Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Looking at the top 5 best moments from last season for the Pittsburgh Penguins...

Episode Date: August 18, 2022

It's a bit late on Wednesday but hey, better late than never, right? Hunter starts out the show with some quick thoughts on Jack Johnson signing with the Chicago Blackhawks before ranking the top five best moments/games from the Penguins season. Yes, one of them is the Opening Night game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but a couple of them might surprise you. For instance, he leaves Jake's 40-goal game out for something else. After that, he gives the top five games that he's most looking forward to this season, which also has some surprises. There aren't a lot of divisional games on this list, something that Hunter hasn't done in years. Finally, he looks at if Mike Sullivan's expiration date could be coming if the Penguins don't get results in the playoffs (I hope to god that it does not). All that, plus much more on this episode of Locked On Penguins.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey, everyone. Happy Wednesday, August 17th, again, officially over halfway through the month of August now. It feels weird that this is, I read today that this is the final sunset after 8 p.m. That makes me sad, but also a little bit happy because, you know, we're getting closer and closer now to the start of the NHL season. This hat up here just makes my hair look like, it looks ridiculous, to be honest with you. But for today's show, we're going to go over my personal top. moments from this past penguin season. And we're also going to get into the games that I'm really looking forward to this year, like, you know, five to ten games somewhere around there to get you all prepped up for the season.

And also, again, look back to at some great and also some historic moments from this season. That's all coming up right after this drop. You're locked on penguins. Your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh. Penguins, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello, welcome back to that episode of the Lockdown Penguins podcast. I am your host, Hunter Hodes. Remember to follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes.

You can also follow the shows, Twitter, at L. Lawrenceville Penguins, and of course, thank you all so much for making this your first listen of the day. Not much around the league so far, though we did see former Pittsburgh Penguin Jack Johnson signed with the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night. No, I'm not joking. he is back in the league for another year. Thought he was maybe going to retire, Calder, career walked off in the sunset.

Not decided he would come back and play at least one more year. Getting around 900, 950K with the Blackhawks. That's just a total tank move by them. Honestly, just a peak tank move by them. I mean, this team at Chicago has assembled, it's going to suck. I almost kind of feel bad for Jonathan Taves and Patrick Kane. I think they're likely both going to be traded,

either some point during the rest of the song season or by the trade deadline, they don't, you know, for two players that have a lot of pride that have led that organization to three Stanley Cups, I definitely kind of feel bad for them with this just because, you know, could you imagine Sidney Crosby and Afghani Malkin on that kind of team? Do you think Sid would have signed off on that kind of rebuild? Probably not. I mean, sure, Chicago, it's probably time for them to do it, but, you know, they probably didn't need to do it this soon if their last management team didn't screw up a lot of moves.

And, you know, you want to learn more about the Blackhawks. Go listen to Jack Bushman's show for Lockdown Blackhawks. He does a tremendous job. I envy him. Well, I should, I'll retract that. I don't envy him this season because it's going to be a bad year there. But, you know, wanted to start off the show with a little bit of former Penguin News. And yes, the Penguins are still paying Johnson to be off the team that's going to be happening.

for the next few years. Now, getting to, we're going to start off the show with the top five moments from the 2021, 2021, 2022 season. For number one, for me, it's got to be opening night. You know, the lightning, they're coming in, two-time defending champions. Sure, maybe a little bit hungover from the summer,

but whatever, penguins, they're down. Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin, Sid, had COVID at that point. Gino, he was obviously, obviously out with the knee injury. But, you know, Jeff Carter, you know, he, he literally is basically the first line center at the point. Teddy Bluger is, you know, running the show on the second line. Brian Boyle, you know, I think he's even running a center spot. And the penguins just go in there and open up a can of just, you know what, you know the saying. You know, it was just a complete dominant performance by the Penguins.

