Penguins, Senators All-In for Kraft Hockeyville Game

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators are bringing their best players for their upcoming preseason game in Sudbury, Ontario.

Mar 28, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) and defenseman Kris Letang (58) congratulate center Evgeni Malkin (middle) on his power play goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators are set to face-off in the annual Kraft Hockeyville preseason game. The location for this year's game is in Sudbury, Ontario. The hockey-loving town in Canada has a junior league team, the Sudbury Wolves, but now gets the chance to show off some NHL action to a passionate group of fans.

For the Penguins and Senators, it's more than just a preseason tune-up. The Penguins are treating this like a regular season contest in order to give the Sudbury crowd the best experiernce. They are bringing a group of players that will likely make up their opening night lineup, including their Hall of Fame trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. Letang recently spoke with NHL.com about how great of an experience it is for both the fans and players.

"It's always fun to experience those games," he said. "Obviously, it's huge for those towns. Overall, it’s a cool experience. You kind of remember your childhood playing in those small rinks."

Penguins' Head Coach Mike Sullivan agrees with his star defenseman. It's why he decided to load up his roster for the Hockeyville game with NHL talent. Even though the team plays the night prior against the Detroit Red Wings, Sully is saving most of his best players for the showdown in Sudbury.

"When we're going to have this opportunity and this privilege to go to Sudbury to participate in an exhibition game against Ottawa, I think it's great for that community," he said. "It's terrific for our players. We all have to try to grow the game and try to connect with the people that love our game and support our game, so from that standpoint it's a great experience."

For the Senators', this is a first for many of them. Not only have a majority of their lineup not participated in this event before, but neither has their first-year head coach, Travis Green. He also spoke with NHL.com about how exciting this opportunity is for himself, his players, and the community of Sudbury.

"That will be exciting," he said. "I've never done one of those games and I'm sure a lot of our players haven't either. We go the night before, so it's more like a road trip. It's not the regular grind of a training camp, so it will be a nice break for us, for our group."

The Penguins and Senators square off at Sudbury Community Arena for a September 29th showdown.

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