The Orlando-based Tampa Bay Lightning fan completed every hockey fan's dream last winter, visiting all 30 NHL arenas in 30 nights.
Including Mellon Arena in Pittsbugh.
Why is that significant, you ask? It appears Williamson is not welcome in Mellon Arena. Neither are residents of New England, the South, the West, or much of the Midwest. Visiting from Canada? Forget about it.
Yes, geographic discrimination is alive and well in Steeltown. You see, when the Penguins put tickets on sale at the start of the season, the following appeared on Tickemaster's website when you clicked on any given game.
"Mellon Arena is located in Pittsburgh, PA. Sales to this event will be restricted to residents of PA, OH, WV, MD, NY, NJ, DE, VA and the District of Columbia. Residency will be based on credit card billing address. Orders by residents outside of PA, OH, WV, MD, NY, NJ, DE, VA and the District of Columbia will be canceled without notice and refunds given."
In other words, forget about road trips for visiting fans. That is, unless you're a hometown fan of the Philadelphia Flyers, the New Jersey Devils, the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders, the Buffalo Sabres, a Washington Capitals fan who lives in any D.C. suburb (but not the city itself), or a Detroit Red Wings fan residing a few miles south of the city in Toledo.
Illogical? Yes. Unethical? Yes.
The policy did not come to light until an AOL blog pointed out the policy was in place for the Stanley Cup Finals. Several Penguins fans pointed out the policy was in place all season long, which makes it even worse.
Traveling to road games has long been a part of being a hockey fan. Most die-hard fans have great memories of road games -- they are a place to meet fellow fans from your team in a unique setting, a place to meet fans from other teams, and a place to show your overall hockey support.
Not in Pittsburgh. Yes, I know tickets are hard to get -- there is a season ticket waiting list and single-game tickets sell quickly. Yet tickets are still a lot harder to get in Toronto, and the Maple Leafs are far too classy to institute such a policy. Same goes for Montreal, or Detroit during the late 1990s.
This is not the first time this has happened. Ironically, Pittsburgh fans were up in arms when Washington restricted ticket sales to everyone but people from Pennsylvania in the 2001 playoffs. Those same fans need to speak up in this case. Anything less would be hypocritical.
In 2002, the Carolina Hurricanes limited ticket sales to fans in the mid-Atlantic states. Interestingly, the Detroit Red Wings were the opponent in that year's Stanley Cup Finals as well.
The Hockey Gods have a sense of fairness. In both of those cases, the team employing geographic discrimination lost.
And it is not like Pittsburgh has always been a tough ticket. Just two years ago, this team appeared on the verge of bankruptcy -- and perhaps on the verge of heading to Hamilton. Jim Balsillie attempted to purchase the struggling team, a team that failed to fill a smallish, dated arena despite the presence of Sidney Crosby, and many speculate he would have moved the team north to Ontario.
Eventually, a new arena was approved, and the team stayed in Pittsburgh. The crowds increased, season ticket sales were capped, and the Penguins were the hottest thing since the Steelers won the Super Bowl.
Now, the success has gone to their heads. Or perhaps, they remember the many years when the Penguins struggled to draw fans. From their entry in the league in 1967 until Mario Lemieux was drafted in 1984, empty seats were common at the Igloo. When Lemieux retired for the first time in the 1990s, the same thing happened. And it happened again in the early 2000s as the team struggled with mediocrity.
During those times, it was common for visiting fans to take over the Igloo in large numbers, as tickets were easy to get. So perhaps the policy is not just one of arrogance, but also one of insecurity, as the Penguins recall what it is like to be the road team in their own arena.
As a fan who someday hopes to visit all 30 NHL arenas, as well as all junior and minor league arenas, policies like this are infuriating. If this catches on, going to road games will be a thing of the past. So will going to a game as a neutral fan when you are visiting a city on vacation or a business trip.
The NHL needs to act quick and forbid teams from discriminatory policies such as this one. In the meantime, the answer is simple. Every other NHL team needs to put the address of every city, suburb, and municipality within the greater Pittsburgh area in their Ticketmaster database and forbid sales to fans from those cities.
