Penguins/NHL category, Page 235
First Call: Le’Veon Bell disputes injury; Steeler assistant on head coaching radar?; JuJu Smith-Schuster addresses future
A Steelers assistant coach is on the ascent. Le’Veon Bell’s practice time in New York was on the decline Wednesday. JuJu Smith-Schuster wants to stay in Pittsburgh. Hockey and politics don’t mix. And Plaxico Burress has us all very confused. All that is in “First Call” Thursday. All ‘A’s’ for...
U mad, bro? Pittsburgh fans angry over Penguins moves, ESPN’s jab at Big Ben, playing high school sports
Why should everybody be mad about the same thing all at once? Let’s spread around the agitation for this edition of “U mad, bro?” This week, Pittsburgh sports fans are frustrated about Penguins trades, Minkah Fitzpatrick and my dismissal of Ben Roethlisberger’s skills. Except I didn’t dismiss Roethlisberger’s skills. I...
Plenty of work remains for Penguins GM Jim Rutherford
Jim Rutherford filled one hole in his lineup Tuesday when he reacquired forward Kasperi Kapanen from the Maple Leafs. If things go as planned — a dicey idiom in 2020 — Kapanen will line up next to either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin in a top-six role whenever the 2020-21...
‘Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 5: Beloved in Pittsburgh, Ulf Samuelsson was a villain everywhere elseVideo
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 5: Ulf Samuelsson To understand Ulf Samuelsson’s appeal in Pittsburgh, all you have to consider is who liked him. Jack Lambert. The toughest and...
Tim Benz and Joe Bartnick: Differing views on Penguins’ trade for Kasperi Kapanen
On Monday, the Pittsburgh Penguins decided to reacquire Kasperi Kapanen from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The cost was this year’s first-round draft pick (No. 15 overall). Also included in the deal were forward Evan Rodrigues, prospect Filip Hallander and emergency defenseman David Warsofsky. Coming to Pittsburgh along with Kapanen are...
Mark Madden: If Penguins’ window is still open, Kasperi Kapanen trade makes sense
The Penguins’ reacquisition of winger Kasperi Kapanen is easy to evaluate. Just not right now. If GM Jim Rutherford is correct about the Penguins’ window to win still being open, and the Penguins make next season’s playoffs and win a round or two, it’s a good trade. Even if Kapanen...
Penguins brought back Kasperi Kapanen to be a top-6 forward
The Pittsburgh Penguins are barely two weeks into an offseason that began way too early for their liking. They have plenty of issues to sort out with their roster and relatively little salary cap space with which to work. Yet, general manager Jim Rutherford didn’t waste much time in taking...
Penguins reacquire 2014 first-round pick Kasperi Kapanen from Maple LeafsVideo
The Penguins are barely two weeks into an offseason which began way too early for their liking. They have plenty of issues to sort out with their roster and relatively little salary cap space to work within. Yet, general manager Jim Rutherford didn’t waste much time in taking his first...
Is rooting against Flyers enough to keep Penguins fans engaged in NHL playoffs?
Gritty is the Philadelphia Flyers mascot. He’s a real-life version of what happens when you look at your lint trap while on bath salts. This week, Gritty was trying to make it up to the NHL playoff hub in Toronto. He got confused and went to Toronto, Ohio. instead of...
Mark Madden: Could the pandemic mean end of the NHL as we know it?
As this unique version of the Stanley Cup playoffs enters the second round, it’s sobering to realize when it is concluded, we might not see the NHL for a long time. That means we won’t see the Penguins play again for an extended period. Will Sidney Crosby lose a year...
Penguins prospect Kasper Bjorkqvist loaned to KooKoo in Finland
Penguins forward prospect Kasper Bjorkqvist has been loaned for the 2020-21 season to KooKoo of Finland’s Liiga. According to a release from KooKoo (translated from Finnish), the agreement will be a “year-long loan.” #KooKoo #Liiga #yksijoukkue #montatarinaa #Kouvola pic.twitter.com/VJ25Y5TI9B— Kouvolan KooKoo (@KouvolanKooKoo) August 24, 2020 A second-round pick (No. 61...
First Call: Marc-Andre Fleury discusses ‘backstabbing’ tweet; Wheeling 4-year-old’s hole-in-one; Lamar Jackson’s injury
It’s a busy “First Call” for Monday morning. Former Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury finds himself at the center of a controversy — thanks to his agent’s Twitter account. A West Virginia four-year-old gets a hole-in-one. Lamar Jackson is nicked up. The Cleveland Browns avoid a coronavirus scare. And Luka Doncic...
Madden Monday: Will Steelers consider signing Earl Thomas? Possible destinations for Matt Murray.
