Noah, who had to be carried through the first half of his walk the other day because he’s now convinced the neighborhood could go into sudden boom mode at any time, could not agree more.
Sidney Crosby, age 35, 91 points in 81 games.
Evgeni Malkin, age 36, 83 points in 81 games.
Kris Letang, age 35, missed all of 18 games despite a heck of a year medically/personally; logged the 10th most ice time per game of any NHL player.
They deserved a better-managed team.
The line for fans to enter PPG 🎨 Arena is unlike anything I’ve seen, including the Cup Finals here. All the way down Fifth Avenue.
To think there was a time Jagr thought fans might not want this.
Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms and role models. Just as important, though, a peaceful day to all for whom this day is hard, be it losing or not being able to have kids, or losing or not knowing or having a difficult relationship with your mom. Take care of you ❤️
It's been a pretty rough Final for Marc-Andre Fleury, so here's something nice courtesy of P.K. Subban on NBCSN: "I wouldn't [rather] have another guy in front of my brother for him to learn from."
Penguins fans, your time has arrived. NHL Network will run 13 straight hours of Penguins content tomorrow - Wednesday, March 25 - starting with the clinching game of the 1991 Cup at 10 a.m. and concluding with the 50th anniversary video, Pittsburgh Is Home, from 8 to 11 p.m.
No Maatta, Letang or Dumoulin. Rust and Ruhwedel lost in this game. Yet the Penguins come out with a 5-2 win over the improved CBJ. They're going to do this bonding-through-adversity thing to spite the doubters, aren't they?
Most every time I watch VGK doing well, this picture crosses my mind. How much would you like to go back in time and tell this guy, "Hey, hang in there. Just wait till you see how things are going in May."
The Penguins need to address their backup goaltending situation ASAP. Tristan Jarry is going to be overplayed down the stretch, and if he gets hurt all the promise of this season meant nothing.
Wow, Columbus fans chanting "CBJ!" in appreciation of their just-eliminated team is a really nice thing. That was a tough way to lose. And they're still applauding throughout the handshake line.
Typical Fleury response to whether this is the best he's played. "I don't know; I think you're always as good as your team. The guys in front of me have been great and they've been helping me a lot. It's been a lot of fun."
I've found myself thinking more than once over the past week or so how often I take watching Sidney Crosby play hockey for granted. Nearly every game, there's a moment that makes you stop and think about what a truly special player he is.
Can’t help hoping that hometown
@penguins
fans — like Knox, a young person I know who’s so excited for his first in-person game tonight — get the chance to see some history. It’s the excitement of fans like him that really reminds me what it’s all about.
Letang on Malkin's fight: Geno is always good for one fight a year, so I guess that was it. I don't like to see him fight; you never know what can happen, like if they're falling on the ice or you punch a helmet. But he's good for one a year, so he's done.
Because I only care about Alex Letang's thoughts on the weekend: "I had fun with the mascots. And it was really funny because the mascot of Vegas put me in his mouth; he [ate] all my face." He really liked having fun with his dad this weekend and thinks they are equal as skaters.
Hi, women of hockey Twitter.
You belong here. Your voices and perspectives are critical.
I'm sad to see so many I respect feeling bad about themselves because a "nice guy" harrassed and manipulated you. It's not your fault.
I see you and I'm so sorry you went through this.
Malkin is generally my favorite Penguin to listen to bc he leads with his heart instead of what is probably more correct to say, I find his passion and accountability to be leadership attributes, his English gets his point across just fine, and he should give himself more credit.
Tristan Jarry’s Penguins arc is wild. Heir apparent to MAF > surpassed on organizational depth chart by Murray > team unsuccessfully tries to deal him last summer > sticks with big club solely due to contract considerations > becomes NHL All-Star > stays over Murray as No. 1.
The Penguins have announced a plan to pay full- and part-time arena and service employees at PPG Paints Arena, who would otherwise lose income on regular-season games during this pause. Funding to come from Penguins players, the Penguins Foundation and Mario Lemieux Foundation.