Perhaps then, those Penguins fans would complain to their own team and get the policy changed. After all, it is absurd the Penguins can shut out fans from other teams, yet Penguins fans can still buy road tickets.
In a perfect world, geographic discrimination would never exist on ticket sales. But until that happens, the other 29 teams might have to act in order to force change.
FINAL THOUGHT/BAD PUN OF THE DAY: It will be interesting to see if Johan Franzen comes out especially fired up in game three after Gary Roberts' cheap shot to the head of a player returning from concussion-like symptoms.
If so, to borrow a line from an upcoming Adam Sandler movie.... you don't mess with the Johan.
Only a total of 1,000 seats went on sale for game 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Championship. The casual fan and the non-season ticket holder were unable to secure tickets since they sold out in less than a minute. Sniping scalpers were able to secure them. With 17,000 seats in an old arena, I'm not sure that tickets should be sold outside the division, but a better system is needed other than Ticketmaster.
Thanks for the comment! As frustrating as it is in the Stanley Cup Finals, my bigger issue is it is done all year long. For those of us who do not live in the region -- how do we ever get a shot to see a game in the Igloo?
First of all, I am a Pens fan. Just going to put it out there first.
I will defend the Pens by saying, isn't it the Pens job to take care of their fans first? They have a lot of people wanting to go see them right now in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area, and are doing their best to accomadate them. If they a limited number of tickets available for games, I am sorry, but the their home fans come first.
I will oppose the policy by saying that displaced Pens fans have to go through third parties to get tickets, because of the regional base thing. If your a visiting fan, while I am sorry for the inconvience, but they are other ways to get tickets other then the Mellon Arena box office.
And to add to your note, Franzen mega-sold that shot. Roberts didn't even hit him hard. And he should want no piece of Roberts, because he would get destroyed. If he is that fragile, he shouldn't be playing. You are fair game once you step on the ice.
I agree it is hypocritical of the Pens do use the same rule they cried foul on a few years back.
That said, at this time I see nothing wrong with it. Every home game sold out this year. I would guess it was the same 1000 tickets open for sale for every game. During the regular season you could get tickets from stubhub at face value. If you want to see a game at an opposing stadium that is your best route to go.
Grapes17, first, your note about yourself and your sportswriting affection (that has lead to opportunities, as you say) is a joke. This article is no more than an opportunity for you to express your strong dislike for the Penguins (or is it bias for the Wings?). If it weren't then you wouldn't have commented about the Roberts jab nor the supposed hypocritical discriminatory stance of the Pens ticket office. Have you ever heard of our capitalist society that runs on the supply vs. demand model? Buy a clue.
Second, Balsillie was trying to buy EVERY NHL franchise he thought he had a chance to get (Nashville ring a bell?) But they are (were) not all for sale. The process of finding a suitor for the Pens had been going on for years once Mario got involved. You make it sound like the Pens fans didn't support the team even with Crosby. In fact the opposite is true. Once a better product started appearing on the ice, attendance jumped. IMMEDIATELY after the drafting of Sid, season ticket sales spiked. If you had any credibility, you would have mentioned that, too. I guess it's all in the presentation.
Third, your favoritism towards the Wings shows with the comment about the 2002 Finals versus Carolina. Poor point again. Your mention of "classy" Original teams is another cheap shot.
Fourth, I am a Pens fan (originally from Pittsburgh) living in Minnesota and cannot subscribe to FSN Pittsburgh because they have the "same" policy as the Pens ticket office. Does that upset me? Yes. Do I understand it? Yes. Does that mean that FSN Pittsburgh, DirecTV and the Pens
Last edited by misterlogic on May 30th at 12:20 PM.
(continued) are in cahoots? No way. It is neither illogical not unethical as you claim.
Fifth, buckles is right. Hockey is a contact sport, and if Franzen was cleared to play, then he is just as susceptible to a clean check against the boards that can end his career. He embellished the glancing jab just as Osgood embellished the 2 interference penalties. They are both good actors.
Sixth, the "casual" fan will not dole out that kind of money to attend a Championship game or series - in any sport - so there is no point to be made there.
