Pittsburg, PA

Penguins Finish Season Strong, But Fall Short of Playoffs | Pittsburgh Penguins

Published

2 weeks ago

April 18, 2024

Penguins Finish Season Strong, But Fall Short of Playoffs | Pittsburgh Penguins

On the morning of March 24, Pittsburgh sat at 24th in the NHL standings and 13th in the Eastern Conference, nine points out of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot and with just a 1.7% percent chance of making the postseason.

The Penguins then dragged themselves back into the fight, picking up points in 11 of their last 12 games to get themselves back in contention. While they got eliminated the night before playing Game 82, that stretch said a lot about them “as people, first and foremost, but also as hockey players,” Penguins Head Coach Mike Sullivan said.

“So, I couldn’t be more proud of the group with what we’ve been able to accomplish here over the last month or so. Obviously, we’re disappointed that we didn’t put ourselves in a better position leading up to that. But certainly, the response speaks volumes.”

Bryan Rust said guys just came together and buckled down after the dust settled from the March 8 deadline that saw the Penguins be sellers for the first time in recent memory, sending Jake Guentzel to Carolina. Sidney Crosby said that the whole group showed a lot of character, and “that every single guy stepped up and had a part in us still being in it.”

Alex Nedeljkovic was a fantastic story, getting 13 straight starts in goal and firmly re-establishing himself at the NHL level after a couple of bumpy seasons in Detroit. Evgeni Malkin turned it up, scoring seven times in that stretch. Rust, “a Pittsburgh Penguin born and bred,” as Sullivan likes to say, left it all on the ice like always. Drew O’Connor took huge steps in his development, stringing together two three-game goal streaks. Rookies Jack St. Ivany and Ryan Shea earned the trust of the coaching staff as a third defensive pairing. The list goes on.

However, the captain was the biggest factor behind the team’s 8-1-3 run.

“Both on the ice and off the ice, you could see he was just so driven,” Rust said. “The way he just handles himself, the way he plays, how hard he plays, how hard he prepares – it’s something that has been unbelievable to watch over the last, what, 10 years that I’ve been here? But especially over the last month.”

His numbers this season at age 36 are remarkable without context, scoring 42 goals – the third-highest total of his 19-year career – and 94 points. But Crosby truly took it to another level in the last few weeks of the year, with his 24 points since March 24 ranking first in the NHL, and simply playing inspiring hockey.

It’s unfortunate we won’t get to see that dominance continue when the stakes are highest, especially because “I think once you get to playoffs, anything can happen,” Crosby said. “I feel like we were trending the right way, we were one of the hottest teams in the league late, and don’t have much to show for it right now. But hopefully, that’s something we can build off of.

“There are lots of teams who want to win the Stanley Cup. I mean, that’s what I play for and I think that’s what we all believe, (that) if you get in, anything can happen. We felt like we were playing good at the right time, but yeah, there’s a lot to go through.”

While the Penguins felt like they were capable of being a playoff team, they ultimately fell short in a season that had so much promise after a thrilling first offseason with Kyle Dubas, highlighted by the addition of Erik Karlsson.

While there are positives to draw from the strong finish, as Crosby said, the entire campaign has to be taken into account when trying to understand why Pittsburgh missed the postseason for a second consecutive year after putting together a 16-year playoff streak, the longest active run in all of the major North American professional sports leagues.

“When you’re talking about one or two points, there’s a lot of different games or instances you look at,” Crosby said. “So, it’s hard to turn one or two points and magnify that into what the reason is necessarily, but there’s probably different things. I think the obvious one is just multiple games where we had leads, and we ended up not even getting points in some of those.”

Lars Eller said game management and the wrong decisions at the wrong time are some of the reasons for not closing out games – particularly in the first half – where the Penguins had leads and were the better team. They also struggled on the power play, finishing 31st in the league.

There’s a lot of work to be done in those areas and others, which will be addressed by Dubas and his staff. But knowing that the core – particularly the Big Three of Crosby, Malkin, and Kris Letang, will be back to lead this team – should inspire some confidence through the coming months.

“I just think this is a core group of players that have been one of the most accomplished groups in the history of the game,” Sullivan said. “Watching them compete the way I’ve watched them compete, year in and year out, gives me unwavering belief in them. Just their drive and their will to win, they were a huge part of dragging us back into the fight.

“I just think those experiences, they have an influence on my belief in them. I think they’re still (at an) elite level (of) play. Sid’s had a remarkable season. Tanger’s had a pretty strong season. I think Geno’s really played well down the stretch. So, I just believe in this group. Always have.”

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Pittsburgh Pride being held at Allegheny Commons Park after ‘unexpected denial’ from using Point State Park

Published

5 hours ago

May 1, 2024

Press Room

Pittsburgh Pride being held at Allegheny Commons Park after ‘unexpected denial’ from using Point State Park

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — This year’s Pittsburgh Pride festival will no longer be held at Point State Park after organizers say they were ‘denied access.’

The festival will now be held at Allegheny Commons Park West on the city’s North Side on Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1 with a block party marking the closing of the festival in Bloomfield on Sunday, June 2.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the festival was set to be held at Point State Park for the first time, but those plans have now changed.

“It is with a heavy heart that we face the denial from Point State Park this year,” said Dena Stanley, co-founder of the Pittsburgh Pride Group. “However, we are excited to return to Allegheny Commons Park West, a venue that has long embraced our community and provided a vibrant backdrop for our celebrations.”

Stanley says that despite needing to change locations for the festival, organizers remain committed to the celebratory and inclusive atmosphere that Pittsburgh Pride has become known for.

Thousands took to the streets on June 4, 2022 for the Pittsburgh Pride Revolution March.

