Yesterday was day one (of two) for season ticket holders to go look at the new Consol Energy Center. We had tickets and went and here are some of the pictures of the building with actual people inside along with some comments. There are a lot of pictures so I will be making multiple postings to get the good ones illustrative of the center up without creating one long, cumbersome post.

The Consol Energy Center

Here is a picture of the exterior of the CEC when you are coming down from the old Mellon Arena lots:

Just inside the Trib Total Media gate you will find the Penguins All Time Team display featuring videos, pictures and all sorts of interactive material on the players selected:

Penguins All Time Team Display at Consol Energy Center

More pics of the All Time Team Display:

All Time Team Display (close-up 1)

Another part of the Penguins All Time Team Display

I like the way this has been done because it appears that it would be easy to update if in another thirty years they decide to revamp who is and is not on the team.  The use of video displays instead of things like statutes makes this display very enduring and ensures that it will stay relevant.

Everything is certainly much more open than at the Igloo.  The old arena while nostalgic was just a dark place.  The Consol Energy Center is open and bright.

The second level Concourse at Consol Energy Center

For now you can see the old Igloo from the new arena until it is torn down.

Viewing the Igloo from Consol Energy Center

One last pic for part one of this topic before I start the second post, here are the Championship and scoring title banners hung from the rafters.

Championship and Other Banners Hung At Consol Energy Center

Part II coming in a few minutes …

Tonight the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Ottawa Senators renew a match up that is becoming commonplace in the post season. In recent years each team has had to beat the other in order to advance. Pittsburgh, the forth seed in the East, and Ottawa, the fifth seed, drop the puck in less than an hour at the Igloo.

Pittsburgh didn’t limp into the playoffs but did not impress in March and April nearly as much as they had in the previous two seasons where they used the final weeks of the regular season to build momentum. When you count overtime and shootout losses as what they are, losses, the Penguins were basically a .500 team. Ottawa on the other hand finished the season 7-2-1 so they are not going to be an easy first round opponent.

As much as Penguins fans want to be optomistic there are questions about whether star players who have not played up to snuff (Fleury, Malkin, Gonchar) lately can find that extra gear, bear down and play playoff hockey. Fleury has been one of the best netminders in the playoffs over the past two years winning 7 of 8 series and only loosing that one finals series against Detroit. He is capable but has to steady himself in net.

Tonight, not all answers will be given but a glimpse of what is to come is certainly going to be on view. Someone better find the switch and flip it soon. Because Crosby can’t win another cup on his own.

When it was announced by the Penguins that season ticket holders would have an oportunity to have their picture taken with Lord Stanley’s Cup the questions began to swirl. How many would take advantage of the oportunity to have a picture with the trophy on Penguins ice? When would be the best time to show up; early or later to beat any potential log jams? Well, yesterday, the first of two days when the cup was available, and when season ticket holders with names in the first half of the alphabet were given tickets for, the answers were unmistakable; nearly every damn one and it did not matter.

Yes, even when we arrived at 11:45 AM (over a full four hours BEFORE our recommended time) the line was out the door of gate one, down the sidewalk to Center Avenue and then around the bend down to Washington Place. Inside the line was wrapped around the concourse from Gate one all the way back to section C5/6 the long way around. Then the line wound down the steps and out to center ice.

The impressive thing? No one seemed to care. Yes, by the time we got out of there at 4:45 (five hours later) there was not bitching or moaning from those around us in line the entire time. People talked, children played and everyone accepted the long march to the single reason why we had all shown up. Even when people who had already had their pictures taken told those standing outside that the wait was five hours the groans were light if existent at all. Everyone seemed to expect this sort of turn out.

Here some pictures from yesterday’s wait in line:

The End of the line when we arrived

Me and Charlotte waiting in line (about 30 minutes after arriving)

Charlotte and mommy taking a stroll

Charlotte gets a ride (about 60 minutes after arriving)

Just inside Gate 1 (We have to walk all the way around)

Waiting once inside

a short break from walking

Soooooo close

Finally! Mommy and Charlotte on the ice

The Grand Prize! Lord Stanley's Cup!

Oh, and just in case you thought that the line might get shorter late in the day?  Well, let’s just say we are damn glad we did not wait until 4:00 pm to show up!

The line at 5PM was still looooooooong!

I just want to thank the entire Penguins organization for this wonderful experience and if you have tickets for today to get your picture with the cup well my suggestion is get there as early as you can!

Tonight the Penguins take on another team that has been surging as of late – the Atlanta Thrashers. Yes, the Thrashers. Usually a laughing stock of the league, Atlanta has actually strung together a series of wins as of late as they roll into the Igloo. Pittsburgh needs yet another win tonight as they are in 5th place but only a handful of points separate them from the 9th seeded Panthers.

In their eight games in March the Penguins have recorded at least one point going 6-0-2 since the month started and they have needed every one of those points to stay in the playoff race.