There’s a quote in the Pittsburgh fan community from the late coach of the Penguins, Bob Johnson:“It’s A Great Day For Hockey.” So far this season there have been eleven great days for hockey. From raising a banner in October, to the two greatest generational talents taking the ice together in November, to witnessing history of Sidney Crosby scoring his 1,000th career point against Winnipeg this month. However, for part twelve of these great days for hockey, it was time to take it outside.
It was time for the Stadium Series.
The annual spectacle of outdoor hockey was coming to Pittsburgh, and with the Philadelphia Flyers the opponent, it was a perfect opportunity to cross two items off of my hockey bucket list. An outdoor game, and the Battle of PA. There was only one small problem, with the cheapest tickets selling for over $80, chances looked bleak of attending the outdoor spectacle at Heinz Field. That was until the news came out that the Student Rush promotion, the promotion that afforded my friends and I so many opportunities to attend games so far, would be implemented to sell the remaining tickets to the college students of Pittsburgh. With a pair of seats for the game selling for $80, suddenly the chance to witness this was within reach for my friends and I. Gameday arrived, and the hype for the matchup had taken over the floor for our group for the game, which consisted of me, my girlfriend and another friend rocking the black and gold of Pittsburgh, another friend wearing a Flyers jersey, followed by two of our other friends wearing Bruins and Capitals jerseys. Needless to say, we had a colorful group for the occasion. After a pregame dinner, we made our way over to the stadium and went up to the seats.
Way up…
To Section 527 of Heinz Field. The top of the stadium, where thousands of other fans who were just dying to see the game, regardless of the wind and freezing cold. The product on the ice was well worth the price of admission, a hard fought game between bitter rivals that lived up to all of the hype and more. Add in the intermission concert from Train and the Penguins coming away with the 4-2 victory on the night, and it was a night unlike any other. Even after going to games all my life, it was fun to do something for the first time as a hockey fan and to spend it with some of my best friends.
It truly was "A Great Day For Hockey."
