Dan Muse is set to serve as head coach of an NHL franchise for the first time tomorrow in New York. The 42-year-old Muse, who was named the 23rd coach in franchise history on June 4, joins the Penguins with 20 years of coaching experience, including five seasons in the NHL as an assistant coach with the New York Rangers (2023-25) and Nashville Predators (2017-20). Muse helped guide his teams to three divisional titles (Nashville in 2017-18 and ’18-19; New York in 2023-24), as well as two President’s Trophies during his five seasons in the NHL, with Nashville and New York achieving the feat in 2017-18 and ‘23-24, respectively.
A native of Canton, Massachusetts, Muse has won championships at the NCAA (Yale, 2013), USHL (Chicago, 2017), and IIHF U18 (Team USA, 2023) and U20 (Team USA, 2013) level.
Muse graduated from Stonehill College in 2005 where he enjoyed a four-year playing career before moving into coaching. He and his wife, Maureen, have four children – Fiona, Niamh, Kieran and Honora.
CAPTAIN CROSBY ENTERS 21ST SEASON
The 2025-26 season marks the 21st season that Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will don the black and gold – the most by a one player in franchise history. His teammates, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are tied for the second-most seasons with the team with 20 each.
Throughout Pittsburgh sports history, only Crosby, Malkin, Letang and the Pirates’ Willie Stargell have spent two decades with a team in this city.
When the puck drops tonight, Crosby will become just the fourth player in NHL history to spend their entire career with one team spanning a minimum of 21 seasons joining Alex Delvecchio (24), Stan Mikita (22) and Steve Yzerman (22). Alex Ovechkin, who is also entering his 21th season with Washington, will be the fifth player in NHL history to accomplish this feat Thursday night when the Capitals take on Boston.
Crosby enters the season ranked fifth among all active skaters in regular-season games played (1,352), but is first in points (1,687) and assists (1,062) and second in goals (625). His 1,687 points are ninth most in NHL history. The 2025-26 season marks the 19th season that Crosby has been captain of the Penguins, making him the longest tenured captain in NHL history.
CLIMBING THE RANKS
Defenseman Kris Letang enters his 20th season tonight, all of which have come with the Penguins. When the puck drops, Letang will tie an NHL record and become one of just three defensemen in NHL history to play their entire career with one team spanning at least 20 seasons.
Letang enters tonight’s game three assists from becoming the 20th defenseman in NHL history to notch 600 assists, and is looking to join Erik Karlsson (670), Brent Burns (649) and Victor Hedman (623) as the only active blueliners to accomplish this feat. He would also become just the 10th defenseman in NHL history to record 600 or more assists with one team.
APPLE PICKING
Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby enters the 2025-26 season with 1,062 assists, ranking 10th all-time. With one more assist, he will tie Hall-of-Famer Steve Yzerman for the ninth-most assists in NHL history. Crosby’s 69 career assists against the Rangers are his third most he’s picked up against any one team (NY Islanders, 94; Philadelphia, 78).
LET THE KIDS PLAY
Forward Ben Kindel (2025, Round 1, 11th overall) and defenseman Harrison Brunicke (2024, Round 2, 44th overall) are both looking to draw into the lineup for the first time in their NHL careers.
Kindel, who was born on April 19, 2007, is looking to become the fifth-youngest player in franchise history to make their NHL debut. Brunicke, who was born on April 8, 2006, is looking to become the sixth-youngest defenseman in team history to make their NHL debut.
Before Kindel was born, Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby had already completed his first Art Ross Trophy, Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award-winning season (2006-07) and had accumulated 222 points (75G-222A) in 160 regular-season games over the course of two NHL seasons.
ROCKIN’ ROOKIE
Penguins winger Ville Koivunen is looking to build off of a successful 2024-25 campaign that saw him finish the season up in Pittsburgh. Koivunen, who made his NHL debut on Mar. 30, recorded seven assists in eight games to end the season. From Mar. 30 until the end of the regular season, only five rookies had more points than Koivunen (7A) and only Lane Hutson (1G-9A) had more assists among league rookies in that span.
Throughout Penguins history, only five rookies have had more points in their first eight NHL games than Koivunen’s seven.
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