Still clinging to the last few seasons of the majestic Civic Arena? Well, you’ll have at least one extra season to keep those memories.
Originally supposed to open in time for the 2009-10 hockey season, the HOK Sport-designed, multi-purpose Hill District (that’s a lot of words) arena will not open until the 2010-11 season.
The last thing the Penguins wanted was a half-assed job in a limited time frame. Spokesman Tom McMillan said:
“The right thing to do is to do it the right way,” he said. “The matter of a few more months will enable us to do that.”
Oh well. I love the Civic Arena (I do not call it Mellon). Yet, there comes a time when landmarks need to fall. I was emotional when Three Rivers went down. However, the end result of that implosion was the creation of the finest stadiums in the MLB and NFL.
I’ll probably get all choked up when the Igloo vanishes, too, but the team needs it to happen. Just look at the artist’s depiction of the new arena. Its gonna be sick. Plus, with the extra few months, the arena can put on some concerts before the Pens actually play a game. Hell, Heinz Field did just that with ‘N Sync. Maybe we can score a Backstreet Boys reunion tour prior to Sid and Co. taking the ice.
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