One Last Dance with the Old Lady

I wish it would have gone differently last night. I could have truly enjoyed my last event hosted by the old broad. Sadly, it was not meant to be. The last dance did not go as planned.

Still, I am glad to say I saw her one last time. Old lady Mellon has been showing her age for a long time, but there is no place like Mellon Arena in the NHL, and pretty soon there will be no Mellon Arena period.

In all my trips to the arena, I had never had the fortune, and the joy of sitting in the F Balcony where the Pens shoot twice. Despite last night’s outcome, I am sure glad that I had that opportunity. For all the hubbub about the new arena, I doubt that it, or any other hockey arena will be able to match the experience of watching a game from F section at the Mellon. I’ve often heard people say that in E and F sections you are right on top of the ice, but I was never able to picture it for myself. After last night, I now know what they were talking about, they could not have been more right. What an experience; what a great way to watch a hockey game!

I know things can’t last forever, and the old lady is tired and broken. This amazing team deserves a first class state of the art venue. I am glad they are getting that new facility. Still, I can’t help but feel a little sad. There was no NHL experience like the Mellon Arena. I don’t just mean the amazing views in the balcony seats, I mean the Standing Room Only, and the seats where there was a big chunk of concrete in your way. Those sections were ugly, but they were unique and they brought balance to the arena. You had the funky sight lines, but by the same token, in some sections you literally hovered over the ice, giving an unrivaled view of the action.

Unlike some others who cut their last visit to the old Igloo short last night once it became apparent the Pens were not going to pull it out, I stayed and walked around the seating bowl. I took some pictures and stopped to reminisce about my own personal experiences in this fine old arena.

I’ll always remember my first trip to the Igloo, as a “student rusher” with maybe about 4000 other people there (I missed Mario’s comeback by a few scant weeks). I’ll also never forget Ryan Malone’s wrap around goal during game two of the Senators series in 2008. It broke a 3-3 tie with under a minute to play and I remember thinking the roof was going to fly off as the place went absolutely NUTS!

Finally, I’ll always remember the Game 3 OT Goal by Letang to turn the series around against the Caps. I have never experienced a louder more intense crowd in any sport, at any venue than at that very moment. It was amazing and still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Even as your time grows near Lady Mellon, It’s hard to say goodbye. I’m not exactly sure how, suffice to say it’s been a wonderful ride, and thank you for all the memories.