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  • Reflecting On The Aaron Rodgers Era In Pittsburgh

    In the minutes after the Houston Texans sealed a 30-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, a profound sense of misery loomed over the team in the city. It was an ending that was all too familiar for Steelers fans, and although a loss like this would have certainly prompted, a majority of fans did not…

  • Three Reasons The Steelers Head Coaching Gig Is Attractive, And Three Reasons It Isn’t

    It’s a crazy time in Pittsburgh sports. Mike Tomlin, who coached the Steelers for 19 years, stepped down on Monday after his team’s 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans. There is obviously so much nuance to a move like this, but one thing is for certain: it’s the start of a new era for the…

  • The Dawn Of A New Era

    Just a little while ago, the news that was largely unexpected finally dropped. Mike Tomlin officially stepped down as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He walked away from a job he held for 19 years, a place where he won a Super Bowl and made it to another. He’s leaving an organization where…

  • The Jig Is Up

    Breakups are almost always messy. Why do you think there are so many good songs about them? Almost every time, at least one side ends up feeling betrayed, hurt, or just heartbroken over the smoldering remains. But sometimes, both sides can acknowledge when something just is no longer working. You don’t have to gave ill…

  • As If It’s Your Last: Five Thoughts On Steelers Vs Texans, Wild Card Weekend

    Just like that, it’s all over. On a cold Pittsburgh night, one filled with hope, the visiting Houston Texans crushed a city made of steel and walked out with a 30-6 win over the Steelers. The goal coming into this year was clear: win a playoff game. Save the argument for whether that should be…

  • Five Thoughts On The NFL On Wild Card Weekend

    One: The NFL almost had a perfect Wild Card Weekend. The first four games of the slate were perfect. The LA Rams vs Carolina, Green Bay vs Chicago, Buffalo vs Jacksonville, and San Francisco vs Philadelphia all featured exciting, back-and-forth action that really heated up in the second quarter. Then things trailed off with the…

  • Pirates Have To Match Cubs In Arms Race

    Saturday was a crazy day in the world of Chicago sports. All three of the big teams that played for the Windy City won, capped off by a crazy comeback win by the Chicago Bears to knock off Green Bay in the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend. But the only team that wasn’t in action also…

  • Evgeni Malkin’s Return Is Massive For Penguins

    After a lengthy absence on the injury list, Evgeni Malkin made his return to the lineup for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night. Making his return to the lineup for the first time since December 4th, Malkin was re-joining a team that is on a tear as of late. After a horrid final month to…

  • Egor Zamula Joins Weird List Of “Ex-Penguin” Defensemen To Never Play For The Team

    On Tuesday, defenseman Egor Zamula officially cleared waivers and became a free agent. Minutes later, he had a new contract in the NHL with Columbus. The “ex-Penguin” blue liner had his contract terminated not long before, ripping up his old contract just days after the Penguins had acquired him. He never appeared in a Pittsburgh…

  • Why The Egor Zamula Situation Isn’t A Complete Loss For The Penguins

    It’s been a busy week in the front office of the Pittsburgh Penguins. On December 29th, the Penguins swung a trade with a division rival in Columbus for forward Yegor Chinakov, a promising yet underperforming winger who the Penguins hoped could benefit from a change of scenery. They shipped depth forward Danton Heinen and a…

  • How A Trio Of Mercenaries Can Help The Longest Active Coach In The NFL Break A Wretched Streak

    If there’s one thing Mike Tomlin is known for, it’s consistency. In his 19 years as an NFL head coach, he has never had a losing season. No matter how close he looks to finally losing that mark, he never, ever does. He’s gone 10-7 each of the last three years, and although he has…

  • Eighteen Thoughts On The NFL For Week 18

    One: That was one of the best NFL regular season finales I can ever remember watching. On Sunday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens battled it out for the last remaining playoff spot and the division crown. At the confluence of the three rivers, these two combined for a gritty, mostly defensive first half…

  • Can Ville Koivunen Build Off His Goal In Columbus Win?

