It’s a new era of Pittsburgh Penguins coverage for Pens Labyrinth

The new Site Editor introduces himself and talks a bit about what he hopes to accomplish with Pens Labyrinth now and in the future

The Pittsburgh Penguins may be looking for a new general manager following the resignation of Jim Rutherford, but Pens Labyrinth has found a new general manager of sorts.

Hey, my name is Karl. And I’m going to be the new Site Expert for Pens Labyrinth.

While I had high hopes for then-New York Rangers assistant GM Chris Drury transitioning to Pens’ GM, the Rangers assigning him to associate GM effectively ended that pipe dream. I’ve fully shifted that hope to Colorado Avalanche assistant GM Chris MacFarland.

Regardless of who the Pens hire as the new GM, they have their work cut out for them. This only makes my job that much more relevant as the team decides whether to continue with the current core in the quest for a Stanley Cup or choose to tear things down (to an extend) and rebuild in the near future.

I’m incredibly excited to join Pens Labyrinth and help bring this site to greater prominence. This is an extraordinary team, and it deserves extraordinary coverage, which I will strive to provide.

For a little background on myself, I am a senior college student at Slippery Rock University, lemme know if you’ve heard of it, who has spent the past two years serving as the sports editor of my college newspaper. I didn’t know what I wanted to do coming into college, but I quickly found that journalism was my calling.

In addition to serving as the Site Expert for Pens Labyrinth, I also contribute to FanSided’s Accept This Rose blog and SBNation’s Behind the Steel Curtain blog. If that sounds like a weird trio, well, that’s because it is.

I grew up in Virginia, but with my parents hailing from the Pittsburgh area, I grew up as a massive Pittsburgh sports fan. That was only escalated when we finally returned to Pittsburgh when I was a sophomore in high school, and I’ve been extremely hard-pressed to miss any Steelers, Pirates or Pens game since.

I remember watching the Pens lose the 2008 Stanley Cup final as a 10-year-old while visiting Pittsburgh no less, and I remember witnessing the Pens finally bring a Cup back to Pittsburgh in 2009. I vividly remember the 2016 and 2017 Cup runs, with Game 7 against the Ottawa Senators ranking in my top three games of all time.

That Doc Emerick call will live rent-free in my head for the rest of time. I will remember jumping up and down in triumphant glee in the living room of my parents’ house with my brother after that Chris Kunitz goal for the rest of my life.

The Highlight Hub on YouTube posted this clip showing the waning moments of the Pens-Sens Game 7 contest in 2017:

The Pens might not be a Stanley Cup contender this season, but this team will have its share of triumphs, pitfalls and surprising moments, and I honestly cannot wait to be there for them all.

As the new Site Expert for the Pens’ FanSided blog, I will do my utmost to bring unique, dedicated writing to you, the readers. And I promise we’re going to have a lot of fun.

So, stick around, and we’ll see just how much fun we’ll have following this already crazy season. If we’re feeling bad about our season, we can, of course, take solace in the fact that we’re not the PIrates.

I’d love to hear about your favorite Pens’ memories, so let me know in the comments about your absolute favorite Pens’ times and memories.