The Pittsburgh Penguins went 2-1 over the weekend at the annual rookie tournament in London, Ontario. On Friday, they defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in overtime, then on Saturday they beat the Ottawa Senators, 4-1, and finally on Sunday, they fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2. They came out as the overall winners for the weekend, earning four of a possible six points. Defensemen Derrick Pouliot got to demonstrate the results of his summer training with Gary Roberts in Toronto. Pouliot ... Read More
AM Joe: Bucs close to 2.5 games back on Cardinals
Good morning, Pittsburgh. Here's your day in sports for Saturday, September 12, 2015. What's on tap for today: The rest of the NFL kicks off the 2015 season today, starting at 1:00 p.m. KDKA-TV, CBS The Pirates (85-56) Have a Sunday matinee at 1:35 as the go for the series win in their four-game slate with the Milwaukee Brewers (62-80). Francisco Liriano will start for the Bucs. A win would put them just two games back of St. Louis for first place in the NL Central. ROOT Sports ... Read More
Who is the next great Pittsburgh-born NHLer?
Almost everyone knows about Ryan Malone, R.J. Umberger, Josh Gibson, J.T. Miller, Vince Trocheck and other current NHL players that are from the Pittsburgh region. But what about the next generation of Pittsburgh hockey talent? Just like Malone idolized Mario Lemieux, and Miller grew up during Jaromir Jagr's reign as the best player in the world, there is a group of young players that have developed in Western Pennsylvania since Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have taken up the Penguins ... Read More
Column: Gonchar provides little value to Pens blueline
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced the signing of Sergei Gonchar to a professional tryout contract in early August, giving the veteran blueliner a chance to earn a spot on the final roster. While Gonchar enjoyed five productive seasons in Pittsburgh, scoring 259 points in 322 games and winning a Stanley Cup in 2009, at 41 years old, the team needs to break the habit of recycling veteran players and instead, finally allow a younger defensive corps to develop. With the innate ability to ... Read More
Can the Penguins afford Cody Franson?
The Pittsburgh Penguins are still looking to bolster their blue line for the upcoming season and are rumored to be one of the teams attempting to woo free agent defenseman Cody Franson. Franson was drafted by the Nashville Predators and spent the first four years of his career as a minor leaguer or a third-pairing defender in their organization. They traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2011 and, over the past four seasons, he improved into a solid top four defenseman before getting ... Read More
Pens ink top prospect Daniel Sprong
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed their top pick from the 2015 NHL draft, second-round selection Daniel Sprong, to a three-year, entry-level contract. Sprong, 18, fell to the Penguins with the 46th overall selection, despite being rated as a first-round talent by many prognosticators. The 6-foot tall, 180 pound right-winger recently participated in the Penguins prospect development camp at Consol Energy Center in July and was named to roster for the team’s rookie tournament squad that will ... Read More
Penguins sign Tom Sestito to a camp tryout
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed veteran enforcer Tom Sestito to a professional try-out contract, according to a release by general manager Jim Rutheford. Sestito, 27, split last season between the Vancouver Canucks and their AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets. He had a hard time finding the lineup in Vancouver, as he was a frequently healthy scratch and also missed several weeks with a leg injury. Sestito led the NHL in penalty minutes in 2013-14, racking up 213, the most in his ... Read More
Penguins announce rookie tournament roster
The Pittsburgh Penguins have announced their roster for the 2015 rookie tournament to be held in London, Ontario on September 11-13. The Penguins prospects and tryouts will compete against those representing the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators at Budweiser Gardens, home of the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights. The Penguins will bring 16 forwards, 8 defensemen and two goaltenders to Ontario. 14 of the 26 players are already under NHL contract, three are on ... Read More
Ehrhoff moves on after injury-plagued season
Christian Ehrhoff’s tenure in Pittsburgh has ended as the veteran defenseman signed one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. Ehrhoff came to the Penguins on a one-year contract a year ago after being bought out by the Buffalo Sabres. He was effective in spells for the Pens, but for the most part, his season was washed out by multiple injuries. He missed several games in December with a lower-body injury and several concussions later in the seasons conspired to ... Read More
Former Pens defenseman Darryl Sydor arrested for DUI
Former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Darryl Sydor has been arrested and charged with two counts of drunken driving in his home state of Minnesota, according to a report by the Associated Press. Sydor, 43, was driving his 12-year old son to a hockey tournament when the vehicle he was driving was pulled over in Fridley, Minnesota, a Minneapolis suburb. According to the criminal complaint, Sydor’s eyes were bloodshot and watery and his speech was slow and slurred. His blood-alcohol level ... Read More