Mark Madden Columns category, Page 8
Mark Madden: 4 Nations Face-Off generated buzz that NHL cannot maintain
The afterglow of witnessing such hotly contested action duly noted, the 4 Nations Face-Off (and international hockey in general) is oddly counterproductive to the NHL. The league sabotages its own product via epic confrontations like both U.S.-Canada games. The resumption of the NHL regular season will seem lackluster. Even the...
Mark Madden: Sidney Crosby offers Canada’s edge against U.S. in 4 Nations Face-Off final
It’s not as meaningful as it’s made out, but the U.S. and Canada figure to play a real slobberknocker of a hockey game Thursday night. Let’s preview the action with refreshing 4 Nations Face-Off notes. If you want blood, you got it. • Sidney Crosby made the most Sidney Crosby...
Mark Madden: Fights, politics add unnecessary vulgarity to great U.S. vs. Canada hockey
Three fights in nine seconds. I hated it. I went crazy on X in the wake of the brawl-filled spectacle that opened Saturday’s game between Canada and the U.S. in the 4 Nations Face-Off. That’s not what I believe hockey should be, let alone in a summit meeting of two...
Mark Madden Hot Take: What if the Steelers acquired Patrick Mahomes? It could happen, right?
Breaking news: The Pittsburgh Steelers asked Kansas City about acquiring quarterback Patrick Mahomes. (Except they didn’t.) The Chiefs said Mahomes wasn’t available. (Or would have if they had been asked.) A source close to the Chiefs said, “You must be stupid. Never happened.” A source inside the Steelers organization said,...
Mark Madden: From Lemieux to Crosby, 4 Nations Face-Off opener was night to savor
I went to my first Pittsburgh Penguins game when I was 7. My late mother and I had season tickets for the best part of a decade beginning in 1971. It was all I wanted to watch. It’s the team I supported as a boy. That never leaves you. I...
Mark Madden: Enjoy Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh’s only hope for a winner
Only one exciting thing is on the horizon for Pittsburgh sports: When it’s Paul Skenes’ turn to pitch. The Pirates’ phenom/ace will take the mound every fifth day or so, with longer breaks occasionally finagled so he starts at PNC Park as much as possible. No sense in Skenes selling...
Mark Madden: Even after Super Bowl flop, Patrick Mahomes still in GOAT discussion
The big game has come and gone. Time to put football to bed with refreshing Super Bowl notes. (The Steelers won’t play in next year’s, either.) • Patrick Mahomes soiled the bed. Philadelphia’s defense was excellent, putting Mahomes under pressure without once blitzing. But if you’re supposed to be in...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: The Eagles are who the Steelers want to be and more Super Bowl notes
Some random Super Bowl notes designed to distract from the fact that the Steelers won’t play in one anytime soon: • The Eagles are what the Steelers want to be but aren’t close to being: An outlier team that succeeds via running the ball, line play and physicality. • Two...
Mark Madden: A brief history of highs, lows of international hockey ahead of 4 Nations Face-Off
With the 4 Nations Face-Off beginning Wednesday, here’s a brief, informal history of international hockey. Disclaimer: Hockey players do not “represent their country.” The armed forces do. Grab a gun, not a hockey stick. Pre-1972 Canada dominated. Then the Soviet Union took over. Canada claimed that was because NHL players...
Mark Madden: A decades-old tradition, Steelers would rather be right than win
In Week 13 at Cincinnati, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Bengals, 44-38. Quarterback Russell Wilson scored six more points than Joe Burrow. Wilson threw for 105 more yards than Burrow. Wilson threw for three touchdowns, same as Burrow. That’s rarefied air, a callback to Wilson’s glory days with Seattle. Wilson...
Mark Madden: Tee Higgins joining the Steelers is pure fantasy talk
It’s the time of year for Pittsburgh Steelers fantasies. “Here come the jesters, 1-2-3…” Draft this guy. Trade for that guy. But the No. 1 fantasy is to sign the big-name free agent. (Which the Steelers don’t do. That’s why it’s a fantasy.) Every Steelers fan’s current dream is receiver...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Penguins’ trade gives reason for cautious optimism
The Pittsburgh Penguins are rebuilding, whether they use that word or not. But dominos are falling, which raise the possibility that rebuilding can be accelerated, perhaps within the time frame of Sidney Crosby’s remaining tenure. (However long that is. He’s the best 37-year-old ever.) The Penguins keep stockpiling draft choices,...
