What would a giant foam mascot taste like? The Seattle Kraken mascot and filming crew had an angry visitor, and things were a little too close for comfort. The folks up north decided to rank the goaltending tandems of all 32 teams, and the Pittsburgh Penguins finished about where you would expect. There’s more NHL trade speculation on Anaheim Ducks’ forward Mason McTavish, and based on some reader requests, where went behind the scenes with what it is like to be a beat writer covering the Penguins.

OK, Kyle, do your worst!

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By the time you read this, I’ll be in the air or already in New York. I’m meeting with some of the folks we merged our technical operations with and am there to see a friend in a Shakespeare adaption off Broadway. Since I’ll be away from my laptop for long stretches of time and hoping to enjoy myself, we’ll see if the Kingerski curse can bring about some Penguins trades. After all, it is the second anniversary of the Erik Karlsson trade.

And thank you for the many positive comments on yesterday’s reporter exposé. I didn’t plan to write such a thorough story, but when I started, I realized it had to be everything. Several hours and a few thousand words later…

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: A reader asked for some inside dirt on the job. What it’s like to be on the road, cover the team, deal with competition, and otherwise spend our time delivering news. From the locker room conversations, media buffets, and awkward moments, here’s the look behind the curtain of our Penguins coverage.

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It’s not a purse, and blow your nose! If you read the story, you’ll understand.

Steelers Now: De-Fense! De-Fense! The heritage of the black and gold is all about the defensive side of the football. After a couple of weeks in Latrobe, our guys are getting a feeling. Yes, the Steelers defense is THAT good.

But bad injury news for QB Will Howard.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: It was a true beatdown. A night after a magical win, it was an ugly loss. Here are the details for your Pittsburgh Pirates.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnaut: “A close call.” An Alaskan grizzly bear didn’t appreciate the Seattle Kraken mascot and player shooting a promo video in HIS stream. The bear got closer. He charged as the crew backed up. You can see the Kraken video here.

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If the bear did that to me, he’d better like the smell of poo.

Montreal Hockey Now: Marc Dumont has been counting down the top Montreal Canadiens prospects, and there has been a kid taking the city by storm, but he’s not from Quebec or even Canada. He’s from Pittsburgh. Read more about the prospect lighting up the Canadiens and fans–L.J. Mooney.

TSN: Ranking the goalie tandems across the league. It was nice for someone else to share my analysis of the Penguins tandem with a real look around the league.

Daily Face-Off: Mason McTavish. Already out the door this summer is Trevor Zegras. Will McTavish be happy long term in Anaheim, or is this a media creation in a slow news cycle? Daily Face-Off tackled his future with the former Disney creations.

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Florida Hockey Meow: Agree or disagree with the decision–EA Sports put the heartbeat of the Florida Panthers, Matthew Tkachuk, on the cover of NHL 26.

Detroit Hockey Now: What is it like for a scout to discover a future Hall of Famer? Do you know right away you’re seeing something special, or are you just seeing potential to be good? The Detroit Red Wings scout who found Nicklas Lidstrom speaks.

The post Dan’s Daily: Bear Charges Kraken Mascot; Penguins Insider appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now.