Penguins/NHL category, Page 256
‘If the season ended today’ — how it would look if NHL’s resumption is the playoffs
“If the season ended today…” is an overused expression in the sports world that has become beyond cliché and is typically an exercise in futility. It just so happens, though, that these unprecedented times offer — for perhaps the first time in league history — relevance to discussions about what...
Penguins to pay PPG Paints Arena employees during stoppage
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they will pay full- and part-time arena and service employees at PPG Paints Arena during the NHL’s pause in play as a precaution to coronavirus. According to the team, funding for the stoppage will come from Penguins players, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and the Mario Lemieux...
Mark Madden: This sports shutdown stinks, but greed will bring the games back
I’m not as worried about no sports as I am about no toilet paper. You can’t even get it on Amazon. You’d think the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor. We might need rationing. I got nine rolls. May God have mercy on my soul. Or, if I have to use paper...
There are more questions than answers for the NHL right now
Conor Sheary really didn’t know what to say. To be clear, the reporters on the other side of the rope weren’t quite sure what to ask. On Tuesday, before their most recent and possibly final — for a while at least — game in Newark, N.J., the Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward...
First Call: How MLB, NHL, NBA can salvage their seasons
In the wake of the coronavirus sports shutdown, sadly, the 2020 NCAA basketball tournament could not be saved. Maybe that could’ve happened with more time to plan. But arena availability is at issue. Many venues are in a state of flux between attempts to reschedule pro sports, events, and shows...
Penguins’ minor league affiliates halt play
Like virtually every sports team and league in North America, the Penguins’ minor league affiliates have halted play as a precaution against coronavirus. After the American Hockey League (AHL) announced it was suspending play indefinitely, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins issued a statement: With the health and safety of players, officials, staff...
Kevin Gorman: Shutdown of the sports world showed us that leaders are not to be trusted
In a surreal span of 24 hours, the sports world shut down and sent a mighty message about the power of a global pandemic. The games mustn’t go on. All that talk about concerns over the coronavirus couldn’t convince officials, from preps to the pros, to stop playing the games....
NHL suspends season over coronavirus concerns
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The NHL paused its regular season because of concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. Via a statement released by the league early Thursday afternoon after a teleconference among league owners and commissioner Gary Bettman, the league cited the NBA suspension of its season after at least one...
Minor league report: Riley Barber leads Penguins past Phantoms
An overtime goal by forward Riley Barber, a native of Washington, Pa., gave the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins a 2-1 road win against the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the PPL Center in Allentown on Wednesday. Goaltender Dustin Tokarski made 24 saves for the Penguins (29-26-3-5) while forward Kevin Roy also scored...
Tim Benz, Seth Rorabaugh break down Penguins issues, impact of coronavirus on NHL
Full disclosure. TribLive Penguins beat writer Seth Rorabaugh and I taped this podcast before the NBA announcement to suspend its season upon the realization that Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert had the coronavirus. And by the time you listen to this, 50 more things may change with the NHL and...
Tim Benz: What’s wrong with the Penguins? Here are 2 theories to debunk
The optimistic way to look at the Penguins is to hope that Tuesday’s 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils will be the kind of victory that gets this recently rudderless team back on a Stanley Cup course. Unfortunately, their current stretch of losing eight times in 11 games suggests...
NHL not yet suspending games due to coronavirus
If the NHL has decided to suspend or even cancel parts of its season as a precaution to the coronavirus impacting seemingly every walk of life around the globe, that decision hasn’t been finalized just yet. In the wake of the NBA announcing it will indefinitely suspending its season, the...
Ex-Penguins forward Eric Fehr already dealing with ramifications of coronavirus in Switzerland
The ID on the text message was a familiar one. After helping Canada win the Spengler Cup, a quirky invitational tournament held in Switzerland which involves international and professional teams, Eric Fehr received congratulations from a former Penguins teammate, and, probably one of the few people who had a detailed...
