“You’re Gonna See It Again Soon” NJD@PIT 02/18/23 As will become immediately clear when you hit play on this episode, (Jeff and Jordan) are not happy-camper Penguins fans today. In fact, we’re both feeling pretty down in the dumps after the Pens lost, 5-4 in regulation time, to the Islanders, PIT’s arch nemesis of recent playoff defeats. Things don’t get any easier today, as the Penguins head into the back half of a back-to-back, albeit on home ice. For the puck shall drop on this season’s Black...
Feb 18, 2023•22 min•Ep. 145
“Jesse Marshall Drops In: Trade Deadline Talk” PIT@NYI 02/17/23 On today’s episode, hosts Jeff Taylor and Jordan DeFigio welcome freelance analyst with McKeen’s Hockey and The Athletic, Jesse Marshall! It’s not exaggeration to say that Jesse dropped some BOMBS in our chat, including some juicy trade deadline thoughts/predictions AND his two cents on how the top two lines could be reshuffled, should the Penguins manage to bring in a *certain* San Jose Shark. Trigger Warning: There may or may not ...
Feb 17, 2023•37 min•Ep. 144
“Hands Tied Behind Their Back” PIT@SJS 02/14/23 Rob Rossi, a senior writer with The Athletic, joins Jeff and Jordan for a frank discussion regarding the Penguins’ current …situation. It’s perhaps a more precarious position than this Pittsburgh team has found itself in, since the inception of the Crosby Era. Get real with us - Enjoy the episode! Thank you for listening!! Follow us on Twitter @penspod, on Instagram at @flypenguinsfly, and subscribe to the Fly Penguins Fly YouTube Channel: https://...
Feb 14, 2023•51 min•Ep. 143
“A Conversation With Harold Ochs” PIT@LAK 02/11/23 Harold Ochs is a retired pro hockey player with the Johnstown Chiefs, and former head coach of the men’s hockey team at University of Pittsburgh. I’ve been privileged to train with him on the ice, as I learn the fundamentals of hockey and skating. Today’s episode features a full sit-down conversation, in which Harold shares the story of how he got into hockey as a young kid, and of course how he made his way through the ranks and into his role a...
Feb 11, 2023•48 min•Ep. 142
“DeFigio + Taylor: Midnight Espresso Run” PIT@ANA 02/10/23 The Pens are on the Left Coast, folks. That means coffee, after coffee, after coffee, after coffee, after coffee, after coffee, after coffee, after coffee, after coffee. Oh, too many coffees, you say? Then perhaps you haven’t had enough coffee. Jordan and Jeff talk trade possibilities. They talk Allegheny County windstorms. And of course, they seriously discuss the position the Penguins are in re: preparing themselves for a tough stretch...
Feb 10, 2023•37 min•Ep. 141
“Welcoming New Co-Host: Jordan DeFigio! Special Guest: Josh Yohe” COL@PIT 02/07/23 It’s an E-Rod night in Pittsburgh, and to celebrate it, we’ve got BIG NEWS: Please welcome our new co-host, Jordan DeFigio!! We’re both pleased to welcome to today’s episode, Senior Writer from The Athletic, our good friend, Josh Yohe. Josh on Twitter: @JoshYohe_PGH ... Jeff on Twitter: @penspod_JT ... Jordan on Twitter: @fidgenewton Thank you for listening!! Follow us on Twitter @penspod, on Instagram at @flypeng...
Feb 07, 2023•42 min•Ep. 140
“Win And You’re In (The Playoff Picture)” SJS@PIT 01/28/23 Dustin Tokarski is a new dad; like, REALLY new. My guess is he hasn’t slept in over 24 hours. Casey DeSmith starts in net tonight, and my guess is that means Casey DeSmith isn’t getting pulled even if he gives up a handful of goals in the first period. I thought Casey played damn well against the Capitals two nights ago, but coming as that performance was on the heels of a fairly dreadful outing against Florida on Tuesday, CDS has yet to...
Jan 28, 2023•21 min•Ep. 139
“Gap Control (In The Standings)” PIT@WSH 01/26/22 It’s that time again: Sid versus Ovi, eighty-seven versus eight, Penguins versus the Capitals. It’s ALWAYS exciting, isn’t it? And these two teams seem to perennially compete for a playoff spot, destined to at least ‘brush past’ one another en route to a playoff run. In the case of PIT against WSH, the ‘brush-by’ in question is typically of the less-gentle variety, and tempers tend to flare. It’s DeSmith in net tonight and, at least of late, that...
