Pens vs Hurricanes: A Night of Incredible Luck

As I said last time, I went to the Pens vs Hurricanes game on November 19th with my friend Jamie and another friend of ours, Pablo. Jamie & I had tickets up in section 225, Pablo did Student Rush and ended up in section 116. We were all pumped to be going to the game because we all love the Pens, and Jamie & I were excited to get to see one of our favorite non-Penguins, Eric Staal, play in person.

Student Rush

Been a little crazy the past week, otherwise this would've been sooner. But last week, on October 13th, I participated in my first Student Rush for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and attended my first game in the new arena.

Now for those of you who don't know what Student Rush is, basically the Pens take whatever tickets they have left unsold for the game and set them aside for college students with a valid ID and sell them for $25.

And so it begins...

 

Well, it's finally here. Hockey season. After a long summer, the Penguins are not only back to playing, but are opening up the brand new Consol Energy Center with a game against their biggest rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers.

 

 

 

No word on the official roster as of yet, which likely will not be announced until this afternoon, but we do know a few things.

 

 

 

• Forward Jordan Staal is still out indefinitely with a lingering foot injury/infection from the playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens.
• Forward Arron Asham is day-to-day, but missed the last several preseason games, and may possibly not play the opener.
• Penguins prospect Eric Tangradi was sent to the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL last night, but was recalled to Pittsburgh early this morning, most likely he will be in if Asham can not play tonight.

 

It will definitely be interesting to see what the line up looks like tonight, but nothing will be able to change the anticipation surrounding this game.

 

First game of the season.

 

First regular season game in a long-awaited (and much needed) new arena.

 

A game against the Flyers.

 

 

 

So, not matter what the outcome of tonight's game is, it is guaranteed to be memorable.

 

 

 

It is truly...

Start of Hockey is Around the Corner

Tonight the Pittsburgh Penguins finished off their preseason games with a 5-1 record. For a team that many weren't sure would have the defense to perform after many off season changes, this is a good sign.

The regular season starts on Thursday October 7th, in Pittsburgh, with the Penguins facing their biggest rival, the Philadelphia Flyers. What a way to open up the new arena for the Penguins.

This season should definitely be an interesting one for the Penguins, and not just because they have a new arena. They have almost an entirely new defense, and a fair amount of new forwards. Jordan Staal, their top penalty killer, is out for a fair amount of time, although it has not been determined exactly how long.
Also, they were knocked out by in the 2nd round of the playoffs by what should have been an inferior Montreal Canadiens team, after making the Stanley Cup Finals for 2 years in a row. Seeing if that will affect the team at all will be interesting.

I will definitely be looking forward to the start of the regular season, not just to see how the Penguins do, but to see how every team does compared to last year.

An Idea to Memorialize an Icon

This past week, a Pittsburgh sports icon was voted to be demolished by the Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority. The Civic Arena, built in 1961, has been home to the Pittsburgh Penguins since 1967. With the Penguins moving across the street into the beautiful & much more modern Consol Energy Center this season, there was much debate on what would happen to the "Igloo"

Some wanted to preserve the entire building and convert it somehow. Others want to just save the iconic arch. Many city officials want to demolish the entire building & re-work the land it sits on. 
On Thursday the 16th, city officials voted to demolish it.  This has been met with much outcry, as supporters of keeping the arena feel it should be labeled as a historic landmark due to its unique architecture.


One fan however, has a unique idea about how to memorialize the Igloo.
Let the arena be torn down, but etch the image of it faintly into the glass windows of the Consol Energy Center, so that fans will forever be able to remember where "home" was for so many years.


Current technology has helped this idea spread like wildfire.


I first saw the idea on twitter, as I follow the person who came up with it. Next thing I know, it was on a very popular Penguins blog, Pensblog (a site that has been mentioned by players & coaches on the team). They posted the idea, asking those who also thought it was a good idea to help spread the word, to get the idea out. 
As I already said, it spread like crazy.
Later that day,Pensblog had to add another post. The idea was being mentioned on local radio stations such as 105.9 The X & 93.7 The Fan. It has gained support of those who could get it well known within the local area.
A Facebook group was created by the originator for the idea (at the time of this posting it had 1,258 members).
All this within a matter of days.
This is not only an example of how current technology has allowed an idea to spread, but also the passion of a fan base wanting to remember a location we have called home for so long.


I am behind this idea as much as it is possible to be. I realize unless a miracle happens, the Igloo is gone. And that is alright with me because the new arena is beautiful and I can't wait to attend games in there for the next 30 plus years.
But the Civic Arena deserves to be remembered. Too many memories and amazing hockey moments have happened there for it to be destroyed without some sort of remembrance.