Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang underwent successful surgery to repair a hole in his heart, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas announced Wednesday.

His expected recovery time is four to six weeks.

The procedure involved closing a patent foramen ovale (PFO), or "small hole in the heart," according to the Penguins. The surgery was performed at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital by Dr. Conrad Smith.

The Penguins, who are already eliminated from playoff contention, end the 2024-25 season on Thursday against the visiting Washington Capitals.

Letang has suffered two strokes during his NHL career, the first in 2014 when he was 26 years old.

Testing at the time revealed Letang had a PFO in the wall of his heart since birth, which doctors concluded could have contributed to the stroke, according to the team. He was prescribed blood thinners and spent 10 weeks away from the Penguins toward the end of the 2013-14 season.

Letang then suffered a second stroke during his age-35 season in November 2022. He returned to the team less than two weeks later, in part thanks to both a milder stroke and prior knowledge of what had caused it.

Everyone is born with a PFO, and more than a quarter of people still have the hole in their heart past infancy, according to the American Heart Association.

The demands of the NHL could potentially exacerbate the risks associated with the condition, director of Cleveland Clinic’s Cerebrovascular Center Dr. M. Shazam Hussain told TribLive's Justin Vellucci after Letang's second stroke in 2022.

Hussain told Vellucci that "the physical strain of constant physical activity can stress the heart, and there is some speculation that it can even predispose someone to have more of a risk of stroke.”

Letang has been the Penguins' top defenseman for the last 15 seasons despite multiple serious health concerns, including the two strokes in addition to multiple concussions, broken bones and a herniated disc in his neck.

He was nevertheless once again a go-to option for the Penguins on the power play, penalty kill and at even strength in 2024-25. He averaged 23:32 of ice time through 74 games.

The veteran defenseman, who will turn 38 later this month, is signed through the 2027-28 season.

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby broke Wayne Gretzky's record for most point-per-game seasons on Friday evening by notching his 20th-ever campaign following a goal against the Buffalo Sabres.

Crosby's first-period goal off assists from Rickard Rakell and Matt Grzelcyk gave him 26 goals and 54 assists for 80 points this year.

Crosby missed two games due to injury earlier this season, so he can play a maximum of 80 contests. The goal guarantees a point-per-game rate in 2024-25 at minimum.

“It’s special — there’s a lot of guys over the years who’ve contributed to that,” Crosby said in an interview with Sportsnet after the first period (h/t Josh Yohe of The Athletic).

“Obviously a lot of guys in that room, and a lot of people you think of that have been a part of it,” Crosby added. “I’m really grateful for that, and it’s nice to be able to play that long.”

Crosby has played 20 NHL seasons, so he's amassed a point-per-game or more in each of his campaigns. For his career, Crosby has amassed 618 goals and 1,058 assists for 1,676 points over 1,343 games. He's added 71 goals and 130 assists for 201 points in 180 playoff games.

Crosby's decorated career includes a host of accolades, including three Stanley Cups, two Hart Trophies, two Art Ross Trophies and two Olympic gold medals.

Now he's the all-time leader in point-per-game seasons as Crosby's tremendous career continues.

Sidney Crosby, who has missed the Pittsburgh Penguins' last two games with an apparent left arm injury, "hopes to play" for Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported the news. Kaplan described Crosby as "desperate to play in the tournament."

TSN's Darren Dreger wrote earlier Sunday that Crosby is traveling to Montreal to join Team Canada, and will skate Monday "as part of Canada's ongoing evaluation."

4 Nations Face-Off rosters must be finalized by 5 p.m. ET Monday, according to Dreger. Canada is set to open the tournament against Sweden on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.

Crosby was injured in a Tuesday night game against the New Jersey Devils when his arm was pinned awkwardly between two opponents.

After immediately leaving the ice following the collision, Crosby returned for the rest of the Devils game and skated in both the overtime period and shootout.

But he did not join the Penguins for either side of the team's back-to-back set this weekend, sitting out both a Friday win over the New York Rangers and Saturday loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. It was his first time missing a Penguins game since the 2022 postseason.