Jan 26, 2023•17 min•Ep. 138
“Tanger’s Return (Again)?” FLA@PIT 01-24-23 We may see the return of the return of the return tonight in Pittsburgh. Kris Letang’s personal and physical travails are the stuff of legend, especially this season. He’s really gotten the business end of whatever cosmic decision-making process occurs, out there in the aether of space and time. Injury. Recurring stroke. Another injury. Death of his father. And yet, like one of those water-weighted boxing-dummies that ALWAYS springs backup, ready for m...
Jan 24, 2023•15 min•Ep. 137
“Jimmy Dragged Gabby Through The Mud” PIT@NJD 01/22/23 Your Pens are on the road to take on the Devils at THE ROCK. Honestly, as a New Jersey native, I must say that the Prudential Center is a KILLER venue for NHL hockey. It’s also a TOUGH place to watch your team get beat. That said, the last Penguins road game I witnessed, as a resident of the Garden State was a W over the Devils. Let’s hope that Tristan Jarry, newly reinserted into PIT’s lineup and fresh off a clean, impressive, 44-save victo...
Jan 22, 2023•15 min•Ep. 136
“Return Of The Barley Farmer” OTT@PIT 01/20/23 It’s the back half of a home-and-home, with the Senators coming off their OT win at home in Ottawa, having defeating the visiting Penguins, backstopped by backup goalie Casey DeSmith and riddled with injuries as they were. The Joseph siblings, P.O. and his brother Mathieu, will enjoy their first-ever head-to-head matchup as NHL’ers. Their family will be in attendance, and that sub-plot should make for good sporting theater. Thank you for listening!!...
Jan 20, 2023•12 min•Ep. 135
“Put On The Damned Jersey” PIT@OTT 01/18/23 Tristan Jarry took shots at team practice this morning in Ottawa, which is a big deal. Mathieu Joseph is a healthy scratch for the Sens on the day he and his brother, P.O., would’ve faced off against one another for the first time in their respective NHL careers. I give my two cents on the Ivan Provorov / Pride Night situation, from last night in Philadelphia. Thank you for listening!! Follow us on Twitter @penspod, on Instagram at @flypenguinsfly, and...
Jan 18, 2023•15 min•Ep. 134
“Mighty Tankers of Anaheim” ANA@PIT 01/16/23 The Ducks are tanking for Bedard, the Penguins need points, and Jonathan Gruden gets his first ever NHL call-up. Thank you for listening!! Follow us on Twitter @penspod, on Instagram at @flypenguinsfly, and subscribe to the Fly Penguins Fly YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3fw0IWt for video editions of select conversations you’ll hear on this podcast! Enjoy tonight's Penguins road game versus the Ducks … AND of COURSE: LETS GO PENS!! JEFF TAYLOR...
Jan 16, 2023•13 min•Ep. 133
“Paternity Test” PIT@CAR 01/14/23 Last night at PPG Paints Arena, Jason Zucker decided he’d had enough. So, Zuck picked a fight with a much bigger guy and he did just fine. The Pittsburgh crowd went wild, but the Penguins kinda just went, “Wha?” … And so, the Pens got their butts handed to them by the Jets, and the Black-and-Yellow faithful were sent home just a little more bruised than they already were, after what’s been a pretty lousy first half of the 2022-23 season for Allegheny County, Pen...
Jan 14, 2023•23 min•Ep. 132
“Dust-in Case” WPG@PIT 01/13/23 The Pens welcome the Winnipeg Jets for a home tilt on Pittsburgh ice, hoping to make it a ‘streak,’ after besting the Yotes and ‘Nucks over the past week. I stayed up late last night, watching the January 12, 1985 matchup of EDM@PIT, live from Civic Arena. It was Mario’s first time going up against Gretzky’s Oilers, and let me tell you: Apart from Lemieux scoring on his first shift, putting the Penguins up 1-0, the game used to be a HECK of a lot crazier back then...