Tampa Bay never really stood a chance in that game. And I remember Josh Yowie writing an article about this after the game of the athletic. He said this was probably one of the top five greatest wins, you know, at least definitely regular season-wise, potentially all-time in the Mike Sullivan era. And, you know, I'd have to agree with him. You know, that was the kind of game that, you know, the Penguins excel at under Sullivan. They didn't give Tampa Bay any room to breathe. Even John Cooper after the game said, yeah, we got our butts absolutely kicked.

know, when you bring a team in here like Pittsburgh, who, you know, they have a good system in place, have a heck of a coach, even if they're short-handed, they're still dangerous. And, you know, we pay the price. I mean, that was basically what he said after the game. You know, you had Dominic Simone of all people score in that game. I'm looking up, I'm making sure I have the box score right. And, you know, Hainin gets the first goal of the year. Brian Boyle gets his his first goal as a penguin as a penguin. Teddy Blugher also scores. Evan Rodriguez and then Brian Ross also gets a goal.

And, you know, this game, it was never close. You know, it was two to nothing going into the third pair. It was three to nothing with less than seven, actually less than six minutes to go. John Cooper ended up pulling his goalie. Teddy Blugher then scores to make it four to one. Sure Alex Tolens were to make it four, two or three minutes left. But, you know, that was just a garbage time goal at that point. point. You know, the penguins defensively were solid as a rock. Jari made some really nice

A, especially in the first period, even though the penguins, they came out well, but, you know, Tampa, they had some pushes on the way. Pittsburgh really had no business winning that game. And, you know, just a lot of debt players that shining throughout the season, you know, they got their seasons off to a great start in that game. And, you know, it takes a deep forward group to win against that kind of team, especially when you're not playing with two of your three. best players and the penguins were able to make it look so easy. I know they lost to Tampa Bay. What was it?

Like a week or two later, you know, Gino was not playing that game. I don't even, if I don't recall correctly, I'm not even sure if Sid was playing that game. Actually, no, my mistake, I'm pretty sure Sid missed that game because of the surgery that he had over the off-season. I apologize for that. I know he had COVID throughout the season, during the season, but he was still out with that wrist injury. He ended up coming back a little bit after the season started.

And the penguins, they did what they could. They stayed in that race or they stayed close enough that they could get back into the race. Because at the time when Sid was out, they were out of the playoff picture. They were down towards the bottom of the Metro. But, you know, they stayed within striking distance, point two, three points out. And once Sid came back, they were able to, you know, really rise up. even when dealing with other COVID outbreaks and that kind of so. So I apologize that.

It was the wrist injury. I almost just blocked it out. To be honest with you guys about that. But, you know, that's my top favorite moment of this season. My second favorite moment, you know, Chris Lattang capping off Sidney Crosby's 500th goal night. You cannot lose when Sid hits that kind of milestone. 500, you know, only, you know, a select. amount of players have ever reached that point for their respective initial careers, you know,

look like for a while that the penguins are going to lose that game. It was four to two going into the third period. And, you know, all of a sudden, penguins make it four to three. Then Chabar, we don't, of all people. He ties the game at four, for the penguins, you know, they go it into overtime against the Flyers. And then of all people, of course, let's hang, gets the winner against Philadelphia, beats Carter Hart, five, all the penguins, and all the fans go home happy. you know it just it would have been such a everyone obviously will remember it for SIDS by front of the goal despite the loss but it would have just been such a buzzkill

if they lost that game so on a very special night against the Penguins most heated rival against Sid's most hated team with everything that he said you know about the flyers over the course of his career you know that had to end with a win and you know I am so glad that it did. So that's my favorite, my second favorite moment.

The third one was the Penguins' Bruins game when Brad Marshan decided to go, you know, just crazy. You know, that was the game or the Penguins, you know, they actually won another game in Boston.

