James Neal RUMORS & NEWS

NHL.com "Pittsburgh Penguins forward James Neal left Game 1 of his team's Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series against the New York Islanders on Wednesday after taking two second-period shifts. He did not return. Neal was spotted limping after absorbing a hit during a Pittsburgh power play during the..." May 02

TSN.ca "There was some good news and some bad news at Pittsburgh Penguins practice on Thursday. Sidney Crosby may have taken another step towards returning, as he skated with his regular linemates, Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis. Crosby has been out of action for one month with a broken..." May 02

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Penguins winger James Neal returned to practice Sunday for the first time since he sustained a concussion April 5 -- if only for 18 minutes. Coach Dan Bylsma noted that Neal "joined us for just a few drills," but added, "That would be an indication of him moving along in his protocol." Neal, who..." April 22

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Penguins winger James Neal returned to practice with the team today at Southpointe. He practiced for only 18 minutes, but coach Dan Bylsma said that it represented a step in Neal's recovery from a concussion. Neal has missed the past five games since he got hurt. Neal joined three other..." April 21

NHL.com "Evgeni Malkin skated with his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates Sunday, but coach Dan Bylsma said he will not be part of the lineup Monday when the Penguins play at the Ottawa Senators due to an upper-body injury. "Evgeni Malkin will not go on the trip with us [to Ottawa], so he will not be playing..." April 21

NHL.com "Penguins winger James Neal has been diagnosed with a concussion. “James Neal has a concussion and will miss the (three-game road) trip,” head coach Dan Bylsma said. Neal was elbowed in the head by New York Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto halfway through the third period of Pittsburgh’s..." April 08

CBC Sports "New York Rangers defenceman Michael Del Zotto is wishing he doesn't get a very unwanted phone call, while the Pittsburgh Penguins are hoping they don't lose the services of another star forward. But one play during Pittsburgh's 2-1 shootout win Friday night could make both of those scenarios a..." April 06

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Desperation built. And built. For the Penguins, it was a matter of holding off the hard-charging Toronto Maple Leafs after twice leading by two goals. For Penguins center and team captain Sidney Crosby, that included clawing at the stubborn black tape on the blade of his stick so he could..." March 10

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Penguins forward James Neal will have separate hearings Tuesday with the NHL discipline department for hits on Philadelphia's Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux in Sunday's Game 3. Penguins forward Arron Asham faces an in-person hearing Tuesday for his cross-check and subsequent punch of the..." April 17

Pittsburgh Tribune Review "The Penguins seemed to rid themselves of sloppy tendencies in the second half of their game in Boston. Their star power, though, was evident throughout. Center Sidney Crosby scored twice, and right wing James Neal scored his 40th goal of the season, as the Penguins emerged from Boston with a..." April 04

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "It isn't the most important race involving the Penguins that will play out over the next few days -- there is the small matter of determining home-ice advantage for their first-round playoff series -- but it might be one of the most interesting. Linemates Evgeni Malkin and James Neal entered..." April 04

Pittsburgh Tribune Review "Phoenix coach Dave Tippett was an assistant coach in Dallas when right wing James Neal and defenseman Matt Niskanen entered the NHL. He isn't surprised to see the duo having success following their trade to the Penguins last season. "There's a lot of players in this league who envy Nealer's..." March 06

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Matt Niskanen is not a guy who often draws attention to himself. Doesn't happen much on the ice, where his work is solid, but rarely spectacular. And it's more uncommon during interviews, when Niskanen tends to be soft-spoken and seldom utters so much as an inflammatory syllable. But..." February 29

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "James Neal understood that waiting wouldn't give him much leverage. After all, he was scheduled to become a restricted free agent -- not an unrestricted one -- July 1, and those guys rarely receive outrageous contract offers or switch teams. Didn't seem to matter, though. Neal sounds like..." February 20

Pittsburgh Tribune Review "Fittingly, as the capper to a four-day stretch over which he constantly unveiled a personality worthy of attention, Penguins center Evgeni Malkin delivered a wicked one-liner about his own teammate after the NHL All-Star Game on Sunday. Of course, defenseman Kris Letang was not a teammate of..." January 30

