A moment is a point in time, sometimes frozen, sometimes blossoming into so much more.
As we did in 2016, to lead off our annual Year in Pittsburgh Sports project, we'll offer the DKPittsburghSports.com staff's choices for the top 25 moments of 2017. And let's stress that word again: It's about the moment. It's not necessarily about the biggest news, the biggest games, the biggest cumulative bodies of achievement. It's about a pivotal point that resonated with us, for better or worse.
We're proud to have covered every moment found below, from far and wide, and the original article is available by tapping or clicking the date.
With much appreciation to our entire staff, our sponsors at My Floor Needs, as well as you, our readers, for making this site possible in the first place:
25. THE GOALTENDER HANDOVER
June 11, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn.
Marc-Andre Fleury's passing of the Stanley Cup to Matt Murray eventually moved the younger of the Penguins' one-of-a-kind goaltending tandem to tears.
"That meant so much to me, for him to do that," Murray would speak during the celebration on the ice following Game 6 and a second consecutive championship, one split almost evenly by both men. "I don’t know what made him do that, but I’m very thankful for having him around and to call him a friend and a mentor. He’s a special human being.”
Before long, as all expected, Fleury was gone to Vegas. But this subject, which brought out some of the most passionate public debate of the summer, culminated with this very moment. -- Kovacevic
24: BEN'S RETIREMENT TALK
Jan 24, 2017, in Pittsburgh
Just two days after the Steelers lost to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Jan. 22, Ben Roethlisberger did his final radio show on 93.7-The Fan and dropped this bomb: “I’m gonna take this offseason to evaluate, to consider all options, to consider health and family and things like that and just kind of take some time away to evaluate next season — if there’s gonna be a next season.”
After months of speculation, Roethlisberger committed to returning but again sent ripples through Steelers Nation after throwing five interceptions in an Oct. 8 loss to Jacksonville when he mused, “Maybe I just don’t have it any longer.”
It seemed more a rhetorical comment than anything else, but it again spurred the retirement talk. He then led the Steelers to eight consecutive victories, including a 506-yard game in a 39-38 come-from-behind win over Baltimore at Heinz Field Dec. 10. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to have three 500-yard passing games — winning them all — and threw 22 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions in the 10 games after the loss to the Jaguars before sitting out the team’s regular season finale against Cleveland on New Year's Eve. -- Dale Lolley
23. SAY WHAT? 10-1?
Oct. 5, 2017, in Chicago
We knew the Penguins' drive for a third consecutive championship would likely be fraught with obstacles, but they just overcame a whole mess of hurdles last season to become the first NHL team to repeat in two decades.
But one night after an overtime loss in the opener, the Penguins made history in an unsavory way, allowing 10 goals in a game for the first time since the mid-'90s. A loss is a loss, although this spanking set an ominous tone for the early portion of the schedule, which also saw the champs get slammed by six goals in Tampa and Winnipeg.
Pin some of the embarrassment in Chicago on Antti Niemi if you like, but losing by nine in a showdown with their prime competition for Team of the Decade honors? That put the three-peat talk on the back burner pretty quickly. And maybe permanently. -- Matt Gajtka
22. CONNER STAYS HOME
April 28, 2017, at Rooney Sports Complex
After a seven-month battle with Hodgkins lymphoma and an unforgettable return to the field for Pitt, James Conner's professional career began in his adopted city.
The Steelers chose the former Panthers running back in the third round of the NFL Draft less than one year after he was declared cancer-free.
"It’s a dream come true,” Conner said moments after he received the call from Mike Tomlin. “I’m forever grateful for them for giving me the opportunity after everything I’ve been through. I know a lot of teams were scared, but they gave me the opportunity of a lifetime, and they’re going to get a great person and a great football player, and I’ll give it my all for them.”
