Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford made a surprising admission to Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette when he said on Monday that the Penguins “don’t have any plans to buy guys out." It’s surprising because Rutherford had intimated earlier in the offseason that he had approval to proceed with buyouts if he saw fit, and because Rutherford had made a youth movement on defense a priority for this offseason. “I have full support from the ownership to do what’s ... Read More
Jacques Martin to re-join Penguins coaching staff
The Pittsburgh Penguins will have a familiar face in a new role for the 2015-16 season. Former assistant coach Jacques Martin will re-join the coaching staff with the new title of special assistant to the head coach. Martin, 62, was listed as a member of the scouting staff for the 2014-15 season with the title of special adviser of hockey operations. He is the lone member of the 2013-14 coaching staff that is still with the organization. Martin’s new role will be that of an “eye in the sky” ... Read More
Pirates come to terms with first-rounder Ke’Bryan Hayes
The Pittsburgh Pirates have come to terms on a contract with first-round draft pick Ke'Bryan Hayes, according to a report by CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman. Ke'Bryan Hayes, a 3b like father charlie, agreed to $1,855,000 #pirates slot deal. No. 32 pick. @TheHoChen 1st w/agreement— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) June 16, 2015 Hayes, a third baseman, was selected by the Pirates with the 32nd overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft. Hayes was the second player drafted by the Pirates after shortstop ... Read More
Penguins sign Swedish defenseman
The Pittsburgh Penguins have made their first move of the 2015 offseason, signing Swedish defenseman Niclas Andersen to a one-year contract on Monday afternoon. Andersen, 27, was originally a fourth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2006 NHL Draft but never signed with the club. He’s spent his entire career in Europe, playing most recently for Brynas in the Swedish Hockey League. The 6-foot-1, 218-pound, left-handed shooting defender led the Brynas blue line in scoring with ... Read More
Out-of-town Pens fans to get break on streaming video package
Penguins fans outside the Pittsburgh area will be getting a break when it comes to following the team for the next few seasons. According to recent report by Reuters’ Jonathan Stempel, the National Hockey League will allow fans to purchase an out-of-town live streaming package for their favorite team. Until now, if fans wanted to purchase the league’s live-streaming service, dubbed NHL Game Center Live, they were forced to purchase all league games. The new package, containing just the ... Read More
Father-son bond evident as Ty Loney follows in his father’s footsteps
Ty Loney, son of two-time Stanley Cup champion and longtime Penguins left-winger Troy Loney, may be following in his father's footsteps, but he is far from a chip off the old block. The 23-year old winger has signed a minor-league contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins top minor league affiliate – the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – for the 2015-16 season. As a 20-year old in 1983, Troy Loney made the same journey from amateur hockey to professional hockey in the Penguins organization. ... Read More
Dupuis expected to return to ice for Pens
Pittsburgh Penguins left-winger Pascal Dupuis has been cleared for contact and is expected to make his return to the ice in the 2015-16 season. The news was first reported by Josh Yohe of DK on Pittsburgh Sports. Dupuis, 36, has been sidelined since November 15 with blood clots. He was originally given a diagnosis of at least six months away from hockey as doctors monitored his progress. Recently, they have been experimenting to get the correct balance of medication that will allow Dupuis to ... Read More
Johnstown Tomahawks select Austin Lemieux in NAHL draft
The Johnstown Tomahawks have had an exciting offseason and it just keeps getting more interesting. In May, Johnstown won the Hockeyville, U.S.A. contest, which awarded the city $150,000 in improvements to the historic Cambria County War Memorial Arena and the right to host a preseason game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning this September 29. On Tuesday, the club took its ties to the Penguins a step further by drafting forward Austin Lemieux in the first round of the ... Read More
Lemieux, Pittsburgh have an unbreakable bond
This may be a bold statement, but I’m going to make it anyway. There is no organization in all of sports with the history and success of the Pittsburgh Penguins that owes it all to one man. Obviously, that man is Mario Lemieux. That’s why when the news breaking late on Wednesday that Lemieux, along with business partner Ron Burkle, was exploring the possibility of selling his stake in the team, sentiments were strong in the Steel City. It’s not that there is a fear of the team leaving, ... Read More
RMU will host Penn State, UMass-Lowell, Clarkson in 2015 Three Rivers Classic
The 2015 Three Rivers Classic college hockey tournament at Consol Energy Center might be the best one yet. The tournament, now in its fourth year, will have one of its best fields ever as UMass-Lowell (Hockey East) and Clarkson (ECAC) join hosts Robert Morris (AHC) and perennial opponent Penn State (Big Ten) for the four-team, two-day affair at the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins. A big part of the reason the 2015 field will be so strong is the emergence of Robert Morris and Penn State as ... Read More