Jan 13, 2023•16 min•Ep. 131
“There (Whale) Blows!” VAN@PIT 01/10/23 A feel-good win in the desert, a heartfelt (unscheduled) trip to Montreal, and a WBS goalie call-up: You could say the Penguins’ latest road trip was a humdinger. Welp, they’re home, are the Pens, and tonight they get a visit from the Skating Orcas of British Columbia Province. Allegheny County’s own, J.T. Miller is set to play hockey on a fresh sheet at PPG Paints Arena tonight, with the Penguins - still short Kris Letang, Tristan Jarry, Ryan Poehling, Jo...
Jan 10, 2023•10 min•Ep. 130
“Rossi, DeFigio, And Me” PIT@ARI 01/08/23” It’s a hockey night in Arizona, folks. Your Penguins will play to less than 8K fans tonight as they dress and tape their sticks in the makeshift visitors locker room at Mullet Arena. The Coyotes like playing in their new-old, NCAA hockey rink, though, so the Pengweenos better come out flying, flightless as they’ve been of late. I’m joined today by Penguins beat writer, The Athletic’s own Rob Rossi (@real_rossi on Twitter) as well as by born-and-raised Y...
Jan 08, 2023•44 min•Ep. 129
“Classic Winter Backslide” PIT@VGK 01/05/23 Your Penguins are in Las Vegas to take on the best in the west, the Golden Knights. Last time these two teams met up, the Pens got the better of the Knights, in a thrilling come-from-behind victory on home ice. Can PIT rally behind interim starting goalie Casey DeSmith and stop their backslide of 5-straight losses? Jake Guentzel is feeling the weight of his recent shortcomings - I talk a little about Josh Yohe’s piece (The Athletic) on just that matter...
Jan 05, 2023•15 min•Ep. 128
“2023 Winter Classic” PIT@BUF 01/02/23 It’s time for the 2023 Winter Classic! The Penguins are at Fenway Park in Boston, MA to take on the juggernaut Boston Bruins in their first regular season matchup of the 2023 Calendar year. Enjoy the new intro in today’s episode, featuring a great drum kit performance by my dear friend and Grammy-nominated composer-bandleader, Mark Guiliana. Radio Feed: Tune in on 105.9theX FM ... https://1059thex.iheart.com/ Yankees Suck: (To help you get in the spirit of ...
Jan 02, 2023•15 min•Ep. 127
“A Conversation With Matt Kass” NJD@PIT 12/30/22 Friend of the show, Matt Kass joins me on the podcast today. Matt is a big Devils fan, a digital copywriter for FOCO, and serves as team reporter for the PHF’s Metropolitan Riveters. Kass and I are also former dek hockey linemates, so it’s always a blast to reconnect and talk puck. Thank you for listening!! Follow us on Twitter @penspod, on Instagram at @flypenguinsfly, and subscribe to the Fly Penguins Fly YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3fw0IWt ...
Dec 30, 2022•30 min•Ep. 126
“Don’t Take It Too Hard” DET@PIT 12/28/22 The Isles thumped the Penguins last night on the Island, but it’s a Hockey Night… IN PITTSBURGH!!! …so there’s no time to sit around and brood. GMSY’s Red Wings are in the Burgh and they’re hungry for Penguin Blood, coming as they are, off a 7-4 victory over Jon Cooper and the Bolts exactly one week ago today. It’s up to the Pengweeno’s to shake the Elmont Frost off THEIR flightless wings ..and bear down on tonight’s visiting ones (Wings, that is). I pre...
Dec 28, 2022•11 min•Ep. 125
“Sparky: Leftover Mascot” PIT@NYI 12/27/22 Islanders mascot, Sparky The Dragon can’t seem make up his mind which team he wants to root for …at least that USED to be the case, when Sparky served as the mascot for the New York Dragons of Arena Football fame. The NHL’s New York Islanders, though unable to come up with their own mascot idea, have remained a thorn in the collective sides of the Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey Club. Brock Nelson looks to make his return following a brief stint on the IR, a...
Dec 27, 2022•15 min•Ep. 124
“To Beat The Weather” CAR@PIT 12/22/22 Coming off an emotionally charged, thrilling victory over rival New York (Rangers), the Penguins have one concern as they head into their Christmas break: There’s weather - Hurricanes, to be specific - passing through the easternmost Ohio River Valley and the NHL’s Allegheny County Hockey Club are hoping to beat it …as they head home for the holidays. Thank you for listening!! Follow us on Twitter @penspod, on Instagram at @flypenguinsfly, and subscribe to ...