    The Pittsburgh Penguins won their fifth straight game Sunday afternoon when they completed the comeback to win in overtime over the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-4. There was a lot to like in this game. The Penguins got scoring from a number of players, Arturs Silovs made some timely saves in the third period to give…

  • Kings Of The North: Five Thoughts On Steelers Vs Ravens, Week 18

    I don’t know if you could have scripted a better ending to the NFL regular season than this game. Last season, Pittsburgh’s season ended in Baltimore as the Ravens thrashed the Steelers in the wild card round. This year, Pittsburgh got their revenge, denying the Ravens a playoff bid and winning the AFC North. In…

  • Pirates Can’t Just Give Up After Losing Out On Kazuma Okamoto

    It’s been a long, winding road for baseball fans and Kazuma Okamoto, the Japanese phenom who was posted by his Nippon League team and made the jump to North America.  That journey, full of speculation, intrigue, and so many conflicting reports, finally ended this weekend.  Okamoto signed with the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, just…

  • Penguins Add Another Piece To The Defensemen Jumble

    It’s been a busy last few days to close out the year for Kyle Dubas.  On Monday, Dubas sent forward Danton Heinen, a 2026 second round pick, and a 2027 third pick to Columbus for forward Yegor Chinakov.  Two days later, with one last trade to close out the year, Dubas made another trade within…

  • Can Stuart Skinner Build Off The First Positive Start Of His Penguins Career?

    Maybe, just maybe, all Stuart Skinner needed to finally settle into his new town and team was a new mask. The ex-Edmonton goaltender, who was traded from the Oilers to the Penguins back on December 12th, made his fourth appearance of the year for Pittsburgh on Tuesday night, where he and his team treated fans…

  • Penguins Take Gamble In Acquiring Yegor Chinakov

    There’s a new face in town for the Pittsburgh Penguins.  On Monday, the team announced a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets that saw them land winger Yegor Chinakov.  Going back to Columbus is a second round pick in 2026 (originally belonging to St. Louis), a third round pick in 2027 (0riginally belonging to Washington),…

  • Seventeen Thoughts On The NFL For Week 17

    One: I was not a fan of Christmas Day games. Last week, I talked about the poor slate the NFL had for their Christmas Day games, one that featured a bunch of teams out of the playoffs. Only two teams had something worth playing for, and I feel awful for the one whose game meant…

  • Dog House: Five Thoughts On Steelers Vs Browns, Week 17

    You knew this was coming, didn’t you? It’s never that easy with this team. In a game that could have clinched the division for the Steelers, Pittsburgh dropped a 13-6 game to Cleveland, giving the Browns their fourth win of the season and allowing them to be a thorn in the side of the Steelers…

  • How Does Jake Mangum Factor Into The Pirates Lineup?

    We’ve seen a very different version of the Pittsburgh Pirates this winter. General manager Ben Cherington has played this offseason much more aggressively, and the organization has opened up their checkbook far more than they usually do. Among the surprising moves was a three-team trade that saw the Pirates send righty starter Mike Burrows to…

  • How An ECHL Strike Could Impact Penguins Prospects

    The ECHL is entering a labor stoppage. On Friday, after threats of a season stoppage looming, the Professional Hockey Players’ Association officially began a strike. On Monday, union representatives gave the ECHL notice of an impending strike, which would go into effect Friday as the league came back from their holiday break. The ECHL had…

  • Sixteen Thoughts On The NFL For Week 16

    One: I’m going to do something a little bit different with my first thought here. I’m going to ask that this Christmas, if you celebrate it, you spend it with your loved ones. Not necessarily because I’m on some big moral mission (although, I do earnestly think you should spend the holidays being with your…

  • A Win For The Soul

    At long last, the losing streak is over for the Pittsburgh Penguins. After losing seven in a row, the Penguins finally got back in the win column with a 4-3 shootout win over the visiting Montreal Canadiens. The big story from this night was Sidney Crosby. His first period goal tied him for most points…

  • Officials, Passing, And Interference: Five Thoughts On Steelers Vs Lions, Week 16