KDKA

“We are fully committed to preserving the celebratory spirit and inclusive atmosphere that Pittsburgh Pride is known for,” Stanley saId. “We invite everyone to join us in commemorating love, diversity, and acceptance at Allegheny Commons Park West.”

Schedule of events for 2024 Pittsburgh Pride

The opening celebration of the festival will take place on Friday, May 31 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Allegheny Commons Park West and will feature more than 30 local artists.

The festival will continue on Saturday, June 1 at Allegheny Commons Park West following the Pittsburgh Pride March.

Participants in the march will begin lining up at 10 a.m. near the Greyhound bus station on Liberty Avenue. The march will begin at Noon and arrive at Allegheny Commons by 1 p.m.

The park will open at 11 a.m. that day with more than 40 artists scheduled to perform starting at 2 p.m.

Pittsburgh Pride 2024 will wrap up on Sunday, June 2 with a block party in Bloomfield from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. near Trace Brewery with live entertainment, food, activities, and more than 30 artists performing throughout the afternoon and evening.

Mike Darnay

Mike Darnay is a digital producer and photojournalist at KDKA-TV/CBS News Pittsburgh. Mike has also written and produced content for Vox Media and the Mon Valley Independent.
He often covers overnight breaking news, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and high school sports.

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Steelers GM Addresses Rumors Team Is Targeting 49ers’ Star Receiver

Published

12 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Press Room

Steelers GM Addresses Rumors Team Is Targeting 49ers’ Star Receiver

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been quite busy through the free agency period and the draft, much like many other teams have been. However, the team has made numerous strides to improve its roster, which includes signing former Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson and trading for former Bears quarterback Justin Fields.

Though grading or predicting how draftees will do can be viewed as premature, the Steelers did do a good job at boosting their offensive line. The team plans to run the ball with effectiveness, and putting together a stellar offensive line is the sure-fire way to ensure running lanes are opened up to aid a good rushing attack.

Though the Steelers beefed up the offensive line through the draft, one area where the team still needs work is at wide receiver. Receiver George Pickens had a good year with 1,140 receiving yards, but the next closest was Diontae Johnson, who secured 717 yards.

PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 6: Omar Khan, Director of Football and Business Administration for the Pittsburgh Steelers, looks on from the sideline before a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Heinz Field on December 6,…

George Gojkovich/Getty Images

Johnson has since been traded to the Carolina Panthers, leaving the receiving room the Steelers currently have as majorly lacking. The dropoff from Johnson’s 717 receiving yards falls to 370 yards, which belonged to running back Jaylen Warren.

The Steelers clearly need help at wide receiver, and they have since been attached to huge names and rumors. The biggest rumor is that they were actively attempting to trade for San Francisco 49ers star receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk leading up to the draft.

Steelers general manager Omar Khan has since addressed these rumors. He appeared on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee show to discuss Pittsburgh making a play for a big receiver.

Khan was asked by McAfee if there was any truth to the Steelers attempting to land these receivers. Khan simply stated, “I heard about it [rumors about trading for 49ers receivers]… but there is nothing going on.”

Khan could be playing the role of the naive general manager when he knows full well who the Steelers are attempting to land, or they truly might not be trying to trade for anyone at the moment. Training camp and preseason could lead to the team exploring options at wide receiver far more, though it would be believed Khan would attempt to land someone far before that.

Apart from the rumors that Aiyuk and Samuel could still be traded, Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is also a possibility. Higgins stated he wanted a trade after the Bengals were unwilling to give him a new contract. He did recently state that he expects to be with the team in 2024, and his not being traded right before or during the draft means Cincinnati likely feels the same.

The Bengals are also a division rival of the Steelers, so it would be highly unlikely they would allow Higgins to go to the team they would be directly competing with for a playoff berth in 2024. Still, Khan could come up with a deal for Higgins that Pittsburgh would be hard-pressed to pass on. Either way, Khan could be throwing up a smokescreen to throw other teams off the trail of the Steelers landing a premier wide receiver.

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Pittsburgh Promise holds celebration for nearly 1,000 graduating seniors

Published

19 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Press Room

Pittsburgh Promise holds celebration for nearly 1,000 graduating seniors

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — About 1,000 graduating seniors from Pittsburgh Public Schools celebrated the journey to higher education on Tuesday.

It’s a big decision when it comes to life after high school graduation, but a group of students from underserved communities who gathered at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall on Tuesday worked hard to make that dream come true.

Each graduating student gets $20,000 for four years to use at any accredited post-secondary institution in Pennsylvania.

“I’m going to have a lot of my family here and I’m very happy about graduating,” said Westinghouse Academy senior Sai Penn.

The Pittsburgh Promise held a big Senior Celebration Day for nearly 1,000 graduating seniors from Pittsburgh Public at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall to mark the occasion for these student’s post-graduation plans.

Pittsburgh Promise coaches work inside four PPS schools, including Carrick, UPREP at Milliones, Perry and Westinghouse.

Penn said to her coach, “Thank you so much for all the help you’ve given me. I’m very much grateful for it.”

Coaches make sure students have personalized post-high school plans.

“It feels good to support students with their dreams, it feels good to be their coach and help them figure out what they want to do with their life aspirations,” said Promise coach Emmanuel Walker.

Each student has a minimum GPA of 2.5 and an attendance of 90%. Collectively, The Pittsburgh Promise recipients can attend more than 150 institutions of higher learning.

“The Pittsburgh Promise is not the organization, nor the scholarship, nor the coaching — the Pittsburgh Promise is the child,” said The Pittsburgh Promise Executive Director Saleem Ghurbril.

Preparing for, planning for and paying for higher education — that’s the promise kept for more than 1,000 students in the city.

The Pittsburgh Promise will continue funding students with scholarships through the graduating class of 2028, which carries them through 2033. After that, they will work on policy work as well as continue coaching.

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