Matt Vensel
@mattvensel
Followers
17,110
Following
573
Media
1,192
Statuses
79,170
Penguins reporter for @PittsburghPG . Ex-NFL writer. Coffee chugger. Helicopter dad. Beer league glue guy. To quote Badger Bob, “It’s a great day for hockey.”
Pittsburgh, PA
Joined February 2009
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
DAHYUN
• 47509 Tweets
Clippers
• 35623 Tweets
#บางกอกคณิกาMeetAndซี้ด
• 33169 Tweets
ネルフェス
• 28458 Tweets
DwiTUNGGAL PRABOWOGIBran
• 23036 Tweets
FokusKERJA FokusSIAPKAN
• 22221 Tweets
All To Nene D-Day
• 18967 Tweets
GW後半戦
• 15875 Tweets
NCT DREAM TDS3 SEOUL DAY1
• 12453 Tweets
ペンラ8000円
• 11422 Tweets
キスマイ
• 10248 Tweets
Pinned Tweet
I recently flew to Montreal to see what would happen if your average beer league player — me — tried to do Kris Letang’s legendary workout.
My body got wrecked, but I left with a greater understanding of what makes him the NHL’s most relentless player.
36
68
393
Patric Hornqvist on waiving his no-trade clause to join the Panthers: "When I found out Pittsburgh didn't want me and Florida wanted me, it was an easy choice."
#Pens
77
145
2K
This dude in the background just had his night ruined by Evgeni Malkin.
Penguins right winger Kasperi Kapanen and defenseman Marcus Pettersson congratulate center Evgeni Malkin after he scored the game-winning goal in triple overtime against the Rangers Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.
6
61
745
12
51
977
Bryan Rust on whether Sidney Crosby has turned back the clock a few years with his play this series: “I don’t think he has the same clock as the rest of us.”
3
40
814
Evgeni Malkin said he hopes Sidney Crosby sets up his 500th goal someday. Malkin is 70 away from the mark.
#Pens
8
18
599
My take is Sidney Crosby should be in the All-Star Game. If the best players in the world aren’t playing, especially when they’re scoring at a point-per-game pace, then you need a new system.
29
25
595
Phil Kessel just scored on Matt Murray in practice, prompting teammates to cheer him. Kessel, who has gone 16 games without a goal, laughed and raised his stick to celebrate.
5
58
585
Hockey is for everyone.
See you all at the rink.
60
22
594
One thing that didn’t make it into this fun Sid story, which you should read…
This week, Crosby apparently baked banana bread for his teammates and brought it to the rink. Seriously.
“I really admire him,” said Casey DeSmith, who told me about the baking.
I followed Sid’s every single move, from slap shots to stick taps to playful chats, during Wednesday’s practice.
Watching those little things pile up, it is easy to see he didn’t become an all-time great player and leader by accident.
5
37
182
15
71
559
We have our first "Flyers Suck!" since the pandemic hit last March. Nature is slowly healing.
3
47
517
MEEEEEEEEESH!
Michelle is the first woman to serve as a broadcaster for a regular-season Penguins game. In fact, no woman has ever called a game for any of Pittsburgh's big-league pro sports teams until tonight.
Good luck, my friend!
0
30
471
The Penguins recently engaged in trade talks with the Canucks centered on J.T. Miller, the Coraopolis native. Those talks stalled but the door is still ajar.
Plus, Jakob Chychrun is on the radar.
Buckle up. New few days will be fun.
67
81
437
Matt Murray’s partnering with Primanti Bros. to launch a $5,000 open tab for police officers in Pittsburgh at the Market Square location.
“I want to thank the people on the front lines who put themselves at risk every day to keep us safe,” the
#Pens
goalie said in a statement.
11
56
436
Teddy Bridgewater at today's OTA. Rehabbed on the side, went through position drills, threw to uncovered WRs in red zone, back to rehab.
13
168
413
Sidney Crosby is Pittsburgh’s nominee for the King Clancy Award, which is presented “to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”
#Penguins
3
33
414
Get this man to Pittsburgh ASAP ⬇️
Pouly puts it top-shelf on the penalty shot!