That's only, I believe, the second time they've won in Boston since 2014. They beat them there. Last year, I'm pretty sure, to actually, you know,

end the streak for the first time in seven years. But, you know, this one, the Penguins, they were down early. a couple goals and then Canton Hinen's able to lead them back and then with just a few seconds to go

you know Brad Marshan you know just basically sticks jari in the face after he said you know what how about that effing save and that just led to do a whole bunch of other nonsense but you know with the way the penguins are able to come back in that game just with how you know

it's just with the penguins history at TD Garden even recent history. It didn't look good. But the Penguins, you know, they started out that game so poorly. You're getting badly out shot, badly out chance, but they were able to come back, take over the game a little bit in the second period,

play really well in the third to get that result. That was, I believe, you know, I think it was like a January, yeah, I believe it was a January game. I'm not mistaken. And that was just such a fun moment for this team. Number four, I just, I just have. had it.

Geez. Wow. I just had it in my head, but I guess I'm just waiting for it to come back. Oh, yeah. Sorry. Tristan Jari's shout out against the Rangers earlier this year. That was that one-nothing game. It was the only regular season game that the Penguins, you know, had won against the Rangers.

And I did remember the other one that I had. That's going to be at number five. The only time the Penguins beat. the Rangers in the regular season. And, you know, that was just a masterful performance, I thought, by Pittsburgh, especially defensively. Jari made some outstanding saves on the Rangers. It was, you know, close to a 50-50 game, as you can get.

Shasturkin on the other side was great. It was an Afghani Malkin Power Play goal that made a different. Sure, it was maybe a little bit of a phantom call, but, you know, you still take the win when you get it. But I thought, you know, that was, you know, a preview of what was to come in the playoffs. And, you know, at times it was. I mean, obviously, that was an epic series. I still think the Penguins probably should have won the series

that they would have gotten, you know, adequate goaltending, but that was still one heck of a moment and a game during the season, you know, just textbook playoff game early on in the year well before the playoffs started and, you know, I absolutely loved it. Number five, the game in Las Vegas, the Penguins go down, three goal goals early. And, you know, normally against a team like Vegas, that is, you know, that good with, you know,

so many high-power players at the time they had patch ready. on the team, you know, Mark Stone, Jack Eichael, you know, Afghani, Donov, Riley Smith, all these players. And a couple of them were banged up at the time. Shea Theodore, Alex Bertangelo, Robin Leonard was in net. And the Penguins, they come out, guns unblazing in the second period. And that's 3 to 1. Then it's 3-2.

Then they finally tie the game. And then later on in the game, they take their first lead. And they're able to win that game. I believe the final score was five. To three, I'm making sure I get this right here. Yeah, it was five to three. The hanguins, that was one of their first three-gold comebacks, I believe in the last couple of years.

And just the way that Pittsburgh was able to take over that game after just a poor start overall. And, you know, it wasn't even really Chrisanjari's fault when he was starting. That game, Vegas was just all over. Pittsburgh, you know, it's obviously a very tough arena to win in just because the fans are always electric. There doesn't matter what time of year it is. But, you know, the will and the perseverance the Penguins had to come back and win that game, nothing short of spectacular.

So those are my top five favorite moments slash games from the 2021, 2021, 2022 regular season. Let me know what your top five moments are from the season. What do you think I missed or should have been in my top five? what is in your top file? Let me know down in the YouTube comments or you can send me a DM on social media on me and all that stuff. Coming up in the seconds,

we're going to get into the top games I'm looking forward to this year, just for one reason or another. But before we get into that, it's time to talk about something pretty serious. It can happen so easily. Say you're out with your friends or coworkers. You're putting back a few drinks,

if you become a few too many, it's time to go for a moment. You know, you think you're calling for a ride. Now, you're good driver. You live nearby. You can make it home okay. You just want to drive home. But what are the odds you'll get pulled over? And even so, what's the worst that could happen? You lose your license. You lose your job. You total your car. Kill someone. It only takes one mistake to change your life or someone else's forever. Play it safe and plan ahead to get a ride from Uber, friend, family member, anything like that. Drive sober or get pulled over. All right, I'm back here on this episode of the Lockdown Penguins podcast. I am your host, Hunter Hode. He's going to follow me on. Twitter at Hunter Hill East Falls. This shows Twitter at L.O. Arnold Swear Penguins. So let's get into the top five games.

