In my iCalendar I have every 2005 – 2006 Penguin game we plan on attending scheduled. We have 11 games outright this year from our share of season tickets, and will probably attend a total of 13 games.
They have not been doing well this year. Skating and puck handling has been lackluster and goal tending has been abysmal. But they are my team, and I remain faithful and hope that they will resolve whatever issues plaguing them.
It is unfortunate then, that one of those issues is a lack of progress for a new arena. The Penguins lease on Mellon Arena expires in 2007. The Penguins reserve the right to solicit offers for a new franchise staring June 2006. Six months from now, the Penguins will most likely be looking for a new home. Kansas City and Houston are mentioned are prospective sites.
What is most sickening about this situation is that Mario Lemieux and the franchise have come up with a legitimate plan to fund the building of a new arena with minimal direct cost to the taxpayers. But their plan hinges on obtaining a slots license for downtown Pittsburgh, which the Pittsburgh Gaming Task Force has declined to endorse.
Hockey is important to me, for a myriad of complex and probably stupid reasons. It is a game that I understand. It is populated by what I believe are the best type of athletes, the thinking kind. I admire the enormous amount of skill and stamina that it takes to play sixty minutes. The sound of a skate on ice makes me giddy. I don't get the same feeling when watching the Steelers or the Pirates.
I count the fact that I can watch the Penguins as a major benefit of living in Pittsburgh. If the team goes, so will I.
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