Seventh, How did Steve Williamson get tickets to the Igloo? From Orlando (South) it should have been impossible! I guess it is possible, hmmm...
Finally, anyone reading this garbage is a sports fan looking for news in between the games (as I am), and sports have probably been a big part of their life, too. That makes neither you nor them nor I any more special. If you are interested in more "sportswriting opportunities" then I would suggest you take some type of journalism courses and quit trying to hide your strong Pens dislike (or your Wings bias) behind some silly, self-serving blog. And it looks like this policy (per your tremendous research) is becoming more widely adopted in cities other than Pittsburgh. So you'd better ramp up that travel schedule if you want to visit all the arenas! But that's going to be hard with all your studying to become a journalist...
Last edited by misterlogic on May 30th at 12:40 PM.
Quit crying..Nothing wrong with that policy. We don't want to become washington where the home teams has less fans at the game than the visitor. If penguin fans want to see the pens go see them in another citry, you'll have a blast. i do it every year.
Thank you for the comments. As far as the upset Pittsburgh fan -- whoa, calm down there! It appears I am not the only one upset about this policy, see this article:
You live in Minnesota and can not get FSN Pittsburgh? Something is wrong there -- you mention DirecTV, so I presume that is your service. FSN Pittsburgh is available to all DirecTV subscribers, as are all regional sports networks. It is a package you purchase that varies in price depending on your other services, but is never more than $12 a month. The same service is available on Dish Network. The Pens games are blacked out, but you can get all the Pens games with Center Ice, about $150 a year. If you're a die-hard Pens fan, a combo of $300 a year is not that much to keep in touch with your team.
Regarding Roberts-Franzen.. first of all, it is a setup for the pun "You don't mess with the Johan", a takeoff on an upcoming movie. Secondly -- if Crosby was coming back from a concussion and Darren McCarty did the same thing, I am sure some Pens fans would be upset. I am not taking sides, but to me, an intentional shot to the head is not part of normal play in hockey, and it should have been a penalty. That's my opinion.
How does stating the Hurricanes did the same thing make me biased? To say the Hockey Gods have a sense of fairness is my opinion -- to me, this is an unethical thing the Pens are doing, and I felt the same about the Hurricanes. I berated them just as much in that case -- it has nothing to do with the opponen
grapes17...We don't want visiting fans in our building, period! You want to see a game at Mellon Arena buy them from one of the hundreds of brokers and pay a little extra, or i'll sell you my seats for alot extra!
I follow my team all over the country, because I can. Tickets are available, so I go. It is not my fault that most places do not sell out all of their games like we do. I guess that should tell you something!
The following teams all sold out every game as well: Calgary, Buffalo, Ottawa, Toronto, Minnesota, Anaheim, Vancouver, Philadephia, Montreal, Edmonton and the New York Rangers. Yet none felt the need to have geographic discrimination on ticket sales. Yes, Pittsburgh's crowd support is admirable, but not unique. 12 of 30 NHL teams sold out all 41 home regular season games.
I thought all fans felt like me. I hate it when I see a visiting jersey in my building. That's what is so fun about going on the road, I would assume those fans are upset seeing me there with my teams jersey on. Maybe not, I guess fans just don't care anymore. I was in Detroit for game 1, 5,000 Pens fans there. In Pittsburgh the other night there were about 15 Wings fans there, I was pissed!
I went to Philly this year, went right to their web site and purchased tickets to the game I wanted to see. Sorry you can't do that in Pittsburgh, to me that is impressive!
Actually, to me, being hated on the road is the part that isn't fun. If I cheer for the visiting team, I sit quietly and dress neutrally. I am there only to watch hockey -- the arguing, fighting, etc., that so many people seem to like these days is something I do not enjoy whatsoever. I guarantee if you sell me a ticket and I am cheering for the visiting team, you won't even know.
In most cases, it's safe to cheer for the visiting team and show your support. I've seen a few ugly incidents in recent years at other sports -- not hockey games -- that make me more cautious than I used to be. In any arena, the vast majority of fans are great, it's that very small minority that can ruin someone's evening.
gotta be honest with you...I like their policy! It's great home team advantage. When I go to football games outside my state, I expect to pay more from a scalper...it's part of the whole road trip deal. It's what makes road trips fun! Hint: wait 'til the game starts before making offers on tix...once the puck drops, the ticket face should go down 25-50%.
