The Fan At Night

Sidney Crosby gets hurt in the Olympic Games. There is now a discussion about whether NHL players participating in the Olympics is a good thing. (Spoiler alert: yes, it is a good thing). Kevin Fiala was hurt earlier in the tournament and will miss the regular season but this was not discussed. In 2018 and 2022, NHL players fully intended to participate in the Olympic Games despite the known risks. You try telling Crosby, Connor McDavid, and the other players they can't suit up for their country.

Dan Kingerski; Pittsburgh Hockey Now joins! Dan and Josh discuss the Winter Olympics, before transitioning to the Penguins, their remarkable first portion of 2026, and how they can keep up the momentum going forward.

Colin Beazley; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette joins! The guys thoroughly discuss this new-look Pirates team, and how the pitching staff could shake out. They also get into the possibility of Konnor Griffin making the Opening Day roster, as well as the long-term outlook for MLB and the potential lockout, with Tony Clark resigning from MLBPA.

Alan Saunders; Pittsburgh Steelers Now joins! The guys briefly discuss the Joey Porter-Ben Roethlisberger beef, before they transition to the NFL draft. Is Ty Simpson a real possibility? Can the team pay something wild for Malik Willis, potentially?

Calls on the Bucs; One caller predicts 89 wins for the Buccos! Does that get Ben Cherington Executive of the Year?

Josh starts with the Bucs; He wishes the team (on paper) this year is the one who was playing over recent seasons when Josh was hosting Bucco Talk and some postgame shows n'at. Josh credits Ben Cherington for making notable moves this offseason, and snagging some big-enough names who the team wouldn't have pursued over previous seasons. JR also notes that the team will have Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin on the cheap for a bit of time, too, as if it's a NFL team with a star QB on a rookie deal. At the end of the day, though, if the Pirates fail to compete, it would feel like a huge step back, right?

Nick Farabaugh joins the show! Nick doesn't think Tyreek Hill makes sense for The Steelers. Some of the Free agent options for the Steelers. Nick doesn't like Tanner Mckee :(. Nick talks about the Joey Porter and Big Ben feud/drama.

The Athletic NHL Writer Sean Gentille joins the show! Sean talks about USA Men's Hockey, and if they can win the gold. Has Gavin Mckenna hurt his draft stock?

Jason Mackey joins the show! Jason says how he will remember Jack Suwinski. Jason also thinks Jack will get signed soon, "there is a good baseball player in there". Jason has Konnor Griffin starting the season in AAA. Jason thinks the biggest strength is the bullpen. Jason says Mason Montgomery has stood out so far.

Jack and producer Joel Nelson go over the top free agent wide receivers for the offseason, and which we'd want on the Steelers.