settle for older and recycled. Here’s the solution: Pull a reverse “Ted Lasso” and hire Jurgen Klopp. Klopp just...
Mark Madden: PIAA officials clearly insensitive to Aliquippa’s reality
There are usually two sides to every story. But not in the case of Aliquippa High School football being forced to play at the 5A level despite having 2A enrollment. The Quips are getting railroaded by the PIAA. Consider Southern Columbia, a school in Central Pennsylvania that has won the...
Mark Madden: Steelers should pursue veteran QB; expect familiar face as offensive coordinator
Refreshing sports notes: They’re popular, they’re a lazy writer’s retreat and they super-serve the limited attention span of the stupid. Everybody wins! • Lots of fuss is being made about prime targets for the Steelers’ offensive coordinator job: Zac Robinson, Kliff Kingsbury, etc. Here’s betting the Steelers get whoever the...
Mark Madden: The Penguins’ problems can be fixed, but will they be acknowledged?
The Penguins were on a 10-4-3 run heading into Monday’s visit to Arizona. That seems pretty good, but not really. That’s 10 wins, 7 losses. Don’t be lured by the siren song of the loser point. Before the Penguins started that run, they were six points out of a wild-card...
