Par for the course, the Pittsburgh Penguins are, evidently, still one of the National Hockey League’s most marketable teams.
On Thursday, the NHL announced its national broadcast schedule for both TNT and ESPN, and the Penguins are tied with the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche for the most in the league this season at 17:
Despite missing the playoffs for two consecutive seasons, the Penguins continue to be in the upper-half of team valuation numbers, even if barely: They ranked 16th out of 32 NHL teams in valuation for 2024.
But there are other factors that go into revenue as well. According to shop.nhl.com, Penguins’ captain Sidney Crosby still has the highest-selling jersey in the NHL, followed (in order) by Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals), Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), and Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs).
If anything, this just goes to show that, no matter how bleak things may look to some folks for the Penguins this season and beyond, Crosby will always sell the game.
And given other newsworthy events surrounding Crosby and company, this news shouldn’t really come as much of a shock.
One of the dominating headlines from this summer – both locally in Pittsburgh and nationally – has been Crosby’s pending UFA status in 2025. The future Hall-of-Famer has not yet signed an extension for the only team he has ever played for – the Penguins – and this is fueling speculation left and right about Crosby’s future.
No surprise that the Penguins are once again tied for the most National TV games with the Oilers and Avs.
(Crosby, McDavid, MacKinnon)
Sidney Crosby is entering the final year of his contract, that could mean a lot of things. The NHL knows that. https://t.co/HzFkRyFa2Y
— The Sidney Crosby Archives (@87crosbycareer) August 29, 2024
Also, Crosby is, well, still great. And with both he and Ovechkin on the brink of breaking NHL records this season – Ovechkin needs 40 goals to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal record, and Crosby needs to notch his 20th consecutive point-per-game season to break Gretzky’s record at 19 – the hockey world will be watching both of them closely.
Aside from Crosby, the Penguins’ offseason moves have shown some intrigue as well, the latest being the acquisition of one of hockey’s top prospects, Rutger McGroarty. Many are interested to see what direction the team takes and how the team fares after bolstering their bottom-six depth while stockpiling draft capital, seemingly looking to rebuild on-the-fly.
Whatever the case, expect to see a lot of black and gold on national broadcasts this season. Here are some of the nationally televised games to look out for:
– New York Rangers at Penguins – October 9, TNT: The NHL on TNT 2024 schedule kicks off with the Penguins’ season opener against a top division rival
– Penguins at Capitals – November 8, ESPN+: Crosby and Ovechkin, both looking to make history this season, face off for the first time in 2024-25
– Penguins at Utah Hockey Club – January 29, TNT: The Penguins visit Salt Lake City for the first time to take on the relocation Utah Hockey Club
– Boston Bruins at Penguins – March 1, ABC, ESPN+: The Bruins come to Pittsburgh for a matinee matchup as a prelude to the 2025 NHL Stadium Series game later the same day between the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets
– Toronto Maple Leafs at Penguins – March 2, TNT: Toronto comes to town to take on their former GM Kyle Dubas in his second year as Penguins’ GM and POHO
– Chicago Blackhawks at Penguins – April 8, ESPN: Connor Bedard visits Crosby and the Penguins for only the second time in his NHL career
– Capitals at Penguins – April 17, ESPN: Not only is this the final regular season game for the Penguins, it’s also possible that NHL record watches could still be in play for Ovechkin and/or Crosby
Related: Pittsburgh Penguins 2024-25 Schedule Highlights: October
Related: Analyzing Crosby’s Chance at 2,000 Points
Related: Old Roster, Light Schedule: Can the Penguins Take Advantage?
