Pens in Pitt

[scott43]

So I'm heading down to Pitt to see the Pens on New Years (Eve)^2. My wife forces me to wear Toronto paraphernalia when we do road trips...are Pitt fans going to pour beer on us like Philly fans would?!?!

 

[Bill Talbot]

So I'm heading down to Pitt to see the Pens on New Years (Eve)^2. My wife forces me to wear Toronto paraphernalia when we do road trips...are Pitt fans going to pour beer on us like Philly fans would?!?!

Wearing Leafs kit, you are pretty much subject to ridicule EVERYWHERE

 

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

So how did the trip go? Pittsburgh fans are usually pretty polite as in they only give verbal abuse. They reserve beer toast for under performing athletes. I know the Pens spanked the wings pretty good and then the Islanders. It has the fan base thinking that maybe this team hasn't forgotten how to play.

 

[crgildart]

It's not uncommon for HALF of the PNC arena to be wearing the sweater for the VISITING team. Lots of transplants here with season tickets still loyal to their previous home team. Even in the playoffs (barely remember playoffs hahaha) more than 25% of the arena is cheering for the visiting team.

 

[scott43]

So how did the trip go? Pittsburgh fans are usually pretty polite as in they only give verbal abuse. They reserve beer toast for under performing athletes. I know the Pens spanked the wings pretty good and then the Islanders. It has the fan base thinking that maybe this team hasn't forgotten how to play.

Yeah, it was great! Folks were real nice, we joked about the pitiful Leafs and why the Pens are under-performing at the moment. They have good fans..not the most knowledgeable, or maybe a bit on the homer side, but they actually cheer which is good! That's a nice arena they have, the open concourse is nice, with the standing room rails. I like that. Reminds me of old Maple Leaf Gardens in that respect but not in any other! Gardens was a barn in a lot of ways. Good game, Leafs won, Peter Holland and P.A. Parentau scored in a shootout..who knew?! I told them there's no way the Leafs can win a shootout with the Pens. That didn't work out! To be fair, Bernier had a good game for a change and locked it down pretty well. Pens had all kinds of chances but couldn't put it in. And they had their backup, Murray , in net.

Nice town..never will understand the freeway thing downtown..kinda destroys the inner city. Ah well.

 

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

Yeah, it was great! Folks were real nice, we joked about the pitiful Leafs and why the Pens are under-performing at the moment. They have good fans..not the most knowledgeable, or maybe a bit on the homer side, but they actually cheer which is good! That's a nice arena they have, the open concourse is nice, with the standing room rails. I like that. Reminds me of old Maple Leaf Gardens in that respect but not in any other! Gardens was a barn in a lot of ways. Good game, Leafs won, Peter Holland and P.A. Parentau scored in a shootout..who knew?! I told them there's no way the Leafs can win a shootout with the Pens. That didn't work out! To be fair, Bernier had a good game for a change and locked it down pretty well. Pens had all kinds of chances but couldn't put it in. And they had their backup, Murray , in net.

Nice town..never will understand the freeway thing downtown..kinda destroys the inner city. Ah well.

Hey, I resemble that remark! I am a homer and don't really know a whole lot about teams out of the division and don't know a lot of detail about them either but I do know the concept of the game despite my statement made on Epic about playing the puck and not the man. I missed watching the Leafs game. I've been so disillusioned that I forget that the Pen's are playing but truth be told I think it was only the second game I missed in the last couple years.That shoot out thing and your expectation against a team with such firepower how could you expect to win? Well, the Pens firepower has been like pop guns. I use to never give up on the team even if they were down a few goals. They more often than not came back. I think the expectations put on this team and the playoff defeats took its toll.

As for the cheering aspect, the homers were a lot better about it when the Pens were on the rise. They got jaded by success and now they are dealing with doubt. Pittsburgh sports fans expect nothing less than Stanley Cups or Lombardi's from their hockey and football teams but are a lot more humble when it comes to the Pirates. Twenty or so seasons of losing records will do that to you.'Splains why they were so happy when the Bucs made wildcard for three years but great expectations are beginning to set in. Spoiled by success, the saying goes.

Highway planning leaves a lot to be desired but there are lots of little hills so, flat land is at a premium. That has it rewards because the population density cannot be seen. I think you might be talking about the Crosstown Boulevard which is the outer boundary of Downtown or as we say 'round here, Dahntahn. I know, it's weird calling a limited access highway that's strung across two rivers and a swath of land a boulevard but we call the 3 Interstate highways into town Parkways. It's a 'Burgh think tjat has always baffled me and s I said, I'm a homer.

That Crosstown Blvd use to frame the old Civic Arena, a retractable stainless steel dome, that hockey fans dubbed the Igloo. In a desionsin that still leave me conflicted, it was torn down. Both the Boulevard and the chrome dome, as I called it, were a project of ambitious urban renewal that we called Renaissance 1. That part turn out to be more urban removal that obliterated a vibrant community that produced many notable jazz musicians. That contributed to the neighborhood's decline into poverty. Now with the Civic Arena gone the neighborhood can now be reattached to the city and is primed for economic development thank to Mario, Burkle and the Pens in large part. We lost an architectural icon but we stand to regain a vital community.

Glad you enjoyed your stay in town. If you're around next winter or even this winter, if it stay here, give me a shout and I'll show you the local ski hills.

 

[scott43]

It's a nice city. I'd consider moving there. Good downtown, Strip district is kinda neat, I just find the placement of the 579/279 odd..kinda cuts right through a neighbourhood and destroys the character. I think overall the city has done well to transition..better than a lot of other places like Detroit for instance. I just find it funny, living in Toronto, that you have a neighbourhood within walking distance of downtown that is so derelict. House prices here are just ridiculous, especially dowtown and so many parts of our city are being revitalized. I think a good part of that is poor auto access. Living downtown is a lot easier than getting downtown. Anyway, nice place, we'll be back one day.