I hate to be that person, but why is Jack Johnson's leash so long while, for others, it takes just one of the several mistakes he made tonight to prompt changes?
Classy from Sullivan today: "Before I take any questions, I just wanted to take an opportunity to say thank you to Zach and Dom Simon for everything they did for the Penguins. They were a pleasure to coach, great teammates and did a lot for our team. We wish them a lot of luck."
You can "time for the Penguins to move on" all you like, but I usually subscribe to the idea that the team that gets the best player wins a trade. In my view, the Penguins are essentially trading Malkin for cap space. IMO, they can't buy as good a No. 2 center with it. Net loss.
Tristan Jarry spent his whole, largely excellent regular season waiting for the opportunity to get back to the playoffs after what happened against the Isles. Now he gets a chance to come in — in a Game 7. It doesn’t get any better than that.
I still hate goalie chants, but I guess "multi-player defensive breakdown that eventually ended up behind a person playing the bravest position on the ice" is not that catchy.
I've just had to drop off my best buddy and Very Good Boy for a mass removal surgery. Please send good pupper thoughts his way today if you're so inclined 🐾
The Penguins are in win-now mode every year of the Crosby/Malkin era, so it's never surprising when GMJR goes for it. The difference from the past couple of years, for me, is that this year's team somehow feels a little more deserving of the investment.
Hockey may be a business, but you can conduct business in a respectful and decent manner, especially when someone has been the face of your new franchise for the past several seasons and is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner. This is disappointing and sad.
A few hours ago I was thinking about how NBC, when they scheduled this as a nationally televised game, didn't expect the Penguins to be down seven regulars hosting the defending champions. It ended up being a heck of a game, and possibly the Penguins' most impressive win so far.
Overly simplistic thought, but I see a lot of arguments focused on the head contact as accidental/unintentional. If you high-stick and draw blood, you get 4 minutes, accident or not, because you're expected to have control over your stick. Shouldn't head contact rules be similar?
In one trade, Kyle Dubas jettisoned all of Pittsburghs fat, a first and second round pick, and got back last years Norris Trophy winner and one of the best offensive defensemen in the modern era of hockey. That’s wild.
I love the Penguins' Thanksgiving Eve game tradition, and that was a fun one worth delaying meal prep for. In related news, I briefly waited for an elevator with Jason Momoa tonight. I don't generally get starstruck but believe I smiled and babbled an incoherent word or two.
You probably need a break from Penguins hockey for a minute. My dog, Noah, received this Max antler in our Grinch-themed
@barkbox
this week and is here to brighten your day.
Malkin: We need to understand, we can't play games like this. We have great four lines offensive zone, but we need to start play better D zone. We can't play like, if they score five, we score six; if they score six, we think we score seven. No. It's not working like that.
Hard to believe I've seen a couple "trade Murray" takes on here. Sure, he had a very average first half, as did his team. Probably had a lot on his mind for a portion of that, too, though I know he wouldn't want the pass. Maybe let's give a 23 y.o., two-time Cup winner a minute?
Gostisbehere having a hearing, which would seem to indicate he's getting more than a fine, just speaks to the utter lack of clarity and consistency from the DoPS. What crosses the line? Who even knows?
Kessel in response to a question on how strongly fans reacted to stories suggesting he could've been moved this summer: "The fans have been great to me my years here and we've had some good years here. I love them. They've always been supportive and they're great fans here."
The day after the Penguins' final media availability, I went to the doctor to deal with two months of debilitating headaches, vision loss and more. Yesterday got answers and meds re: an inflamed artery that could've led to a stroke or blindness. Can't wait to have my life back.
Natural hat trick. Sidney Crosby has singlehandedly tied this game. I'd say I can't believe what I've just watched, but he's made a career out of making the ridiculous thoroughly believable.
Crosby, asked where that goal might rank in his career, gives the Crosby response you'd probably expect: "Nice to see it go in. We had some good looks tonight. Nice to get the first one, and glad to see Horny chip in with a couple, too."
