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Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen fitting right in as Penguins embrace youth movement

Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen fitting right in as Penguins embrace youth movement

New York Times30-03-2025
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — There was a moment in the Penguins' locker room following Saturday's practice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex that was too precious to ignore, and also may have subsequently told the story of the day.
Rutger McGroarty, who immediately became the best Penguins' prospect when he was acquired in August, finds his stall beside Sidney Crosby's in the locker room. Even better, McGroarty looks to be playing on Crosby's left wing when the Penguins host the Senators on Sunday, which happens to be McGroarty's 21st birthday.
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McGroarty's personality is larger than life. He's smart. He's funny. He's personable. He's got loads of charisma. He's so cool, the kids would say he's got rizz. If he can play at all — and I think he can — he's going to be a very popular young man in Pittsburgh sooner rather than later.
There's only one recent problem: McGroarty fought once in the AHL, and it didn't go so well.
FIGHT. Rutger McGroarty vs Michael Buchinger!
McGroarty made contact with Thunderbirds goaltender Colten Ellis at the side of the net, drawing the ire of Buchinger.
McGroarty eventually obliged the request, but didn't fare well against Buchinger in the fight. @InsideAHLHockey pic.twitter.com/PbpKbjtTrV
— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) February 23, 2025
McGroarty had already met with the media, who had walked about two feet to the left for the usual gathering with Crosby.
Before Crosby could start, however, McGroarty was still chatting away.
'Anyone see my fight?'
I'm not sure who he was talking to, maybe all of us. We nodded.
'It was so bad,' he said with a laugh. 'I ran their goalie, and then we fought. And …'
McGroarty explained that he couldn't get himself maneuvered properly to throw a punch.
'And he just hammered away,' McGroarty said with a laugh. 'It was awful.'
Crosby, who was patiently waiting for the questions from the media while we were all enjoying McGroarty's undeniable enthusiasm, finally chimed in.
The Penguins' captain looked at McGroarty and asked, 'Was he bigger than you at least?'
Michael Buchinger, who pummeled McGroarty, is listed at 6 feet and 185 pounds.
McGroarty is listed at 6-1, 203.
'Yeah, it's always worse when the other guy isn't bigger,' Crosby said with a grin.
The interaction between the two was endearing, and it's also necessary.
What parts of Sidney Crosby's game does Rutger McGroarty want to try and emulate?
'I mean, seriously, everything. Like, actually, everything."
Potentially playing on a line with the captain in an NHL game on his 21st birthday is one heck of a gift. Hear from the rookie ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/kGl9IPyPOl
— Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) March 29, 2025
This is an organization that is desperate for an infusion of youth. And not just young players, but talented young players. And young players who feel like they belong.
McGroarty feels like he belongs. He doesn't come off as the least bit arrogant or entitled. There's just a confidence about him that you don't typically see in prospects, especially when sitting within five feet of a living legend.
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To McGroarty's left sat Ville Koivunen, who will make his NHL debut against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday. He'll be playing on the second line with Rickard Rakell serving as his center.
Only eight games are remaining in what is a lost season for the Penguins, but it's very much noteworthy that the organization has decided to let McGroarty and Koivunen play out the season in Pittsburgh before returning them to Wilkes-Barre for the AHL postseason.
Consider it symbolism. Or a change in philosophy. Or, maybe the Penguins have good prospects on their hands, something that hasn't been the case since Jake Guentzel exploded onto the scene in 2016.
• Typically, the Penguins wouldn't recall arguably their two most talented forward prospects with only eight games remaining in the season.
• Typically, they wouldn't immediately insert said two players onto the top two lines immediately upon their arrival.
• Typically, the Penguins' veterans wouldn't show this much eagerness about pushing for these two kids to receive heavy playing time.
Consider the conversation I had with Rakell, who is playing out of position to accommodate these two youngsters. It would be understandable if Rakell were annoyed by all of this, since he's having a career year while playing on Crosby's line. Now, he has to play an unfamiliar position on Sunday because of Evgeni Malkin's lingering injury.
If Rakell has a problem with it, he has a funny way of showing it.
'Let me tell you something,' Rakell said. 'These two kids, they should be playing in the top six right now. I'm glad they are. You know why they should be? Because they're going to be top-six guys. They just are. You can see the talent. So why not play them there now? I'm glad.'
Rakell played with Koivunen enough in training camp to know what he needed to see.
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'He's really fast and really good with the puck,' Rakell said. 'He just needs to play. He's really good.'
Bryan Rust offered similar sentiments about Koivunen and McGroarty being thrown into the fire.
'I think when you've got guys you plan on potentially down the road playing that role … when they get an opportunity, those are the players they probably play the best with,' he said.
The energy that McGroarty and Koivunen brought to the locker room was very clear after Saturday's practice.
'You always pay attention,' Rust said when speaking of the new guys. 'Obviously, prospects of pedigree are a little more interesting.'
Koivunen was unable to remove the smile from his face while talking about his pending debut. His parents and girlfriend were en route to Pittsburgh on Saturday.
McGroarty couldn't stop commenting on how welcome he felt.
'I've got Sid making small talk with me and Ville,' he said. 'Crazy stuff.'
Crosby has been waiting for this day. The Penguins didn't want to rush these two to the NHL, so they've let them strut their stuff in Wilkes-Barre. But make no mistake, Crosby and the veterans on this team who truly matter realize an infusion of youth is mandatory if the Penguins are to make their rebuilding process a brief one.
Crosby and the Penguins were in a funk during the 2015-16 season. Then along came Rust, Matt Murray, Conor Sheary, Tom Kühnhackl and Scott Wilson. A few months later, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, and while that team was a lot better than this one, one thing can't be denied: The youth movement altered the dynamic of the locker room and Crosby, then 28, loved being the old man while showing the kids the ropes.
Now, Crosby is 37. The grin on his face while McGroarty was talking was mindful of the time when Rust and the others came along.
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'Once upon a time,' Rust said, 'I wasn't one of those guys.'
Rust was explaining that he hadn't received the hype that McGroarty and Koivunen are receiving.
'Sid treated me just the same,' Rust said. 'That goes a long way.'
Rust gets it. So does Rakell. And no one gets it more than Crosby.
Those three fully intend on being in Pittsburgh when the Penguins return to glory. So does coach Mike Sullivan.
It's noteworthy, then, that Sullivan is throwing the two kids right to the top six. Rust is in favor of it. Rakell, too. And Crosby couldn't take the smile off his face all morning, even staying on the ice with the kids long after practice ended to work with them.
The Penguins aren't making the playoffs this season. There's a long way to go. The rebuilding is just beginning.
And yet, when you consider the surprising decision to bring these two to the NHL, and you see how welcome they are, and how eager the Penguins' best players are to welcome them, and with Sullivan throwing them into the fire as opposed to bringing them along slowly, you wonder if maybe this isn't a lost season after all.
(Photo of Rutger McGroarty: Charles LeClaire / Imagn Images
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The little-known Sidney Crosby stories you've never heard until now
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The little-known Sidney Crosby stories you've never heard until now