Right on grapes17! To outright forbid the opposing fans a chance to get tickets is just flat out selfcentered. It really does reveal an underlying insecurity.
Are you too scared that the other teams will out cheer you pens fans? Do you really need to protect yourself that badly? How is the fact that there are no other teams' fans there something to be pround of? You stacked the deck to make it that way?
If you think that your team is so great then stand up and compete! Don't just throw in the towel and say we're to scared to let other fans in.
Lastly if too many tickets are going to scalpers then the real problem is with the online site being too lazy to use an effective captcha.
Hey, grapes, grow some! You mean to tell me when you travel to see your team play, you don't wear their jersey? To remain anonymous? To quietly cheer your team on? To blend in? To NOT cheer for your team in the open?
That's pathetic. And you call yourself a fan? I'm pretty sure your team would rather see you supporting them in the open.
And you say you're about to shut the comments down because "we" are antagonistic? What did you expect when you post an article that states the Pens organization is "illogical" and "unethical" when it comes to their ticket policy? Quit trying to hide as you cast stones.
PS - I cannot get FSN Pittsburgh here in Minnesota on DirecTV unless I have a commercial account. Trust me, I've tried. (I do have Sunday Ticket for all the Steelers games.) But that's OK - local establishments show the Pens games.
And, yes, I go wearing my Pittsburgh jersey.
Last edited by misterlogic on May 30th at 4:33 PM.
blaimjos...You sound like a bitter anti Pittsburgh fan who has probably experienced what i have been talking about. Obviously Pens fan isn't worried about being out cheered at home, it will never ever ever happen! That's why the call them "home" games. If I want you in my home I'll let you in, if not stay out!
No, I don't wear team stuff on the road. I do not look for the experience of being a hated, visiting fan. I look for the experience of what it's like to attend games in an arena. For me, a road game is less about showing support than it is about meeting people, seeing a new arena, seeing new cities, and most of all, watching hockey. To wear my jersey, I find, goes against all four. Being yelled at, threatened, whatever -- it might be rare, but it does happen. And that interferes with the enjoyment of the game.
The problem is, there's a small minority of people who just look to be antagonistic, whether it's on the Internet, in a bar, or at a game. To avoid those people, it's best to just go about your business. Sad sign of the times perhaps, but I suppose it is what it is.
Also, whoever told you that a commercial account is needed on DirecTV for FSN Pittsburgh is incorrect. As you can see in the following link, FSN Pittsburgh is indeed included in the sports pack for $12 a month:
Blaimjos, thank you for the comment. I certainly agree with what you say. ckwick, I do not understand how being against geographic discrimination makes one "anti-Pittsburgh." It seems in general, those of us who do not want to see geographic discrimination become commonplace are called "anti-Pens" by Penguins fans. There is no logical correlation whatsoever there, in my opinion.
Every pro sports game has visiting fans at it. Once in a while the camera will capture a shot of them (in the visitor's jersey) waving a towel, or holding up a sign, or maybe even sulking because their team is getting beat. But they are there to show their unwavering support, and because of the atmosphere. You, as a visiting fan, have control over your interaction with other fans. ckwick has it right, the ushers and security can take care of the fanatics. Don't engage, don't be obnoxious if your team is spanking the home club, period. You're right, some fans are real tools. But if you want atmosphere, you won't get it at home watching on the TV. Must really be fun sitting on your hands when your favorite team's best player gets a hat trick on the road right in front of you. You might want to crawl out from under that shell and live a little! Fans are generally supportive and yes, you may be outnumbered 20,000 to 1. But after all, most of us realize if there was no opposition or opposition fans, there would be no game.
Last edited by misterlogic on May 30th at 4:50 PM.
Don't get me wrong, if I am familiar with the arena, know people there, then I'll wear a jersey or cheer a bit. But if I don't, experience shows it is more enjoyable if I don't go in team colors. I'm far more of a hockey fan in general than a fan of any one team anyway.
