First Call: Christian Kirk courted by Steelers players; watch Alex Ovechkin score again
Thursday’s “First Call” features some Steelers taking to social media as a way to entice a free agent to Pittsburgh.
Meanwhile, one AFC veteran is retiring, while another has been released. In the NHL, Alex Ovechkin scores again.
And there’s plenty of NCAA postseason women’s basketball on the slate as well, including an early wake-up call for Duquesne.
Recruitment underway
A couple of Steelers appear to be recruiting a certain free-agent wide receiver.
Safety DeShon Elliott commented on an Instagram post regarding Christian Kirk’s free agency. “You’re now a Steeler,” Elliott wrote. Linebacker Patrick Queen followed up with a series of exclamation points.
Those two players signed here in free agency a year ago.
Kirk was almost acquired by the Steelers from Jacksonville via trade in advance of last November’s deadline. However, the Jaguars pass catcher broke his collarbone before a deal could be executed.
Kirk ended up with 27 receptions and 379 yards before the season-ending injury.
Bengal says goodbye
Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineman Sam Hubbard is retiring at the age of 29. He made that announcement Wednesday.
Bengals DE Sam Hubbard announced he is retiring from the NFL. pic.twitter.com/FCu17JpzzC
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 5, 2025
That saves the Bengals $9.5 million against the cap. Over the course of seven NFL seasons, Hubbard totaled 398 tackles (55 for a loss) and 38.5 sacks. He added six forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and one interception.
The Ohio State alum played in 104 regular-season games with a streak of 88 consecutive starts from 2019-24.
Also from the AFC, the Las Vegas Raiders released quarterback Gardner Minshew. He threw for 2,013 yards, nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions before breaking his collarbone in Week 11.
Related:
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• Tim Benz: Steelers QB quandary could present 'Catch-22' situation with potential receivers
• Robert Morris basketball brings ray of sunshine to bleak Pittsburgh sports landscape
Great 8 is 10 away
Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin scored his 885th career goal at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night. He is now 10 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL all-time record of 894.
Ovechkin scored a game-tying goal midway through the third period of the Caps’ 3-2 overtime win over the New York Rangers.
ALEX OVECHKIN DOES IT AGAIN!
HE'S NOW JUST 10 GOALS AWAY FROM BREAKING GRETZKY'S GOAL-SCORING RECORD ‼️ ???? pic.twitter.com/ecMdmMvc1Q
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 6, 2025
After failing to score against Ottawa during a 5-4 shootout win, Ovechkin scored his 32nd goal of the season. That’s tied for the fourth-most in the NHL. Leon Draisaitl leads the league with 45.
Ovi hasn’t gone back-to-back games without scoring since bridging the 4 Nations Face-Off break with no goals on Feb. 9 and 22. The second of those games was an 8-3 victory at PPG Paints Arena over the Penguins.
Ovechkin now has 32 goals this season. Washington has 20 games left. Their final game is in Pittsburgh on April 17.
Top of the mornin’ to ya!
The Duquesne women’s basketball team has an 11 a.m. tip for their first-round Atlantic-10 tournament basketball game Thursday. They play Fordham in Virginia.
Both teams were 9-9 in conference play. The Dukes finished 18-14 overall. The Rams were 15-14. Dan Burt’s club dropped two decisions to Fordham by a total of five points. The first game in Pittsburgh was a 64-62 defeat. The loss in the Bronx was by a final of 56-53 on Feb 19.
All-Conference guard Megan McConnell is looking for another big game against the Rams. The first time the teams played against each other, the Chartiers Valley product put up 26 points and eight rebounds. The senior then posted 17 points and 12 rebounds in the rematch.
In last year’s tournament at Henrico Sports & Events Center, the women won two games before falling in the semifinals.
Robert Morris’ women’s team also plays at home at 5:30 p.m. against Northern Kentucky in Horizon League tournament competition. That precedes the men’s tournament game against Wright State at 8 p.m.
The women’s team at Pitt lost its first-round ACC game at Virginia 64-50, ending the year 13-19, 5-13 in conference play.
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
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