Penguins reporter for
@PittsburghPG
. Ex-NFL writer. Coffee chugger. Helicopter dad. Beer league glue guy. To quote Badger Bob, “It’s a great day for hockey.”
I recently flew to Montreal to see what would happen if your average beer league player — me — tried to do Kris Letang’s legendary workout.
My body got wrecked, but I left with a greater understanding of what makes him the NHL’s most relentless player.
Patric Hornqvist on waiving his no-trade clause to join the Panthers: "When I found out Pittsburgh didn't want me and Florida wanted me, it was an easy choice."
#Pens
Penguins right winger Kasperi Kapanen and defenseman Marcus Pettersson congratulate center Evgeni Malkin after he scored the game-winning goal in triple overtime against the Rangers Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
Bryan Rust on whether Sidney Crosby has turned back the clock a few years with his play this series: “I don’t think he has the same clock as the rest of us.”
Phil Kessel just scored on Matt Murray in practice, prompting teammates to cheer him. Kessel, who has gone 16 games without a goal, laughed and raised his stick to celebrate.
My take is Sidney Crosby should be in the All-Star Game. If the best players in the world aren’t playing, especially when they’re scoring at a point-per-game pace, then you need a new system.
One thing that didn’t make it into this fun Sid story, which you should read…
This week, Crosby apparently baked banana bread for his teammates and brought it to the rink. Seriously.
“I really admire him,” said Casey DeSmith, who told me about the baking.
I followed Sid’s every single move, from slap shots to stick taps to playful chats, during Wednesday’s practice.
Watching those little things pile up, it is easy to see he didn’t become an all-time great player and leader by accident.
MEEEEEEEEESH!
Michelle is the first woman to serve as a broadcaster for a regular-season Penguins game. In fact, no woman has ever called a game for any of Pittsburgh's big-league pro sports teams until tonight.
Good luck, my friend!
Phil Bourque is under the weather, so I'll be filling in as the color analyst on tonight's call of Penguins-Flyers alongside Steve Mears.
So excited and grateful for this opportunity! Tune in on
@1059thex
or through the
@penguins
app.
The Penguins recently engaged in trade talks with the Canucks centered on J.T. Miller, the Coraopolis native. Those talks stalled but the door is still ajar.
Plus, Jakob Chychrun is on the radar.
Buckle up. New few days will be fun.
Matt Murray’s partnering with Primanti Bros. to launch a $5,000 open tab for police officers in Pittsburgh at the Market Square location.
“I want to thank the people on the front lines who put themselves at risk every day to keep us safe,” the
#Pens
goalie said in a statement.
Sidney Crosby is Pittsburgh’s nominee for the King Clancy Award, which is presented “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”
#Penguins
Michelle Crechiolo last night became the first woman to ever call a Penguins game.
Honored to chat with
@PensInsideScoop
about how she met her trailblazing moment.
“It’s just so surreal. … I stuck with hockey because I loved it, and it’s led me here.”
Jake Guentzel confirmed it was his intention to stay in Pittsburgh but said the team wanted to go in a different direction.
Asked if he is open to re-signing this summer, Guentzel said he isn’t thinking about that now and added he is happy in Carolina.
Now whose foot is Evgeni Malkin going to shoot at when pregame warmups are over?
Longtime Penguins athletic trainer Chris Stewart has left the team after 29 years on the job. Team says he wanted to step away from the grind of the gig. Pens will hire a new head trainer.
Hornqvist said he was "blindsided" by the trade and had kind words to say about Pittsburgh and
#Pens
fans. But he says he is now excited to try to win a Stanley Cup in Florida.
Kris Letang is officially out. His father died in the last 24 hours and Kris left the team to return to Montreal. He was not expected to play due to injury anyway.
I am beyond thrilled to announce that I am returning to Pittsburgh next month because I have been hired as a Penguins beat reporter at the
@PittsburghPG
.
Maybe the best part of the ceremony is Jagr turning it into a mini-roast of his teammates.
He thanked Phil Bourque for showing him how to party. Then he told Ulf Samuelsson that he spent all of last night trying to think of something good to say about him but came up empty.
Sidney Crosby: "I think we understand what it takes to win. But I put it on myself. I’ve got to step up. Key situations, you’re down like this and losing games, you need big plays, big performances. And I haven’t done that. So that’s on me.”