Penguins’ Kris Letang ‘took ownership’ of bad penalty, Mike Sullivan saysVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — It was a penalty that potentially could have had dire consequences for an already-reeling team. That it instead resulted in what could be a positive turning point for the Pittsburgh Penguins doesn’t diminish its foolishness. And Kris Letang acknowledged as much in a conversation with his coach...
Zach Aston-Reese returns to Penguins practice as full participantVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Not long after participating in a practice with Pittsburgh Penguins teammates for the first time in 3 ½ weeks, Zach Aston-Reese smiled. “It feels good,” said the 25-year-old wing who has been out since Feb. 16 because of a lower-body injury. “I know this feeling all too...
Penguins game Thursday in Columbus will be played without fans
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The phone kept ringing at the front desk of the administrative entry into Nationwide Arena early Wednesday afternoon. At that point, a woman working as the gateway into the Columbus Blue Jackets’ administrative offices was telling fans the next day’s scheduled game was on and open to...
Penguins to play home games as scheduled, but could Thursday in Columbus be fan-less?
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The parade is off. But the games will go on. Hours after the city of Pittsburgh announced it was canceling the popular annual St. Patrick’s Day parade scheduled for Saturday, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced they would play their game the next day as scheduled. The Penguins said...
Mark Madden: Don’t overreact to dumb penalty by Penguins’ Kris Letang
Kris Letang took an ill-advised penalty at New Jersey on Tuesday, so the knives are out. Letang’s petulant slash put the Penguins down by two men for 102 seconds. The Penguins were protecting a 2-1 third-period lead. Letang inadvertently fueled the game’s turning point. The Penguins killed the five-on-three and...
U mad, bro? Penguins fans have no patience. Steelers fans have no questions. Pirates fans have no sense of humor.
Yeesh! You’d think that after losing almost non-stop for 40 years, Pirates fans would have a sense of humor. “If you don’t laugh, you are going to cry.” That type of thing. Based on my Twitter feed this week, I guess I’m wrong. But they aren’t alone in their anger....
Empty Thoughts: Penguins 5, Devils 2
Observations from the Penguins’ 5-2 win against the Devils: It was not Kris Letang’s finest moment. In fact, it was a selfish moment. It was a moment that gave all his many critics plenty of ammunition for their argument against his value to this team. It was just stupid. As...
Minor league report: Nailers fall into last place of Central Division
Goaltender Emil Larmi made 33 saves for the Wheeling Nailers in a 5-1 home loss to the Reading Royals at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling on Tuesday. Forward Carlos Fornaris scored the lone goal for the Nailers (24-30-5-0) who have lost seven consecutive games and slipped into last place of the...
Penguins follow NHL’s lead on coronavirus precautionsVideo
NEWARK, N.J. — Even the Pittsburgh Penguins’ most fearless player was taking precautions. As reporters gathered in a hallway outside the visiting team’s dressing room at Prudential Center, Patric Hornqvist walked around the corner and protected himself. He covered his face with the lapel on his suit coat. Hornqvist’s antics...
Penguins hope convincing win against Devils serves as ‘stepping stone’Video
NEWARK, N.J. — For all their championship success in recent years, the Pittsburgh Penguins are no strangers to adversity. Their lengthy medical report this season is evidence of that. So Tuesday’s meeting with the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center wasn’t exactly as overwhelming of a challenge as, say, losing...
Penguins sign Dartmouth free agent Drew O’Connor
NEWARK, N.J. — The Penguins signed undrafted free agent forward Drew O’Connor to a two-year entry-level contract. The contract will being in the 2020-21 season. O’Connor, 21, just completed his sophomore season. In 31 games, he led the team with 33 points (21 goals, nine assists). His goal total was...
Ex-Penguins defenseman Alain Nasreddine grateful for chance with DevilsVideo
NEWARK, N.J. — On a handful of walls at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’ practice facility in Northeast Pennsylvania, there are an assortment of photos featuring NHL players. Everyone from the likes of All-Stars such as Jake Guentzel to journeymen such as Brian Strait are included in the collection. They are all...
