Study Says Pittsburgh Outranks San Jose for Hockey Fans
A personal finance website ranks 72 cities in the U.S. on metrics such as team performance, season-ticket prices and arena capacity.
When it comes to the best cities in the United States for hockey fans, the personal finance website WalletHub ranks Pittsburgh No. 3 in the country.
Huh? What?
Now hold on. Before you get your Crosby or Malkin jersey in a bind, understand that this survey considers a number of factors not tied to fan enthusiasm – things like stadium capacity, season-ticket prices and the rankings of local college hockey teams.
In the category of highest NHL fan engagement, Pittsburgh ranks No. 1. San Jose doesn't even make the top five in that category. To quote the late, great Myron Cope: “Hmm-Ha!”
When combining all 17 categories of the study, Pittsburgh finishes behind Detroit and Boston respectively.
San Jose comes in at No. 18.
Enuf said.
#FromtheArchives: Sid the Kid
Sidney Crosby, the 28-year-old captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, was often referred to as “Sid the Kid” when he arrived in Pittsburgh in 2005. As Pittsburgh fans know, Crosby grew up in Canada where his hockey skills attracted attention long before his days in the NHL. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation profiled Crosby in 2002 (video above), when he was just 14 years old. Even at that age, it was clear that he was something special.
Finally #BecausehestheCutch @penguins #BurghProud This–> pic.twitter.com/9lTu6Do3lc
— #VotePirates (@Pirates) May 23, 2013
#Pirates Told to Dress Like Penguins
Clint Hurdle manages a baseball team, but he wants his squad to dress like hockey players when they head to Denver for a one-day road trip Thursday.
The dress code was spelled out simply in the Pittsburgh Pirates' clubhouse Tuesday: Jeans Okay, Penguins Jersey.
Hurdle told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he will wear his Mario Lemieux jersey while Andrew McCutchen will don his Evegeni Malkin jersey.
Not everyone was thrilled with the dress code. David Freese, a St. Louis native and former Cardinal asked if he could wear a Blues jersey.
“I asked if I could wear a Blues jersey,” Freese explained later to the PG, “and I got the look.”
“He got beat down,” Hurdle added.
Instead, Freese agreed to wear an Ian Cole jersey that he's borrowing from Gerrit Cole, who is not making the trip to Denver. Cole spent nearly five years with the Blues before becoming a Penguin in March of last year.
Barring extra innings, the Bucs will watch Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final from several miles up. They will be flying back from Denver early Friday morning.
