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  • 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…

  • Dead Batteries: Five Thoughts On Steelers vs Chargers, Week 10

    For the third time in four weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers dropped a game on national television. Their latest loss came at the hands of the Los Angeles Chargers, who took the easy 25-10 win over the Steelers, dropping them to 5-4. Steelers fans did their part to invade SoFi Stadium, but those in black and…

  • Comparing Arturs Silovs’ First Nine Starts, Last Season Vs This Season

    On Saturday afternoon, goaltender Arturs Silovs started his ninth game for the Pittsburgh Penguins, making 23 saves on 24 shots in a game his team eventually lost in the shootout. For Silovs, it was another strong game, even if the end result was disappointing. Silovs is in his first true NHL season with the Penguins,…

  • Penguins 5-3 Win Over Capitals Shows Us What This Team Is Capable Of

    Thursday night featured the latest chapter in the legendary rivalry between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. In an ultimate 5-3 win, the Penguins had an extremely up-and-down night. But in the end, their performance showed us a lot about what this team is capable of. The start to this game was great. After a deflating…

  • Revisiting Ron Hextall’s Final Penguins Draft

    As the Pittsburgh Penguins enter a transitionary period, one where they are putting far more emphasis on the youth movement and development, fans are going to have a lot more reason to pay attention to the next several drafts. This past summer, the Penguins had selected three players in the first round for the first…

  • Meet The (Not So) New Penguins

    In case you missed it on Tuesday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins made a flurry of roster moves. Forwards Justin Brazeau and Noel Acciari, as well as goaltender Tristan Jarry have all been placed on injured reserve. Brazeau has missed the last few games and was considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Now, it looks as…

  • Nine Thoughts On The NFL For Week 9

    One: No one deserves that kicking record more than Cam Little. Back in August, the 2024 sixth round pick had drilled an amazing 70-yard kick against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with a few yards to spare. It was the longest successful field goal ever recorded in organized football. But, since it occurred in a preseason game,…

  • Horseshoe Theory: Five Thoughts On Steelers vs Colts, Week 9

    For those who are unaware, the Horseshoe Theory is used in politics to describe how the two polar opposites of the political spectrum might actually be closer to each other than they are to the political center. Now, allow me make a huge reach here, but this idea makes sense to me, so I hope…

  • The NHL’s Frozen Frenzy Is A Great Idea, But Here’s How To Actually Execute It

    On Tuesday night, the NHL held their third annual Frozen Frenzy, where all 32 NHL teams play on the same day. The idea, in theory, is great. Every single team in action means there’s 16 different games going on. It gets eyes from every single hockey market in both the United States and Canada, and…

  • The Rise Of Ryan Shea

    In the summer, Ryan Shea’s role in the new rendition of the Pittsburgh Penguins was up in the air. Sure, the left-shot defenseman had earned himself a one-year extension with the club back in March worth $900K. And yes, it was the second time that general manager Kyle Dubas had liked what he saw enough…

  • How The Homestead Grays Played The First True Night Game At Forbes Field

    When one does a simple Google search for “first night baseball game in Pittsburgh” they’ll find results for a game from June 4th, 1940. It’s a result that details a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Bees (present day Atlanta Braves), where on an early summer night, the Pirates played their first night game…

  • Eight Thoughts On The NFL For Week 8:

    One: Yeah, Baltimore is still going to win that division, aren’t they? A division that is often seen as one of the best in football has turned into a tire fire this year. Only one team is currently above .500, and that team, well…they aren’t doing so hot themselves. Meanwhile, the Ravens won against Chicago…

  • Pack It In: Five Thoughts On Steelers vs Packers, Week 8

    It was a game that the football world had circled on their calendars since the day Aaron Rodgers officially signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After spending 18 seasons in Green Bay with the Packers, Rodgers would finally face his old team, three years after they parted ways. The game, a Sunday night showcase, would pit…

  • Anthony Mantha Is Off To An Unexpected Hot Start

    The Pittsburgh Penguins are off to a shocking good start. Nine games in, the Penguins are 6-2-1, and have not lost in regulation in nearly two weeks. Goaltenders Arturs Silovs and Tristan Jarry have both performed brilliantly in net so far, their defensive unit has had its moments, and the Penguins have enjoyed a ton…

  • Penguins Pass Massive Test Down In Sunrise

    On Wednesday, I penned a piece talking about the hot start that the Pittsburgh Penguins were on. At the time, they had just won a decisive 5-1 game over Vancouver at home, and had improved to 5-2-0 to open their year. Their early season success can be attributed to a lot of things. They are…

  • Looking At The Hot Starts Down In Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

    While the Pittsburgh Penguins are off to a surprising 5-2-0 start to kick off the 2025-26 season, they are not the only team within the organization that is playing well right now. Down in the American Hockey League, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are a perfect 5-0-0 to open their season. Leading that charge is prospect goaltender…

  • Ok So, Like, Are The Penguins Actually Good?

    If I was from the future, and I came back to visit you before the season started to tell you that, seven games in, Justin Brazeau would be leading the team in goals, you probably would have one of two questions: That’s completely ok. I would have asked the same questions! Yet, seven games into…

  • Seven Thoughts On The NFL For Week 7

    One: Raise your hand if you had the Indianapolis Colts at 6-1 seven games into the season. Put your hand down, you’re lying. Everything is turning up Indy right now. Running back Jonathan Taylor leads the NFL in almost every rushing statistic, including leading by over 100 yards over the second-place Javonte Williams. He’s up…

  • Do The Steelers Have Something In Ke’Shawn Williams?

    A few weeks ago, I detailed some of the odd, occasional, and forgotten kick returners that the Pittsburgh Steelers have deployed over the years. The team has not been able to find any kind of consistency, in both personnel and performance, in years. This season alone, the team has already used four different players return…

  • The New York Rangers Are Minutes Away From Breaking A Pittsburgh Pirates Record (Yes, You Read That Right)

    Rumors of the scoring problems in New York might be greatly exaggerated, as the Penguins found out the hard way a week ago. Hosting the Rangers for their third game of the season, the Penguins were blown out 6-1 at PPG Paints Arena, with the Rangers getting contributions from a large chunk of their roster.…

  • Bungled: Five Thoughts On Five Thoughts On Steelers vs Bengals, Week 7

    On a night where the Steelers had a chance to take a stranglehold on the AFC North, and shed some troubling historical trends, they ended up doing neither. A 33-31 loss in Cincinnati has the Bengals now only 1.5 games back in the division, and has opened the door for maybe even Baltimore to storm…

  • What Should The Penguins Do With Thomas Novak Long Term?

    Thomas Novak is going to be one of the more interesting Penguins players to keep an eye on this season. Yes, his play on the ice is obviously a big part of that, but as the Penguins slowly continue to try and figure out exactly what their future is, Novak is the type of player…