OT: Great moments/players you have seen in your lifetime

[Whale Mingo]

Another thread got me thinking how fortunate I have been to see some of the greatest players/teams/moments in Pittsburgh sports. What are some of your favorite memories from Pittsburgh Sports (or otherwise) that you will always be grateful you got to see live?

For me:

Clemente play.
The Steel Curtain Defense.
Mario v Gretzky.
Mario at all.
The Pens win the Cup in Detroit (pre internet it was much thought to get to away games so I saw the 91 and 92 wins on TV, which was still pretty awesome).
Polamalu's interception in the 2009 AFC Championship game.

What have you seen that you are grateful you got to be there for?

Click to read more...

 

[Zen Arcade]

Hans Jonsson's first career goal, jealous?

 

[Kristopher Letang]

Crosby's comeback vs Islanders has to be there, I think it's still an underrated moment in Pens/Pittsburgh Sports history because he's still an active player, but when he's going to retire I'm pretty sure everyone is going to talk about that story. That moment was magic when he scored on his first shot and finished the game with 4 points? What a statement ! I don't think we'll ever experience that atmosphere again in the CEC.
I still get chills watching this video


EDIT: Didn't know it was moment we already experienced LOL, but well I wish I was there I guess.

 

[Whale Mingo]

EDIT: Didn't know it was moment we already experienced LOL, but well I wish I was there I guess.

I wish I could have been there for that one as well.

Edit: I also didn't want to spend the money to go to the SuperBowl, but was offered the opportunity to buy tickets to the game Holmes caught the pass in the corner of the end zone. The seats were about 15 rows up directly beside where he caught that pass. I probably should have went.

 

[td_ice]

Off the top of my head .....memorable events I saw live. (I will keep it to Penguins moments only)

'82 civic arena......pens playing Stanley cup champs of the previous two seasons the islanders in the playoffs. (Best of 5) Pens got embarrassed first two games in New York. Pens owner Eddie Debartolo Sr. issues an apology to Pens fans and offers a refund to anyone that had bought tickets. Well Pens fans took offensive to that and showed up in full voice and gave the team a long standing ovation that began before the team came out the ice for the start of the game. Crazy, crazy loud. Goose bump loud. It was a crazy atmosphere. Nothing like the sterile corporate environment of today's game. Pens fans willed the team to victory, Rick Kehoe scoring an OT winner. Pens won the next game as well. Forcing a game 5 on long island. iirc, that game went to ot, and Jon Tonelli scored for the isles.

'88 mario scores 5 different ways.

Sid gets point 100 in rookie season. Place went nuts.

Forget the year, Pens playing the Flyers and Philly gets a 5 minute PP.....fans were livid. And they cheered every moment of it, and I don't think the Flyers managed a shot on goal.

Tons more, just some quick memories from attending live that stood out. Might add more later.


EDIT: Geno's signature goal vs. Brodeur. I was sitting right behind the net, maybe about 15-20 rows back, on that one. Had an incredible view of that remarkable goal.

 

[wheelz87]

-Sid's rookie year, saw him get point 100. The ovation was.. something else.
-Geno's first ever goal.
-Lemieux's second game back.
-Game 3 vs Detroit 09. What a game, Gonchar's point shot was right in front of me.

 

[Coach Travis]

I haven't been to a lot of NHL games but this is the highlight of them all for me:



I remember watching Crosby's penalty ticking down, the puck was being fought over on the boards and I kept looking up at the clock and looking down at the play just HOPING the Pens could work the puck out just as Sid would step out and like clockwork it all came together. It was perfect! Such an awesome moment to be there live for.

 

[ColePens]

- Mario's first game back, even though I was younger at the time and didn't really take it all in.
- Cutch's 3 hr game
- Like you said... pretty much any Mario game was worth the price of admission.
- MNF Game where Steelers looked like garbage in the first half against Baltimore, get booed off the field, Renegade plays in the 3rd quarter, we win.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

- Sidney Crosby scoring 2 goals in game 3 against Ottawa (in Ottawa) in 2010. He signed my jersey before the game and scored twice

- My one and only trip to Pittsburgh in 2011: The Pens lost 3-0 to the Habs, but I got to go to CEC

- Alex Rodriguez's 2000th hit. I was in Toronto for that one.