#Pens
As the Pens make changes to their radio team, here’s a suggestion: Hire Michelle Crechiolo.
She did awesome as a pinch-hitter this past season. She knows the game (and can play!) and knows the players even better. And she’d kick butt if given the chance to settle into the role.
It’s a From the Point Friday.
I chatted with Big Jeff Carter about why he signed with the
#Pens
, what he likes about Pittsburgh, the hockey fit, feeling the love from fans and, yes, Bud Light Platinum and
@PenguinsJesus
.
That, plus plenty of hockey talk.
The Penguins have resigned Teddy Blueger to a two-year contract worth $2.2 million annually. Good value for a solid two-way center who might not be done blossoming offensively.
Probably safe to say they will protect him in next week’s expansion draft.
Neat scene after practice today. While a Zamboni hummed in the distance, two
#Pens
players lingered on the ice, essentially playing 1-on-1 in the neutral zone.
It was a 34-year-old Kris Letang and young defenseman P.O. Joseph. That's what leadership looks like.
In a recent chat with Sidney Crosby, I asked the
#Pens
star about 10 all-time greats, including... Sidney Crosby.
Crosby’s thoughtful responses spoke volumes about the things that he values and gave insight into how he views the game and his own legacy.
I followed Sid’s every single move, from slap shots to stick taps to playful chats, during Wednesday’s practice.
Watching those little things pile up, it is easy to see he didn’t become an all-time great player and leader by accident.
#Pens
captain Sidney Crosby donated 100,000 meals today to Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, the Penguins just announced.
"I saw the people of Pittsburgh coming together to help one another and I wanted to be a part of that," he said.
Evgeni Malkin is in a regular jersey today, signifying that he's been cleared for contact. Seems unlikely that he'll be back before Christmas. But we'll see.
The thought of one day speaking his mind inside of a media scrum would have seemed inconceivable to a young Bryan Rust.
But after years of speech therapy and public speaking classes, he’s minimized his stutter and found his voice within the
#Penguins
.
Sidney Crosby just spoke with us. Will have more later but he felt the
#Pens
could have gotten in their two games this week and is clearly disappointed about the Olympics being in doubt.
Wondering how Kris Letang feels about the blockbuster Erik Karlsson trade?
I happened to be in Montreal this week. Kris was happy to give me his thoughts.
Tristan Jarry is on the ice at UPMC66 for an individual workout. So he’s out of the COVID protocol and could potentially play in the upcoming back-to-back.
The
#Pens
just announced a plan to pay full and part-time arena and service employees at PPG Paints Arena while the season is suspended. Funding will come from Penguins players, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and the Mario Lemieux Foundation.
Malkin was a mystery before the first of his soon-to-be 1,000 NHL games.
“When he started to light the lamp early, it was like, ‘Oh yeah, here we go.’”
Great to chat with Crosby,
@armdog
, Gonchar,
@Max25talbot
, and Geno himself about his fun rookie year.
Wow. Mike Sullivan is not one of the finalists for the Jack Adams Trophy.
#Pens
were without Sid, Geno, Letang, Bjugstad, Schultz, Guentzel for chunks of the season and still had the NHL's seventh-best record. Pretty unbelievable.
Crosby on Carter: “He’s just had an amazing career. And honestly, he’s the same guy that I remember meeting when I was 16. Just a lot of poise, great guy in the room, brings it every single night.”
15 years, the
#Penguins
were on life support. With little cash and little hope for a new arena, some players on that 2003-04 team thought they'd soon be playing in K.C. That forgotten, last-place season was the darkness before the dawn.
Brian Elliott and a
#Pens
player appeared to bump into each other on the way to the locker room after the second period ended. A rare occasion tonight where the Flyers goalie got in front of something.
Doordash addict Zach Aston-Reese was afraid of gaining weight after his August shoulder surgery. So he turned to Ben Roethlisberger’s personal trainer.
Now, he's playing the best hockey of his career. He credits his diet for that.
Evgeni Malkin, wearing workout clothes, just stood at the door onto the ice, stickhandled for a few seconds then fired at the empty net at the far side of an empty rink. He missed, twirled his stick and walked off.
With Rakell re-signing for $5 million a season, that leaves about $10 million in projected cap space, per
@CapFriendly
. Don’t believe that figure factors in potential $$$ for Kapanen.
Pens can create more with a trade.