Greiss: Pens arena ‘pretty dead’

[madinsomniac]

Id be fine with the NHL adding two games to the season and making them both Adults only R rated nights, when the family atmosphere is out the door. No one under the age of 18 can get in... let the crowd get rowdy. Also, there should be a dress code of jeans and a sweatshirt or jersey... a pen's tshirt would also be allowed... swearing at the opposition is manditory...lol

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Id be fine with the NHL adding two games to the season and making them both Adults only R rated nights, when the family atmosphere is out the door. No one under the age of 18 can get in... let the crowd get rowdy. Also, there should be a dress code of jeans and a sweatshirt or jersey... a pen's tshirt would also be allowed... swearing at the opposition is manditory...lol

I don't understand the idea that being loud and obnoxious is tantamount to being a true fan.

I hate when I spend money to go to a game and I have to hear the loud, drunk schmuck screaming his ass off after every single action on the ice.

 

[The Benchwarmer]

I've come over from the UK to see a couple of dozen games over the years, both as Mellon and Consul and I've always thought the arena was quiet.

I've always wondered why the team doesn't salute the fans at the end of the game like the Rags do, y'know to say thanks for the support and perhaps stop the fans from sitting on their hands as much as they do.

 

[mynameisnick4]

The mass exoduses before the end of the games seem to be getting worse and worse. The amount of people that left last night with 5-6 minutes left was pretty bad. I'm not going to lie, I have left games early but only during blow outs. I am talking like 4+ goal differential with less than 4 minutes to go. But that amount of people that left during a 1 goal game last night was ridiculous.

I knew the Pens had next to no chance of tying it up but I'm never going to leave a 1 goal game early. This is worse in the lower bowl than it is in the upper bowl.

 

[Shwag33]

Was he talking about the fans or the players in the arena?

 

[Beau Knows]

The mass exoduses before the end of the games seem to be getting worse and worse. The amount of people that left last night with 5-6 minutes left was pretty bad. I'm not going to lie, I have left games early but only during blow outs. I am talking like 4+ goal differential with less than 4 minutes to go. But that amount of people that left during a 1 goal game last night was ridiculous.

I knew the Pens had next to no chance of tying it up but I'm never going to leave a 1 goal game early. This is worse in the lower bowl than it is in the upper bowl.

Yeah, I'll never understand that. 1 goal game and you leave with plenty of time for the game to be tied up (and maybe go to an exciting 3 on 3 OT). Might as well have not shown up at all, I guess it's kind of like a micro version of Toronto now where going to the games is as much of a status symbol as it is as a form of entertainment for some people.

 

[meangene]

He's not wrong. Comes down to family atmosphere they promote becuase that is their target audience. A family of 5 is going to shell out more money on concession and survivors than a group of college kids that just spent their last $5 on the case of Natty they drank in the parking lot.

I've noticed this alot. Went to Pens/Flyers at Consol two years ago and there were three Flyers fans sitting in front of me all with custom-made authentic Flyers jerseys, with nameplates that read CROSBY SUCKS, MALKIN BLOWS, and NEAL SWALLOWS on the back. Some ushers came down and said they either had to take them off or turn them inside out, and muttered something about how "we don't do that here."

I do think the jerseys were over the line, but it was the reaction by everyone around them that caught my attention. However I don't think promoting an increasingly more family-friendly atmosphere at games in unique to Pittsburgh.

 

[Beauner]

Next game you attend just count how many "suits" you see in your section. Since Consol opened it seems like Pen games are more like corporate outings or business functions, than they are sporting events.

I was at the preseason game against Detroit. There were 4 guys in suits that sat down across the aisle from me with 8 minutes left in the first, and proceeded to stay there, silent, for the rest of the game. Outside of some very light conversation, they just kind of sat there and messed around on their phones.

It killed me seeing that when I have countless friends that would've been ecstatic to go to the game, even though it was preseason. The notion of the ticket becoming a status symbol is so true.

 

[billybudd]

He's not wrong. Comes down to family atmosphere they promote becuase that is their target audience. A family of 5 is going to shell out more money on concession and survivors than a group of college kids that just spent their last $5 on the case of Natty they drank in the parking lot.

College kids, maybe. But before that, there used to be a lot of union worker types that bought at least 10 $8 beers every game. I think I've only seen one of those sorts ever at a Consol game, and the usher told him to shut his mouth after the second thing he yelled at a player on the other team. Then again, maybe hot dogs cost as much as beer now, I don't know.