- Marco Di Vaio's first goal with the Montreal Impact.

- Champions League final in Montreal; Impact vs Club America.

- Quebec Nordiques last regular season home game in 1995 (against Hartford).

 

[ColePens]

- Sidney Crosby scoring 2 goals in game 3 against Ottawa (in Ottawa) in 2010. He signed my jersey before the game and scored twice

- My one and only trip to Pittsburgh in 2011: The Pens lost 3-0 to the Habs, but I got to go to CEC

- Alex Rodriguez's 2000th hit. I was in Toronto for that one.

- Marco Di Vaio's first goal with the Montreal Impact.

- Champions League final in Montreal; Impact vs Club America.

- Quebec Nordiques last regular season home game in 1995 (against Hartford).

That's a pretty damn cool one.

I guess I can say I was at the last game at Mellon and first game at Consol. It's been a thing w/ my mother and I. We go to every last game and first game together each season. I still have the little ticket metal things they gave out.

 

[ILikeTurtles]

Game 5 of the 2008 Cup Finals. Never thought it would be a triple OT game but what a blast. Met Talbot in the elevator of the hotel before the game, we talked the whole ride down and told him we just drove in from Pittsburgh to watch them kick *** that night. He said he better hear us cheering, and I'm sure they did because Detroit fans from the opposite side of the building heard us.

 

[Ziggyjoe21]

Sid's 100th point as a rookie. This is the only milestone I've seen live. But 17k+ people cheering on his milestone for him was a great experience. I still remember Sid's pass to Malone in the slot for the goal (iirc).

I also saw Jagr, Lemieux, Geno, Polamalu, Roethlisberger play live. No milestones but fun memories for life.

I know we're all biased here, but neither Sid or Geno are in the same class as Jagr in his prime. He was something else.

Pgh sports fans are spoiled with superstars.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

That's a pretty damn cool one.

I guess I can say I was at the last game at Mellon and first game at Consol. It's been a thing w/ my mother and I. We go to every last game and first game together each season. I still have the little ticket metal things they gave out.

Sharing those moments with our parents is soooooooooooo cool. My dad brought me to so many Expos/Nordiques games when I was a kid - we still go to junior games in Victoriaville when I visit him or to independant baseball in Trois-Rivieres or Quebec, I hope to bring him to a Montreal Impact game someday. The last time we went to an NHL game together was when Geno scored in OT to beat the Habs in 2008 (Sid got hurt the DAY before, but Geno sure saved my evening). When Geno took a penalty, I told my dad "Geno will score as soon as he exits the box" and he sure did The old man has been an Habs fan since the Nords left (we are a weird family. I am a Pens fan, my sis is a Sens fan and my dad roots for the Habs. My mom was a Bruins fan growing up to piss off her dad, that and she wanted to do dirty things to Bobby Orr haha) , so it was even sweeter.

My dad brought me to that Nordiques game and if they ever come back, I am bringing him to the first game back, no matter the cost. Full circle

Speaking of family moments:

- Many Sens/Pens game in Ottawa with my sister. We even went to Sens/Oilers (I am a huge Eberle fan) once, just because.
- Habs/Bruins games 3 and 6 in Montreal with my sister in 2011. Neither of us care about those two teams, but the chance to go to playoff games at the Bell Centre, I mean, come on!

Poor sister, growing up with a sports junky big brother. I made her a dude

 

[StaalForOne]

Haven't seen a ton of huge moments live, but heres a few decent ones.

Letang OT winner vs Ottawa Game 2 2010 was the biggest for me.

Also saw
Marleau's 1,000 GP in Phoenix
Chris Tanev's first game (First RIT product to make it to the show) in Denver
Iginla's first game as a Pen which was cool because no one thought he would play that soon so we weren't expecting it
Straka hat trick (in Lemieux's return year)
faux hat trick from Sid (2 in the game, and the shootout winner)

 

[Wes C Addle]

One of the more strange/unusual Penguin moments I've witnessed in person. Never personally saw the crowd or Mario, as pissed off as they were that night. If it wasn't for Ronnie Franchise, Fraser may have been eating through a tube the rest of that season. Will never forget that one.

