Penguins/NHL category, Page 292
Mark Madden: 35 years later, Penguins’ drafting Mario Lemieux No. 1 was both easy, complicated
Sunday was the 35th anniversary of the Penguins drafting Mario Lemieux. That might sound like an easy decision to make. Ultimately, it was. But there were a few complications. General manager Eddie Johnston had to quietly maneuver the Penguins into finishing last overall in 1983-84. OK, so maybe he didn’t...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden discuss Mario Lemieux memories, Pirates problems, state of Steelers
Well, what do you know? It’s a “Madden Monday” podcast … on a Monday! Will wonders never cease? Between holidays, vacation days and our mutually busy concert schedule, Mark Madden and I haven’t been able to connect on a Monday for the past few weeks, pushing our usual post back...
As clincher grows closer, Stanley Cup ratings rise in Pittsburgh market
As the Stanley Cup gets closer to being awarded, local hockey fans are paying more attention to the final series between the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins. The Pittsburgh market ranked fifth in the country with a 6.0 rating for Thursday night’s 2-1 Blues victory on NBC, behind Boston,...
First Call: Penguins trade chip besides Phil Kessel?; blown call stings Bruins
In “First Call” Friday, there may be a trade chip on the Penguins besides Phil Kessel. The Bruins got screwed in the Stanley Cup Final. The Big Ten/ACC Challenge should be fantastic. Who else besides Phil? The Athletic listed its top 20 trade candidates. Two Penguins made it. Writer Craig...
Phil Kessel trade talk reminiscent of summer of 2014, James Neal deal
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Pittsburgh Penguins are shopping an incredibly productive winger in the hopes that the move will improve not their skill level or goal scoring but their overall style of play. It describes the summer of 2019, with Phil Kessel on the block....
On defense, Penguins now paying price for prior pursuit of championships
Last weekend, the Pittsburgh Penguins relinquished the NHL rights to 2017 second-round pick Zachary Lauzon, who has battled post-concussion problems. Last year at this time, they gave up the rights to 2016 third-round pick Connor Hall, who has suffered recurring shoulder problems. While the Penguins can’t be blamed for the...
Blues goalie has shot at rookie mark even Penguins’ Matt Murray didn’t hit
St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington has a chance to set a rookie record that even Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray didn’t reach during his memorable first-year playoff run in 2016. With a 4-2 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night,...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden talk JuJu’s prom, Phil Kessel trade, Pirates pros and cons
I know. This has become a trend. It’s another “Madden Monday” podcast on a Tuesday. Between Memorial Day weekend and concert activities, Mark Madden and I have had a few three-day weekends of late. We’ll get on a proper schedule again eventually. Or, if not, no big deal. It’s summer....
Latest signing fits Penguins’ goaltending philosophy
Because of the way the Marc-Andre Fleury era quickly became the Matt Murray era, the Pittsburgh Penguins haven’t gone into a draft explicitly looking for a No. 1 goaltender in 15 years. Instead, their goaltending development plan has been to look for talent in a variety of places in an...
Penguins trainer Chris Stewart honored by IUP
Pittsburgh Penguins head trainer Chris Stewart has received a prestigious award from his alma mater, IUP, being named one of the inaugural members of the school’s College of Health and Human Sciences Hall of Distinction. Stewart has been the Penguins’ head trainer for 13 years. Including a year spent as...
With possible Phil Kessel trade, Penguins need productive Patric Hornqvist
If the Pittsburgh Penguins, as expected, trade Phil Kessel this summer, they’re probably going to need the right wings that remain on the roster to ramp up their production next season. That’s why Patric Hornqvist’s resurgence while playing for the Swedish national team at the World Championships last month is...
Penguins relinquish rights to 2017 second-round draft pick Zachary Lauzon
The Pittsburgh Penguins relinquished the NHL rights to 2017 second-round pick Zachary Lauzon, failing to sign him to an entry level contract by a Saturday deadline. Lauzon, 20, was limited to 25 games in the regular season and five more in the playoffs due to concussion-related problems while playing for...
