Depending on where you are located, there has been a crisp, fall feeling in the air over the past few weeks, especially here in Western Pennsylvania. Daytime temperatures vary anywhere between the mid-60s to 70s with nights dipping down as low as the mid-40s in the some places. Combine that with kids heading back to school and football season starting, you could be forgiven for thinking we were entering October and not still waiting on September.
Well that wait is over now as the calendar flips from
August to September, meaning hockey season is just over the horizon. It’s been almost five months since the Pittsburgh Penguins wrapped up their 2024-25 season back in April, but now the 2025-26 campaign is just weeks away.
Although no actual regular season games will be played in the month of September, it still marks the beginning on the hockey season with the start of training camp and preseason games on the schedule over the next 30 days before the real thing arrives in November.
No date has yet been set for the official opening of Penguins training camp, but past years suggest that will come in around two weeks. Before camp, the Penguins prospects will participate in the annual Prospects Challenge from September 11-15 in Buffalo along with prospects from New Jersey, Boston, Buffalo, and Columbus. Keep your eyes peeled for a roster in the coming days as the tournament gets closer.
Shortly thereafter, training camp will begin at UPMC Lemieux in Cranberry leading into the preseason opener on September 22 against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Center. Hockey returns to PPG Paints Arena on Friday, September 26 with the Detroit Red Wings in town for a preseason contest.
For those of us starved for hockey, September serves as a nice appetizer before the real deal comes in October. There are certainly a lot of questions surrounding the Penguins as they enter 2025-26, and perhaps even more concerns. Even the most optimistic fans are probably low on the team heading into the season, but having hockey back is always a treat.
Even if the Penguins do struggle this season like many fans expect there is still much to look forward to during the 2025-26 season.
The next generation of Penguin players are ready to start making their mark with the likes of Rutger McGroarty and Ville Koivunen pushing for opening night roster spots with plenty of more young talent waiting in the wings.
It’s another season of Sidney Crosby which we should never take for granted and it may be the final season of Evgeni Malkin who deserves to go out being hailed as a hero by the home fans. Make sure you get a chance to see those talents before it becomes too late.
Olympic hockey is on the slate for February with NHL players set to take part for the first time since all the way back in 2014. We know Crosby will be taking part for Team Canada but there are a few other Penguins who could be making the trip to Italy as well.
Those are just a few of the highlights awaiting hockey fans this upcoming season. We still have to wait a short time more for it all to get under way, but with September having arrived, we can see the long, slow summer coming to an end with the promise of hockey just around the corner.
