Remembering Mario Lemieux's Greatness, the NHL's Top Forward Duos, the Best Player at Each Age & A Phil Kessel Biography
Welcome to the THW Pittsburgh Penguins Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Penguins writers.
Today we look at a retrospective of Super Mario’s Magnificence, then we look at five of the top forward duos currently in the NHL, from there we look at the best player at each age from 18 to 40, and finally we look back at the career of former Penguin Phil Kessel.
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Now on to the good stuff…
Remembering What Made Mario Lemieux the Greatest
October 5, 2023 by Shawn Nicholls (Updated Archive)
Equal parts exhilarating and devastating, sports are quite simply unpredictable. Ask the city of Pittsburgh. This week 25 years ago, Penguins fans experienced both emotions at the same time. Riding back-to-back Stanley Cup championships and looking like a team destined to three-peat, Mario Lemieux stepped to the podium at a sudden press conference to announce he had been diagnosed with a Nodular Lymphocytic form of Hodgkin’s disease.
Yes, Lemieux, the best player in the world who had tenaciously battled debilitating back pain, missed 50 games in the 1990-91 season with a rare bone disease only to lead the Penguins to their first Stanley Cup, and less than a year prior overcame a broken hand in the playoffs to win his second straight Conn Smythe Trophy, just announced he had cancer.
Top 5 Forward Duos in the NHL
October 6, 2023 by Sylvie McCarthy
Finding the right line combinations is key to any hockey team’s success, and it can often take several seasons to find the perfect trio. Once the right one is in place, two players will usually develop stronger chemistry because of their complementary playing styles. There have been some stand-out duos in the NHL so far this season, but these five are at the top of the list.
Best NHL Player at Each Age 2023-24
October 5, 2023 by Justin Giampietro
Entering the 2023-24 season, players from the ages of 18 through 40 will be represented in the NHL. Which player is the best for each individual age?
As for the Penguins, they are well represented in this list.
Phil Kessel — Biography
October 2, 2023 by Brandon Share-Cohen (Updated Archive)
Few players in the NHL have dealt with a rollercoaster-like career quite like the one Phil Kessel has. From being drafted high in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft to his battle with cancer and subsequent trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kessel’s career started off with as many peaks as it had valleys. After a tumultuous time in Toronto, Kessel’s trade to the Penguins seemed to finally establish him as one of the most likable guys in the entire NHL. It also made him a two-time Stanley Cup champion. Now, he’s set to start a new chapter with the Arizona Coyotes.
Let’s take it back a bit, though, and look at Kessel’s life and career as a whole.