Conner, who ran for 1,092 yards and 16 touchdowns in his return from cancer and a torn MCL, finished his collegiate career as the ACC's all-time leader in touchdowns and is second all-time at Pitt with 3,733 rushing yards. -- Lance Lysowski
21. BOSWELL'S 53-YARD WINNER
Nov. 26, 2017, at Heinz Field
Chris Boswell has had a record-setting season for the Steelers, earning his first Pro Bowl selection. And there have been a lot of big moments amid one, two, three, four game-winning field goals in the final minute.
Still, this one against Green Bay was one for the ages:
Not only did he make the field goal in the middle of a run of three consecutive games in which he kicked a game winner with no time remaining on the clock — an NFL record — he also matched the Heinz Field record in an NFL game by booting it 53 yards as time expired. -- Lolley
20. NISKANEN’S CROSSCHECK
May 1, 2017, at PPG Paints Arena
Matt Niskanen was a Penguin once. Once. Nisky was dead to Pittsburgh the moment he pulled on a Capitals sweater, but his crosscheck to Sidney Crosby’s head in Game 3 of the second round elevated Niskanen to public enemy No. 1 for … a few days, at least until the Capitals choked again in a Game 7:
Niskanen received a game misconduct but, inconceivably, did not draw a suspension. Hey, it's the NHL. Crosby missed one game with a concussion, but, no worries, you all know how this story ended. -- Chris Bradford
19. C-C-C-CULLEN SCORES!
Feb. 25, 2017, at Heinz Field
There are some who would suggest that outdoor hockey games are a gimmick and have grown passé. Obviously they weren’t among the 67,138 who witnessed the Stadium Series game between the Penguins and the Flyers, two bitter cross-state rivals in a bitter-cold setting.
This time, the Penguins prevailed by a 4-2 count, Crosby scored a goal and walked away unscathed, and 40-year-old child Matt Cullen, who grew up playing the game outdoors on the ponds of Minnesota, scored what proved to be the winner early in the third period, one that he called a career highlight.
“To be out there, to be part of that, and then to score,” Cullen said, “that sound is something I’ll never forget.” -- Bradford
18. T.J. CLINCHES AFC NORTH
Dec. 10, 2017, at Heinz Field
The Steelers were up on the Ravens, 39-38, with 16 seconds remaining when Joe Flacco was trying to lead his offense into field goal range from the Baltimore 35. But when he dropped back in the pocket, rookie T.J. Watt exploded off the snap, slapped the hands of eighth-year tackle Austin Howard, hunted down Flacco and forced a fumble out of bounds:
That stopped the clock momentarily until the ball was reset and, as the Ravens huddled to call a play, time expired, and the Steelers had clinched the AFC North for a second consecutive season.
“I don’t really know what happened after I got him down,” Watt would admit. “I was just trying to exert what energy I had left in the tank. I was just trying to sell out for the team and make a play.” -- Christopher Carter
17. PENN STATE'S SENIOR SENDOFF
Dec. 30, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz.
The Nittany Lions started the calendar year dejected in Pasadena after dropping the Rose Bowl to USC on a last-minute field goal, and while their sights for the season were set on a potential College Football Playoff berth, they wrapped it up victorious in the Fiesta Bowl, capping back-to-back New Year's Six bowl games.
“I’m gonna cherish it and remember this night forever,” senior linebacker Jason Cabinda would say after the Lions paraded around University of Phoenix Stadium slapping hands with fans who watched as a senior class that helped rebuild the program was sent off in style.
In a game that was supposed to test all of Penn State's weaknesses -- from the inconsistency of the pass rush to the team's issues running the ball -- Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley put those thoughts to rest on the opening drive and only rolled from there, compiling 545 yards of total offense. Barkley's 92-yard touchdown run was a Fiesta Bowl record in what was Barkley's final collegiate game, one of Penn State's all-time greats was able to finally come out on the winning side of a bowl game. -- Audrey Snyder
16. LE'VEON COMES UP LAME
Jan. 22, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass.
Le'Veon Bell carried the Steelers in the second half of the 2016 regular season and continued his strong play into the postseason, setting team playoff rushing records in back-to-back wins against Miami and Kansas City with 167 and 170 yards, respectively.
