I would imagine everyone that is a Pittsburgh Penguins fan has their own story to how they became a fan and yet, somewhat similar. Here’s mine… what’s yours?
Growing up in Central PA you would find houses and families divided over who followed who. For the most part, you were either all Pittsburgh or all Philadelphia (not sure who would choose that life) but for the most part, my upbringing was mostly geared towards the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Typically as a kid, you follow whomever your parents follow but for me… that was not the case. For me, it was growing up around Pens fans that led me to bleed Black and Gold. From either watching games on a dodgy, foiled antenna TV, trading hockey cards, or literally fighting over who would win in a fight… I was all in!
It all started when I was around 8 years old and the start of the 1995 season. I heard of the names Ron Francis, Jaromir Jagr, and Tom Barrasso from my friend down the road but was utterly fascinated by the return of Mario Lemieux and his 161 point season. It was a good year to start following the Pens and you could see how it would’ve easily influenced my 8-year-old brain.
I can’t say that I was at all interested prior to this season but something about the way the team played or the way Mike Lange called the plays on TV and I was done. This once only Baseball and Football child was now sucked into the world of Penguin’s hockey, heartbreak, and joy.
If I had to pick one game that has gone down as my favorite of all time, it would be a toss-up between when Mario came back out of retirement or when the Pens won the cup against the Red Wings after being dominated the year before. Either game tells the same story of hard work, grit, and a selfless team spirit… everything that pulled me in from the start.
Living in Colorado now makes it hard to watch every game but I still make it a point to go when they come to town against the Avalanche. So that’s it, that’s my story of how the Penguins became a part of me. What’s yours? We want to hear it!