 

[Zen Arcade]

Lemieux's comeback game was probably the biggest one I saw in person.

It was a total fluke too, it was a family tradition to go to a game around Christmas every year, my parents bought the tickets before the season started and it just happened to be that game.

 

[Penguinator]

Lemieux's comeback game was probably the biggest one I saw in person.

It was a total fluke too, it was a family tradition to go to a game around Christmas every year, my parents bought the tickets before the season started and it just happened to be that game.

Wow! What a great Christmas gift. Santa sure backed you on that one!

 

[Penguinator]

One of the more strange/unusual Penguin moments I've witnessed in person. Never personally saw the crowd or Mario, as pissed off as they were that night. If it wasn't for Ronnie Franchise, Fraser may have been eating through a tube the rest of that season. Will never forget that one.

I wonder if Mario will ever tell (autobiography?) what Fraser said to him when he trolled #66 while he was in the penalty box?

Very unusual behaviour for a ref!

Weird seeing Mario lose it too...

 

[Son Goku]

Honestly when Lemieux was on the RW and he passed it to Sid and he scored I honestly feel like that was the passing of the torch.

 

[Son Goku]

Sid's 100th point as a rookie. This is the only milestone I've seen live. But 17k+ people cheering on his milestone for him was a great experience. I still remember Sid's pass to Malone in the slot for the goal (iirc).

I also saw Jagr, Lemieux, Geno, Polamalu, Roethlisberger play live. No milestones but fun memories for life.

I know we're all biased here, but neither Sid or Geno are in the same class as Jagr in his prime. He was something else.

Pgh sports fans are spoiled with superstars.

Eh, I feel like Malkin has "amazed" me more than Jagr has as far as individual goals.

 

[AjaxTelamon]

Lemieux's comeback game was probably the biggest one I saw in person.

It was a total fluke too, it was a family tradition to go to a game around Christmas every year, my parents bought the tickets before the season started and it just happened to be that game.

Same here, my buddies and I just happened to have tickets for that game bought way in advance since everyone would be home around Christmas. I've never heard the arena that loud.

I just remember Lemieux leaning on his stick laughing with Jaromir waiting for them to review that 1st shift goal by Jagr.

 

[Ally22]

My first ever NHL game, Olli Maatta scored his first NHL goal Not much but it was awesome

 

[Ozz]

Seen live?

I'll probably never beat these:


2008 SCF game 5 in DET, where the Pens extended the series by winning in 3OT: the atmosphere in there, even from the bulk of the 3rd period, was purely insane. The entire game was like that, but it was unlike anything I've seen at that point.

2009 SCF game 6 in PIT, where the Pens again extended the series this time to game 7 in DET. Staal's game-changing shorty and Fleury's game were top-notch.

2009 SCF game 7 in DET (insert obvious comments here). I was too nervous to get engulfed into the excitement as I did in 08's 3OT game. That one was just beyond belief. This one was purely nerve-wracking once the time started winding down and it was so close. When it was over I almost couldn't believe it for a minute or two. I definitely didn't get lost in the excitement, what with taking it all in and being sure not to turn to my Wings fan wife and rub it in her face

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I saw Al Green live a few years ago. He's about the biggest player around.

 

[Freeptop]

In person:
2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Game 1. Gary Roberts gets sent back to his cage when he tries to take on the entire Senators team himself.
2008 Stanley Cup Final Game 4. "The Shift" game.
2009 Stanley Cup Final Game 6. I don't think I need to explain this one.
2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Game 2. I was in F Balcony front row above the offensive zone, so I was able to look directly down as Crosby spun Spezza in circles behind the net

I was too much of a nerd to get into hockey back during the prime Mario/Jagr years, unfortunately. By the time I got into hockey, I was living in Silicon Valley, and trying to listen to internet streams of radio broadcasts of games during the dark years of the X Generation while at work. I came back to Pittsburgh just in time for Malkin's rookie year. Not bad timing, I suppose!