I'm really looking forward to this year. I will say one of them on here is a little bit biased because I am going to be there. That's going to be a little later on for my list. But the first one that actually comes to mind is, you know, a couple of these are actually really early in the season. And I'll say this, you know, Penguins, Blue Jackets, it may sound weird to you all, but I'm really hyped for that game. Johnny Goodro's first game against the Penguins as a blue jacket.

This has been not even really a rivalry. It's just been a big brother, little brother series. Excuse me. I feel like Mike Francesa drinking a freaking Coca-Cola doing a podcast. He used to always do that when he was doing this stuff on New York Sports Radio. You know, this has been, again, just a big brother, little brother thing for the last eight years, basically.

It's very rare that the penguins lose to the Blue Jackets. I think, you know, over these last eight years, they've won the season series every single time. But, you know, I'm really looking, you know, forward to that game. You know, I think the jackets, I don't think they're there yet as a playoff team, but I do think Goodrow gets them a bit closer. I think the games are going to be a lot more fun to watch this year just because, you know, Columbus does have more, you know, offensive talent now that Johnny is there. Lonay just got a massive deal if he can put more pieces to his game together.

I think, you know, Columbus can be, you know, pretty decent there. I think, you know, Jacob Boracek, if he can score more, I know he's a good playmaker, but, you know, he didn't really score a lot of goals himself. I sure Zach Wrenzky's really good. They can get Mursleekins to be, you know, good again. You know, I think this team can make a little bit of noise, but again, I'm not sure there'll be a playoff team, but, you know, I'm really looking forward to that matchup this season. I think it's going to be a really good game.

And honestly, the next night after is one of my top five games I'm looking forward to as well. Penguins Oilers, Sid, McDavid, what can you say? You know, both games last year, even though the Penguins lost, they were fun to watch just because, you know, you have to cherish these kind of moments since Sid is not going to be around here, you know, forever. You know, he's 35 at this point.

Connor is a lot younger than him right now. There's going to be a time where these two are not going to play together. every time they go at each other, it's always one of the best matchups of the year. This one I'm sure is going to be no different. I'll be curious to see if the Penguins can get some revenge after they got. You know, kind of dogwalked by Edmondson both times last year. You know, that second game, Edmonton came into Pittsburgh and they, you know,

they absolutely crushed them. That was the game where I was really worried about the team going forward. That was, you know, I even post an episode saying, you know, I thought they were cooked. Proved me wrong a little bit in the playoffs. It went up three games to one. obviously, again, with the goaltending situation was bad. But, you know, I thought at that point that they just, you know, they did not have their legs to say the least.

So those are my, you know, two of my top five games looking forward to. The next one, I got to say, I know I'm a little biased with this, but Pittsburgh, Toronto on November 15th, my birthday. I'm so stoked to be going back to Pittsburgh for that games to be the first time of that PPG since very late 2019, early 2020. I went with my ex-roll from the time. This was when I just started out the show, too. Had some listeners, not nearly as many as I have today.

But just, you know, being able to see, you know, Sid go out Austin Matthews and just, you know, both cores, you know, going up against each other. I think that's just going to be excellent offensive hockey. Both teams play a very high up-tempo pace. And I think it's going to be one of the games of the year, in my opinion. The Penguins usually play Toronto pretty well.

