Pittsburgh Review

After nearly six months, Penguins hockey returns as Pittsburgh hosts the New York Rangers on Wednesday at PPG Paints Arena. Following a busy preseason, anticipation is high as the Penguins aim to start strong in front of their home crowd.

Head Coach Mike Sullivan expressed excitement about starting the season at home. “I think the guys are really excited to get the season started, but to have the opportunity to start the season in front of our home fans that are so supportive of us through the good times and the bad, I think that means a lot to all of us,” he said.

Sidney Crosby, who signed a two-year contract extension in September, enters his 20th season with optimism. "He’s the face of this franchise, he’s a legend of the game," Bryan Rust commented. Crosby hopes to build on last year's momentum when they finished strong with an 8-2-3 record over their last 13 games. “We finished really strong. I think we all felt good about hanging in there the way we did,” Crosby noted.

Rickard Rakell added that there's excitement about starting at home and moving past last season. With offseason work and training camp results, Crosby believes in a quick turnaround for the team. “Just being in so many different situations over my career, there's always been expectation here, and I love that,” he said.

The Big Three—Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang—continue to set high standards with a focus on winning. “We all want the same thing... We want to win,” Letang stated.

General Manager Kyle Dubas expects veteran players like Crosby and Malkin to help develop younger talent such as Rutger McGroarty. Rust believes this mix will be beneficial: “I think we got a lot of guys in this room who are going to work really hard...”

As they prepare for Wednesday's game, Crosby emphasized readiness: “All the hard work... getting ready to start... we're all anticipating that.”