Mark Madden Columns category, Page 29

The Pittsburgh Penguins might yet morph into a sleeper contender. “Might yet” means “not yet.” But there are positive signs. Much depends on the condition and performance of Evgeni Malkin when he returns from knee surgery. (Don’t expect vintage Malkin right away.) The locker room likely sees itself as more...

When the NHL left NBC to do rights deals with ESPN and TNT, it seemed good. The season’s first week featured a Tuesday night doubleheader on ESPN and a Wednesday night doubleheader on TNT. The presentation, production and announcing were all sharp. There was lots of fanfare. But ESPN hasn’t...

The Pittsburgh Steelers did not show guts and pride in their fourth-quarter comeback at Minnesota. If they had guts and pride, they wouldn’t have been trailing a sub-.500 team 29-0. The Steelers’ near-miss mostly was fueled by Minnesota lacking guts and pride, yet the Vikings still won. The biggest factor...

Sidney Crosby has a six-game points streak, compiling three goals and eight assists over that span. He’s up to a point per game on the season, with 13 in 13. Crosby had wrist surgery and battled covid but now looks the part after struggling for the best part of a...

Hail to Pitt, certainly. But, mostly, hail to Kenny Pickett. The same could be said about the quarterback of most championship teams. That job’s occupant must be a catalyst. Pickett is that, and then some. Even breaking Dan Marino’s passing record pales next to Pickett taking a program that had...

Antonio Brown got suspended three games by the NFL for having a bogus covid vaccination card. Brown’s ex-personal chef ratted him out because Brown owes the chef $10k. Brown’s ban costs him somewhere around $183k in game checks. Remember when those game checks were a lot bigger? Brown has not...

If last Sunday’s visit to Cincinnati seemed must-win, this Sunday’s home game against Baltimore seems a last stand for the Steelers, with Custer clad in black and gold. Propping up the Steelers season even when it’s turned hopeless is what’s best for business. Certain things can be cited to manufacture...

Rocky Bleier said it best: “The Steelers suck.” If you want to debate, you’d be arguing with a four-time Super Bowl champion and decorated Vietnam war veteran. Bleier earned the right to opine. Ex-Steeler Ryan Clark described the current Steelers thusly on ESPN: “We want to make videos, we want...

The Pittsburgh Penguins recently won five straight. But they sandwiched those victories with home losses to the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens, two of the NHL’s worst teams. In the middle of last decade, that wouldn’t matter. The Penguins were a lock to make the playoffs. November was just a...

Devin Bush Jr.’s father called a Pittsburgh radio show to defend his son’s subpar performance at inside linebacker for the Steelers. Devin Bush Sr. made two points: • Devin Bush Jr.’s knee isn’t all the way back after ACL surgery last year. • If you didn’t play the game, you...

For years, Pittsburgh has referred to the Cincinnati Bengals as the “Bungles.” (Thanks, Myron.) With good reason, too: The “Bungles” stink. But maybe not anymore. The Bengals haven’t won a playoff game since 1990. They haven’t been to a playoff game since 2015, and they blew that in spectacularly stupid...

My list of hockey’s top five players ever (excluding goaltenders) is clear-cut. The top three are Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky. That’s my order. But it’s impossible to argue with putting those three in any order. The next two are Sidney Crosby and Gordie Howe. Once again, that’s...

Refreshing sports notes are the Thanksgiving dinner of journalism: Something for everybody, and a lot of it. Dig in! • Cam Heyward and Ben Roethlisberger were the primary factors in the Steelers rallying to almost win Sunday at Los Angeles. They’re focused professionals and real Steelers. Heyward was double-teamed all...

Did you know Mike Tomlin never has had a losing season? Tomlin is perceived to be a great coach, but that’s by rote. We say it so often, and the national media says it even more often. Perhaps it’s time to judge the actual coaching, not chant the Tomlin mantra....

The Los Angeles Chargers have the worst run defense in the NFL, conceding an average of 155.1 yards per game. The Steelers need to run the ball down their throats Sunday night. Just like the Steelers needed to do against Detroit this past Sunday when they had first-and-goal from the...

On Nov. 2, the Steelers traded edge rusher Melvin Ingram to Kansas City. Ingram was unhappy with his playing time and asked out. This past Sunday, during a 16-16 tie with Detroit at Heinz Field, edge rusher T.J. Watt left the game hurt. An MRI on Watt’s hip and knee...

Let’s get the excuses out of the way: Ben Roethlisberger didn’t play. T.J. Watt, Joe Haden and both starting guards left mid-game via injury. The refereeing was sketchy. Let’s address the wishful thinking: Baltimore lost to Miami, Cleveland got routed by New England, nobody in the AFC North is very...

The American Football Conference stinks. The Tennessee Titans have seven wins, the Baltimore Ravens have six and nine teams have five (including the Pittsburgh Steelers). The AFC might be deep, but so is an outhouse’s reservoir. This has led to optimism among Steelers fans, especially with win No. 6 pending...

Louis Lipps is an all-time Pittsburgh Steelers great. Had Lipps played on Super Bowl teams, he might be recognized as their best wide receiver ever. Lipps was arrested for DUI this past Saturday night. His truck struck a parked trailer. Lipps was scheduled to be inducted into the Steelers’ Hall...

The Steelers’ “elite” defense crumbles at inopportune times. Is the defense about the excellence of edge rusher T.J. Watt and defensive end Cameron Heyward, or is that offset by, say, defensive back Arthur Maulet getting beat like a rented mule late in Monday night’s near-loss to Chicago? (A win is...

For the Penguins, the best thing would be to miss the playoffs and begin a rebuilding process that gets pushed back and made harder every year they strive in vain for “one more run.” The absolute worst-case scenario is to be in contention for a postseason spot come the NHL’s...

Center Sidney Crosby is the Pittsburgh Penguins’ best player. Defenseman Kris Letang is their least replaceable player. That was evident in Thursday’s 3-2 overtime victory over Philadelphia at PPG Paints Arena. Letang won that game by any and every means that it’s possible to do so. Letang literally decided the...

The Philadelphia Phillies declined their 2022 option on Andrew McCutchen’s contract. So, naturally, a flurry of “reporting” launched that theorizes McCutchen’s path back to Pittsburgh. (Did you know McCutchen named his son “Steel”? WELCOME BACK, CUTCH!) Forget it. That has no chance of happening. It’s another example of the local...

The Steelers are 4-3 going on 6-3. If they don’t beat Chicago and Detroit to get to 6-3, this next question answers itself. The Bears and Lions both stink. But are the Steelers any good? You can answer that via a couple of other questions. One is, is the NFL...

When the Steelers visited Cleveland on Sunday, it was a battle of traditional rivals, mediocre teams and a whole lot of idiocy. The dumbness manifested itself at many levels: • Thirteen penalties in all, a few more that canceled each other out and a few more that went uncalled. (It...