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "The Penguins are guaranteed to have at least one player on the winning team Sunday in the NHL All-Star Game at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa. At least one on the losing club, too. That is because their three representatives in the game -- center Evgeni Malkin, winger James Neal and defenseman..." January 27

Pittsburgh Tribune Review "Penguins right wing James Neal said he intends to use his All-Star Game snub as motivation for the second half of the season. When asked if the slight could ignite a hot streak, Neal nodded. "Of course," he said. "Any time you don't get picked for something like that, it's disappointing when..." January 14

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "The sweater is the same. So is the job description. Most of his teammates are, too, for that matter. The productivity, though, could not be much more different. Last season, James Neal scored two goals in 27 regular-season and playoff games after being acquired from Dallas...." January 04

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "James Neal found the math amusing. If he sustains the pace he has had through the first 15 games, the Penguins winger will finish the season with 350 shots. "Three hundred and fifty?" Neal said, then called around to a couple of teammates to share the number and a chuckle. What's the NHL..." November 10

Pittsburgh Tribune Review "When the NHL trade deadline rolls around in about four months, the annual demand for Penguins general manager Ray Shero to acquire a scoring winger will erupt. But this time, such a move might be unnecessary. Despite not having the prodigious playmaking skills of centers Sidney Crosby and..." November 04

Pittsburgh Tribune Review "James Neal's formula for finding the back of the net seems glaringly obvious: Shooting low is good, shooting high bad. In the Penguins' eight games, he has six goals — most on the team and one behind NHL leader Phil Kessel of Toronto — and all have come on low shots. His shooting percentage is..." October 20

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "It is, of course, far too early to declare this experiment a success. The sampling is too small to reach any serious conclusions. Still, that doesn't mean the Penguins can't be encouraged by what they've seen from James Neal since he was shifted to right wing at the start of training..." September 27

Pittsburgh Tribune Review "The Penguins are thrilled to welcome Evgeni Malkin and, eventually, a healthy Sidney Crosby back to their lineup. Having the real James Neal also should make for a nice addition. Neal, acquired from Dallas in February, scored only two goals in 27 games with the Penguins but has made a believer..." September 19

Pittsburgh Tribune Review "James Neal didn't shed the label of trade-deadline bust because of a fluke shot. He did so because of what teammates are calling a valiant effort. Neal is battling an injury - no one is revealing the nature of it - and was questionable to play against the Lightning in Game 4 on Wednesday. He..." April 21

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "For several years, the Penguins were in the market for a young winger who plays a power game and could produce a steady supply of goals. The search ultimately led them to James Neal, a 23-year-old with a rugged style and a scoring touch. A terrific fit, on almost every level. Except for one..." March 08

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "The Penguins don't have many potential game-changers in their developmental pipeline. While that might seem like an indictment of their drafting in recent seasons, it really isn't. More like a fairly predictable side effect of owning late choices due to their consistent success in recent..." March 06

Pittsburgh Tribune Review "James Neal, the Penguins' newest hope to fill their need for a long-term impact winger, scored a considerable endorsement Wednesday morning. "I've (always) liked him," Penguins center Sidney Crosby said. "He's a good player." A left wing with at least 20 goals in three NHL seasons, Neal and..." February 24

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "James Neal wasn't able to make it to town in time for the Penguins' practice Tuesday. That is what happens when a plane that's supposed to land in Pittsburgh gets diverted to New Jersey, and a connecting flight sits in Newark long after it was supposed to touch down in Western..." February 23

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "A guaranteed punch line lurks in every story that includes "diverted to Newark," and Dan Bylsma had no trouble coming up with one after his Tuesday practice failed to include new Penguins James Neal and Matt Niskanen, late of the Dallas Stars and later of the Newark International Airport. "I..." February 23

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "So the Penguins traded their No. 5 defenseman for a young winger with the potential to score 30 goals or more? This is a bad thing? Are you kidding me? It's no surprise Penguins general manager Ray Shero didn't wait until the trade deadline Monday to make his big move to make the team..." February 22

Pittsburgh Tribune Review "After spending time with Penguins general manager Ray Shero a few weeks ago, an NHL agent predicted a busy trade-deadline period wouldn't pass without Shero making a move. Correctly, the agent noted, Shero always makes a move at or before the deadline. The move Shero made Monday was unlike..." February 22