9
19
224
14
14
417
Just saw Jason Zucker outside the
#Pens
dressing room. He was in dress shoes, no walking boot. So that seems good.
3
13
390
This is not an April Fools' joke. The
#Pens
have won in Boston for the first time since Nov. 24, 2014.
3
25
365
Michelle Crechiolo last night became the first woman to ever call a Penguins game.
Honored to chat with
@PensInsideScoop
about how she met her trailblazing moment.
“It’s just so surreal. … I stuck with hockey because I loved it, and it’s led me here.”
9
35
363
Was just emailed this press release about the protest at US Bank Stadium.
30
372
317
“He represents everything that’s right about hockey”: Sidney Crosby is the Penguins’ nominee for the Masterton Trophy.
2
25
342
Jake Guentzel confirmed it was his intention to stay in Pittsburgh but said the team wanted to go in a different direction.
Asked if he is open to re-signing this summer, Guentzel said he isn’t thinking about that now and added he is happy in Carolina.
22
20
338
Hornqvist said he was "blindsided" by the trade and had kind words to say about Pittsburgh and
#Pens
fans. But he says he is now excited to try to win a Stanley Cup in Florida.
9
22
317
Three years ago, my wife and I moved to the Twin Cities for my work. We leave today with a family. Thanks for everything, Minnesota.
29
6
299
Kris Letang is officially out. His father died in the last 24 hours and Kris left the team to return to Montreal. He was not expected to play due to injury anyway.
13
42
299
Just saw Tristan Jarry walking through the press box at MSG.
18
9
296
I am beyond thrilled to announce that I am returning to Pittsburgh next month because I have been hired as a Penguins beat reporter at the
@PittsburghPG
.
53
11
290
Ron Hextall says the Penguins would like to keep both Malkin and Letang. Wants both players to retire here.
13
14
281
I can confirm the Pens agreed to terms in a six-year deal with Bryan Rust.
5
19
276
This photo, posted to Instagram by Geno’s wife, will be one for the Malkin family scrapbook.
#Pens
3
22
275
Maybe the best part of the ceremony is Jagr turning it into a mini-roast of his teammates.
He thanked Phil Bourque for showing him how to party. Then he told Ulf Samuelsson that he spent all of last night trying to think of something good to say about him but came up empty.
3
15
274
Sidney Crosby: "I think we understand what it takes to win. But I put it on myself. I’ve got to step up. Key situations, you’re down like this and losing games, you need big plays, big performances. And I haven’t done that. So that’s on me.”
#Pens
8
25
267
Ron Hextall said it’s safe to assume the Pens will trade a defenseman.
7
23
266
Asked about kissing his stick after he scored, Kasperi Kapanen joked it had been so long since he scored that he’d forgotten how to celebrate.
#Pens
2
12
253
The first player to report to
#Vikings
training camp this morning? Top pick Laquon Treadwell, more than a half hour early.
5
94
245
Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang both participating in the morning skate. Both are wearing normal jerseys, it appears.
3
17
244
Norv Turner started today's press conference with a 545-word statement praising Teddy Bridgewater: Here it is:
http://t.co/Il4idpfPVi
26
265
236
Penguins top prospect Brayden Yager is at Climate Pledge Area taking in tonight’s game.
5
15
241
Mike Sullivan was asked if he thought Trouba intended to hurt Crosby.
“Did you see that hit? You probably have the same opinion as I do.”
50
25
234
Mike Zimmer agreed that the Joyner hit was cheap. Added, "If we were out on the street, we would have had a fight.
#Vikings
4
256
224
Teddy Bridgewater just went down with an apparent injury and the
#Vikings
ended practice. Looks serious.
54
531
219
It’s a From the Point Friday.
I chatted with Big Jeff Carter about why he signed with the
#Pens
, what he likes about Pittsburgh, the hockey fit, feeling the love from fans and, yes, Bud Light Platinum and
@PenguinsJesus
.