    Have we all caught our breath yet? After one of the crazier endings to an NFL game I can remember, the Pittsburgh Steelers are 9-6. The Steelers now hold the NFL record with their 22nd non-losing season, and Mike Tomlin 19th consecutive season at .500 or better. It’s a moment that will either serve as…

  • Five Questions For The Hoffmann Family As They Buy The Pittsburgh Penguins

    The Pittsburgh Penguins are about to have their third owner in five years. Earlier this week, the Hoffmann Family, who was linked to the Penguins this summer when the team’s current owners, Fenway Sports Group, was looking to sell, came one step closer to closing the deal. On Friday, the family put out an official…

  • Give The Pirates Credit For The Brandon Lowe Trade

    Over the last several years, the Pittsburgh Pirates have taken a steady beating from just about all sides. And they’ve earned it. The Pirates have not made won a playoff game in twelve years, made the postseason in ten, had a winning season in seven, and have wasted the first two years of Paul Skenes’…

  • Making The Case For Kenneth Gainwell For Team MVP

    This season has been a rollercoaster for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A 4-1 start, followed by a collapse that culminated in “Fire Tomlin” chants, and most recently, a revitalizing back-to-back wins to get them to 8-6. There’s a lot left to be settled this season, and although the Steelers currently lead the AFC North with a…

  • Phin: Five Thoughts On Steelers Vs Dolphins, Week 15

    Mike Tomlin remains undefeated on Monday Night Football at home. In a crucial December matchup for the Pittsburgh Steelers, one that they needed against an even more desperate Miami Dolphins team, the home team came out on top. The offense looked good, putting up 28 points and showing some true signs of life both through…

  • Fifteen Thoughts On The NFL For Week 15

    One: I truthfully can not believe it. With their loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday afternoon, the Kansas City Chiefs were officially eliminated from playoff contention. Honestly, I had to read the headline about five or six times, I just wasn’t able to comprehend it. Kansas City’s decade-long run of success has finally…

  • What Can The Penguins Do With Stuart Skinner?

    On Friday, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded longtime goaltender Tristan Jarry up to Edmonton. The trade that felt destined to happen for a while finally did, and in a part of the five total assets that were shuffled around as a result, ex-Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner was sent back to Pittsburgh. Skinner has garnered a pretty…

  • An “Unbelievable” Collapse That Was Entirely Believable, Part Two

    For now, the book is out on these guys. The Penguins are a good team, who have surprised the league with how competitive they have been this year. They can keep their motor running for most of the game, but they have one very clear, fatal flaw. They are a fragile group. So, if you’re…

  • An “Unbelievable” Collapse That Was Entirely Believable

    Unbelievable. That’s the word that a lot of people will use to describe the loss the Pittsburgh Penguins suffered Saturday afternoon. When Anthony Mantha scored 5:25 into the third period, he extended Pittsburgh’s lead to four. That should have been the goal to officially put the game out of reach. But fans watched in complete…

  • Kyle Dubas Finally Fixes His Tristan Jarry Mistake

    The Tristan Jarry era is over. Just a few hours after making his final start in net for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jarry is on his way north of the border. On Friday morning, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded their often embattled goaltender to the Edmonton Oilers in a five-asset deal. Tagging along with Jarry up north…

  • What Roman Wilson’s Scratch On Sunday Means For Both Him And The Steelers

    As the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off a season-defining win over the Ravens in Baltimore on Sunday, their offense looked a little different than usual. For starters, it looked a lot better. Aaron Rodgers and his top receiving weapon, DK Metcalf, both had their best games as Steelers. Rodgers tallied a season-high 284 passing yards while…

  • How Do The Penguins Fix Their Shootout Problems?

