Penguins/NHL category, Page 202

The Penguins don’t have a goaltending controversy. Well, not unless new GM Ron Hextall thinks he can still play. That might not be a bad idea. Casey DeSmith has to keep playing. That’s beyond debate, at least for now. Tristan Jarry played in last season’s NHL All-Star event. He finished...

When I heard the report that the Pittsburgh Penguins tried to reacquire former goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (twice) from the Vegas Golden Knights in recent months, a lot ran through my head. Via Vegas Hockey Now, TSN’s Bob McKenzie said on NBCSN Wednesday that “the Penguins have tried ‘very hard’ since...

Friday’s “First Call” will quell concerns of those who were worried that Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin might get traded. Or, on the other hand, it might anger those who wanted to see him moved. Also, Tom Brady is scheduled for surgery. One outlet predicts that Antonio Brown is staying...

As they take their first steps in running the Penguins, new general manager Ron Hextall and president of hockey operations Brian Burke will find plenty of deficiencies when they begin to evaluate the team they have inherited. They will find a struggling power play, an inconsistent top goaltender, a lack...

The Pittsburgh Penguins activated forward Zach Aston-Reese from long-term injured reserve. Sidelined since undergoing surgery on his left shoulder in mid-August, Aston-Reese could make his season debut in Thursday’s road game against the New York Islanders. In recent days, he has been skating on the left wing of the team’s...

Some Penguins fans may be a bit slow to fully embrace Ron Hextall as the team’s new general manager because of his history with the Philadelphia Flyers. Or, perhaps better phrased, quicker to turn on him if he’s not an instant success. That said, some of the loudest approvals of...

Goaltender Francois Brassard made 21 saves on 23 shots for the Wheeling Nailers in a 2-1 road overtime loss to the Indy Fuel at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis on Wednesday. Forward Austin Fyten scored the only goal for Wheeling (3-8-4), which has lost three consecutive games. Highlights: The Nailers’...

Having been captivated by the game for most of his life, Sidney Crosby was well aware of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ rivalry with the Philadelphia Flyers well before he was directly involved in it. So the remarkable notion of a Flyers villain like Ron Hextall now being the Penguins’ general manager...

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jared McCann will be sidelined on a week-to-week basis, coach Mike Sullivan said. He has not been on the ice with his team since suffering an undisclosed injury during Saturday’s 4-3 road loss to the New York Islanders. Primarily used as a left winger on the third...

Van Halen (David Lee Roth version) had a motto: “W.D.F.A.” We don’t mess around, or words to that effect. Brian Burke, the Penguins’ new president of hockey operations, operates under the same principle. Read his autobiography, “Burke’s Law.” Burke has been involved in hockey management for 34 years. If you...

The final 10 months of Jim Rutherford’s tenure as Penguins general manager were exhausting. With covid-19 crippling seemingly every walk of life on the globe, the NHL adjusted much of its business not only to stage an unprecedented postseason tournament in August and September to complete the 2019-20 season but...

Like many Penguins fans in their early to mid-40s, I cut my teeth as a hockey fan in the early Mario Lemieux years of the mid-80s and became hooked on the game as they were winning Stanley Cups in the early 90s. That also means — like all Penguins fans...

Ron Hextall, general manager Age 56… Spent four years (2014-18) as GM of the Philadelphia Flyers, assembling a roster that has blossomed into a Stanley Cup contender. …. Hextall was assistant GM of the Los Angeles Kings (2006-13), winning a Stanley Cup ring in ‘12 and being part of the...

The last time the Penguins hired a former goaltender with ties to the organization to be their general manager, it was a resounding success as it led to two Stanley Cup titles. They’re hoping for similar results with their most recent hire. On Tuesday, the Penguins tabbed Ron Hextall to...

Tuesday’s Pittsburgh Penguins practice was staged at their state-of-the-art modern Cranberry Township facility, and it was run under the specter of some very 2021 coronavirus-related protocols. But there was one aspect of the session at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex that turned back the clock about three decades. The players took...

A day after leaving practice following a collision with a teammate, Mike Matheson was back on the ice for a full practice with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. Jared McCann, however, was not. But the initial word on McCann’s injury is that it is not a serious one. Skating on...

Our “Madden Monday” podcast had to wait a day because of Mark Madden’s trip to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl. Did Madden’s mini-vacation soften his recent harsh assessment of our three Pittsburgh sports teams, specifically the Steelers? “They are one year away from nuclear winter, which is where the...

Mike Sullivan stands out for a number of reasons. For one, he’s the only active coach in the NHL who has led a team to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, having accomplished that feat with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017. And there’s his loud booming voice with a hint of...

Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson left practice early on Monday in Cranberry after he accidentally collided with a teammate. Approximately 20 minutes into the session, Matheson fell to the ice after coming into contact with an unidentified teammate. Matheson laid on the ice for several moments as athletic trainer Chris Stewart...