PHN Will Continue: What Comes Next

It’s been a whirlwind few days across the sports world. In fact, the entire country went from cautiously watching the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation to dramatic actions and cancelations within 24 hours. Rapid change might be an understatement. And so we at Pittsburgh Hockey Now have been asking ourselves and discussing externally what we will do to entertain and engage the hundreds of thousands of readers who routinely visit Pittsburgh Hockey Now for hockey and Pittsburgh Penguins coverage.

First, thank you for your support this season. We’ve again grown by leaps and bounds to well eclipse the advertised traffic our “big name” competitors. This “little” website really has become a leading source of Penguins coverage. And so we have no intention of taking a vacation. Beginning now, Pittsburgh Hockey Now will begin several new categories of content.

We’re going to begin retro coverage of the 1990-91 Pittsburgh Penguins. For nearly half of our audience who were not yet alive or not old enough to truly experience the ride, let me tell you, the 1991 run was unlike anything I’ve ever seen in this city. Imagine the Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 Wild Card Game if it lasted two months and culminated in a championship.

The world was a lot different, too. Spoiler Alert: That 1990-91 Pittsburgh Penguins team won the Stanley Cup and returned home from Minneapolis to thousands of fans who jammed the Pittsburgh Airport gates and concourses. We had a beer vendor who would rip off his shirt and wave it to the roars of fans. We had Elvis, an organist, a power-play theme song, cardboard signs, wide eyes, racing hearts, a rookie mullet who would become the second-leading scorer of all-time, and a superstar who dominated the sport as no one has done since.

There has never been a crowd that brought the joy and atmosphere quite like the 1991 Pittsburgh crowd, though the 2008 crowd which rocked the old barn through an entire TV timeout did come close.

Video Breakdowns

We’ll continue our video breakdowns of the Pittsburgh Penguins game, from power play structure to forecheck. We might venture to a video breakdown of Kris Letang if we can finish it before the NHL season resumes. Letang’s complex and dynamic game won’t be easy, so we can’t make any promises.

We’ll dig deep into our bench of scouts for in-depth analysis of pivotal players or those who could have an impact when (if?) the NHL season continues. We’ll also dive into the top prospects, such as Sam Poulin and PO Joseph, too.

We’re also open to suggestions. For the first time in 101 years, the NHL season has been halted due to virus concerns. Feel free to submit your (serious and probably not so serious) suggestions in the comments below.

Thank you,

Dan Kingerski

Editor-in-Chier

Pittsburgh Hockey Now