After missing practice earlier this week, Crosby did participate in an optional skate ahead of Saturday's game in Philadelphia:

Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, who has identified Crosby's injury only as an "upper-body" issue, said Saturday when asked about the Penguins captain's tournament status that the team would "take each day as it comes."

"He skated for a long time this morning," Sullivan said Saturday. "He felt significantly better today than he did yesterday, and that's really encouraging."

The Penguins, who are already missing Evgeni Malkin on a week-to-week basis, have had their depth strained by the absence of their two star centers. Crosby's injury is also particularly concerning given his history of left wrist injuries.

But Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman the team plans to leave any injury management decisions up to their captain.

"They have said, 'If you want to play in this, it's your decision, and we will support it,'" Friedman said about the Penguins' communication with Crosby.

Crosby, who helped Canada win Olympic gold in the 2010 Vancouver Games and 2014 Sochi Olympics, last represented his country in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. He was named Team Canada's captain for the 4 Nations Face-Off on Jan. 30.

If Crosby is unable to play this week, alternate captain Connor McDavid could get the nod to lead the team, while Mark Scheifele could fill in his roster spot. But Team Canada will hope to see their captain back on the ice in time for Crosby to wear the C during Wednesday's tournament opener.

Sidney Crosby will not be in the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup on Friday night against the New York Rangers.

The star center was ruled out of the game after appearing to suffer an upper-body injury during the team's 3-2 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night. He notably missed Wednesday's practice but did practice on Thursday and participated in Friday's morning skate.

Crosby is set to serve as the captain for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face Off that will begin on Feb. 7. His status remains uncertain for the tournament.

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Monday they placed star forward Evgeni Malkin on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.

The Athletic's Rob Rossi reported Malkin is expected to miss a few weeks.

"If that early word holds up—and to be clear, with all knee injuries, things can change after the swelling goes down and doctors get clearer images—Malkin would probably not play again until after the Penguins return from the break for the upcoming 4 Nations tournament next month," Rossi said. "They have six games before that break begins."

In this his 19th NHL season, the 38-year-old veteran has registered nine goals and 25 assists in 47 appearances.

Ever since going No. 2 overall to the Pens in the 2004 NHL draft, Malkin has been among the best and most dynamic players in the league.

Malkin has three seasons with 40 or more goals and three seasons with 100 or more points to his credit, and few active NHL players are more decorated than he is in terms of awards and accolades.

The Russian center is a seven-time All-Star, plus he won the 2007 Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year, the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer in both 2009 and 2012, and the Hart Memorial Trophy as NHL MVP in 2012.

Malkin also helped lead the Penguins to three Stanley Cup victories in 2009, 2016 and 2017, and he was named playoff MVP in 2009 as the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Prior to the 2020-21 season, Malkin had produced at a point-per-game or better clip in nine consecutive seasons. That included 74 points in just 55 games in 2019-20.

Injuries limited Malkin to just 33 games in 2020-21 and 41 games in 2021-22, but he was productive when healthy, recording 42 points in those 41 contests.

Malkin bounced back to appear in all 82 games in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns, finishing with 83 points and 67 points, respectively.

Despite his past durability issues and the fact that he is no longer an elite point producer, Malkin is still of the utmost importance to the Penguins' success, as evidenced by his more than 1,300 career points, and he will be missed now that he's back on the shelf.

Evgeni Malkin's Stanley Cup rings were found safe in his home after the Pittsburgh Penguins star was burglarized last week.

The Allegheny County Police Department announced on social media Thursday that Malkin's three championship rings, which were initially believed to have been stolen, were found in his residence.

While his rings were not stolen, the Allegheny County Police Department clarified that the investigation is ongoing.

In a statement, Malkin thanked the Allegheny County Police, the Sewickley Heights and the Penguins organization.

"I would like to express my gratitude to the Allegheny County Police, the Sewickley Heights Police and the entire Penguins organization," he said. "The outpouring of support and concern from my teammates and fans over the past few days means so much to my family and I."

The burglary of his home occurred on Jan. 10 while the Penguins were playing the Ottawa Senators at PPG Paints Arena. A 911 call reporting the robbery came a few hours after the game.

A handful of professional athletes have dealt with burglaries over the past year, including Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić and more.

Amid a slew of robberies, the FBI issued a warning to pro sports leagues about athletes' homes being targeted while they were playing games or traveling.

