And muse is set to become the head coach of an NHL franchise for the first time tomorrow in New York. Muse, 42, 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 has helped his teams win three division titles (Nashville in 2017-18 and 2018-19; New York in 2023-24), as well as two President’s Trophies in his five NHL seasons, with Nashville and New York achieving the feat in 2017-18 and 2023-24, 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) levels.
Muse graduated from Stonehill College in 2005, where he had a four-year playing career before becoming a coach. 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 as captain of the Penguins. Sydney Crosby will wear the black and gold – the most by a single player in franchise history. His teammates, Evgeny 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 I spent two decades with a team in this city.
When the puck drops tonight, Crosby will become only the fourth player in NHL history to spend his entire career with a single team spanning at least 21 seasons. Alex Delvecchio (24), Stan Mikita (22) and Steve Yzerman (22). Alex Ovechkinwho also begins his 21st season with Washington, will be the fifth player in NHL history to achieve 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 he is first in points (1,687) and assists (1,062) and second in goals (625). His 1,687 points place him ninth in NHL history. The 2025-26 season marks Crosby’s 19th season as captain of the Penguins, making him the longest-serving captain in NHL history.
CLIMB THE RANKS
Defender Kris Letang begins his 20th season tonight, all with the Penguins. When the puck drops, Letang will tie an NHL record and become one of three defensemen in NHL history to play his entire career with one team for at least 20 seasons.
Letang enters tonight’s game with three assists, becoming the 20th defenseman in NHL history to record 600 assists, and he’s looking to join him. Erik Karlsson (670), Brent Burns (649) and Victor Hedman (623) as the only active defenders to accomplish this feat. He would also become the 10th defenseman in NHL history to record 600 or more assists with a single team.
APPLE PICKING
Penguin Captain Sydney Crosby enters the 2025-26 season with 1,062 assists, ranking 10th all-time. With one more assist he will tie the Hall of Fame Steve Yzerman for the ninth most assists in NHL history. Crosby’s 69 career assists against the Rangers are his third-highest against one team (NY Islanders, 94; Philadelphia, 78).
LET THE CHILDREN PLAY
Before Ben Kindel (2025, first round, 11th overall) and defenseman Harrison Brunicke (2024, second round, 44th overall) are both looking to make the roster for the first time in their NHL careers.
Kindel, born April 19, 2007, is looking to become the fifth-youngest player in franchise history to make his NHL debut. Brunicke, born April 8, 2006, is looking to become the sixth-youngest defenseman in team history to make his NHL debut.
Before Kindel was born, the Penguins captain Sydney 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 two NHL seasons.
ROCKING ROOKIE
Penguins winger City Koivunen looks to build on a successful 2024-25 campaign that saw him finish the season in Pittsburgh. Koivunen, who made his NHL debut on March 30, had seven assists in eight games to finish the season. From March 30 until the end of the regular season, only five rookies had more points than Koivunen (7A) and only Lane Hutson (1G-9A) had the most assists among league rookies during that span.
Throughout Penguins history, only five rookies have had more points in their first eight NHL games than Koivunen’s seven.
