Our Past Time

I had some trouble thinking of a topic for this last passion blog, because I want to make sure that it’s something that I really care about. While looking at the things that I’ve already talked about, there was one portion that I had mentioned but not really expanded on: my love of attending sporting events. Whether its my twelve-year-old brother’s baseball games, Penn State football, or Penguins hockey, there’s newfound joy that fills my heart. Attending games gives me a unique feeling that nothing else can.

 

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I’ve spent a couple of days trying to figure out which games are my favorite, which hasn’t been the easiest of tasks. I love the energy of football games; there’s nothing quite like the atmosphere that the crowd brings on a late game third down stand. Hockey games would have to surpass football games purely because my love of the sport. The intensity and emotion that hockey games administer, especially in the playoffs, is what makes the sport so amazing. However, one thing that hockey and football have in common for me is that I can sit down and watch nothing but both sports all day. For the longest time, I was deciding between these two sports, and not even considering my third option.

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America’s past time, the greatest show on dirt, home of some of the most legendary athletes to walk the earth; baseball is perhaps one of the most underrated sports in the modern era. Thirty years ago it was the most popular sport, and sixty years ago baseball made all other sports irrelevant. I guess something about baseball just makes our generation uninterested. Most people say it’s because the games are too long and boring, but that’s what makes baseball so unique; you save your energy and emotion until that key moment in the bottom of the ninth inning. Nothing can compare to a walk-off homerun, or a perfect game by a pitcher.

 

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While hockey and football are exciting, they’re also very stressful. Baseball allows you to relax and enjoy the game, while still leaving room for mass excitement. Attending a baseball game might not be the most exciting, but everyone can agree that going to baseball games are a great time. It’s one of the only sporting events you can attend where you can leave the game happy whether your team won or lost, just because you had a good time. I can say from experience that I’ve had the most fun at Orioles games in Camden yards with my friends, and Pirate games in PNC park with my family.

 

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It’s very hard to compare sporting events because each of them offer different elements. Baseball is hard to compare to hockey where the game is always in play, and to football where there’s massive hits and crowd eruptions every five minutes. But that’s what makes baseball so great; it’s gruesome or violent, but can be just as intense if you give it time. If only everybody could see it the baseball fans do.

The Frenchy

Though I might seem redundant to my readers, as I spit out Pittsburgh sports facts and trivia in all of my blogs, but I can’t step away from that path just yet. Another Pittsburgh sports icon that has tragically left the team but will forever remain in the hearts of Pittsburghers: Marc-andre Fleury. To his true home base, he is known by his last name in French, which translates to, “the flower”.

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The southpaw goaltender was drafted in the first round by the Penguins in 2003, and played fourteen sensational seasons with the Penguins, including three Stanley Cups in four Cup Final appearances. The Flower led the Penguins to the Cup Final in 2008, though it resulted in a very heart-shattering Game 7 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Nobody takes a loss more personally and to heart than Marc-Andre Fleury. The following season, Flower led his team back to the Cup Finals, where they would, again, meet the Red Wings. However, this time Fleury was able to lift his Penguins over the nemesis Red Wings, and earn his team their first Stanley Cup since 1994.

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The Penguins have ranked at either the top or near the top of their conference in every year since the 2008 season, which can be much credited to the shutdown play of Fleury. Despite injury and the NHL lock out, Fleury compiled six thirty-plus win seasons with the Penguins. The two-time allstar struggled with some psychological issues resulting in big playoff losses in the 2011 and 2012 seasons, and was even benched for most of the 2012-2013 playoffs.

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The Penguins have surfaced in the media lately as a possible contender for the “three-peat”. Fleury led the Penguins to a second place regular season finish in 2016, but got hurt right before the season ended, causing rookie Matt Murray to take the reigns, and eventually help his team win a third Stanley Cup. In 2017, Fleury split the season in net with Matt Murray. However, Murray got injured in warmups before Game 1 of their first playoff matchup, leading Fleury to lead his team to another Stanley Cup Final, and another Stanley Cup.

