Perhaps this is the week that the Pittsburgh Penguins are no longer part of the Boston billionaires’ club that likes to buy collectible franchises and become one of the largest holdings of a family-owned Chicago company, which most recently bought a chocolate company in Louisiana and a small-town newspaper in Missouri. We’ve got plenty of content on the Penguins’ ownership situation. Elsewhere in the Daily, a former Johnstown Chiefs and Toronto Maple Leafs D-man has an Erik Karlsson mock trade idea, and the Boston Bruins might put a talented but unsuccessful youngster on the NHL trade block.

I’ll have a few more stories stemming from the Penguins’ ownership coverage, and we’re working to confirm one city issue that could be quite costly. With the swirling news, I only took a little bit of time off this weekend.

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It has been a brutal summer for seeing things fall apart. Getting a close look at the struggles of the small towns on the northern rim and how many businesses have closed in the last couple of years has been heartbreaking. But every few years, I take a motorcycle ride through my hometown, Herminie, PA, which, in Turnpike geography, is the farmland between the Irwin and New Stanton exits, and I ride past my childhood home on the way to Ohiopyle.

That was a big mistake. Have you ever rolled past where you grew up, only to see people not taking care of it? The formerly offwhite siding was now dull grey, but not in color but because of neglect and layers of dirt. There were bits scattered about the narrow hillside yard that I used to careen down on my Big Wheel, as fast as physics would permit. Oh, I loved that Big Wheel and that hill. Among the disheveled property was a tattered gazebo tent that was coming apart and falling over, but that no one had bothered to take down. It just stood there like a perfect symbol.

I probably won’t roll past ever again. Fortunately, I spent the afternoon by the water in Ohiopyle, getting close to the end of Catcher in the Rye, which was quite nice. And I couldn’t help myself–you know I love weird little spots and stories–so, on the way home, I stopped in Kecksburg, the site of the second most famous UFO crash. If you don’t know the story, here’s the History Channel “documentary”. Men in black pressured the local radio station to shut up about it, and that’s not a joke. The “monument” was a gift from Unsolved Mysteries.

If you go out that way for the Renaissance Festival this week, stop at Nino’s Italian Restaurant on Rt. 31 near Mt. Pleasant. In fact, it’s almost good enough to make the drive from Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The drumbeat has grown louder. One of our sources close to the team said, “It feels real.” There’s still a lot we don’t know, but it seems close–the latest on the Penguins sale.

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Before they bolt, we took a look at the Fenway Sports Group. They were not like owners to whom we are accustomed. They didn’t care to be part of the community. The alternate governors lived in Boston and stayed in Pittsburgh hotels. From the bad to the good, FSG did a lot right, but is leaving a sour taste with Penguins fans.

Steelers Now: Uh, why play the starting defense against Carolina scrubs? Is there a holdup on a WR trade? Alan Saunders goes deep in the Steelers notebook.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: Paul Skenes mowed down the Colorado Rockies on Sunday in yet another dominant performance. Coming to the end of his second year, how good is Skenes? The stats show that he is historically good for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Leafs Nation X video: Jay Rosehill is a podcaster and hockey media now. He used to be a Johnstown Chiefs defenseman and made it all the way to the NHL with Toronto. He’s got a blockbuster Erik Karlsson mock trade.

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Boston Hockey Now: The Bruins and GM Don Sweeney have been window shopping all summer. Andrew Fantucchio notes that one trade chip they can easily part with is talented prospect Fabian Lysell.

Philly Hockey Now: Wait, what?! Will James tees up a monster idea involving the potentially historic 2026 free agent class. Could Jack Eichel be a possibility for the Philadelphia Flyers?

New Jersey Hockey Now: There are some outlying trade rumors involving the New Jersey Devils, but James Nichols looked at the real issues. Goaltending, health, and the blue line–on the big issues, where is the Devils’ concern-o-meter?

Florida Hockey Now: Evan Rodrigues is finally getting his just deserts. E-Rod got his day with the Stanley Cup, and he … went to Disney World. It’s more Florida Panthers fun.

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Add Rodrigues to the list of Hextall mistakes. His tenure gets worse as time passes.

And in case you missed it, the five worst Penguins trades of the Sidney Crosby era.

The post Dan’s Daily: Karlsson Mock Trade; Penguins Ownership Heat appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now.

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