If you have a sale...they will come.

[awaz]

the pens definitely have a massive fan base these days, all the credit in the world to them.. that 19.4 is ridiculous (same for buffalo, but they're always impressive in ratings regardless of who is playing).. but i dont think it will ever compare to the steelers.. keep in mind the steelers sucked this year, that'll help the pens numbers alls eason

 

[evolver115]

Great the Pens are doing so well, but I really don't think the Pens are anywhere near the Steelers. If you remember where attendance was a few years back and factor in they have 2 of the best 5 players all of hockey, it's tough to say that will sustain long term, and even harder to say it will move pass the country's #1 sport by a mile. You can go into a grocery store or a restaurant on any day of the year and see multiple people wearing Steelers' jerseys.

But I think it's fair to call Pittsburgh a "hockey town" and I don't think we have many of those in the U.S. - Detroit, Boston, Philly, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and New York is probably the whole list. So it's good for the sport and good for the Pens.

You can go into restaurants, grocery stores and bars year round in Pittsburgh and see hockey represented very, very well. And it's not just Pens gear.

Take it from someone who lives here; the game of hockey is thriving in this city. And believe it or not, it's not just centered around the NHL brand. Robert Morris University has a legit Division 1 college hockey team. High school aged kids, all the way down to pee wee aged munchkins are playing the game in numbers that have never been seen here, before. New rinks and Dek rinks are opening up yearly.

Sid and Geno can retire and be long gone and this city will still have a very deep passion for the game of hockey. If you equate selling out an 18,000 seat arena for an NHL game as a barometer of the popularity of the game, I think that is a very misleading tell for what people think about hockey. It has a very broad appeal here that goes deeper than the NHL, and it won't be going anywhere.

 

[pixburgher66]

Sorry pix but we just eked you out.

Sabres rating numbers for opener in..


Sabres Opener Sets Viewership Records


Buffalo, NY (WBEN) With the exception of the 2008 Winter Classic, the Sabres' opener against Philadelphia set a ratings record for a regular season game.

Sunday's NBC telecast drew a 20.1 rating, which means 1 in 5 homes with TVs were tuned to the game. The 34 share means 1 in 3 homes watching TV at the time watched the Sabres defeat the Flyers.

Doesn't surprise me at all. Pittsburgh and Buffalo are very similar cities, but hockey has been a part of Buffalo's landscape a bit longer. Hockey didn't *really* exist in Pittsburgh until 1984.

 

[pixburgher66]

the pens definitely have a massive fan base these days, all the credit in the world to them.. that 19.4 is ridiculous (same for buffalo, but they're always impressive in ratings regardless of who is playing).. but i dont think it will ever compare to the steelers.. keep in mind the steelers sucked this year, that'll help the pens numbers alls eason

There's still a pretty big gap...there really is, but it's closed quite a bit in the past few years. Winning does help quite a bit, no doubt. The Steelers may be on the down side while the Pens are on the up. I think a good example is this: Steelers are international. Probably the biggest following outside of their city (that could be debated). The Pens don't have that international following, or non-local following, that the Steelers do...but in the Pittsburgh area, they're a very close second.

 

[SFNL]

I got my vintage Ulf #5 jersey with the fight straps... That all I need.

 

[pixburgher66]

I would've headed down if I were home. Really feelin' a Sutter jersey.

 

[forty_three]

I read an article a few years ago that predicted, based on the growing participation in youth hockey coupled with the declining participation in youth football in the Pittsburgh area, in a generation or two, the Pens would over take the Steelers as the top team in Pittsburgh. Not sure if I believe that or not, but the Pens and hockey in general have definitley grown big time there.

I can say as a neighboring state that frequently has to face tournament teams from the Pittsburgh area, that they usually bring a large number of teams and the kids are very, very good. Parents are obnoxious as shit, though.

I've seen some real solid college players from there too.

I would've headed down if I were home. Really feelin' a Sutter jersey.

Would have been a prime time to get closer to completing the Ron Tugnutt collection.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

You can go into restaurants, grocery stores and bars year round in Pittsburgh and see hockey represented very, very well. And it's not just Pens gear.

Take it from someone who lives here; the game of hockey is thriving in this city. And believe it or not, it's not just centered around the NHL brand. Robert Morris University has a legit Division 1 college hockey team. High school aged kids, all the way down to pee wee aged munchkins are playing the game in numbers that have never been seen here, before. New rinks and Dek rinks are opening up yearly.

Sid and Geno can retire and be long gone and this city will still have a very deep passion for the game of hockey. If you equate selling out an 18,000 seat arena for an NHL game as a barometer of the popularity of the game, I think that is a very misleading tell for what people think about hockey. It has a very broad appeal here that goes deeper than the NHL, and it won't be going anywhere.

Eddie O's kid plays at Penn St. Pegula, the owner of the Sabres donated a ton of money for their arena. Hockey is definately thriving in the state of Pennsylvania.

 

[pixburgher66]

Eddie O's kid plays at Penn St. Pegula, the owner of the Sabres donated a ton of money for their arena. Hockey is definately thriving in the state of Pennsylvania.

I wondered about that...I assumed Eddie O lived in Chicago. I suppose his son's childhood was in WPa seeing as he was with the Pens in some capacity for awhile.