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Though the Penguins have won the last two Stanley Cups, they’re going to have to finish this year without the help of Fleury. Unfortunately, the French Canadian netminder was traded to the Las Vegas Golden Nights, where he is currently excelling as one of the leagues best goalies on one of the leagues best teams. I think the loss of Fleury is one of the most heartbreaking moments in Pittsburgh sports history. The Flower was always fooling around, playing pranks, messing with his teammates, dancing during warmups, but perhaps what he’ll be remembered for most is his interaction with fans. He was extremely nice, generous, and outgoing towards the people of Pittsburgh, who have created a home for him over the past seventeen years.

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The action of Marc-Andre Fleury will never be forgotten in Pittsburgh. Sixteen winning seasons, twelve consecutive playoff appearances, four Stanley Cup Final appearances, three Stanley Cups, and a lot of great memories. Marc-Andre Fleury is so much more than a goalie to the Pittsburgh faithful.

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Heroes

 

 

In my most recent blogs I’ve mainly been focusing on Pittsburgh’s sports teams and their fans, but for this blog I’d like to talk more about the current heroes of Pittsburgh sports. There are many athletes that have come through Pittsburgh over the years, many of which have retired in Pittsburgh, such as Mario Lemieux of the Penguins, Jack Lambert, Terry Bradshaw and Jerome Bettis of the Steelers, and Willie Stargell of the Pirates, but unfortunately many players are either traded or sign with other teams

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The Pirates just lost one of the most gifted athletes and greatest players in franchise history to a trade with the San Francisco Giants. Andrew McCutchen made his debut with the Pirates on June 4, 2009. Over his career in Pittsburgh, he was selected to five All-Star games and was elected the National League MVP in 2013. Over his nine year career, he has obtained a .291 career batting average, 1,463 hits, 203 home runs, 725 RBIs, and 171 stolen bases. While these stats might seem impressive, nothing is more astonishing than his play in center field. It seemed like every game McCutchen would make a new ESPN Top 10 play in center field, featuring him accelerating for considerable distances to make an unreal diving catch, and robbing the batter of a seemingly sure extra base hit.

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The Fort Meade product came to the Pirates when they were most dire. The Pirates hadn’t made the playoffs in over a decade and became the new record holder of the longest playoff drought in North American sports history. However, the play of the Pirates led by Andrew McCutchen ignited a last play team, propelling them into their first playoff birth in over twenty years. They finished 94-68 in 2013, awarding them second place in the division, and a wild card matchup with the Cincinnati Reds. That same year was the year in which McCutchen achieved NL MVP, a season which he batted .317, hit 21 home runs, knocked in 84 RBIs, and stole 28 bases. It is obvious that, without the help of their MVP, the Pirates would not have done nearly as well that season.

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The wild card game that featured the Pirates and the Reds saw a sell out crowd cloaked in black at PNC Park that helped lift the Pirates to a 5-2 victory. Though the Pirates would lose to the Cardinals in the final game of a five game series, they would make the playoffs two more seasons until the Pittsburgh organization decided to trade number twenty-two to the San Francisco Giants. I can attest to the pain and grief that would follow this trade. McCutchen was the reason I started following the Pirates heavily, even when they still had sub-par seasons. My father bought me his jersey, my mom bought me the number twenty-two to put on my necklace, and I watched every game I could to see my hero excel at the sport that is referred to as America’s past time. Andrew McCutchen… you will be missed.

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Why Pittsburgh?

Many people ask me why I like Pittsburgh so much when I’m from Baltimore, and I always respond by saying, “my dad is from Pittsburgh.” We visit Pittsburgh several times a year, always making sure to spend time with family while on our travels. But there’s one thing that is just as constant as visiting our family, and that’s going to games. It doesn’t matter whether we’re watching the Steelers at Heinz Field, the Pirates at PNC Park, or the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena, my father and I always make sure to plan our trips around one of the three teams.