Mark Madden: Sidney Crosby’s rallying moments just mean more in Pittsburgh
Wednesday night at Utah was the essence of Sidney Crosby as a Penguin. He cuts through the slot like a magician to bury a trademark backhand in overtime. It’s the Penguins’ first visit to Salt Lake City. Lots of Penguins jerseys in the stands. Big pop for the finish. It...
Mark Madden: Change is integral for Penguins’ rebuild, and Sidney Crosby can help it move forward
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ three-man core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang has played together for 19 seasons, a record for North American sports. It’s a nice story. The unbreakable bond of eternal brotherhood. It’s a success story. Three Stanley Cups, another Stanley Cup Final and over a decade of...
Mark Madden: Steelers wallow in mismanagement, illusion of success
The Pittsburgh Steelers maintain credibility based on two brands: their logo and the Rooney family. Simply being the Steelers is enough. But now the Steelers are not serious people. The Steelers wallow in mismanagement that isn’t acknowledged, let alone corrected. They’re clueless. The current disappointment isn’t just a blip. It’s...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers’ draft focus should be on scoring, quarterback, not defense
The NFL Draft takes place April 24-26. Since we’re going to debate ad nauseam whom the Pittsburgh Steelers should pick from now till then, here’s two early suggestions. • Don’t take a defensive player in the first round. Sure, the Steelers badly need help on the defensive line. But the...
Mark Madden: Justin Fields has better options than staying with Steelers
This space recently floated the largely accepted notion that starting Justin Fields at quarterback next season makes sense for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fields is 25 and has pedigree, having been selected 11th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s mobile and athletic: Lamar Jackson Lite. If Fields blossoms, perhaps he’s...
Mark Madden: Ichiro’s performance speaks for itself, even if he wasn’t a unanimous Hall of Fame selection
Ichiro Suzuki just got elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ichiro was one vote shy of unanimous. The same happened with Derek Jeter in 2020: He got every vote but one. Like then, there’s a battle cry to reveal who didn’t vote for Ichiro. Baseball’s gatekeepers are marching through...
Mark Madden: PiratesFest drives home notion the team has no ambition beyond profit
The annual PiratesFest propaganda rally lived up to the spirit of the franchise this past weekend at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. It was wall-to-wall horse manure. That’s what I’m told, anyway. I didn’t attend. I refuse to be an enabler. Some highlights: • A Q&A with CEO Travis...
Mark Madden’s hot take: Steelers’ lack of action speaks volumes
The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t swap Mike Tomlin to Chicago or ditch him via any method. The Steelers won’t make any big personnel moves, except perhaps trading wideout George Pickens because his shenanigans go too far even in the laissez-faire culture Tomlin enables. The Steelers won’t make changes to the coaching...
Mark Madden: How the right decision on goalies led to years of Penguins’ misfortune
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ goaltending crisis started when the general manager made the right decision. No, not when current GM Kyle Dubas gave Tristan Jarry a five-year, $26.875 million contract in 2023. That was the wrong decision, as Dubas acknowledged when the Penguins waived Jarry on Wednesday. Credit Dubas for admitting...
Mark Madden: Signing Justin Fields among many obvious decisions for Steelers; others aren’t so easy
Lots of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offseason decisions will be easy and obvious. Justin Fields will be the starting quarterback in 2025. Fields can be had for $15 million per season or less, maybe on a two-year deal. He’s 25, has lots of athletic ability, very low football IQ but is...
Mark Madden: With no reason for optimism, Steelers need to start all over — beginning with Mike Tomlin
The Steelers lost their sixth straight playoff game. For the fifth consecutive time, it was a blowout. The Steelers should blow it up and start over. The coach has been exposed for the fraud he’s always been. This version of the team is aging, full of holes and clearly a...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: James Franklin is a Penn State hero, so why all the hate?
To Penn State fans, James Franklin should be a hero. Penn State made the Big Ten championship game and the College Football Playoff semifinals. Any Penn State supporter would have been salivating at that prospect before the season. The Nittany Lions were very competitive in both those games, losing to...
Mark Madden: The recalibration of Mike Tomlin’s legend continues
Denial. It’s tough. With the Pittsburgh Steelers set to finish their traditional late-season skid with a fifth straight loss by losing their wild-card playoff game at Baltimore on Saturday, here’s a bit of hope: Betting the Steelers on the money line is great value. The Steelers are plus-400. A worthwhile...
