Pittsburg, PA

Erik Karlsson’s uncertain summer is over. The defenseman is eager to get to work with the Penguins

Published

1 year ago

August 9, 2023

Erik Karlsson’s uncertain summer is over. The defenseman is eager to get to work with the Penguins

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins have been where Erik Karlsson is trying to go. Sometimes at Karlsson’s expense.

The superstar defenseman was sitting on the bench when Chris Kunitz’s knuckler found its way back into the back of the Ottawa net in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference finals.

The Penguins spilled onto the PPG Paints Arena ice bathed in joy on their way to capturing the franchise’s fifth Stanley Cup.

Six years later, Pittsburgh believes its championship window remains open. Six years later, Karlsson is still waiting for the chance to hold the Cup over his head in triumph.

So while Karlsson insists he didn’t have a “preferred destination” as the rebuilding San Jose Sharks explored trade opportunities for the dynamic defenseman, something about joining the Penguins seemed right.

Pittsburgh’s roster is littered with veterans eyeing one last push. Maybe two. Karlsson knows he has more hockey behind him than in front of him.

No wonder the smile on the 33-year-old seven-time All-Star’s face was so wide when he was introduced on Wednesday, three days after the Penguins acquired him in a blockbuster three-team deal. He’s finally caught the team he’s spent much of his career chasing.

“The players that they’ve had here for a long time are still really good players,” Karlsson said. “I’m really excited to step into that group and learn a lot of things and also at the same time, hopefully bring some new things and help them become even better.”

Pittsburgh is banking on it. The Penguins haven’t won a playoff series in five years and failed to reach the postseason this spring for the first time since 2006. First-year general manager/president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas has spent his first few months on the job retooling the roster around Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

Karlsson is his biggest catch.

Playing with a joy he admits had been missing in recent years, Karlsson posted career highs in goals (25) and points (101) points on his way to his third Norris Trophy.

“I just feel like I’m in a really good spot in my life right now,” Karlsson said. “I had a lot of fun playing hockey last year and coming to the rink every day, even though it wasn’t under the easiest of circumstances and we didn’t win very many games.”

Last season also marked the first he played in San Jose without Brent Burns, who was traded in the summer of 2022. Karlsson downplayed the idea he and Burns’ relationship became “strained” during their four seasons together with the Sharks.

“We’re actually pretty good friends personally,” Karlsson said. “I just think that when you don’t do well as a team collectively, things don’t tend to work out for anyone. And it didn’t for a long time. It’s just unfortunate that it played out that way.”

Karlsson now finds himself on the roster with another smooth-skating, offensive-minded defenseman in Letang. Both players like to have the puck on their stick. Both are capable of logging massive amounts of minutes. Both can capably quarterback the power play.

Letang signed off on Karlsson’s acquisition, telling Dubas “whatever’s going to make us better and help us win.”

Karlsson certainly gives Pittsburgh more firepower. And he’s not concerned about any potential conflict with Letang over who does what.

“At the end of the day, we’re all trying to do the same thing, which is win hockey games and win a (Stanley) Cup,” Karlsson said. “If we’re all pulling the same rope, I don’t think it’ll matter how it all plays out.”

Karlsson and Ryan Graves — signed to a six-year deal in July — are part of a reconfigured blue line that Pittsburgh hopes will help it return to the kind of north-south speed game that helped the club win consecutive titles in 2016 and 2017. Coach Mike Sullivan won’t have to tell Karlsson twice to get the puck and get it up the ice. It’s something Karlsson does as well as anyone in the game.

“I like playing with the puck,” he said. “That’s how we started off playing the game and that’s how I’m hoping I get to play the game for the rest of my career.”

A career that Karlsson insists has a lot of juice left even as he enters his 15th season. He averaged 25:37 of ice time while playing all 82 games last season. Sullivan will likely tinker with finding a partner for Karlsson when training camp opens in September, with Graves or Marcus Pettersson the obvious candidates.

Those things can be figured out later. For now, Karlsson is simply happy that a process that ate up most of the summer is over. No more trying to read the tea leaves to figure out where he’ll be playing this winter.

“I’m happy that it worked out at the end.”

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

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Pittsburg, PA

Ireland Contracting Nightly Sports Call: Dec. 25, 2024

Published

7 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

Ireland Contracting Nightly Sports Call: Dec. 25, 2024 – CBS Pittsburgh

Watch CBS News

KDKA-TV’s Cassidy Wood and KDKA Radio’s Suzie Cool discuss the sports topics of the day.

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Stick a fork in the Pittsburgh Steelers

Published

17 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

As I sit here feeling a headache form in between sips of egg nog in my new Ice Nine Kills sweatshirt, I’ve written, erased, and rewritten the opener for this six times. What can even be said after what we just watched other than “Yeah, this team isn’t going anywhere.”

From the opening drive, these were the same Steelers we’ve seen the last two weeks – unorganized, unmotivated, and a complete non-threat to teams that are actually contenders in the AFC.

The Chiefs jumped out to a 13-0 lead after the Steelers punted on their first two drives that spanned a combined eight plays. The Steelers weren’t down and out yet, though. A quick drive that featured several big Jaylen Warren runs got them into the red zone in three plays. Warren ran into the end zone, but a holding call on Darnell Washington brought it back. The next play, Russell Wilson threw an interception to Justin Reid and that all but sealed the deal. Even when Wilson ran in for a score to make the lead 13-7, it never really felt like the Steelers would take the game by the horns and make a statement. The only statement they made is that they remain a second-class team.