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Wednesday that they are placing goalie Tristan Jarry on waivers.

Jarry, 29, signed a five-year, $26.875 million contract extension with the Penguins in 2023, putting him under contract through the 2027-28 season.

The veteran netminder has struggled mightily in 21 appearances and 20 starts this season, posting an 8-7-4 record with a 3.32 goals against average, .886 save percentage and no shutouts.

Pittsburgh's final straw with Jarry may have come Tuesday when the Penguins fell 4-2 to the Seattle Kraken, marking their third straight loss and their seventh defeat in their past eight games.

While the Penguins only surrendered 17 shots on goal, Jarry allowed three goals, and Pittsburgh lost despite carrying the play for much of the game.

The Pens would be off the hook for Jarry's contract if someone were to claim him off waivers, but given the length of the deal, the $5.375 million average annual value and his poor play this season, that seems highly unlikely to happen.

Per Josh Yohe of The Athletic, should Jarry clear waivers and get sent to the minors, it will save the Penguins just north of $1 million against the salary cap.

Originally selected by Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2013 NHL draft, Jarry made his NHL debut during the 2016-17 season, but it wasn't until 2019-20 that he received a significant share of the playing time in Pittsburgh's crease.

Jarry went 20-12-1 with a 2.43 GAA and .921 save percentage in 33 games and 31 starts that season en route to his first career All-Star nod.

He followed that up by going 25-9-3 with a 2.75 GAA and .909 save percentage the following season before enjoying the best year of his career in 2021-22.

Jarry set career highs in starts (56) and wins (34), plus he had a career-best 2.42 goals against average to go along with a .919 save percentage and four shutouts, yielding his second All-Star selection.

His production dropped over the next two seasons, as he had a collective 2.91 GAA and .906 save percentage, although Jarry was still given an extension after the 2022-23 season, and he rewarded the Penguins with a league-leading six shutouts in 2023-24.

Jarry's career year in 2021-22 saw the Penguins reach the playoffs for a 16th consecutive season, but since their first-round exit in 2022, they have not been back to the postseason.

So far this season, the Penguins are 18-20-8 through 46 games, placing them sixth in the Metropolitan Division and 13th in the Eastern Conference overall.

Even so, the Penguins are just four points out of a playoff spot, which may be why they felt the need to make a drastic move in the form of waiving Jarry.

Jarry's struggles have been part of a larger goaltending issue for the Penguins this season, though, as Alex Nedeljkovic is 7-7-4 with a 3.40 GAA and .886 save percentage, and Joel Blomqvist is 3-5 with a 3.60 GAA and .904 save percentage.

Those numbers suggest that the Penguins may be in the market for a goalie leading up to the March 7 trade deadline, but until then, their best chance to win may be Blomqvist, as the 23-year-old 2020 second-round pick has the most potential of any goalie in their system.

The three Stanley Cup rings earned by Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin were stolen during a home break-in Saturday, according to Jennifer Borrasso, Mike Darnay and Patrick Damp of KDKA in Pittsburgh.

The Penguins issued a statement confirming Malkin was the victim of a burglary:

The incident happened on the same day the team suffered a 5-0 home loss to the Ottawa Senators. Malkin didn't play because of an upper-body injury.

Malkin told The Athletic's Rob Rossi and Alex Andrejev that nobody was home at his residence in Sewickley Heights, Pennsylvania, at the time of the break-in. He also confirmed his Stanley Cup rings were missing.

The 38-year-old helped Pittsburgh lift the trophy during the 2008-09, 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, playing a key role in all three title runs. He was the Conn Smythe winner in 2009 after tallying 14 goals and 22 assists in 24 games.

The burglary at Malkin's home comes as athletes across multiple sports have been targeted in similar incidents in recent months. Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić and Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin have all been targeted.

Aaron Katersky and Josh Margolin of ABC News reported in December the FBI had issued a report outlining how a group might be deliberately targeting professional athletes

"These homes are targeted for burglary due to the perception they may have high-end goods like designer handbags, jewelry, watches and cash," the FBI said.

The Bureau also said the alleged theft rings are capable of bypassing security systems and uses jammers to disrupt any Wi-Fi signals.