 

[Freeptop]

I sit in row G in the balcony and it's an issue. Basically if the person in front of me is a leaner, is tall, or wears a hat I don't get to see the entire circle that's in my corner.

I'm in row N, and in the corner. No clue if that makes a difference, but I do know I love the sight-lines from there.

Granted, I'm also pretty tall, so that just might play a factor as well...

 

[Fordy]

i would never spend money on a ticket and leave a second early

ushers telling people to be quiet? jesus christ

 

[DanielPlainview]

Honestly, I think people leave early because driving in a jammed downtown Pittsburgh is one of the worst experiences any driver can have.

 

[Zen Arcade]

I've noticed this alot. Went to Pens/Flyers at Consol two years ago and there were three Flyers fans sitting in front of me all with custom-made authentic Flyers jerseys, with nameplates that read CROSBY SUCKS, MALKIN BLOWS, and NEAL SWALLOWS on the back. Some ushers came down and said they either had to take them off or turn them inside out, and muttered something about how "we don't do that here."

I do think the jerseys were over the line, but it was the reaction by everyone around them that caught my attention. However I don't think promoting an increasingly more family-friendly atmosphere at games in unique to Pittsburgh.

Man, what a waste of money for those jerseys.

 

[Shwag33]

Honestly, I think people leave early because driving in a jammed downtown Pittsburgh is one of the worst experiences any driver can have.

It's much better than a lot of cities. I stay to the end everytime, i'm across a bridge within 15 min from the time I get to my car.

 

[mynameisnick4]

Honestly, I think people leave early because driving in a jammed downtown Pittsburgh is one of the worst experiences any driver can have.

It's only bad if you are crazy enough to park in the lots/garages directly around the arena. If you park further into town not only are the garages $5, it's a lot easier to get in and out of town.

I park at the first avenue garage which gives you quick outs to any direction out of town. When I lived in the north hills I could get back on 279 from that garage in 5-10 mins max. I now live in the south hills which is an even quicker exit from that garage. The walk to the garage isn't bad but its even less if you just take the T from steel plaza down to first avenue which connects directly to the garage.

 

[DanielPlainview]

It's much better than a lot of cities. I stay to the end everytime, i'm across a bridge within 15 min from the time I get to my car.

From my experience, getting out of Pittsburgh if you leave with the crowd takes significantly longer than any other city in the region. If you already know how to navigate downtown or have a convenient exit, then it might be easier, but for a lot of out-of-towners, it's somewhere between their worse driving nightmare and Michael Douglas in Falling Down.

The reputation of being one of worst places in America to drive is well earned.

 

[DanielPlainview]

It's only bad if you are crazy enough to park in the lots/garages directly around the arena. If you park further into town not only are the garages $5, it's a lot easier to get in and out of town.

I park at the first avenue garage which gives you quick outs to any direction out of town. When I lived in the north hills I could get back on 279 from that garage in 5-10 mins max. I now live in the south hills which is an even quicker exit from that garage. The walk to the garage isn't bad but its even less if you just take the T from steel plaza down to first avenue which connects directly to the garage.

Most places downtown, regardless of location, take awhile to get out of. That's why people leave early from Pens games more so than the North Shore stadiums.

 

[Winger for Hire]

The reputation of being one of worst places in America to drive is well earned.

I think that's more due to the random and nonsensical One Way Roads.

The only route that's really hellish to drive after a game is anyone that takes you straight through the heart of downtown on Grant St, Liberty Ave or Smithfield St.

 

[Rich Nixon]

In my professional opinion as a Flyers fan, longtime Pittsburgh resident, and decently well travelled hockey fan, it's unfortunate.

The ticket prices suck, but the Flyers had comparable ticket prices up until the rough patch they hit recently. The Wellschoviastatesunion Center is 15 years older and a bit more compact in construction, but the fanbase, wealthy or not, buys into the reputation. It's more "family-friendly" than its early years and certainly the Spectrum, but it's not even close to a tame atmosphere. With the dark red seats and the low lighting and the shocks of orange all over, it creates some of its own imposing atmosphere, and the drunk unrulies finish the job.