    If you’re a fan of entertaining hockey, last night’s matchup between the Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins was exactly what you wanted. A back-and-forth game that saw three lead changes ended regulation with a Ducks goal with 0.1 seconds left on the clock. After a review, the goal was allowed to stand, sending the game…

  • Pirates Land Soto From The Mets. No, The Other One

    It’s been an unusually loud offseason for the Pittsburgh Pirates so far this winter. While the team was linked to several free agents, most recently Kyle Schwarber, none of the major moves this team needs to make have come to fruition yet. The Pirates, did, however, make the first of hopefully several signings in free…

  • Fourteen Thoughts On The NFL For Week 14

    One: Ok, let’s start with the most controversial play of the week. Late in a close game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, Lamar Jackson thought he had a touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely when he found him in the endzone. Likely caught the pass and had two feet down, but it was not…

  • Scratching And Clawing: Five Thoughts On Steelers Vs Ravens, Week 14

    And the plot thickens. After a disaster at home, where “Fire Tomlin” chants broke out, Renegade was booed, and the Steelers were run over by a freight train, surely this is the outcome we all expected, right? Instead, for one week, the Steelers reversed fortunes. Walking into Baltimore and facing a fellow 6-6 team team…

  • Looking At Past Late-Season Additions The Steelers Had At Wide Receiver

    On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers tried to add some depth to their receiving game when they claimed wide receiver Adam Thielen off waivers. The 35-year-old, who has announced that this is his final season, was waived after a mutual decision between him and the Minnesota Vikings. Thielen, who had a very small role on this…

  • Pirates Make First Of Several Needed Swings To Fix Offense

    Folks, we have a trade. In an offseason where the Pirates need to make several moves to try and support their woeful offense, general manager Ben Cherington took his first of (hopefully) many swings. Late Thursday night, the Pirates announced a five-player trade with the Boston Red Sox. Headlining the deal was righty Johan Oviedo,…

  • Opinion: Give Ville Koivunen Some Time

    The youth movement is arriving in Pittsburgh. So far this season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have had ten rookies play at least one game for them, leading the NHL. These prospects coming up are participating in all facets. Harrison Brunicke and Owen Pickering made appearances on the blue line, Ben Kindel found his groove in the…

  • Steelers Make A “Why Not?” Move In Claiming Adam Thielen

    It’s been a crazy week for wide receiver Adam Thielen. Last Sunday, the Minnesota native was a healthy scratch for the Vikings, a decision made directly by head coach Kevin O’Connell. It was an unceremonious end to a homecoming for Thielen in Minnesota. The longtime Viking had spent nine seasons with the organization during his…

  • Thirteen Thoughts On The NFL For Week 13

    One: Man, talk about some irony. After taking JJ McCarthy tenth overall in 2024 and subsequently losing the quarterback to a season-ending injury in training camp, journeyman Sam Darnold rose to the occasion and put together the best season of his career. Darnold helped lead the Vikings to an incredible 14-3 record and a wild…

  • Soul Crushing Debt: Five Thoughts On Steelers vs Bills, Week 13

    That was embarrassing. Completely, utterly, bitterly, embarrassing. In a game the Steelers desperately needed to win, the visiting Buffalo Bills came in and completely dog-walked the Steelers en route to a 26-7 win. Josh Allen and the Bills each made history during their domination of the Steelers, and Now at 6-6, their playoff hopes are…

  • Detailing The First Quarter Woes Of The Pittsburgh Steelers

    The Pittsburgh Steelers are a struggling team. At 6-5, the Steelers are coming off a 31-28 loss to the Bears in Chicago, and with the way their schedule looks down the stretch, head coach Mike Tomlin’s 18-year non-losing seasons streak looks like it is in trouble. There’s a lot wrong with the Steelers this season,…

  • Penguins Pass Major Benchmark In Playoff Push

    The Pittsburgh Penguins have been one of the most surprising stories in the NHL over the first two months. The Penguins were projected to be one of the worst in the NHL this season, with an uncertain and unproven goaltending situation, and a rickety blue line in front of it. However, the team’s goaltending has…

  • Pirates Opt For Feast-Or-Famine Pitcher In Extending Yohan Ramirez

    The slow offseason of Major League Baseball is underway, and the Pittsburgh Pirates have started off the baseball lull with a few puzzling moves regarding their bullpen. The Pirates opted to cut right-hander Dauri Moreta, a high-energy reliever loose. At the same time, the Pirates decided to keep righty Yohan Ramirez for the time being.…

