Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins is mobbed by teammates after scoring his 600th career goal in the second period during the game at PPG PAINTS Arena on November 23, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY – From the moment you step into the Steel City, there’s a palpable energy for all the teams that wear the black and gold. In addition to being a historic football and baseball town, Pittsburgh is a legendary hockey town with such an obvious passion and connection to their club. As the newest hockey market in the NHL, there’s a lot that the Utah Hockey Club could learn from the Pittsburgh faithful.
No matter where you are in Pittsburgh, if you stop and take a look around, you’ll quickly notice the black and gold colors that surround. Whether you’re at the airport, in a restaurant, or on the street, Pittsburgh fans proudly wear their teams’ colors regardless if it’s a game day or not.
But that’s just how things are in the Steel City. The teams and the community are simply one in the same, coexisting and supporting each other through the good times and the bad which is exactly how the deep connection began so many years ago.
Rewind to the 1960 World Series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Yankees where the City of Champions claimed a pivotal title, and a working-class steel town’s identity began to shift. Despite being considerable underdogs, the Pirates defeated the superior New York Yankees on a walk-off home run by Bill Mazeroski in game seven and from that moment, Pittsburgh was never the same.
“There was a sense of pride that came with winning that World Series for the people of Pittsburgh,” Pittsburgh native and Salt Lake City resident Greg Hughes said. “Beating the glamourous New York Yankees made them individually feel that they beat the Yankees. That Pittsburgh wasn’t the town that you thought it was. We aren’t the people you think we are.”
“We’re worth something. You can’t just keep looking down your nose at us. We just beat you and there’s something about that. Then our other teams start to do really well. The Steelers really pick up speed…Pirates win the World Series in seventy-nine, the Steelers win the Super Bowl the same year and we were the City of Champions,” Hughes added.
Like Hughes said, there was suddenly a shift for the people of Pittsburgh which only grew as the Steelers dominated the 1970’s and shared a Championship season in 1979 with the Pirates who yet again won the World Series. Despite a period of mass layoffs due to the closure of several steel mills during the 1980’s, the sports teams provided an escape and unified the city through hard times.
“Whatever our jobs were, whatever we did, whatever was going on, sports are what we all congregated around. There was nothing that got in its way…the beautiful thing about sports is that it is the great uniter. It is the thing that brings the community together in a way that nothing else can,” Hughes said.
Fast forward to the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons, the Pittsburgh Penguins presented the City of Champions with their first two Stanely Cups. After drafting Mario Lemieux in 1984 which saved the franchise, the Penguins finally found the winning formula and cemented themselves as another beloved team in Pittsburgh.
In addition to three more Stanley Cups in 2009, 2016 and 2017 courtesy of current Pittsburgh Captain and NHL legend, Sidney Crosby, the Penguins have given the city so much to be proud of. With so much success and a deep connection within the community, the city has transformed into a legendary hockey town.
Related: Sidney Crosby Offers Advice To Utah Hockey Club Captain Clayton Keller
“Pittsburgh knows the sport very well…We talk nonstop about the Penguins and their players, and their trades, and whether they are young and have speed…We immerse ourselves in the players, we know what good hockey looks like versus bad. The reason you see a crowd that is so connected to the team is they know what the team is doing,” Hughes said.
“What makes Pittsburgh and their atmosphere in that arena different or special, it’s the relationship they have with that team. It is a real relationship. We know these players. We know where they came from,” he added.
So, what does a team in Pittsburgh have to do with the Utah Hockey Club? Well, as the newest franchise and hockey town in the league, Utah should embrace what has built a beautiful culture in Pittsburgh.
Like Hughes said, everyone in the Steel City knows and loves their team. From the moment I set foot in Pittsburgh, I was greeted by diehard Penguins fans who could converse about the team at an elite level. Whether it was my Uber driver from the airport, a waiter at a local restaurant, an usher inside the arena or countless fans, their love for the Penguins ran deep.
As I reflect upon Utah and the new fans generated by this team, I’ve certainly seen glimpses of that passion. In just a short time, the beehive state has proven the NHL belongs as thousands of fans purchased season tickets, a fully packed Delta Center embraced opening night and hundreds of individuals lined up outside the team store beginning at 4 a.m. to purchase thousands of inaugural sweaters.
If that can grow and continue to develop, Salt Lake City could easily transform into a legendary hockey town.
Additionally, hockey has been known to unify cities and could serve the same purpose in Salt Lake to bring everyone together behind a common cause. While we each have our beloved universities, those same teams have been known to cause division. As for the Utah Jazz, given their current situation early in a rebuild, they’re not exactly in a place to serve that purpose. But hockey can.
“Hockey has the chance to be the sport, even more so than the NBA, that is the great uniter. It can bring an entire state together and have this common cause to cheer for. That is what you see in Pittsburgh. That is the common thread amongst every single person,” Hughes explained.
While the Utah Hockey Club isn’t quite to the level of competing for a Stanley Cup, they’re quickly growing towards legitimate contention. With veterans Clayton Keller and Mikhail Sergachev, young talents like Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley and Maveric Lamoureux and several other promising players in their pipeline like Tij Iginla, Cole Beaudoin and Daniil But, Utah is a team on the rise.
So, get behind this new team. Embrace them in the early years as they embrace our state and battle to bring a Championship to Utah. The beautiful thing about the NHL is the ongoing parity. Twice, the Penguins hit reset and were able to win five Stanley Cups across two different eras. The Utah Hockey Club can do the same and want nothing more than to share it with the community.