The consol, on the other hand, has beautiful sitelines and is bright and full of light colors. It feels more laboratory than coliseum, really, and that's a bad starting point. The fans also seem unsure how to act. I honestly think it's a lack of knowledge of the game. Obviously there's tons of tuned-in old school hockey fans at the CEC, but there are just as many, if not more, brand new fans who bought a shirt in 2009 and learned a few names the next season.

It isn't so much yelling and cheering, it's breathing the game and reacting to it. The most astounding thing about seeing a game in Montreal is realizing there's 20,000+ fans as knowledgeable and understanding as you, tensing up and sighing relief in unison. Of course they cheer way loud and chant some stuff (Olè is stupid) but moreso than that, they're groaning collectively at offside calls and "Ah-ha"ing at the same time when a player makes a nifty, unexpected pass. That's a good hockey crowd. Philadelphia has a lot of that and also a whole lot of vulgar screaming, Nashville, believe it or not, has a lot of that collective pulse, and the games I saw at the Igloo were good for it.

Consol will get better as these newer attendees begin to get a more natural feel for the game, but Greiss is right-it's bizarrely stale in that room. A combination of the crowd and the space. Drop the lights a notch or two, throw some darker shades in there, switch back to that classic yellow and get that color buzzing in the room. It'll come along, and in 35 years our children will be complaining that the new PNCGoogleDome just doesn't have that great atmosphere of the old Coal Hole.

 

[cassius]

The analysis is pretty simple.

When ticket prices doubled from Mellon to Consol - the fans actually attending the games shifted from diehards to corporate suits and sales guys. Or just upper middle class people in general.

Can't expect a racous atmosphere when the entire arena is filled with affluent and corporate types

 

[End of Line]

When the Pens come to town here in Columbus, when the crowd is 65/35 Pens fans, the 35% Pens are louder than CEC. Tickets here are cheaper without a doubt, I was able to get two seats 8 rows from the ice for under 250. Seeing the empty seats is very disappointing bc I could never leave a game early unless it was due to an emergency. I work hard for my money and leaving early would be a waste of money to me.

 

[Dick Sledge]

I was at the game last night. Paid over 100 per ticket for 223. That's not something I'm going to do often. Maybe once every other month unless I find cheaper. There's also no pulse for the game as some put it because at times our team didn't give us any. When there were points in the game to respectively ooh and aah at the correct times and most I've heard did that. When we were buzzing (rarely) it definitely got progressively louder. When we scored it was also pretty loud.

Everyone did start to leave around 4 or so minutes left in the game which is the main thing I found ridiculous.

 

[NewAgeOutlaw]

I will say I was disappointed when I went to a game during the Pens-Islanders playoff series in 2013 and people stared at me when I tried to start a "Nabby" chant after one of the Pens' goals. It was like they were offended that I was not treating a playoff hockey game like a trip to the library.

 

[cygnus47]

To be fair, the Pens have also not been an entertaining team for the majority of the last 2-3 years. There were two stretches: October 2014 (with the 40% PP) and November-December 2013 (when the young kids and Maatta and Despres etc were shocking teams - Orpik and Sucderi not playing) and outside of that the hockey has been bad, playoffs included.

I'm significantly less interested purely due to play and I'm on the other side of the world. I couldn't care less about the image around Pittsburgh because I don't see it - yet I'm feeling the same about the team as the crowd, tepid. Do they have deserve a raucous crowd just because they have some (now not-so-) recent success, star players and can manufacture a sellout?

If the Pens were playing good hockey, winning games and were still not generating excitement at games I'd be more concerned. The disconnect is that it feels like we SHOULD be an elite team, but we're actually not and haven't been for a while.

 

[SirBrad]

The Consol crowd creates a pitiful atmosphere. I don't even think half the people there are true hockey fans and will be done as soon as the Crosby era comes to an end and/or the Pens miss the playoffs.

What a shame. The ticket prices are ridiculous. This is the third year I got online when tix went on sale, added them to my cart and was so turned off from the price I didn't buy them. And let's be real, I have lived in NJ for seven years now so sticker shock is rare these days.

I got a Pens text alerting me to seats avaialble for as much as 50% off for tomorrow nights game. I know it's a weeknight game and all, but the sellout streak is clearly in danger and will proabbly end this season unless they get so desperate to start giving more tickets away.

The team is boring and dull. And if they'r e trailing after 2 you're not into it because you know they have no comeback fight in them.

And then you have the built-in Pittsburgher in everyone that tells their brain they need to leave early to beat a crowd.