Even when they owned time of possession, they didn’t do anything with the ball. They had the ball for 31:22, but their two turnovers plus a turnover on downs did them in. They ran the ball well, as Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren both finished with over 70 yards and the team accumulated over 200 yards on the day. But five Russell Wilson sacks and a lackluster passing game were Pittsburgh’s undoing offensively.

Defensively, this team is lost. After the first two scores, multiple players are throwing up their hands in confusion wondering what happened. They didn’t register a sack on Mahomes, they gave up 320 yards through the air, and allowed 16 first downs via Mahomes’ arm. This is not a good defense, and they lack any sort of aggressiveness to try and help the back end with pressure. Now at 10-6 and losers of three straight, Pittsburgh will likely be the No. 5 seed and travel to Houston or Baltimore for the wild card round, and nothing they’ve shown over the last month gives anyone any reason to believe they’d win. Stick a fork in the Pittsburgh Steelers, this isn’t a serious football team.

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Pittsburgh Steelers Christmas Day History: Record, Statistics, & More

Published

1 day ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Pittsburgh Steelers Christmas Day History: Record, Statistics, & More

The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day as part of a two-game showcase on Netflix.

A Brief History of the Steelers on Christmas Day

Wednesday’s matchup against the Chiefs will only be the third time the Steelers have played on Christmas Day in their history. Pittsburgh played on consecutive Christmas Days in 2016 and in ’17. They hold a 2–0 record on Christmas, beating the Baltimore Ravens in ’16 and the Houston Texans in ’17. A win over the Chiefs this year would allow the Steelers to keep their undefeated Christmas record.

The NFL first played Christmas games in 1971 when hosting two matchups: Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins. The league took a long break from hosting Christmas Day games until 1989. The NFL didn’t consistently showcase Christmas Day games until somewhat recently. Games on the holiday used to happened every few years or so, but now there’s been at least one if not more Christmas Day games every year since 2020.

The 2022 and ’23 seasons saw three Christmas Day games each, the most ever hosted on the holiday. It’s more rare for the NFL to have Christmas games compared to the long-standing tradition of Thanksgiving games.

Key Moments in Steelers’ Christmas Day History

The Steelers’ first Christmas Day game back in 2016 vs. the Ravens was one for the history books. Pittsburgh clinched the AFC North title after former receiver Antonio Brown scored a four-yard touchdown with nine seconds left in the game to give the Steelers a 31–27 victory. It’s always a huge win when the Steelers beat their AFC North rivals, but it helps that a playoff spot was on the line, too. Pittsburgh advanced to the AFC Championship that season, but lost to the eventual Super Bowl championship-winning New England Patriots.

The Steelers’ 2017 Christmas Day matchup vs. the Texans the following year wasn’t as nail-biting as Pittsburgh dominated 34–6. The Steelers scored four touchdowns in the game compared to the Texans’ one touchdown, which resulted in no two-point conversion. The Steelers would go on to lose in the wild-card round to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

It’s been so long since the Steelers have played in a Christmas Day game, though, as former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led the team to both of these key wins mentioned above. The Steelers are on their fourth starting quarterback since Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season.

By the Numbers: Steelers’ Christmas Day Record

The Steelers hold a 2–0 record on Christmas Day.

Year Advertisement	Opponent	Result
2016	Baltimore Ravens	W, 31–27 Advertisement
2017	Houston Texans	W, 34–6

Roethlisberger threw for 279 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions during the win over the Ravens. Running back Le’Veon Bell carried the ball 20 times for 122 yards and one touchdown. And, another blast from the past, Brown caught the ball 10 times for 96 yards and one touchdown.

Both Roethlisberger and Bell showed out for the Steelers in 2017, too. The quarterback threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns, while the running back carried the ball 14 times for 69 yards and one touchdown. Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster led the Steelers with six catches for 75 yards and one touchdown in the contest. Brown missed the game due to injury.

Steelers’ Christmas Day Heroes

As mentioned above, both Roethlisberger and Bell appeared as heroes for the Steelers in both previous Christmas Day games. Brown, too, is considered the hero of the 2016 game as he scored the final touchdown to seal the win.

Memorable Rivalries and Matchups

Rivalry games are often showcased during the Christmas Day matchups. The Steelers were a part of that narrative in 2016 when playing against the Ravens, but this year the Steelers and Ravens will be playing in different Christmas games. The Ravens will be playing the Texans after the Steelers–Chiefs game.

The Chiefs have appeared in multiple rivalry Christmas Day games against the Las Vegas Raiders in 2004 and ’23, and also against the Denver Broncos in 2016. Kansas City holds a 2–2 record on Christmas Day.

The Christmas Day games often hold playoff implications for teams as the games are played near the end of the regular season. Before the 18-week season, the Christmas Day games were sometimes the last games of the season for some teams. However, both the Steelers and Chiefs clinched playoff spots already. The Steelers will need to win in order to keep the top AFC North seed, especially if the Ravens beat the Texans.

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