It made some think the Steelers might possibly have a chance to upset the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in the AFC Championship. But that hope lasted just a handful of plays as Bell aggravated a groin injury early in the game that the team had kept quiet. He saw his day ended after just six carries for 20 yards. And without Bell, the suddenly punchless Steelers were beaten, 36-17, as New England advanced to the Super Bowl.
Bell eventually required surgery to repair the groin injury and missed the entire offseason program because of that and a contract dispute. -- Lolley
15. MARTE SUSPENDED 80 GAMES
April 17, 2017, in St. Louis
Starling Marte during his interview at his return. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPSAfter learning of Jung Ho Kang's third DUI arrest, as well as how difficult it would be for the third baseman to obtain a work visa, the Pirates then lost a Gold Glove outfielder 12 games into the season.
Starling Marte, who supplanted Andrew McCutchen as the starting center fielder to start the season, was suspended by Major League Baseball for 80 games without pay for testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid.
The moved forced McCutchen to move back to center field and began what seemed to be a revolving door in one of the two corner outfield spots. The Pirates were five games out of first place when Marte returned July 18, and it took him more than six weeks to make a significant impact.
By then, the Pirates were out of playoff contention. The 28-year-old batted .320/.380/.456 over his final 24 games of the season, but his absence symbolized all that went wrong with the franchise in its second consecutive losing season. -- Lysowski
14. CUTCH CRUSHES PETCO
July 30, 2017, in San Diego
Later in the summer, Andrew McCutchen would have a September night in which he slugged his first career grand slam to account for half of his eight RBI. And still, no performance stood out for the Pirates' generational star like his three home runs on this Sunday afternoon at, of all places, pitcher-friendly Petco Park.
I've covered a lot of baseball in that beautiful place, and I've seen balls fly like they're water-logged. Cutch crushed the first two, then narrowly poked the third on an oppo shot inside the right foul pole.
It was breathtaking. And by that, I include the fuller context that it was part of a two-month tear in which he batted .367 with an insane .475 on-base percentage, a span in which he was the very best player in the game after an awful opening two months.
Oh, he did this, too, in the same game:
That knocked the wind out of him, he'd later tell me. He hit the third home run minutes later.
Everyone will miss him when he's gone. -- Kovacevic
13. PICKETT'S CHARGE
Nov. 24, 2017 at Heinz Field
There were three minutes left on the clock when Kenny Pickett slowly approached the line of scrimmage on fourth down as Pitt held a 17-7 lead over No. 2 Miami in its 2017 season finalé.
A field goal from Alex Kessman certainly would have sealed an improbable win over the Hurricanes and their gaudy 'Turnover Chain' defense. Instead, Pat Narduzzi left his freshman quarterback on the field. The mere seconds from when Pickett crouched under center to the actual snap of the ball undoubtedly felt like hours to the Heinz Field crowd leaning on the edge of its seats.
Hike.
Pickett faked a handoff to Darrin Hall, raced around the left side and dove across the pylon for a 23-yard touchdown. The offensive line didn't even know he was keeping the ball.
Ballgame. Upset secured. The place erupted:
The 24-14 win came in Pickett's first career start, where he finished with 256 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns against one of the most feared defenses in the country.
"You think you can do something," Pickett said. "You see it in your head over and over again, but the next thing you know, it’s happening before your eyes."
Pickett started the season as the scout team quarterback before his redshirt was burned from playing the final snap of Pitt's Week 5 loss to Syracuse. He finally earned the nod over Ben DiNucci and proved to be a quarterback of the future to build around that the program has desired for quite some time. – Mueller
12. AB'S TOE TAP
Nov. 26, 2017, at Heinz Field
With 17 seconds left, a tied score and the Steelers on their 30, Roethlisberger had to find a way to get the ball to the NFL's best receiver. So he sat in the pocket for three seconds, stared at Brown all the way through his corner route and threw to the sideline.
