Penguins/NHL category, Page 236

I originally thought greed would drive big-time sports leagues to return soon. Perhaps sooner than they should. Now it seems covid-19 is stronger than greed. Isn’t that one heck of a statement? It’s not Vietnam, as per the parallel drawn by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter wants the NFL Draft postponed...

I’m no longer simply bored with the coronavirus-induced sports desert of the moment. I’m now in full-blown depression. My blues extend well beyond sports and into just about every avenue of how people have politicized and polarized the pandemic. It started with the chorus of people insisting sports “weren’t important”...

This week’s Madden Monday is… …well, what can I say? It’s pretty bleak. Mark Madden and I are both pretty bummed out over the covid-19-induced state of affairs influencing the sports world. It’s feeling more and more like every sport — including football — won’t be allowed to resume for...

Let the games begin. Or not. President Donald Trump held a conference call with the commissioners of all the major sports leagues Saturday and told them he is hoping people can start filling stadiums and arenas by August or September. That’s good news for the NFL and college football, but,...

A year without awarding the Stanley Cup? No 2020 NBA champion? Even, perhaps, no World Series or Super Bowl winner? All are seemingly in play as the nation — and world — deals with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The major sports leagues in North America have been shut down in...

In another example of goodwill by athletes from local pro sports teams during the coronavirus pandemic, Pittsburgh Penguins players Bryan Rust, Zach Aston-Reese and Marcus Pettersson purchased 500 personal pizzas for local community distribution centers. The Fox’s Pizza Den personal-sized pizzas were delivered early Friday to the locales in the...

The Penguins don’t know when their next game will be played. They are pretty sure defensemen Brian Dumoulin and John Marino will be in their lineup when it happens. That is very good news for the Penguins. They were an outstanding team with Dumoulin and Marino in the lineup this...

Mike Sullivan cracked a joke to open up his video conference call with media Tuesday. “I never thought I’d say this,” the Pittsburgh Penguins coach said, his sly smirk visible even through the choppy nature of the call, “but I’m happy to be doing this today.” A Boston-area native and...

The NHL Players’ Association asked its membership to select hockey’s creme de la creme. The 588 who responded to the poll chose Edmonton’s Connor McDavid as the NHL’s best forward. They also picked the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby as the league’s most complete player and the player you’d most want on...

Would Mike Vellucci have liked his team to have a better record? Sure. However, that’s not the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach’s biggest takeaway from a season in limbo. Vellucci touched on a couple of topics during a video call with reporters Tuesday, namely how he and his team are trying to...

During the coronavirus-induced sports blackout, everybody and their brother is re-airing classic old games. The NFL, MLB and NHL networks are doing it. Local radio stations are, too. As is AT&T SportsNet. So for this week’s hockey podcast, Penguins Radio Network host Brian Metzer and I put a twist on...

The NHL’s players apparently do not consider Sidney Crosby to be the league’s best forward — but they do view him as the game’s most complete player. And if the stakes are highest, they’re still sticking with Sid. The NHL Players Association on Tuesday released the results of their annual...

Tom Glavine. Patrick Kane. Doug Williams. Tim Duncan. “Who are four men who have never been in my kitchen, Alex?” Yes, Cliff Clavin. Technically, that is correct. But I’m going to need you to be more specific. “Who are four MVPs of their respective sports championship round?” Also true. But...

The Wheeling Nailers have decided to part ways with coach Mike Bavis. The Penguins’ ECHL affiliate announced Monday it will not renew the contract of Bavis, who coached the team for the past two seasons. The Nailers went 55-61-15 under Bavis. They missed the playoffs last season and were in...

There’s a dirty little secret that the handlers who carry the Stanley Cup around every summer don’t necessarily want hockey fans to know. Most years, the best hockey team in the world doesn’t take the famous 35-pound silver trophy home. The NHL started handing out the Presidents Trophy to the...

When Sidney Crosby was asked during an NHL-run video call which teammate he would want to be stuck in quarantine with, he was quick with an answer. “Kris Letang,” Crosby said during the Zoom call open to media. “He’s in the know. He’d get all the info. I’d have a...

The Penguins were scheduled to wear green St. Patrick’s Day jerseys in warmups before a March 15 home game against the New York Islanders. While the game wasn’t played due to the coronavirus pandemic, some good came out of it anyway. The Pittsburgh Penguins foundation raised $20,000 from the auction...

Whenever — if ever — the NHL reboots its 2019-20 season out of the coronavirus shutdown, it appears league owners have three targets. 1. Award a Stanley Cup after a representative version of a playoff 2. Play as many remaining scheduled home dates as possible 3. Don’t truncate the 82-game...