Kevin Gorman Columns category, Page 13

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The Pittsburgh Penguins had an optional skate Friday at Nassau Coliseum, so the absence of Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist, Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang didn’t raise any eyebrows. When Matt Murray did not participate, however, it begged an obvious question: Is he still starting...

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — OVERTIME: Josh Bailey was denied by the post in the final seconds of regulation. He scored on a shot after the puck bounced off the post at 4:39 into overtime to give the New York Islanders a 4-3 victory over the Penguins in Game 1 of their...

When it comes to deciding the defense pairings for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs first-round series against the New York Islanders, Mike Sullivan has some important decisions to make. Just don’t call them difficult. The Pittsburgh Penguins are as about as healthy as they have been on defense...

The Pittsburgh Penguins start these Stanley Cup playoffs with a dozen players who have hoisted the Cup in celebration of a championship at least once. Whether they can win another could depend largely upon the postseason play of the dozen Penguins who have never experienced that elation. “You have the...

Pitt’s search for an athletic identity started with a switch from its iconic script logo and school colors by turning its uniforms into a Notre Dame knockoff, a poor man’s version of the Panthers. Finally, Pitt is back where it belongs. A change of heart finally led to a change...

Despite a milestone moment, the Pittsburgh Penguins ended their regular season with more of a sigh than a celebration. Sidney Crosby’s assist on Jake Guentzel’s tying goal gave the Penguins captain his 100th point and his right-hand man his 4oth goal but did nothing to improve their Stanley Cup status....

On paper, the Pittsburgh Penguins were playing for keeps. On the ice, however, they forgot to keep playing. Well, with any sense of urgency anyway. Having already clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Penguins had only seeding at stake in the season finale against the New York...

Two points from the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins drew a rematch with the hottest team in hockey. The Detroit Red Wings, winners of six straight, beat the Penguins on Tuesday and were poised to play spoiler once again Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena. Things looked dim early,...

As disheartening as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ home-opening loss was, it is worth remembering it was only their third game of the season. So it might be just premature to suggest, based on their 6-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in 11 innings Monday at PNC Park, the Pirates are...

By the time Nick Kingham and Francisco Cervelli got their signals crossed in the 11th inning, Chris Archer’s electrifying start in his first home opener with the Pittsburgh Pirates was but a distant memory. When Paul DeJong scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball for a 6-5 victory on...

Chris Archer was so fired up to start his first home opener as a Pirate that his teammates were offering odds on how many batters it would take before the right-hander let out his first yell. Beforehand, Trevor Williams said the over/under was 1.5. The under was a safe play,...

Whether it’s a leadoff or walk-off, a solo shot, two in two at-bats or a grand slam, there is something special about the home team hitting a home run at the home opener. The Pittsburgh Pirates hope to find their next Home Opener Hero when they host the St. Louis...

Neal Huntington knows as expectations have changed for the Pittsburgh Pirates, from ending a two-decade losing streak to wanting to win a World Series, so have the never-ending narratives. The Pirates general manager buys into neither the notion that the baseball club would be satisfied with finishing above .500 nor...

The NCAA wrestling championships came with a warning: You’ve never seen anything like it. Wrestling fans filled PPG Paints Arena over a three-day span to watch a pair of Western Pennsylvania products win individual championships and Penn State win its fourth consecutive national title and eighth in nine years. The...

The Pittsburgh Pirates made some predictable moves Monday by naming shortstop Erik Gonzalez and third baseman Jung Ho Kang starters over Kevin Newman and Colin Moran. That the decisions came down to defense is the obvious reaction, as Gonzalez and Kang provide more experience and better range on the left...

For a guy their general manager called the “unquestioned leader” of the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s interesting to hear former teammates and former NFL players question Ben Roethlisberger’s leadership. Whether it’s Josh Harris claiming Roethlisberger purposely fumbled or Isaac Redman saying Roethlisberger didn’t do enough to build relationships in the locker...

The only thing worse than the Pittsburgh Steelers trading Antonio Brown to the Oakland Raiders for third- and fifth-round draft picks was their weak attempt at defending it. In an interview with Steelers.com, general manager Kevin Colbert tried to put a positive spin on a disaster of a deal by...