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| - Strangely enough, moving to Pittsburgh does not automatically make you a Pittsburgh fan, it is something previously sought out or born in to. Since hockey was as foreign to me as cookie eating competition to a diabetic I found myself lacking when it came to any exposure to seeing the Pittsburgh Penguins play.
I had heard all about the igloo realizing it seemed to be built on people memories more than the steel it was apparently constructed on but I had really never heard much about the Consol Energy Center other that the phrase "It's nice"
So when I went to see the Pens game last night I was in a bit of a loss when it came to an opinion. I was truly fresh for the picking. A ripe apple dripping in morning dew waiting to be plucked by the clutches of a first impression.
And then I was plucked.
The roar of over 18 thousand beer slurping fans cheered on as the Pens took the ice. A man a few rows back began a chant, screaming until his throat ran dry "lets go Pens, lets go Pens". Before I knew it, 18 thousand other fans seemed to be carving into my eardrums shouting the same thing. It wasn't before long that I realized this was more than an audience, this was a family, a family that lived and died on every shot on goal.
The beer was icy cold which was only encouraged to stay that way from the frosty chill that swept through the air. I myself loved the chills the cold breezes brought which pulled me into an idea of being outside among the ice and snow, to the place where hockey was meant to be played.
The food and drinks will cost you a kidney but as was to be expected at the Consol Energy Center. I kept telling myself that everything was laced with the world's first edible gold which seemed to put my mind at ease.
The Pens went on to win that game in a shootout which thrilled me to see since it was my first dip in that pool. Parking was fair and the foot traffic was expected, I can honestly say it was genuinely a great time.
So as I currently reminisce about my experience, I am confronted with the phrase "It's nice". Consol Energy Center was more than nice, more than a sporting event. Like the igloo before it, it's a place that is built on memories one game at a time.
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