I know what some Steelers fans are thinking. Stop thinking it. The Steelers shouldn’t sign Earl Thomas. I know. I know. They could use another safety to complement Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Baltimore Ravens just cut Thomas. It’d be a great way to goose the Ravens. But Thomas just squawked his...
Capitals fire coach Todd Reirden after 2 postseason letdowns
The Washington Capitals fired coach Todd Reirden after a second consecutive first-round exit in the playoffs. General manager Brian MacLellan announced the move Sunday, three days after the Capitals lost to former coach Barry Trotz’s New York Islanders in a five-game series. Washington opted to promote Reirden from the top...
‘Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 10: Often overshadowed, Ron Francis was vital to the Penguins’ successVideo
The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number. No. 10: Ron Francis It’s not the greatest goal in Penguins history. Heck, it’s probably not even the most famous goal of their Stanley Cup...
Penguins sign undrafted free agent defenseman Josh Maniscalco
Situated roughly halfway between Philadelphia and Allentown, Perkiomenville is easy to overlook on the map. Just ask one of its residents. “A whole lot of trees and wildlife,” said Josh Maniscalco, a defensive prospect who signed with the Penguins on Friday. “It’s a pretty small town. I don’t even know...
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins sign forwards Luke Stevens, Felix Robert
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed forwards Luke Stevens and Felix Robert to one-year American Hockey League (AHL) contracts for the 2020-21 season. Stevens is the son of Kevin Stevens, a former All-Star forward for the NHL Penguins who now serves as a scout for the organization. Selected in the fifth...
U mad, bro? Fans rant about Bryan Rust, grouse about Gov. Wolf, get ticked off about Mike Tomlin vs. Mike Sullivan
This week’s “U mad, bro?” gets into some pretty choppy waters. Mike Sullivan versus Mike Tomlin. Bryan Rust versus trade talk. Governor Tom Wolf versus high school sports. And me versus copyright infringement. Read carefully. This could get dicey. Let’s start with James. He really enjoyed my recent column about...
Penguins unrestricted free agents: Who stays and who goes?
The Pittsburgh Penguins are facing an uncertain offseason for a variety of reasons ranging from the coronavirus pandemic to their own internal shortcomings. How that impacts the rosters moving forward is still anyone’s guess, including their own, perhaps. With an estimated $13,224,825 of salary cap space, according to Cap Friendly,...
First Call: Pirates speak about Fernando Tatis Jr. controversy, Pens prospect moves on, Steelers have a new ‘piece’
Wednesday’s “First Call” features the Pittsburgh Pirates reaction to the Fernando Tatis Jr. controversy. Steelers tight end Vance McDonald makes a Pittsburgh folklore faux pas. A former Penguins prospect has a new home. And a tip of the cap to Roberto Clemente on his birthday. Taillon on Tatis The big...
Tim Benz: Sports sees competitive flattening in restarts. Will the NFL? If so, could we tell?
No one needs to float this idea past Pittsburgh Penguins fans. They’ve already gotten the message. But one trend is becoming noticeable in the coronavirus-era rebooted sports world. Reformatted training camps, empty stadiums, herky-jerky schedules and covid-19-related absences have heightened competitive balance within the leagues. The playing field is a...
Penguins restricted free agents: Who stays and who goes?
The Pittsburgh Penguins are facing an uncertain offseason for a variety of reasons ranging from the coronavirus pandemic to their own internal shortcomings. How that impacts the rosters moving forward is still anyone’s guess, including their own, perhaps. With an estimated $13,224,825 of salary cap space — according to Cap...
Ex-Penguins prospect Nikita Pavlychev signs with Lightning affiliate
Former Penguins forward prospect Nikita Pavlychev has signed a one-year American Hockey League (AHL) contract with the Syracuse Crunch, affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Penguins selected Pavlychev in the seventh round (No. 197 overall) in the 2015 draft but never signed him. The deadline to retain his signing...
Tim Benz: Wide mix of reasons for widely mixed results of sports TV ratings since restarts
On Monday afternoon, I visited five websites to track how sports on television ratings were tracking amid the pandemic restarts. I got four different answers. Monday’s news from NBC was that the first two days of the Stanley Cup Playoffs official first round “averaged 620,000 viewers across NBC Sports’ TV...
Pondering Evgeni Malkin’s injury, NHL playoffs without Penguins, Tristan Jarry as full-time starter
It didn’t last very long, did it? Mid-summer excitement about the return of Pittsburgh’s pro sports world was brief. And frankly, not that enjoyable. Hey, better to have it than not. But it hardly felt like the real thing. Especially based on how short of a run it was. The...
