After beating cancer, ex-Penguins coach Eddie Olczyk continues fight
Eddie Olczyk was ready to give up. The NHL player turned coach turned broadcaster was on his second round of chemotherapy for stage 3 colon cancer, and the effects were so severe he told his wife, Diana, he couldn’t do it anymore. Diana told her husband to fight for her,...
First Call: Oilers’ James Neal is hot, Colts hurting, plenty of Bryce Harper mockery
Thursday’s “First Call” features another goal for James Neal, news from Indianapolis’ training room, Baker Mayfield avoids a fine, and Bryce Harper mockery. New Look Neal James Neal is heating up again. And just in time for his return to Pittsburgh. The high-scoring winger will join the rest of his...
First Call: Would Steelers trade Artie Burns?; Eddie Olczyk takes a jab at PiratesVideo
In Thursday’s “First Call,” the “Trump Ump” has local ties. Artie Burns is a potential trade target. And even Eddie Olczyk takes a jab at the Pirates during a hockey broadcast. Why bother? NFL.com has a list of trade ideas for each team before the deadline hits on Oct. 29....
First Call: Hockey coach threatens to burn ref’s car; Le’Veon Bell mad at NFL broadcastVideo
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” Le’Veon Bell is defending his struggling quarterback. Some rumblings about that Emmanuel Sanders trade. And a hockey coach may have gotten a little too mad at a referee. Strange sense of humor Remember when Bill Cowher stuffed a photograph in a referee’s pocket? Yeah. This is...
First Call: James Neal has his own goal song; Gerrit Cole faces Yankees
In Tuesday’s “First Call,” James Neal is making beautiful music. Gerrit Cole looks to dust the New York Yankees. And the Penguins get ready for the red-hot Colorado Avalanche. Real Deal Neal James Neal had a 40-goal season in Pittsburgh back in 2012. He’s on pace for more than that...
Flyers debut ‘rage room’ for fans to take out frustrations
This seems appropriate. Philadelphia Flyers fans who may be looking to get, oh, maybe 44 years or so of frustration out (1975, anyone?) now have the chance to do it at their team’s home arena. The “Disassembly Room” is a first-of-its-kind “rage room” inside Wells Fargo Center that will offer...
First Call: National broadcast jumps on ex-Pirates ALDS battle; James Neal stays hotVideo
For our final “First Call” of the week, we recap the ex-Pirates battle in Game 5 of the ALDS. James Neal can’t be stopped in Edmonton. And a very happy anniversary for a Pitt football legend. No contest Gerrit Cole and the Houston Astros blew by Tyler Glasnow and the...
First Call: Antonio Brown’s rambling plea to Patriots; Gerrit Cole vs. Tyler Glasnow in ALDS Game 5
In Thursday’s “First Call,” Antonio Brown says he wants to get back into the NFL with the Patriots. A Major League Baseball player channels his inner A.B. during a postgame celebration. John Gibson is back in Pittsburgh with the Anaheim Ducks. And Zion Williamson’s NBA career seems to be starting...
First Call: NFL villains abound; Ex-Pittsburgh players star in MLB, NHL, NBA
Wednesday’s “First Call” has two themes. The first is NFL villains getting what they deserve. The second is former Pittsburgh athletes thriving in new places. Everywhere. Shake-gate On Monday night, Richard Sherman made the claim that Baker Mayfield snubbed him in the handshake line before the coin toss. Based on...
Evgeni Malkin left an enduring impression on Winnipeg’s Paul Maurice
The Winnipeg Jets are off to a disjointed start to the 2019-20 season with a 1-2-0 record that has been punctuated by a dearth of defensemen. Dustin Byfuglien did not report to training camp and remains absent in order attend to personal matters, including his own future in the sport....
Chance The Rapper revives ‘SNL’ character for NHL season’s start
Hockey fans are ready to “do that hockey” and so is Chance The Rapper. With the NHL kicking off the 2019-20 season Wednesday, the league posted a video of Lazlo Holmes, Chance’s infamous “Saturday Night Live” character, interviewing the Vegas Golden Knights’ Jonathan Marchessault. Among figuring out the proper pronunciation...
First Call: Ex-Pirate Charlie Morton is postseason star; Marc-Andre Fleury wins Vegas opener
In “First Call” Thursday, another postseason ex-Pirate moment. Marc-Andre Fleury’s 2019 is off to a good start in Vegas. Jon Gruden is mad about Vontaze Burfict’s suspension. Clutch Chuck Former Pirate Charlie Morton already has a World Series Game 7 win to his credit. He did that for the Houston...