Dec 22, 2022•7 min•Ep. 123
“Weirdo Magicians: A PIT-v-NYR Conv. with Hockey Shaman Nick Spagnolo” NYR@PIT 12/20/22 Nick Spagnolo is a Hockey Shaman. He may be the first of his kind, but he definitely won’t be the last. Nick’s a big Rangers fan and stopped by Fly Penguins Fly Game-Day Podcast to share some of his tremendous hockey knowledge - as it pertains to tonight’s big rematch between the Pengweenos and New York County, NY’s Original Six NHL franchise. We talk Sidney Crosby, Jacob Trouba, and of course (because why wo...
Dec 20, 2022•39 min•Ep. 122
“I’ll show YOU Penguin Steaks” PIT@BUF 12/09/22 It’s a 5:00pm EST puck drop today as your Penguins take on the Canes in Raleigh. We like that Stormy the Ice Hog was born in ‘The Sty;’ we do NOT like his brazen talk of ‘penguin steaks’ being his favorite food dish. No. We. Do. Not. Sid Crosby continues his epic point-scoring insanity, and Evgeni Malkin was up on skates in yesterday’s practice …despite taking a massively powerful 87-slapper to the knee in a victory over Florida the other day. Let’...
Dec 18, 2022•15 min•Ep. 121
“A Conversation With Richard Cole” PIT@FLA 12/15/22 My dear friend, Richard Cole (long-time ice hockey goaltender, British ex-pat, and Pens fan since the mid-eighties) is BACK on Fly Penguins Fly. We discuss the fact that Chad Ruhwedel is an automaton with an interchangeable battery, the likelihood that the Penguins will rally and unseat the disappointing Panthers tonight, Thank you for listening!! Follow us on Twitter @penspod, on Instagram at @flypenguinsfly, and subscribe to the Fly Penguins ...
Dec 15, 2022•42 min•Ep. 120
“One More Time with Jordan DeFigio” DAL@PIT 12/12/22 Give it up for Jordan DeFigio, our lovely guest host! Tonight, it's our Penguins against the Dallas Stars. And it's going to be an interesting match up. Thank you for listening!! Follow us on Twitter @penspod, on Instagram at @flypenguinsfly, and subscribe to the Fly Penguins Fly YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3fw0IWt for video editions of select conversations you’ll hear on this podcast! Follow Jordan DeFigio on Twitter: @fidgenewton Enjoy t...
Dec 12, 2022•6 min•Ep. 119
“Jordan DeFigio Is Behind The Wheel...Again!” BUF@PIT 12/10/22 Tonight, the Penguins conclude their home and home against those pesky Buffalo Sabres. Same teams, different game. And anything can happen. Thank you for listening!! Follow us on Twitter @penspod, on Instagram at @flypenguinsfly, and subscribe to the Fly Penguins Fly YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3fw0IWt for video editions of select conversations you’ll hear on this podcast! Follow Jordan DeFigio on Twitter: @fidgenewton Enjoy toni...
Dec 10, 2022•7 min•Ep. 118
“Jordan DeFigio Is Behind The Wheel” PIT@BUF 12/09/22 With Jeff Taylor being on the road (& in the woods) this weekend, our dear friend of the show, Jordan DeFigio, has taken the wheel. Thank you for listening!! Follow us on Twitter @penspod, on Instagram at @flypenguinsfly, and subscribe to the Fly Penguins Fly YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3fw0IWt for video editions of select conversations you’ll hear on this podcast! Follow Jordan DeFigio on Twitter: @fidgenewton Enjoy tonight's Penguin...
Dec 09, 2022•12 min•Ep. 117
“A Conversation with Nick Brlansky and Nick Horwat” CBJ@PIT 12/06/22 *How* pleased am I, to have both Nicks in the house: AT THE SAME TIME?! Of course I’m referring to Nick Brlansky and Nick Horwat, co-hosts of Tip Of The Ice-Burgh Podcast. Both of them are staff writers with Inside The Penguins, as well, so be sure to subscribe to all of the above; it’s must-listen / must-read stuff if you’re an avid Penguins fan. We talk Penguins hockey, professional wrestling, and, of course, my recent sendin...
Dec 06, 2022•25 min•Ep. 116