It's at Toronto where they've struggled in the past. But, you know, I'm really looking forward to that one. Number four, I got to say it. You know, I think the Winter Classic in Boston, look, I know watching games actually outside is probably not the greatest because the view is so far away. You know, the players, you know, they actually look like ants when you're trying to watch the game. You almost have to use binoculars or something like that. And I say that just because I had a couple people go to those games and they told me that, you know, it's just, it's hard

to see where the puck is. You know, people have trouble following the puck, even at the actual arena. So, you know, but, you know, I still, you know, just watching on TV, it's at Fenway Park, one of baseball's most historic stadiums, two teams, fits for Boston that do not like each other being the Battle of Black and Gold on so much high. in talent that's going to be on the ice i think it's just going to be um a great spectacle you know the winter classic is always amazing to watch on television again you know sure the hockey may not be the greatest because it's different conditions outside and you know fans that go to the game there um it's a bit of a different viewing experience but man you know for for tv i'll always say

outdoor hockey is a lot of fun to watch on television if anyone can hear in the background my puppy over here is just trying to eat his food bowl food bowl excuse me so I'm going to have to deal with that after I finish recording this and then finally the next game and I'm either the last game that I'm really looking forward to here um you know honestly I'll say it it's not going to be another divisional game Pittsburgh Colorado no the first time they come to Colorado comes to Pittsburgh February the only time I should say they come to Pittsburgh on this year February 7th of next year

The two games they played last year were really fun. That Penguins game in Denver, I mean, I tweeted up a time. Just sign me up for six to seven games of those two teams going at it. Frani, stop eating your food bowl. I'm going to shout you out on this podcast because you're being a nut. And you're just looking at me. But that game, just amazing theater, you know, it's, you know, one-nothing, one, one, two, two, two, three-two.

you know, Matheson ties it with less than five minutes to go in third period. You think all the penguins are going to least steal a point out of this. No, Colorado comes back down 40 seconds later, gets the game winner with only a few minutes left. And that's the game there. The game in Pittsburgh, you know, penguins and the ablands are kind of going back and forth a little bit. But, you know, the ab was able to get the better goaltending in that game. And, you know, it wasn't for a lack of the penguins not playing while. I thought they did what they could.

It's just Colorado was that good. But I'll never pass up watching Nathan McKinnon. Cindy Crosby go at it. Just, you know, both cores are so much fun to watch. I think Kilma Carr is probably a top high player in the sport right now, regardless of position. Just, you know, I call him the next Paul Coffee, to be honest. But it's a lot of hockey when those two teams get together. And for me, those are the top five games that I'm most looking forward to.

Is your, what about you all? You know, do you think I should have put in, you know, maybe some more divisional games, that kind of stuff? you know, let me know down in the comments and all that. But before I get to the final segment for today's show, betonline.net is the fastest and easiest way to check out on all of your betting needs. You can find all of your favorite sports and events at the number one online source for odds, lines and games. Find reviews and news of every league, including major league baseball, NFL, NBA, NHL,

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where the game starts. All right, I'm back here on this episode of the Lockdown Penguins podcast. I am your host, Hunter Hodes. Remember to follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. You can also follow this show, Twitter, hello, Norsquare Higuins. I just want to spend a few minutes

here talking about. Well, just, you know, Mike Sullivan, overall, you know, we're entering, what is it now? This will be his eight full season behind the bench in Pittsburgh. And it's crazy to think about that. One of the longest, you know, tenured coaches in the league. Sorry, I was just, you know, making, just making sure I had something up here. That's correct. But, you know, just, you know, outside of John Cooper,

you know, the longest tendered head coach in the league right now. And, you know, I've been thinking about this question in my head lately, how long do you all think he's going to be the coach for this team? I hope it's going to be a while because, again, I think he's arguably the best coach in this franchise's history with what he's done with the back-to-back Cubs with how he's been able to have this team, you know, prepped and ready for most of the games during the season. You know, most coaches, you know, they have an expiration.

You know, you look at, you know, before, you know, even like the not, like the whole stuff with Joel Quenville, you know back in 2010 with kyle beach you know with in chicago which was obviously terrible but still i'm for this point i'm talking about you know he had his expiration date in chicago mike babcock he had his expiration date in detroit and then toronto you know someone like bruce per dro he's at his expiration point uh his expiration date in a lot of other um places but you know for someone like you know even barry trots washington nashville the islanders one of the three best coaches, I think, in the league.