Green Day song may be new NHL anthemVideo
The NHL could be on the way to its version of “Are You Ready For Some Football?” The league is announcing a two-year partnership with Green Day that includes an opening song for NBC Sports’ “Wednesday Night Hockey.” The song, “Ready, Fire, Aim” isn’t custom-made for the NHL and will...
First Call: Rutgers may be interested in Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi as new coach
Monday’s “First Call” features a potential new job for Pat Narduzzi. Feuding Ravens. And maybe the MLB play of the year. Narduzzi in New Jersey? Here’s an interesting one. Pitt Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi’s name has come up as a candidate for the Rutgers coaching job. The Scarlet Knights fired...
Winnipeg Jets’ Mark Letestu downs packet of mustard on benchVideo
So this seems to be a thing. Some folks eat mustard, like yellow mustard in packets without any accompaniment, to help ease muscle cramps. Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Letestu seems to be one of these people. On Thursday night cameras caught him on the bench downing a packet of mustard...
Lightning still the team to beat in NHL’s Eastern ConferenceVideo
Getting swept in the first round wasn’t enough to knock the Tampa Bay Lightning off the mountaintop. After finishing 21 points ahead of everyone else during the 2018-19 regular season, the Lightning are again Stanley Cup favorites and the team to beat in an ever-improving Eastern Conference. With a stacked...
Salary cap economics squeezing out NHL’s middle class
Stanley Cup-winning experience isn’t worth what it used to be. Neither is experience of any kind. As NHL teams move toward paying their stars more money and relying on young players to fill the gaps, hockey’s middle class is being squeezed out. Veterans like 2018 Washington Capitals playoff hero Devante...
NHL players don’t opt out of CBA, guaranteeing labor peace until ’22
NHL players announced Monday they will not opt out of the collective bargaining agreement, guaranteeing labor peace until at least 2022. The NHL Players’ Association announced its decision just before the deadline to trigger its opt-out clause. Not terminating the CBA is a positive sign negotiations are progressing toward an...
Sharks open camp with new captain after Joe Pavelski’s departureVideo
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks wasted little time replacing Joe Pavelski as captain, giving the role to Logan Couture even before starting camp. Figuring out who will wear the “C” on the jersey will be easier than making up for all Pavelski provided the Sharks both on...
First Call: Gerrit Cole’s runaway 2019 continues; ex-Penguin Ryan Reaves injured
In Friday’s “First Call,” the “Cole Train” looks to keep rolling. Injury issues for a former Penguin. Some early MLB struggles for a WPIAL star. Meanwhile another WPIAL legend is going into the West Virginia Hall of Fame. Ten in a row? Former Pirate Gerrit Cole looks to continue his...
All eyes on revamped Rangers as NHL training camps prepare to open
Henrik Lundqvist wants training camp to begin with an honest conversation. The long-time face of the New York Rangers sees this as an important time to define expectations for this season after watching the team fast-track a rebuild by signing winger Artemi Panarin, trading for defensemen Jacob Trouba and Adam...
First Call: New Coyote Phil Kessel speaks; Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott gets huge contract
Wednesday’s “First Call” features details on Ezekiel Elliott’s new contract. Phil Kessel speaks for the first time as an Arizona Coyote. Austin Meadows homers again. And two local pitchers break new ground in the Major Leagues. Kessel the Coyote Phil Kessel may have been traded to Arizona two months ago,...
First Call: Ex-Steeler Chad Brown screws up nickname; Gerrit Cole is strikeout leader; Phil Kessel to speak
In Tuesday’s “First Call,” a former Steeler gives us some bad broadcasting. A former Cowboy looks for big broadcasting bucks. Le’Veon Bell’s ironic tweet. Gerrit Cole’s huge afternoon. And Phil Kessel finally speaks. Brownout of the brain Chad Brown is now providing color commentary for the Pac-12 Network. He had...
Sabres defenseman, ex-Penguin Matt Hunwick likely to miss season
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Sabres defenseman Matt Hunwick is expected to miss this season due to a neck condition that bothered the 12-year veteran for much of last season. General manager Jason Botterill based Hunwick’s prognosis on offseason medical evaluations in making the announcement Wednesday, about two weeks before the...
Capitals’ Evgeny Kuznetsov tests positive for cocaine, banned from Team Russia
GENEVA — Washington Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov tested positive for cocaine at the world championship and has been banned from the Russian national team for four years. Kuznetsov failed a doping test after a sample was taken May 26 — the day Russia won the bronze medal game against the...