My dad has been going to games for years, traveling all across the U.S. My dad, grandfather and uncle are always telling stories about road trips to Cleveland to watch the Steelers play the Browns, or trips to Washington D.C. to watch the Penguins play the Capitals. It wasn’t until four years ago when my dad finally took me to my first Ravens vs. Steelers games. The Ravens and Steelers have a history of loathsome hate towards one another, and it is especially evident in the fan bases. Games in Baltimore have a reputation for being quite rough and vulgar, which was probable cause for my dad not taking me to my first game until I was in high school and ready for the experience. Since then I’ve been to every game in Baltimore that hosted the Steelers, and I’ve loved every minute.


Another trip my father and I go on is one to Washington D.C. to watch the Penguins play the Capitals. Since the Capitals moved out of their old arena and into the Capital One Arena, games have declined in hateful passion, inclining my father to be willing to take me to games. Personally, I prefer attending hockey games more than football games purely due to the high speeds, intensity, and anticipation of a goal. However, any sporting event these days is expensive and I focus on being grateful that my father even considers taking me.


Being a Pittsburgh fan born and raised in Baltimore, I have had my fair share of screaming matches, heated debates, and near physical altercations. But such things have opened my eyes to the pleasure of standing out. I love wearing gold in a see of purple or red. I love walking through the corridors and up the stairs to my seats as people scowl and shout obscenities at me. Where my father and I lack in numbers, we make up in spirit, and that is something that we pride ourselves on as supporters of the Steel City, living in an unfriendly environment. Such circumstances help form bonds when meeting other undercover Pittsburgh supporters. Any Pittsburgh fan understands the connection you have when meeting a fellow Steelers fan in Cincinnati, or a Penguins fan in Philadelphia. We can carry on conversations for hours, and develop friendships that last a lifetime. That is what being a Pittsburgh fan is all about.

 

City of Champions

Few cities can truly admit to the connection that a sports team brings to the people of their city. One of those cities is Pittsburgh; whether it’s the Pirates defeating the Baltimore Orioles for World Series’ titles twice in the 70s, the Steelers owning six Super Bowl rings, or the Penguins winning back-to-back Stanley Cups twice in their history, a city like Pittsburgh is united through the hard work and intensity that its teams bring each year.

In 2015, the Pittsburgh Pirates finished the season with at 94-68, resting at second in their division. Not only is a ninety win season the benchmark of impressive, but it also marks the end of a North American sports record twenty consecutive season playoff drought. In an exciting Wild Card battle with the Cincinnati Reds, a black out crowd at PNC Park was able to lift the Pirates over the Reds by a score of 5-2. Though they would lose to the defending champions, the St. Louis Cardinals, in a five game series the following round, the Pirates would make the playoffs in each of the next two seasons. A city like Pittsburgh expects perfection by its teams each year, making the last twenty years very difficult for Pirates fans. However, this is all the more reason to credit the fans of Pittsburgh for never breaking their trust or loyalty in the Pirates.

Another trademark of Pittsburgh is perhaps the most storied and accomplished franchise in all of football: the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since the merging of the two main conferences in 1970, the Steelers have the most playoff appearances, the most division titles, and the most Super Bowls. Throughout the course of the 1970s, the Steelers won four Super Bowls. They didn’t win their fifth until defeating the Seattle Seahawks in 2006, and then finally took hold of the record with their sixth Super Bowl in a victory over the Arizona Cardinals in 2009. The Pittsburgh Steelers, owned by the Rooney family, represent what football is really about, and should be looked at as an example for all franchises. They are the heart and soul of the Steel City.

When the Pirates have a disappointing season and the Steelers get eliminated from playoff contention, Pittsburgh puts the remainder of their hope into their hockey team: the Pittsburgh Penguins. For years the Penguins were at the bottom of the league, missing the playoffs year after year. The franchise was on the verge of being sold and moved to another city, until a French Canadian prodigy made his debut in the old Civic Arena in 1984. Mario Lemieux single handedly saved the franchise by bringing, not only winning seasons, but two Stanley Cups to Pittsburgh. After retiring, he took command of ownership of the team, and brought a new youngster under his wing by the name of Sidney Crosby. Crosby is compared to the likes of Lemieux and Gretzky as one of the best to ever play the game (and he’s only 29). Since playing his first game at the young age of 18, Crosby has electrified the stat sheets and brought three more Stanley Cups to Pittsburgh.