  • Twelve Thoughts On The NFL For Week 12

    One: Every day I become more and more convinced that traditional box scores need to be updated. Take a look at this “interception” thrown by Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield on Sunday night vs the Los Angeles Rams. In no possible world should this be a stat that counts against Mayfield. He throws the ball directly…

  • Windy City Woes: Five Thoughts On Steelers vs Bears, Week 12

    The Pittsburgh Steelers are now 6-5. With starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers ruled out due to his wrist injury just hours before kickoff, backup Mason Rudolph led the offense to a 21-point losing effort, with his unit getting help from a TJ Watt strip sack in Chicago’s endzone that led to a defensive score. But Pittsburgh’s…

  • Game Of His Life: Kerrith Whyte Jr

    “Game Of His Life” tells the story of Pittsburgh athletes who may not have had the most illustrious, Hall of Fame level careers, but had one absolutely amazing game. In today’s edition, Kerrith Whyte Jr. Kerrith Whyte Jr’s pro football career featured a lot of stops, but not a lot of games. Originally a seventh…

  • The Pittsburgh Penguins Have Not Won A Shootout In Over A Year

    The shootout is one of the NHL’s more controversial topics. First introduced after the full-season 2004-05 NHL lockout, the shootout was brought in as a creative way to end ties in the league. Now, every game had a winner and a loser, much the way of baseball and basketball. Over the years, it’s divided hockey…

  • Discussing Pavel Mintyukov And If The Penguins Could Get Involved

    Trade talk is always fun, no matter what time of year. And for the Pittsburgh Penguins, a new name has emerged that had some fans on social media clamoring for the team to get this done. In his latest 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman wrote of some chatter surrounding Anaheim Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov. After…

  • Comparing Anthony Mantha’s Start From This Year To Anthony Beauvillier’s From Last Year

    If you pay attention to general managers in the NHL long enough, you’ll start to notice some patterns. For Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team’s general manager made a very similar signings two years in a row. Before last season, the Penguins inked free agent forward Anthony Beauvillier to a one-year deal worth…

  • Eleven Thoughts On The NFL For Week 11

    One: Admit it, Darnell Washington is becoming one of the most entertaining players to watch in the NFL. The 6′ 7, absolute tank of a tight end has been worked more and more into the passing game for the Steelers this season, and it’s giving us some incredible television. On Sunday afternoon, Washington recorded a…

  • Bengal Beatdown: Five Thoughts On Steelers vs Bengals, Week 11

    After dropping three of their last four, the Pittsburgh Steelers got back into the win column with a 34-12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. It wasn’t the prettiest or crispest of wins, but it was desperately needed in more ways than one. With Baltimore (predictably) climbing out of their 1-5 hole to now sit at…

  • Why Sunday’s Sweden Win Was So Important For The Penguins

    Given the recent slide that the Pittsburgh Penguins were on, their trip over to Sweden as part of the NHL’s Global Series felt equally as important as it did special. The Penguins had lost four of their last five and five of their last seven. That losing stretch had included a rough 5-2 loss in…

  • Will The Penguins Pursue David Kämpf?

    Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas loves his guys. Just ask Toronto Maple Leafs fans. He loves bringing in guys for a second time around, and he loves acquiring people that he’s familiar with and worked alongside before. That mantra only continued to grow after his exit from Toronto, when he signed on to take…

  • Checking In On Vasily Ponomarev

    For the first time in a long, long time, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a prospect pool with legitimate names in it. Whether they’ve played NHL minutes this season like Owen Pickering, Ben Kindel, or Sergei Murashov, or are still working their way up like Tanner Howe, Bill Zonnon, and Will Horcoff, there’s a lot of…

  • Ten Thoughts On The NFL For Week 10

    One: “On any given Sunday.” That’s the famous phrase we hear about the NFL every week. On any given Sunday, any team can win, no matter their record, their roster, or their circumstances. Well, this feels like one of the few seasons where that’s actually true. I mean, just take a look at Buffalo. Last…