This was at the other end:
"That’s Tony Toe-Tap, man," Le'Veon Bell would say. "He does that every day in practice. He practices it. You see him do it. He’s just the best in the world at what he does."
Brown's catch gave the Steelers field position for a winning field goal (Moment No. 21) to escape, 31-28, and it was but one sliver of a season-long spectacular run for the team's eventual MVP. And wow, he might have had a handful of other catches almost as good. -- Carter
11. SID’S ONE-HANDER
March 21, 2017, in Buffalo, N.Y.
Crosby would score 44 goals in 2016-17 to capture his second Rocket Richard Trophy, and the 41st of those defied description and maybe science.
Beating two forwards and splitting the Sabres’ D?
Ho-hum. That’s not what made this play great.
Crosby’s backhand was already the stuff of legend, but this one-hander, I mean, mere mortals just can’t do this:
Most NHL players, even the best ones, would be playing shuffleboard on a shot like this. Who has the strength to lift a puck with one hand and go top shelf? You could do 500 wrist curls a day for 10 years and still not pull this off. You almost, almost, feel bad for Ryan O'Reilly, Zach Bogosian and Robin Lehner.
“I don’t even know how to describe the goal he scored tonight,” Ian Cole said.
In 15 years or so when there’s a statue of Crosby on Centre Avenue, this has to be the image. Has to be. -- Bradford
10. HOLD ON: DEEBO WINS IT
Oct. 15, 2017, in Kansas City, Mo.
James Harrison would be the source of much drama, and he'd end the year in a most unsightly uniform. But he began the year by bull-rushing the Steelers into the AFC Championship with an 18-16 Divisional Playoff victory at Arrowhead.
With 2:43 remaining, the Chiefs needed a two-point conversion to tie. There were all kinds of reasons a flag was unlikely at that stage, not least of which is that some officials don't like to be too influential late in close games but also because, in this specific case, Harrison's spent an entire career earning opposing holding penalties that weren't called:
Well, he scorched Kansas City's left tackle Eric Fisher, a familiar victim, gained the edge, closed in on Alex Smith, was flagrantly held ... and that flag flew. The Chiefs were pushed back, failed on the conversion, and the Steelers headed for Foxborough.
Harrison would torment Fisher and Smith again in October, same venue, to wipe away Kansas City, at 5-0, being the NFL's only perfect team to that point. -- Kovacevic
9. J-HAY SPOILS NO-HITTER
Aug. 23, 2017, at PNC Park
The Dodgers' veteran lefty, Rich Hill, had his perfect game spoiled to start the ninth inning when Logan Forsythe committed an error on a ground ball at third base, allowing Jordy Mercer to reach first safely.
Then, in the 10th, on Hill's 98th pitch, Josh Harrison, one of the bright spots in a dismal season for the Pirates, did this:
That's a walkoff homer to left, securing a 1-0 win over the Dodgers, who were the hottest team in Major League Baseball at the time. It marked the first time in baseball history that a no-hitter ended on a walkoff home run. -- Lysowski
8. THE NICASIO FIASCO
Aug. 31, 2017, at PNC Park
There's no fair way that the Pirates' top spot on this list could have been a positive, given how miserably their 2017 generally went, but also given the public backlash for the bizarre outright release of Juan Nicasio.
Maybe it was a chance for the fan base to release pent-up rage over countless other cases of mismanagement by this ownership and front office, but maybe it was just the simple logic of being angry over flat-out giving away one of the team's top relievers for the prorated savings of $700,000, a pittance within a Major League Baseball payroll. To be sure, the move caught the attention of the entire baseball world and national media, which mocked and ridiculed the Pirates in a way they hadn't experienced in years:
That prompted Neal Huntington to take the extraordinary step of issuing this explanatory statement: "We took the unusual step of placing a quality person and pitcher in Juan Nicasio on outright waivers for a variety of reasons. Given our recent record and regression in the standings, we intend to give the higher leverage innings to other pitchers that may or will impact our 2018 club. We acknowledge the minimal amount of money saved by making this move, however, as a result of our decision and Juan’s pending free agency at the end of the season, we felt it appropriate to attempt to move Juan to a better situation for him."