Malkin jokes re: whether he and Kapanen have clicked off ice, too: “I don’t know; he speaks Finland. I don’t understand.” Adds that road trips are more isolated now. “Maybe I’m too old to him, but I try to be able to see him and play cards, play video games. He’s a good guy.”
The Penguins and Aramark have donated 2,000 pounds of perishable food items from PPG Paints Arena over the past few days to 412 Food Rescue to distribution to local organizations and neighbors in need. Would've otherwise spoiled due to pause in the NHL season and other events.
What Ottawa paid for Jakob Chychrun was incredibly fair, IMO. Would have made a really nice first-pair D partner for Letang down the road. But by all means, hang onto those hit-or-miss draft picks as opposed to the 24-year-old sure thing.
Matt Murray looking bigger in the net these days. Confident, calm, good positioning. That gives his team confidence in front of him and is a very positive development for the Penguins.
Just a reminder about the state laws in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania that didn't allow mail votes to be counted early. They're not suddenly being unearthed; they're legally cast ballots that are being counted.
Election officials in most states could start counting mail votes many days before Election Day. But in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, state laws didn't allow for such preparation.
To be clear: this sort of waiting game for results is not uncommon.
Great news; Isaac made it through his surgery just fine and is awake and alert. Even better is that the vet believes after looking at the mass that it's not malignant. Thanks so much for the good wishes for my pup!
Really looking forward to watching some hockey tonight, and not just because NYR/PIT is my favorite matchup. Haven't been myself since early October while dealing with a scary medical thing that, after a biopsy last week, turns out to be not so scary. So grateful to move forward.
Summary of the past couple of nights: if players, coaches, broadcast teams, journalist and fans can't understand your rules, they might be too complex, poorly defined, inconsistently enforced, or all of the above.
Brandon Tanev may not be your average fourth liner but, as that’s how the Penguins were using him, $3.5M through 2024-25 was a lot. They’ll get a lot of cap flexibility to start reshaping the team. Still, going to miss how he plays the game.
Aston-Reese mentioned that with his dad being from Pittsburgh, he had the Penguins' 91-92 Cup tapes on VHS and that Alexei Kovalev was his favorite player growing up.
Honestly stunned that Letang was willing to go $6.1M AAV, even with the benefit of the extra term. Someone out there would have given him $8M+ AAV, in my opinion, and he still could’ve gotten close on term. Fantastic deal for the team.
Sullivan on Malkin: He doesn't get the credit he deserves, outside Pittsburgh, in the hockey world. He's been one of the elite players in this league for a decade-plus, and he deserves more attention for that. His body of work speaks for itself.
I'm so sad to see the racist ugliness K'Andre Miller just had to deal with in his Zoom chat and so wish the Rangers had addressed it immediately. No time needed to craft a response to that; address it on the spot and tell the person(s) your organization won't tolerate it.
Been a Gostisbehere fan but hearing that players on the bench were laughing about a wrestling takedown of an opponent who didn't return to the game and had his neck surgically repaired makes me sad. I wish players in general could just try to be better to their fellow humans.
Here's what I've got as a sequence of
@s_ghost14
's "RKO" (as I've learned it was laughed about on the Flyers' bench) on
@Letang_58
. Wrestling move, indeed, which inevitably knocked him out of the game.
#DKPS
#Pens
#StadiumSeries
To me, the most entertaining thing about the Penguins this year is not that you can never count them out of a game, but that they never seem to count themselves out of a game.
I suspect the Penguins have to make the playoffs for Crosby to get serious consideration, but he really is playing like the definition of a Hart Trophy candidate this season.
Been a little quiet during this busy hockey week…my fam unexpectedly had to say goodbye to this incredible boy and it’s been so hard. From farm dog with a massive shoulder tumor three years ago to awesome family member and obedience competitor, Jack was a once-in-a-lifetime ❤️
I was reflecting this summer on the opportunity to cover four Finals and three championships and what a privilege that's been. To remember the last two, I took all the tees and towels I hadn't shared with family and friends and had them made into a quilt. Pretty cool keepsake.