(Picture courtesy of thepensblog.com)
No thanks to Ed Rendell, Dan Onorato and Mayor Ravenstahl, the Pens are staying in Pittsburgh, right where they belong. I think the 'Burgh is really going to run with the Pens now--and I think now that it's all said and done, this was a good thing. It seemed to me that the whole arena saga made Pens fans in Pittsburgh--and there sure are a ton of 'em--come out of the woodwork and realize, and say to the hockey world, how much our hockey team means to our town. And I believe this wasn't just bandwagon fans realizing what an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime group of young players we have, but a city really waking up and saying, sure we love our Steelers and our Buccos, but we love our Pens just as much. Bob Smizik couldn't have been more wrong: Pittsburgh wouldn't have been the same without the Penguins. And now we can really, truly appreciate the joy this team ought to bring us for the next decade or so. Before today we were scared to really dream about the potential of Malkin, Crosby, Staal and the rest (or at least I was), because they could've been winning Cups in KC. Now we know, whether miracles keep happening and the Cup comes to Pittsburgh in 2007 or not, there will be exciting hockey played in Pittsburgh for years and years to come. Kudos to the fans for showing such amazing support for the team these past months, and now not only do we have a playoff run to look forward to these next few weeks, Cup runs these next few years, but in 2009, a shining new arena to call our own. In about 20 minutes, we'll face off against the Sabres, and a new era of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey begins.
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