And, you know, Bruce Cassidy, saying with Boston, he was somehow fired, you know, with Mike Sullivan. When is that date coming? Is it at the end of this year if the Penguins don't do any damage in the playoffs? If they're a first one exit again, if they get in, does that persuade the ownership in the management group to potentially cut bait with, again, one of the greatest coaches that's ever come in to this organization? I'm honestly thinking right now with how much Hex-Dol and Berk respect him that, they potentially keep him for another year. But, you know, this is a result-results-oriented business. So in the back of my head, I'm kind of like, you know,

if things do go south at some point during the regular season or in the playoffs, you know, does Mike Sullivan, you know, does he get the accent? You know, for those wondering what my opinion is, I mean, I've shared on the show numerous times, you know, I think he's one of the three best coaches in the league. I would not. I would be very hesitant to fire to fire him because I think no matter where you look, I think you're going to downgrade at that position. You know, maybe at some point they could use a new voice,

but, I mean, it's definitely not right now. You know, the last couple of years, he's just been really screwed by goaltending when it's mattered most. And I brought this point up a lot on the show. It's honestly hilarious how often the Penguins have gotten just royally, like, cucked by goaltending in this Indigeno era. They have actually gotten more worse goaltending in the playoffs than they've actually got an elite goaltending. Yet they've won three Stanley Cups off that. It's just, it's hilarious.

And it's just the big what if scenario, I'm sure for so many people is, you know, what if they actually got adequate good goaltending? Some of those really peaks in years like 2012 and 2013 and, you know, and all that stuff. So, you know, it's just, it boggles my mind. But, you know, just getting back to what I was saying overall, you know, I hope that we're not reaching that point yet. with Mike, I think he's, again, one of the greatest coaches in the league. It's just a tactical master, I think, at preparing for opponents. You know, when I know a lot of people were concerned about that series against the Rangers because the Penguins had not adjusted to what they were doing.

But you give Sullivan time to actually prepare for an opponent. He will do it and he will do it masterfully. You know, even against the Islanders, they outplayed them, I thought, for at least four those six games. And you could see that, you know, they were, they had really pushed, not even the Bruins, you know, who I thought were a really good team at the time, they didn't really prepare for them as well as the Penguins did. You know, against Montreal, if the Penguins, they were the better team in that series. Carrier Price was a difference maker. Matt Murray wasn't that good. But I thought the Penguins, I know they don't sometimes

play that well against those kind of trappy-based teams, but, you know, I thought they almost did well enough, you know, to win that series. It's just, you know, Sullivan, you know, he needs to have the right goalie in place to be healthy and putting up the numbers so that his system can, you know, you know, overall effectively work. You know, I think as long as they have him, this team is not going to miss the playoffs. I'm sure you will see people project them to miss this year. I don't really care, to be honest. It's just, you know, people have been waiting for the demise of the penguins for so long.

No, it's whatever to me at this point. But, you know, let me know what you all think. Do you think Sullivan's expiration date is coming? do you think it could be this year, potentially next year, just because, again, all coaches of a shelf life, you know,

it's very rare when you see a coach just stay with a team for this long. So it's definitely something that I've been thinking about. I don't want him to leave anytime soon, but again, if the Penguins don't start getting at least some results in the playoffs, I don't even know if they have to win the cup this year. But if they can, you know,

win a round or two, he'll definitely be back next year. But if they can't, no, I think there's going to be some hard questions being asked in the Penguins' ownership group their front office. That would do it for this episode of the Locked on Penguins podcast. We really appreciate all of you listening to this one.

I'll be back with another show on Friday where we'll talk some other topics relating to your favorite hockey team. So again, thank you all so much for listening. I hope you all the wonderful Wednesday and a wonderful Thursday. And I'll talk to you all sometime on Friday.