That, plus plenty of hockey talk.
10
21
230
The Penguins have resigned Teddy Blueger to a two-year contract worth $2.2 million annually. Good value for a solid two-way center who might not be done blossoming offensively.
Probably safe to say they will protect him in next week’s expansion draft.
10
18
223
The
#Penguins
have announced that Matt Cullen has joined Pittsburgh’s hockey operations department in a player development role.
2
15
218
Neat scene after practice today. While a Zamboni hummed in the distance, two
#Pens
players lingered on the ice, essentially playing 1-on-1 in the neutral zone.
It was a 34-year-old Kris Letang and young defenseman P.O. Joseph. That's what leadership looks like.
0
8
213
Great news for Teddy, who somehow stayed positive after his fluky injury, put his head down and worked. How can you not pull for this kid?
Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater has been cleared to practice by doctor who performed the surgery on his dislocated knee, according to source
69
2K
5K
7
23
206
Brandon Tanev is in a normal jersey with the morning skate about to begin here in Philadelphia. Evgeni Malkin is again a full participant.
#Pens
4
16
204
Just heard from a reliable source that the
#Pens
are not looking to acquire Marc-Andre Fleury. Not part of their plans at the moment. Carry on.
79
49
185
Rickard Rakell is in a normal colored jersey, signifying that he's cleared for at least some contact.
3
9
186
With today being my last day, I'd like to thank the
@StarTribune
for taking a chance on me three years ago. I loved my time at the paper.
16
2
185
In a recent chat with Sidney Crosby, I asked the
#Pens
star about 10 all-time greats, including... Sidney Crosby.
Crosby’s thoughtful responses spoke volumes about the things that he values and gave insight into how he views the game and his own legacy.
8
32
182
#Pens
captain Sidney Crosby donated 100,000 meals today to Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, the Penguins just announced.
"I saw the people of Pittsburgh coming together to help one another and I wanted to be a part of that," he said.
4
24
167
I followed Sid’s every single move, from slap shots to stick taps to playful chats, during Wednesday’s practice.
Watching those little things pile up, it is easy to see he didn’t become an all-time great player and leader by accident.
5
37
182
The Penguins and the Ducks meet at center ice to watch a video remembering the late Adam Johnson and a round of applause.
2
7
180
Evgeni Malkin is in a regular jersey today, signifying that he's been cleared for contact. Seems unlikely that he'll be back before Christmas. But we'll see.
6
5
178
The thought of one day speaking his mind inside of a media scrum would have seemed inconceivable to a young Bryan Rust.
But after years of speech therapy and public speaking classes, he’s minimized his stutter and found his voice within the
#Penguins
.
7
23
176
Sidney Crosby just spoke with us. Will have more later but he felt the
#Pens
could have gotten in their two games this week and is clearly disappointed about the Olympics being in doubt.
2
14
174
Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell and Jack St. Ivany are among the Penguins players who have opted to put Pride tape on their sticks for pregame warmups.
5
8
173
Wondering how Kris Letang feels about the blockbuster Erik Karlsson trade?
I happened to be in Montreal this week. Kris was happy to give me his thoughts.
9
29
170
The Penguins have activated forward Jason Zucker off of injured reserve. So you’d assume he suits up tonight.
2
11
166
Tristan Jarry is on the ice at UPMC66 for an individual workout. So he’s out of the COVID protocol and could potentially play in the upcoming back-to-back.
5
11
163
Geno, unprompted and out of context just now: “Nice beer here, for sure.”
3
14
169
There’s a basketball hoop in the bowels of Bell Centre and Phil Kessel is shooting legit jumpers while wearing flip flops. Surprisingly good form.
11
28
161
Son of Kevin Stevens and former youth hockey teammate of John Marino.
Hearing Yale and Nobles alum Luke Stevens will sign NHL entry level deal with Penguins. The Carolina pick became a free agent August 15th.
