Dan’s Daily: Reports Denied; NHL Verdict on Acquitted Players; Penguins Hopefuls
The Pittsburgh Penguins begin hockey activity today. In other words, it’s hockey season! We’ve made it through a laboriously long, rainy, boring, offseason in which Penguins fans were treated to Anthony Mantha becoming the marquee acquisition. Today begins the Prospects Challenge, and I’m headed up for three days of sun soaked prospects fun in exotic Buffalo. We covered the prospects’ practice and got a little preview of the team Thursday and will have more coverage this morning and afternoon.
Elsewhere in the Daily, Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin shot down a report that Kirill Kaprizov turned down a massive contract offer. The Sidney Crosby trade talk is bubbling in Montreal and Colorado. And the NHL rendered its verdict on the five Team Canada players acquitted of sexual assault.
I’m off to Buffalo shortly after completing the Daily and the next column that drops at 10 or 10:30 a.m. I’m not sure which column I’m going to write. It will either be the notebook from chatting with the prospects yesterday or a humdinger on the current state of the Penguins. Both will be published over the next 24 hours, but it’s a matter of which and when.
This is usually my final motorcycle ride of the year and it’s always bittersweet. The crisp air from the mountains and the softer September sun is a treat, but it also means eight months of waiting to do it again. There were so many things I wanted to do this summer that skipped past in a blink: Golfing at Hunter Station in Forest County, staying at Peek ‘N Peak Resort between Erie and Jamestown. Riding Rt. 66 from Chicago to the desert, staying in little neon motels along the way. Getting back to Halifax. Spending a few days in Alberta. Liverpool.
Oh well. At least I’ll get to Sweden in November. So, here we go.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: From the UPMC Lemieux Complex, we watched the prospects practice, had a few chats, and chirped Tristan Broz before he could chirp us. That’s important, you know? The prospects roster is missing the one player I really wanted to see in action (Bill Zonnon, injury), but here are the four Penguins prospects with the most to gain.
Steelers Now: Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith blasted public narratives about Aaron Rodgers. The OC really praised the new Steelers QB.
Pittsburgh Baseball Now: As I checked in with the Pittsburgh Pirates the other night (I check in weekly. I can stand no more), I noticed several players in the lineup hitting under .200. There were a couple of more hitting under .225. John Perrotto put pen to paper and hammer to subject, can this Pirates lineup get any weaker?!
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
Into the Wilderness: Wild GM Bill Guerin appeared on a podcast (because all news is on a podcast now, eh?) and he directly refuted the recent report that Kaprizov turned down $128 million.
I’m not sure who to believe. I’ve been on the receiving end of a public Guerin smackdown, but I got the info that he refuted first hand. So, it’s your call here.
Colorado Hockey Now: Oh, they are salivating in Colorado. I can’t say I blame the fans and media for the increased speculation and anaylsis. The door has been opened to the possibility of a Sidney Crosby trade.
Montreal Hockey Now: Pay close attention to this conversation, too. It’s not Crosby trade talk, but Les Habitants are exiting the rebuild and ready to start acquiring. Marc Dumont rolled out the current Montreal Canadiens’ trade chips.
Sportsnet: The NHL was due to make a decision on the five 2018 Team Canada players acquitted of sexual assault. They will be reinstated on Dec. 1 and can sign with teams beginning on Oct. 15, but not without some condemnation from the league.
I always found Carter Hart’s testimony credible, for better and worse. The question is, will the public accept there was no criminal wrongdoing, or will the players become symbolic antagonists of a greater social issue under perpetual scorn?
Categorized:Links Pittsburgh Penguins