By the time puck drop rolls around later this evening, your body will be begging for you to sit down and give it a break after a full day, and perhaps even night before, spent celebrating the arrival of
the new year. It’s not often the Penguins play on New Years Day, but with the Winter Classic being help on January 2nd, the calendar was open for the NHL to schedule games. In the front end of a home-and-home, the Penguins welcome the Detroit Red Wings to PPG Paints Arena to open each side’s 2026 slate.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM and will be broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh.
Pens Points…
Like their NHL counterparts, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins spent their Christmas away from the ice but returned to action over the weekend. Over in Minnesota, a few Penguins prospects are in action as well, representing their countries in the World Junior Championships. [Pensburgh]
On New Years Eve 37 years ago, Mario Lemieux accomplished a feat that has yet to be replicated in NHL history. Taking on the New Jersey Devils, Lemieux scored five goals, doing so in five different ways in what turned out to be an 8-6 victory for the Penguins. [Pensburgh]
Depth has been a serious issues for the Penguins the past few seasons, but it has been much improved so far this campaign. The infusion of youth and building a fourth line from guys more focused on skill than just grit has given the bottom six a huge boost. [The Hockey Writers]
In a rare trade between the Penguins and in-state rival Philadelphia Flyers, the Penguins acquired defenseman Egor Zamula in exchange for forward Philip Tomasino. It’s a minor move in the grand scope of things, but rare nonetheless as the two sides rarely trade amongst themselves. [Penguins]
Lowell MacDonald, the first Penguins player to win an individual NHL award and a key part of the Penguins famous “Century Line” passed away on Wednesday at the age of 84. MacDonald spent seven seasons with the Penguins from 1970-1978. [NHL]
NHL News and Notes…
We already knew Sidney Crosby was going to be representing Canada at the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics, but on Wednesday, the rest of the Canadian roster was revealed with Macklin Celebrini making the cut at just 19 years old. [NHL]