6
17
127
3
23
160
37
141
158
The
#Pens
just announced a plan to pay full and part-time arena and service employees at PPG Paints Arena while the season is suspended. Funding will come from Penguins players, the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and the Mario Lemieux Foundation.
10
31
163
Sidney Crosby and Zach Aston-Reese are participating in the morning skate. So that’s encouraging.
#Pens
0
9
159
Malkin was a mystery before the first of his soon-to-be 1,000 NHL games.
“When he started to light the lamp early, it was like, ‘Oh yeah, here we go.’”
Great to chat with Crosby,
@armdog
, Gonchar,
@Max25talbot
, and Geno himself about his fun rookie year.
5
35
163
A+ walk-in from the Arizona QB ⬇️
Kyler Murray reporting for work in Philly wearing a Penguins Sidney Crosby sweater
286
908
8K
3
4
161
Man, a lot of angry
#Vikings
fans still in my mentions tonight. It's Friday night! Crack open a cold one and start enjoying your weekend.
24
13
157
Wow. Mike Sullivan is not one of the finalists for the Jack Adams Trophy.
#Pens
were without Sid, Geno, Letang, Bjugstad, Schultz, Guentzel for chunks of the season and still had the NHL's seventh-best record. Pretty unbelievable.
10
28
153
15 years, the
#Penguins
were on life support. With little cash and little hope for a new arena, some players on that 2003-04 team thought they'd soon be playing in K.C. That forgotten, last-place season was the darkness before the dawn.
17
39
152
Crosby on Carter: “He’s just had an amazing career. And honestly, he’s the same guy that I remember meeting when I was 16. Just a lot of poise, great guy in the room, brings it every single night.”
4
4
157
Some of the
#Vikings
fans here at U.S. Bank Stadium have decided that it will be more enjoyable to walk out into subzero temperatures.
5
62
137
Doordash addict Zach Aston-Reese was afraid of gaining weight after his August shoulder surgery. So he turned to Ben Roethlisberger’s personal trainer.
Now, he's playing the best hockey of his career. He credits his diet for that.
9
15
151
Brian Elliott and a
#Pens
player appeared to bump into each other on the way to the locker room after the second period ended. A rare occasion tonight where the Flyers goalie got in front of something.
5
30
151
#Vikings
LB Chad Greenway on Tuesday will break ground on a $75K inclusive, handicap-accessible playground at a local Ronald McDonald House.
2
37
152
Evgeni Malkin, wearing workout clothes, just stood at the door onto the ice, stickhandled for a few seconds then fired at the empty net at the far side of an empty rink. He missed, twirled his stick and walked off.
6
10
151
What's your favorite memory of the Olli Maatta era? And please be nice. Dude helped the Penguins win a couple of Stanley Cups in his seven years here.
34
4
140
Three years ago today I started at
@StribSports
. I remain grateful for the opportunity. It's been a blast covering the Vikings for you guys.
17
8
144
Evgeni Malkin is on this road trip with the
#Pens
. Obviously, that’s a positive thing but his return is not imminent.
0
10
147
It appears Teddy Blueger is practicing without any contact restrictions today. So that's another step forward. Could return in the coming days.
#Pens
7
8
146
Jim Rutherford said the
#Penguins
might actually be active early in free agency due to the cap savings.
10
25
137
@PensInsideScoop
The staffer was Blueger in disguise, laughing maniacally as he spent another three hours doing sprints by himself.
2
5
143
With Rakell re-signing for $5 million a season, that leaves about $10 million in projected cap space, per
@CapFriendly
. Don’t believe that figure factors in potential $$$ for Kapanen.
Pens can create more with a trade.
15
19
138
Matt Cassel said Cordarrelle Patterson bribes him with cookies in the hopes of getting the ball more.
#Vikings
10
132
139
Evgeni Malkin is on the ice for today’s practice. Wearing a non-contact jersey.
2
10
138
Kris Letang has his son, Alex, on the ice with him. Tristan Jarry had to briefly babysit while Kris took his turn during the “Save Streak” event.
#Pens
1
12
137