Thanks to success of the Steelers, the leadership of Lemieux and Crosby, and the resilience of the Penguins, Pittsburgh has been rightly labelled the City of Champions.

The Beauty

The brutality that hockey administers is often associated with the machismo that many males claim to possess. However, hockey can be loved by both men and women, but it isn’t as popular in America as such stereotypes suggest. I don’t understand why; hockey is a fast paced, gruesome, and significantly brutal and fierce sport, with elements of finesse, extreme difficulty, and excitement. Its continuous rate of play leaves its viewers on the edge of their seats for sixty minutes, awaiting the long anticipated goal horn.

When a goal is scored, I find it hard for other sports to match the raw energy and exhilaration that follows. A flick of the stick, an explosion from an unleashed slapshot, a tic-tac-toe tap in, or a redirected puck ricocheting into the unknown, the puck meets the back of the net causing the lamp to light, the horn to sound, and the crowd to erupt in a roar after seemingly endless moments of silence. There is no other moment in sports like a goal being scored in hockey: when a player readies his shot, everyone in the arena holds their breath in eager anticipation, praying for the puck to either strike the net or get steered away by the goaltender, resulting in either a sigh of relief or a roar so loud it tests your capacity to maintain the ability to hear.

The sounds of hockey are of a unique nature that is like no other in sports. The piercing ping produced from a shot striking the post, the receipt of a pass onto the blade of a stick, the pure sound of razor sharp ice skates cutting across the ice, and the rattling of the boards following the high intensity collision of two players are just a few sounds that capture the beauty of hockey, and trap its fans in a resounding love of the sport.
I believe that true hockey fans possess a love of a sport that other sports fans lack. Hockey is different; the elements of excitement, intensity, difficulty, and sound that it possesses create a unique beauty that isolates it from other sports. Many people don’t understand this because they have never witnessed a hockey game in real life. When you go to a professional hockey game, it is much different than what is viewed on television; the game is faster, more intense and exciting, and even more captivating to watch.

Witnessing a hockey game in person allows you to understand and appreciate exactly how difficult it is to play such a game at such a fast pace with such finesse, all while on a blade that is a quarter of an inch thick. The difficulty of hockey is what makes it so beautiful, and once you can appreciate the difficulty, you learn to love the sounds, and become enticed by the emotion the hockey exhibits. Only then will you fall in love with the sport and become a true hockey fan.

The Best Player in the World

 

Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia is a small fishing town, inhabited by a strong and passionate Canadian presence, and home to one of the best hockey players to ever live: Sidney Crosby. His teammates, friends and family refer to him as “Sid”, although, in his primitive years, he was known as, “Sid the Kid,” and for good reason.

In 2005, at the young age of eighteen, Sidney Crosby was the first overall draft pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and made his debut in the NHL. Though he was runner up for the Calder Memorial Trophy (rookie of the year), he registered an impressive 102 points (the sum of all goals and assists).

In his second year, he won the Art Ross Trophy (most points), becoming the youngest player to win a scoring title in North American sports history. In the same year, he won the Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP) and Ted Lindsey Award (most valuable player voted on by NHL players). In his next season, Crosby was named captain of the Penguins, becoming the youngest player ever to be captain. He led his team to a Stanley Cup Final loss against the Detroit Red Wings. However, the following year Sid led his team back to the Cup Finals where they would meet with the Detroit Red Wings for a second time. After seven long and grueling games, the Penguins obtained their revenge, and won game seven in Joe Louis Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings.

Crosby would continue to rack up the points and awards, winning the Maurice Richards Award (most goals) in 2009-2010, his second Art Ross and Hart Memorial trophies and third Ted Lindsey Award in 2013-2014, and another Maurice Richards Trophy in this past season. Sid would also assist the Penguins in winning two more Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.