As soon as the laughter subsided from that, Nicasio wound up with ... the last-place Phillies.
And as soon as the laughter subsided from that, Nicasio was traded -- for an actual return -- to the contending Cardinals, who immediately promoted him to closer.
And as soon as the laughter subsided from that, Nicasio was nailing down saves against the Pirates.
And as soon as the laughter subsided from that, a four-year extension was handed to Huntington. -- Kovacevic
7. VILLANUEVA STANDS ALONE
Sept. 24, 2017, in Chicago
Riding to Soldier field, I joked with our crew: "What if Alejandro Villanueva chose to go stand for the anthem by himself?"
It sounded ridiculous until I saw him in the tunnel just minutes before the anthem was to be played in Chicago. It had been reported, and to mixed fan reception, the team would remain in the locker room so they wouldn't have to choose a side amidst anthem-based tensions around America. Villanueva being near the field meant one thing and one thing only: Whether the team was or not, he wasn't staying in the locker room.
Sure enough, the rest of the Steelers filed into the tunnel behind the tackle, but they remained a good 20 feet or so behind him. Villanueva wandered to the edge of the tunnel until the sun hit him, and he remained there. Alone.
Ben Roethlisberger first attempted to take blame for the incident, saying Villanueva intended to stand with the captains and with the team. He passed some of that blame off onto the crew carrying a large Bears flag off the field, saying they 'blocked the path' to Villanueva.
What I saw was different. I saw the Steelers' 'Big Al' looking nervous — not something someone of Villanueva's stature often feels, I imagine — as he looked around unsure of being alone. He looked over his shoulder to his team, multiple times, where they remained in the tunnel. The anthem started and Villanueva placed his hand on his heart as the nation watched, talked and wrote about the Steelers' Army veteran standing alone for the anthem. — Sunday
6. FLEURY FIXES PERCEPTION
May 10, 2017, in Washington
Why did Alexander Ovechkin celebrate a goal in the second period of Game 7?
The Capitals' captain simply thought he put a one-timed blast from the slot past Fleury. The very different truth is that he made one of the defining saves of his career. He followed the pass with his eyes, his body and pads sliding through the crease behind them, but he still couldn't get big enough to stop the sniper's snipe.
What Fleury was able to do, however, was send the puck into the wrong netting — the netting above the glass — with the butt end of his goal stick:
The script was written for Washington to finally knock off their Patriots, but Fleury and his butt end kept Ovechkin, and the rest of the Capitals, out of the score column to advance to the Eastern Conference Final.
If the save wasn't big enough, Fleury capped one of 2017's best moments with his typically superstitious flair. — Sunday
5. JESSE'S CATCH/NO-CATCH
Dec. 17, 2017, at Heinz Field
Only the Zapruder film got more scrutiny than the video of this play. It also introduced the country to Al Riveron.
Jesse James' apparent go-ahead touchdown catch that was overturned by replay had not only Pittsburgh, but the whole country, talking about what is and isn’t a catch in the NFL. That James’ potential game-winning score was overturned in a game against the Patriots only seemed to fuel the anguish for the Steelers' fans.
The play came with 28 seconds remaining and the Steelers trailing, 27-24. They hit on a 69-yard catch-and-run by JuJu Smith-Schuster to the New England 10. On the next play, Roethlisberger threw a pass to James at the 1. James went to the ground and reached over the goal line for what was ruled a touchdown:
But as the Steelers lined up for the extra point try, officials stopped play, saying it was under review by Riveron, the league’s replay official in New York. After nearly four minutes, official Tony Corrente announced the touchdown had been overturned because James had not controlled the ball all the way to the ground. Replays showed the ball turning in his hand as he reached for the end zone.
