The Penguins have taken their first major step under new ownership, hiring Marcel Braithwaite as president of business operations.
The team announced Monday that Braithwaite, who had been SVP of business operations for the Houston Astros, will oversee the business side of the franchise after the Hoffman Family’s acquisition was approved in June. During 14 years with Houston, the Astros say he helped manage several ballpark renovations and played a leading role in building a spring training complex in Florida.
Now he brings that background to Pittsburgh, where upcoming work at PPG Paints Arena is expected to be part of the job. According to Eddie Maisonet of Chron.com, Braithwaite will help guide those improvements.
PPG Paints Arena already went through major renovations before the 2023-24 season, and the lease transfer to the Hoffman Family was approved in March. Braithwaite made clear what he wants the building to become, saying he wanted PPG Paints to be a “a year-round crown jewel for the citizens of Pittsburgh,” per Maisonet.
He also pointed to the broader impact the family hopes to have around the arena and downtown.
“They’ve got a ton of experience and certainly the motivation behind them, which I think is going to be really beneficial to the city of Pittsburgh from a tax base increase from a resurgence of downtown and the opportunity to bring more fans to come to the games and the other events that we host at PPG,” Braithwaite said, per Maisonet.
The hiring fits with what the Hoffman family said from the start. At their introductory press conference in June, Geoff Hoffman said the goal was to be “present” without “micromanage the team.”
Braithwaite steps into a role that had been handled on an interim basis by Teddy Werner. The franchise said last December that Werner would stay in the position until the sale from Fenway Sports Group closed at a $1.7 billion valuation.
On the ice, the Penguins are about to get moving again. Training camp opens Thursday, and preseason begins next Monday, Sept. 21 against the visiting Buffalo Sabres.
In Other News...
Penguins Prospects Left Camp With A Few Early Names To Watch
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Dallas, though, controlled the final scoreboard and handed Pittsburgh a 3-1 loss, leaving the prospect group with a mix of promising flashes and things to clean up. For a camp like this, the result matters less than the impressions, and several individual performances and on-ice incidents from the game gave the Penguins a few early names to keep tracking as the evaluation process continues. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Huberdeau Gives Flames One Big Camp Concern
As camp opens around the league, Pittsburgh has filled a key off-ice role by naming Marcel Braithwaite as its new president of business operations, while Calgary is sorting through a more immediate on-ice concern. The Flames say most of their players are healthy heading into training camp, but Jonathan Huberdeau is still working his way back from hip surgery, a notable bit of uncertainty for a team that will want its top players ready from day one.
For the Penguins, the business-side change is the headline at the moment, but it comes at a time when other clubs are already dealing with their own offseason pressure points. Detroits stalled talks with restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson are tied to the Red Wings search for a new general manager or head of hockey operations, and he is expected to be at camp while aiming to get a deal done before the opener. The Flames situation is different, but no less worth watching, because Huberdeaus recovery could shape how comfortable they feel about their forward group once camp truly ramps up. [Read more 🡒]
Sidney Crosby Heads Into Penguins Season With One Huge Question Still Open
Sidney Crosby is heading into his 22nd NHL season with the same calm he has shown throughout most of his career, even as a few familiar questions hover over the Penguins. The captain talked this week about his age, his health and the fact that he has one year left on his current contract, a setup that naturally keeps attention on what comes next for both him and the franchise.
Crosby said the conversations between his agent and Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas are ongoing, leaving extension talks as the biggest unresolved issue around the team before camp fully settles in. There is also a new layer to the picture, with the Hoffmann family now replacing Fenway Sports Group as majority owners, adding another point of transition around a core player who has already seen plenty of change in Pittsburgh. [Read more 🡒]