Penguins sign young Finnish goalie Emil Larmi to 2-year deal
With Tristan Jarry’s days in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization seemingly numbered, the team added to its goaltending depth Sunday, signing 22-year-old Emil Larmi to a two-year, entry level contract. Larmi emerged as one of the top unsigned goaltenders in Europe this season, leading HPK to a championship in Finland’s top...
TSN’s Bob McKenzie: Penguins could still trade Phil Kessel to Minnesota
A trade that would send Pittsburgh Penguins winger Phil Kessel to the Minnesota Wild remains a possibility, TSN’s Bob McKenzie said on his podcast Friday. The Penguins reportedly had a deal done to send the popular 31-year-old to the Wild for speedy winger Jason Zucker, but Kessel used his no-trade...
Evgeni Malkin sends birthday wishes to son with funny Instagram photo
Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin celebrated his son’s birthday with another classic Instagram post. Malkin posted a photo of his 3-year-old son Nikita with a pacifier in his mouth as he lay in his crib. Dad is lying on an adjacent bed, with a pacifier of his own in his...
Penguins’ Sidney Crosby remains relatively young among NHL captains
As Sidney Crosby celebrates the 12th anniversary of having a “C” stitched to his Pittsburgh Penguins jersey, he’s the second longest tenured captain in the NHL but nowhere near the oldest. Crosby was given the captaincy on May 31, 2007, a few months before his 20th birthday, becoming the youngest...
U mad, bro? Readers pop off about showboating, Phil Kessel trade, Antonio Brown’s grass
“U mad, bro?” this week features Pirates fans in a snit over Derek Dietrich of the Reds, the Pirates’ failure to support Josh Bell and our coverage of Antonio Brown. Well, our coverage of Brown’s lawn care, anyway. On Twitter, “Corby Corb 12” chimes in with an opinion on Derek...
Penguins re-sign defenseman Juuso Riikola, keep blue line stocked
The Pittsburgh Penguins continued to shore up their depth on defense Thursday, re-signing restricted free agent Juuso Riikola to a one-year contract worth $850,000. Last year, the 25-year-old Riikola played on a two-way contract that paid him $925,000 when in the NHL and $70,000 when in the AHL. A training...
Minus Fleury factor, fewer fans watching Stanley Cup Final in Pittsburgh market
The Pittsburgh market remains interested in the Stanley Cup Final, though not at the level it was a year ago when Marc-Andre Fleury was involved. Pittsburgh was the fifth highest-rated market in the country for Game 2 between the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night, delivering a...
Plenty of opinions about where Penguins’ Phil Kessel could land in trade
The Phil Kessel trade watch is one of the biggest topics in hockey right now. And the opinions are flying. Dave Poulin said on TSN, “He’s an acquired taste that has run its course in Pittsburgh.” On the same panel, Craig Button made it sound like the team is scapegoating...
Jeremy Roenick: Penguins’ Phil Kessel will accept trade to only 1 team
Popular Pittsburgh Penguins winger Phil Kessel will accept a trade to one team and one team only, NBC Sports analyst Jeremy Roenick said in a radio interview on Wednesday. “I know where he wants to go and we’ll see if he gets that option,” Roenick told 550 AM in Buffalo....
If you were an NHL player, which team would you veto a trade to?
When NHL players with certain contractual rights hammer out the details of their no-trade clauses, they must only specify which teams they are willing or not willing to be dealt to. They don’t need to specify why. Safe to say, though, there are certain criteria that would weigh heavily on...
Trading players such as Penguins’ Phil Kessel rare, not unprecedented
From his personality on and off the ice to his set of strengths and weaknesses as a player, Phil Kessel is truly one of a kind in the NHL universe. But that doesn’t mean the Pittsburgh Penguins are in uncharted territory as they try to trade the popular two-time Stanley...
Ex-Penguins center Joe Vitale shares tale of superstitious Sidney Crosby
The lengths to which Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will go to satisfy his superstitions are well known. Former Penguins center Joe Vitale, on this week’s episode of the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, told a tale of a Crosby superstition that tested his patience. Vitale was the team’s locker room DJ,...
Pittsburgh ranks as 3rd best city for hockey fans
Congrats, Pittsburgh: You are the third best city for hockey fans. That’s according to a new study by WalletHub. Although, with the Penguins having been swept in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs — can you remember back that far? — the accolade just kinda rings hollow, doesn’t...
