Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson: Photo by Pittsburgh Hockey Now, all rights reserved
And away we go. The Pittsburgh Penguins were on the ice unofficially on Wednesday, and Pittsburgh Hockey Now beat the crowd and was the first to cover the captain’s practice. We’ve got the details and who was in the building. The team is also putting out a triple bobble head of Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin. Elsewhere, star players soon due new contracts are bracing for the noise of the NHL trade chatter, even as general managers ponder the new CBA changes and the potential slowing of trades.
General advisory. Don’t be that guy.
How do you deal with this situation when it happens to you? It’s that guy story time, as I had a doozy of an encounter last night. We had a fantasy football draft in a local pub–I did OK. Yahoo gave my team a B. After the draft, someone who has been a longtime PHN supporter began to ask me Penguins questions.
Cool, I’m always happy to talk. Before the conversation could get started, that guy, who was sitting beside the fan of our work, began talking over me. He proudly offered some of the most blisteringly silly opinions on a Penguins rebuild that I’ve ever heard (It’s a loser’s mentality,” he contended). At first, I tried to rescue the initial conversation with the person I wanted to talk to by interjecting, but that was a hopeless attempt as he just kept talking.
I slipped a quick answer to the person I wanted to answer, but did so under the rain of blather that fell upon us like a torrential downpour with no breathes or let up in sight, intentionally impenetrable, and I slipped out the door.
I guess we’re all rude from time to time, but … don’t be that guy.
On a happy note–in time for Halloween, Christmas, and Chanukah, Dave Molinari’s book is landing soon. You know this will be well written. Get your copy:
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Bobbleheads! Sidney Crosby-Evgeni Malkin-Kris Letang. Get your three-headed monster bobblehead at the Penguins game. Here are the Penguins’ giveaway details.
Captain’s practice day. I don’t believe it was the first captain’s practice for the Penguins, but little birdies whispered to us that more Penguins were arriving. We got a good look at the dozen players on the ice–here are the team details of who has already shown up (Arty Party!) for the Penguins captain’s practices.
Steelers Now: So, what will be the story of the 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers?
Pittsburgh Baseball Now: How about that. Since July 1, the Pirates have a better record than the Dodgers. The Buccos posted their league-leading 17th shutout and beat the Dodgers. Since Don Kelly took over, the Pirates are .500.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
Sportsnet: No one was thinking trade until Canucks president Jim Rutherford joked about it. Since then, the players had to deal with the never-ending questions. There’s been a ton of noise around a Quinn Hughes contract or trade.
General managers and coaches are meeting in Detroit this week. The big conversation happening in the halls and over drinks is how the new CBA changes, including the LTIR fixes, will affect the trade market.
Montreal Hockey Now: The Carey Price watch is in full effect. Montreal GM Kent Hughes says, Nah, we don’t need to trade him, but the reality is they would greatly benefit if they do. There’s a big difference between having $4 million in cap space and having $4 million in cap space that accrues more. Marc Dumont has the latest on the Canadiens trade watch.
I know not many of you have great affection for Reilly Smith, but he sat in the front row of a comedy show–and the poor comedian walked right into it:
San Jose Hockey Now: Little Joe was a revelation as the Sharks built around Big Joe (Thornton). Now, the USA Hockey Hall of Fame is inducting Joe Pavelski with Scott Gomez and Zach Parise. Pavelski talked about those factors that led him to the Hall of Fame, including his time with the San Jose Sharks.
And finally…
Detroit Hockey Now: Klim Kostin holds some lore in Penguins history. He was the talented player the St. Louis Blues selected with the 2017 first-round pick that the Penguins included in the Ryan Reaves trade (the Penguins didn’t trade away a first-rounder but slid down 21 spots into the second round as part of the trade). Pens fans were further angered when Kostin had a standout training camp and looked like a future star. However, Kostin’s career never got on track, and now he’s tossing shade at one team, trying to make him into a “Goon.” How’s that for full circle irony? Here’s the full story as Bob Duff uncovered the saga–The team he’s most upset with is the Detroit Red Wings.
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