Team Canada is considered the most talented hockey country in the world. One major reason for this is because Sidney Crosby is their captain. Before the 2016-2017 season, hockey teams around the world engaged in an international tournament known as the World Cup of Hockey. Team Canada won decisively, and the most stand out player was none other then Canada’s captain, Sid the Kid. Sidney Crosby is perhaps most famous for scoring the “golden goal” to win Canada the gold medal against the United States in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Canada would go on to win a second consecutive gold medal in the 2014 Winter Olympics, yet another team captained by Sidney Crosby.

Aside from his career statistics, numerous awards, three Stanley Cups, and two gold medals, Sidney Crosby is the best player in the world because of how he carries himself off of the ice. He is infamous for his precious works of charity and hospitality towards kids, cancer patients, and fans. If you aren’t a penguins fan, you probably hate Sidney Crosby. However, people hate him because of how good he is at hockey, but when you look at his character, he is impossible to have any emotions of dislike towards.

The Playoffs

Hockey is isolated from all other sports in one capacity: the playoffs. This beast that comes out of hibernation every April is some of the most exciting, nerve wrecking, and intense competition in the world. Many people will argue that football or basketball has better playoffs, but only true hockey fans understand the intensity and overall joy of NHL postseason. What defines playoffs as being “better” isn’t just the elements of the game, but the atmosphere that each game creates. Hockey fans create some of the most exciting and captivating environment in all of sports, which is why I rank hockey playoffs as superior to all others.

It can be hard to rank one sports fanbase over another, but, speaking from experience, I can say that after having been to several MLB, NFL, and NHL games, I believe that hockey fans create the best environment, especially during a postseason setting. First of all, hockey isn’t a one and done sport, for each series is a best of seven. I prefer this playoff setting over that of football, because one game isn’t enough to establish ones self as a team. In football, teams can get lucky and win as underdogs, while other teams might have bad games after exceptional seasons, causing them to lose in an undeserving way. I think that the best of seven series setting is extremely more impactful, because it gives teams more than one chance. Teams that people wouldn’t expect to win a series are all the more deserving in their victory since they’ve won four games instead of just one.
Another feature of hockey that I believe makes it much more exciting is the anxious silence that fans endure while waiting for their team to score. If you’re a hockey fan, and you’ve watched your favorite team participate in the postseason, then you’re well aware of the three hour long increase in heart rate that hockey administers to its fans. Throughout the course of the sixty minute game, each shot, each hit and each save is supported by a united response of, “OHHH!” from all 18,000 fans at the game, and millions watching on television. Whether on your couch or the uncomfortable plastic seats in the frigid arena, there’s nothing that can describe the miniature heart attacks that proceed every shot. That split second feeling of not knowing whether or not the puck would find the back of the net is like no other. The resulting reaction is what makes hockey so unique; once the puck meets the back of the net, the sound that was once silence becomes deafening jubilation in one shout of, “YEAHHHHH!” As the players throw their arms in the air and skate over to celebrate with the goal scorer, the arena full of fans jumps to the air in one simultaneous celebration. There is no sport celebration that can compare to that of a hockey goal in the playoffs.

Though I am bias as a die-hard hockey fan, hockey still provides one of the most exciting environments to watch hockey.

Sport’s Toughest Position

Hockey goalies might be the craziest athletes in all of sports. At the professional level, a goalie in any sport is a special breed, as they are tasked with blocking shots at high speeds, and require intricate hand-eye coordination. The game of hockey is played on ice skates, which is already a hard enough task. Goalies have to be expert skaters in order to succeed at their position. The lateral movements and maneuvers that goalies execute seem near impossible. Not only do they have to be able to manage themselves on skates, but they have to stop a puck: a six ounce, three inch thick disk of vulcanized rubber.
The average shot speed in the NHL ranges from 85-95 mph; the hardest shot in the NHL registers at approximately 108.8 mph, a record set by Montreal Canadian defensemen, Shea Weber. His famous shot has torn through Germany’s net and broken bones of nineteen different people. Shea Weber is among many other players in the NHL that injure others with their cadaverous shots. In a league with so many hard shooters, it makes you wonder why someone would ever want to get in the way of such monstrosities, regardless of howmuch padding.