Two plays later, Roethlsiberger was intercepted in the end zone, further enraging the faithful. -- Lolley
4. ONE LAST TIME, KUNITZ COMES THROUGH
Pittsburgh hockey fans might still be waiting for the local club to lift a Stanley Cup on home ice, but the next best thing occurred deep into the night of May 25, when Chris Kunitz capped an improbable two-goal performance with this fluttering series winner:
Fittingly, Kunitz converted a Crosby pass in the second overtime of the most nerve-wracking game in the seven-year history of the new building. Kunitz had risen to prominence riding shotgun with the best player of the post-lockout NHL, succeeding in thinking the game on Crosby's level as much as keeping up stride for stride.
But forget the big-picture stuff. Kunitz's defeat of Craig Anderson dispatched the extremely pesky Senators and delivered a home-ice moment that will forever rank with the most dramatic in the history of Pittsburgh pro sports. Prior to his big Game 7, Kunitz hadn't scored a goal in the playoffs, continuing his descent to whipping-boy status for much of the fanbase.
He's still one of the all-time Penguins even without this goal, but he had one last parting gift to the franchise that helped him rise from undrafted free agent to Olympic gold medalist and four-time Cup champ. -- Gajtka
3. DAN ROONEY DIES
April 13, 2017, in Pittsburgh
Dan Rooney, the beloved owner/chairman emeritus of the Steelers, died at the age of 84, sending his team and his city into mourning. Rooney, who took over from his father, Art Rooney Sr., in the late 1960s, guided the franchise through its two most prosperous periods.
His leadership in the 1970s helped the Steelers turn from lovable losers to one of the best dynasties in the history of any sport in the 1970s, when the team won four Super Bowls in six seasons. After a down period in the ‘80s, the Steelers enjoyed a resurgence that began in the 1990s with the hiring of Bill Cowher. The Steelers won two more Super Bowls under Cowher and his successor, Mike Tomlin, winning four AFC Championships along the way.
Rooney, a steadying voice among NFL owners, also made an impact among his peers, ushering in what has become known as the Rooney Rule, which requires NFL teams to consider minorities for head coaching positions. His steady leadership helped him fulfill a lifelong dream when he was named the United States’ Ambassador to Ireland in 2009, a month after the Steelers had won their record sixth Super Bowl. That forced the 2000 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee to turn over leadership of the Steelers to his son, Art Rooney II, but he remained involved in the team’s leadership. Thousands attended his viewing and funeral, including former President Barack Obama, numerous NFL owners and dignitaries and hundreds of current and former players. -- Lolley
2. SHAZIER'S INJURY
Dec. 4, 2017, in Cincinnati
We all saw what happened. We've extended wishes, thoughts, prayers to Ryan Shazier, an extraordinary young man now facing the challenge of his life. We don't need to revisit.
Let's look instead at Shazier just yesterday, on the final day of 2017, lighting up Heinz Field with his smile and a passionate wave of the Towel to urge onward his defensive mates down on the field:
And from there, let's look, hopefully, for more progress. No victory in 2018 could be greater. -- Kovacevic
1. HORNQVIST'S GOAL
June 11, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn.
With 1:35 left on the clock at Bridgestone Arena, in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, Patric Hornqvist, parked in the crease where he was figuratively born and raised, followed Justin Schultz's miss off the end boards and artfully banked the puck off Pekka Rinne's hindquarters to make hockey history:
Championships are a treasure, no matter how often they come. "Each one is special," as Mario Lemieux told me that night on the rink. They lift us up as a city, as a broader community that follows a given franchise. They fulfill our faith, our investment. They feel larger than life, even well after they've begun to fade.
Which might be why it's never stopped amazing me, in a quarter-century of covering sports in Pittsburgh, how all the other stuff that lures us to the genre -- the highs, the lows, the trades, the fun finishes, the human element -- can all boil down to a solitary instant, a split-second like the one above.
And when it's a split-second that goes your team's way, the joy, the release of tension, the pride, the satisfaction ... it can't be contained:
Happy new year to all our readers! And thank you for being along with us for the ride in 2017! -- Kovacevic
PART 1, Tuesday: The year in quotes
PART 2, Wednesday: The year in photos