Mark Madden's Hot Take: Penguins' schedule stinks

I hate the Penguins’ schedule.

But I’m still going to go. I get in free.

The Penguins open with two road games, then have an eight-game homestand. Too much, too soon. October isn’t quite hockey season in Pittsburgh. We’ll be watching the Pirates in the playoffs.

The Penguins play just eight Saturday home games. Network coverage will put too many of those in the afternoon. Saturday used to be hockey night in Pittsburgh. Not hockey afternoon, but hockey night. That’s when the Penguins traditionally played home games. That’s dead.

The Penguins also play a six-game homestand at the end of January. That’s when we’ll be excited about the Steelers’ run to the Super Bowl.

The NHL dropped the two-game (occasionally three-game) mini-series between teams that were used this past season to minimize travel during the pandemic. Wouldn’t it still be good to minimize travel? Didn’t consecutive games between teams maximize rivalries?

But my big complaint is the NHL’s Olympics break in February. The league hasn’t committed to letting the players go to Beijing, but the two-week gap in the schedule seems a dead giveaway. That toothpaste won’t get put back in the tube.

From the viewpoint of the NHL and its member teams, allowing players to compete in the Olympics is stupid. Always has been.

Assets belonging to NHL teams are put at risk without compensation if they’re damaged. At best, those assets are depreciated, players worn down for the NHL stretch drive and playoffs.

Olympic hockey doesn’t create much tangible awareness for the NHL. NHL TV ratings have gone up only marginally after past Olympics involving NHL players. The connection is tenuous.

The continuity and storylines of the NHL are interrupted and diluted by something perceived as bigger.

The Olympic tournament is a showcase. Players want to play in it. Fans want to see it. But it hurts the NHL more than it helps.

Even worse: The Penguins’ opener is at Tampa Bay on Oct. 12. I have tickets for Foreigner at Youngstown the same night. What to watch? That’s a tough decision.