PITTSBURGH — Covering Sidney Crosby's career has been a reporter's dream. Three championships, 16 straight postseason appearances, 625 goals and 1,687 points have provided more than ample material to write about over the years. Crosby's politeness and likability only make the job that much easier. I'm often asked about my favorite Crosby stories, and I've told many over the years. I try not to repeat myself. When you cover a team for as long as I have, you notice things when the cameras are off. For better or worse, that's typically when the real person is on display. Crosby is as real as it gets. So, years of being nosy — or observant, as I prefer to say — have opened the door to interactions with and impressions of Crosby that have left a permanent image in my mind. Here are just a few stories that demonstrate who he is. It was the final season at Mellon Arena — the 2009-10 NHL season. The rain was pouring down on a classic, dismal Pittsburgh day in November. About an hour earlier, the Penguins had completed their practice at the arena. Back when they didn't have a state-of-the-art practice facility, most of their practices were at the Igloo. Advertisement Fans knew this, and what I surmised to be a group of high school kids was braving the elements and hoping for an autograph following practice. One by one, the Penguins whizzed out of the parking lot, passing up on the opportunity to get drenched while signing autographs. Then a familiar Range Rover pulled up beside the young fans. One by one, Crosby signed autographs. That part was nothing new. But then, I saw Crosby — without an umbrella — get out of the car and pose for a group picture. He stood and talked with them for a few minutes while the rain poured down. The next day after practice, I explained to him that I wasn't stalking him but had noticed what he did during a rainstorm. His response: 'I mean, they seemed like nice kids. They were out there dealing with the rain. Was the least I could do.' If I had a dime for every time I've seen Crosby inconvenience himself to make a fan's day, I'd have retired long ago. He truly does not see himself as being better than anyone else. Ryan Reaves didn't score many goals during his time in Pittsburgh. In fairness, that's not what he was paid to do. However, on Feb. 6, 2018, Reaves did score in a 5-4 win against a Vegas team that would acquire him from the Penguins later that month. After the next day's practice, Reaves said he realized when he got home that he'd left his garage door open during the game. Crosby, whose locker was nearby, quietly sat and listened while Reaves regaled the media with this story. As Reaves began to walk away, Crosby summoned him. 'You're going to leave the garage door open before every game now, I assume,' Crosby said. 'Right?' Reaves responded, 'Are you crazy? It's winter, man.' Then Reaves laughed and walked away. 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He almost took things too far in the high altitude of Denver following the Penguins' morning skate. In an otherwise empty building, Crosby was on the ice, and assistant coach Tony Granato put him through one drill after another. I sat behind the net, taking in the scene. By the time it was over, I wanted to bang on the glass and tell him to take a drink of water. Crosby sprinted back and forth, time and time again, exhausting himself like I had never seen any hockey player endure. It was like the famous scene in 'Miracle,' where Herb Brooks made the American team sick after an exhibition game performance he didn't like, only Crosby was dealing with a concussion in high altitude. 'Oh my God,' Crosby said recently. 'I remember that day. So well. Tony G. Oh man.' When the grueling workout was over, Crosby fell to his knees and stayed there for a few minutes. It must have been torture. But I think it was also the day he knew he was able to return. It was May 12, 2010, and the Montreal Canadiens had just closed down Mellon Arena in much the way they opened the building some 43 years earlier: with a loss. The Penguins would not repeat as Stanley Cup champions as they had sustained a stunning upset in Game 7, the last game ever played in the Penguins' original home. Advertisement A group of Penguins employees went on the ice a couple of hours after the game had ended, having one final skate on the Igloo ice in near-dark conditions. About an hour later, my work was finally done, and I was departing the old barn for the final time. I'm the sentimental type and went to that arena so many times as a kid, so I decided to take a stroll through the concourse one final time. While walking through the concourse and a few rows of empty seats in what was by then a pitch-black arena, I was startled to come upon human life in what I thought was an empty building. Sitting there, in Section B-30, were Crosby and his father, Troy. 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