The energy outside the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh on Thursday night was awesome, judging by the TV shots. Before and after Game 5 between the Penguins and visiting San Jose, longtime NHL media members said it was the biggest outdoor hockey gathering of its kind. There were an estimated 20,000 people outside the arena, which had a franchise-record 18,608 inside its walls.
Pittsburgh fans surrounding what I think is the NHL’s best venue were poised to celebrate the city’s first major-league world championship victory at home in 56 years — since the Pirates prevailed 10-9 over the New York Yankees thanks to Bill Mazeroski’s Game 7 ninth-inning home run. The Steelers won six Super Bowls at neutral sites and the Pirates won the 1971 and 1979 World Series in Baltimore. The Penguins’ three previous Stanley Cups were won in Bloomington, Minn., against the North Stars in 1991; in Chicago in 1992; and in Detroit in 2009.
Eleven major-league championships since Mazeroski’s home run in 1960, but none captured in the Steel City.
You didn’t need to have been in Pittsburgh to appreciate the size of the gathering and the passion of the fans outside the arena, a gathering that slowly dispersed after San Jose’s late empty-net goal in a 4-2 win. Based solely on the fact that I don’t want to see the hockey season end, I wanted to San Jose to win, and because I’d love to see a Game 7 in a similar environment in Pittsburgh.
Game 6 is Sunday at San Jose, and if the Sharks win another massive party will be prepared Wednesday in Pittsburgh.
The Steel City suits me. And I can see why it was recently ranked No. 3 among American’s best hockey cities by WalletHub, which ranked 72 of the largest cities using 17 key metrics — including stadium capacity, ticket prices and team performance. The survey was broken out to a city’s NHL team and its nearby college hockey teams. Pittsburgh’s NHL rank was No. 2 and the city’s rating slipped to No. 3 overall because its best college teams are outside the city.
WalletHub’s overall rankings had Detroit No. 1, followed by Boston, Pittsburgh, New York, Chicago and Denver. Yes, the Mile High City was sixth — a lofty number given the fact that the Avalanche has advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs just three times in the past decade.
In comparison, Detroit and Pittsburgh have advanced to the playoffs in each of the last 10 years, Boston seven-of-10, Chicago eight-of-10 and in New York the Rangers are nine-of-10 and the Islanders four-of-10. More than a handful of other teams have made the playoffs more times than the Avalanche in the last 10 years. So, why are the Avs ranked ahead of them?
Denver’s college hockey is rock solid and the city’s potential for a Pittsburgh-size Stanley Cup party is excellent, should the Avs make it back.
Updated June 12, 2016 at 12:07 p.m. The following corrected information has been added to this article: Because of a reporting error, this story has been updated to reflect that Pittsburgh won the Cup in 1991.
