The Pittsburgh Penguins have done it again. Lord Stanley is returning to the ‘Burgh.
Pittsburgh Penguins fans swarmed a sold-out PPG Paints Arena Sunday night for the second watch party hosted by the arena. Similar to last year, Penguins fans gathered to watch game six of the Stanley Cup finals on the jumbotron.
Other fans who were unable to get inside the arena packed together in front of the big screen in a parking lot outside of the arena.
The energy in the city was eccentric. A sea of black and yellow made its way to PPG Paints Arena and the big screen. In fact, it seemed that there could have been a home game with the number of Penguin apparel clad fans.
The game was intense and nerve racking for fans on both ends of the spectrum. Both teams were scoreless until roughly one minute and 30 seconds remaining in regulation time. Pittsburgh Penguin, Patric Hornqvist deflected the puck off Nashville Predator goaltender Pekka Rinne to score the glorious goal.
The last minute of play was fast paced, as the Predators frantically tried to put the puck in the Pens’ net. Their last efforts were not successful, and as their goalie was pulled, Penguin player Carl Hagelin scored an empty net goal with 13.6 seconds left in the game to solidify the victory.
The final score was 2-0, giving Penguins goaltender Matt Murray his third shutout of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Penguins their second consecutive Stanley Cup Championship.
The aftermath of the championship has left the Burgh in a state of absolute pride for their hockey team. It’s all the city can talk about. The team faced countless injuries and set backs, but through solidarity and hard work, the team was able to bring to the Cup back to the Burgh.
Pittsburgh has a way of coming together to support their sport teams something that is clearly evident in the Penguins Stanley Cup Victory Parade, as an estimated 650,000 Pens fans came to show their support at the parade.
The Pittsburgh Pens rode through the streets of Pittsburgh in trucks as screaming fans lined the sidewalks and roads. The players got down from the cars to meet fans and sign autographs. The Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby even carried the Cup around for fans to touch and kiss Lord Stanley. The parade concluded in Pittsburgh’s Point State Park, where players, coaches and manages gave their remarks on the championship and the city’s support.
It’s safe to say that every sport team would be incredibly lucky to have as loyal of a fan base as Pittsburgh. And to borrow words from Justin Timberlake, we’re bringing Stanley back, yeah!