When you factor in the weight and size of the puck, and the speed at which it leaves players’ sticks, it allows you to appreciate the difficulty level of the position. A goalie is given large pads on each leg, a glove on one hand, and another pad, called a blocker, and goalie stick on the other hand. Combining all of these pieces of equipment with the remaining padding, protection, and ice skates make it extremely difficult to play the position. A goalie’s natural tendency when making a save is to drop into the butterfly position, which is basically a squating position with the leg pads facing outward, giving off the “butterfly” look. When a puck is elevated, depending the side, the goalie will use his blocker to deflect the puck or his glove to catch it. The high speeds at which the puck travels makes it hard to react in time to make the save: they have to decide which hand to use and whether or not to drop into the butterfly position. These are no easy amount of tasks, especially for the faint of heart.
There’s one more factor that contributes to the difficulty of goaltenders: screens and deflections. A screen is the instance in which players accumulate in front of the net, obstructing the goalies vision. The opposing team tries to block the goalies vision so that pucks can slip past him easily. NHL players are also masters at the deflection, which changes the puck’s direction to fool the goalie.

I believe that the hockey goalie is one of the most difficult positions in all of sports. The collection of tasks and difficulties that goalies are entrusted make them some of the world’s most gifted athletes. There is no doubt that goalie’s have an insurmountable of courage.

The Three-peat

A “three-peat” can be defined as winning championships in three consecutive years. This has only been done fifteen times in sports since 1938. In the NHL, it has been done a total of five times, making it an extremely rare feat. One team has the opportunity to become the sixth NHL team to three-peat: the Pittsburgh Penguins. After having won the previous two Stanley Cups, the Penguins are another favorite to win the Cup in 2018. Led by arguably the best player in the world, captain Sidney Crosby, the Penguins have every intention of winning their third straight Stanley Cup.
Teams are talented and skilled in the NHL for several different reasons. Some teams have speed, some have great shooters, others great passers, stick handlers, and goaltenders. However, just one element won’t allow a team to make a deep playoff run.  It is a collection of elements. Many people have picked the Washington Capitals to win the Stanley Cup in each of the past two seasons. In those seasons, they have won the title for most wins in the league, causing for any logical person to pick them to go all the way.
I’d like to now explain why the Pittsburgh Penguins make for a better contender to a win a Stanley Cup. The Pittsburgh Penguins possess all key elements that make for a great team.  Their young talent gives them an element of speed, their defense is sound, physical and organized, their third and fourth liners (or the grinders) possess just as much skill as grit, their goalie is extremely reliable, and, most importantly, they have chemistry. The Penguins acquisition of sharpshooter Phil Kessel in 2015 gives them an even more formidable offensive threat alongside superstars Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. Though both players have lost much of their careers to injury, they still have accumulated statistics more impressive than most of the league, most notably, Sidney Crosby, who happens to be last season’s goal scoring champion and playoff MVP.
An NHL team has potential to win cups when talent and skill are distributed throughout the lineup, and that is exactly what the Penguins have. The chemistry that the team possesses allows them to see each other all over the ice, setup passes, and score goals. Each player hustles back to help out on defense, which when put together with Penguin’s young goalie Matt Murray, makes it extremely hard for opponents to score. When in their true playoff form, the Pittsburgh Penguins are among the fastest and hardest working teams, which has allowed them to win back to back Stanley Cups. They play hockey with heart and determination. Such teams are among the hardest to beat, especially in the playoffs, which run long and are gruesome. Teams that hustle and play with emotion and heart are the ones who prevail, as opposed to teams with just raw talent. All of these aspects combine to form a team that has the ability to three-peat more than any other.