See, arguing with fans, hearing comments, that is not why I go to a game. For some people, they enjoy the conflict. I go to a game because I see it much better in person than on TV. The conflict just gets in the way of being able to view and analyze the game the way I enjoy. And to be honest, policies like this one, in my opinion, encourage violence and antagonism towards visiting fans. When the organization tries to keep visiting fans out, basically saying they aren't welcome, it's more likely fans will follow suit. So it's policies like the Pens employ that encourage me to be more subuded at games. Again, I wish that was not the case, but it is what it is.
You're one of the only teams with the gall to pull his #### and yet it's all about me? For your information I never even considered getting tickets for a game in Pittsberg.
I am a RedWings fan but that has nothing to do with it. NHL tickets cost too much and I'd be the first to attack the Wings if they were one of the ones acting like hippocrites.
As you might guess from my photo I've been on a lot of road trips and gotten some fantastic experiences. I've taken abuse as I full expect to while always representing MSU as best I can. I've also been welcomed warmly by other fans proud to show off all of their tradition. My opinions of some programs have risen while others have fallen.
The only place I've ever been shut out of is basketball at U-M because they were tired of becoming "Breslin East" and having the whole Izzone roll into town for the beatdown.
But bitter? More like amused at how pathetic they are! Which is why I wonder if you're just scared about people throwing octopuses on the ice like Wings fans did in Dallas. Wanna come to Hockeytown to see a real franchise? Bring it on.
Oh, and I expect whether you plan to go to a game 6 will be a moot point.
Geographic discrimination can be good or bad, it depends on which side of the fence you reside. I live in Dallas TX. The Dallas Ft. Worth metroplex is home to 10,000 corporate hdqtrs (no that's not a mis-print). I'm accustomed to visiting teams' fan base attending games in masses, beit Mavs, Cowboys or Stars. Corporations own the tickets and people located here have come from all across the country.
On one hand it was a bit unnerving at game 4 against the Wings in Dallas with 2,000 to 3,000 Red Wings fans looking for the sweep. Only a few hundred at game 6.
Still it wouldn't do any good for Dallas to do the geographic discrimination thing. The city is well represented with opposing fans. But as far as the issue goes, StubHub and eBay can get you into any venue in the country. In my travels I've found that eBay often has better deals than discriminating arenas can offer anyway.
Last edited by MidniteCowboy on May 30th at 7:45 PM.
Very interesting situation MidniteCowboy! A team usually can count on all season tickets being homers but it must be frustrating having so many season tickets in neutral hands.
In the big picture, though it's a very good problem to have. Especially to a rustbelt state like Michigan where most educated people have to move across country to get a decent job. I already know that If I want to find another job, I've gotta move to the west coast.
btw, with that many wings fans, I hope there weren't too many #### you had to deal with. Home or away, there's nothing worse than those classless, obnoxious fans that you actually wish were rooting for the other team.
Actually the only classless obnoxious fan I saw was a fellow Stars fan who tossed his drink towards a Red Wings fan that had cheered a goal. That Red Wings fan instantly met a lot of good Stars fans. I'm guessing the Stars fan made it home in time to see the ending on t.v.
Some of the best people I ever met are from Michigan. I don't know how old you are, but in the 70's rust-belt flight southward, my home in Dallas was like a Michigan refugee camp. I helped a lot of workers get re-established here. Remember the "Last one out of Michigan please turn out the lights" saying? lol. That friendship goes on the shelf come playoff time though!
Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about. I'm only 25 but I've heard the expression. I've often heard it in reference to Detroit itself as so many have fled to the suburbs. The neigborhood I grew u in as a child looked almost like a rural field the last time I rode through it a few years ago. Now, the vast majority of people who say their from Detroit actually mean the Detroit suburbs.
Mmmm, homemade German lager, arghhghggh... Oh, what was I talking about....
The worst I've probably seen was as a visitor in South Bend. Notre Dame's probably got the best class & intensity mix I've ever experienced, and just as some of their fans are gonna shake your hand after having their hearts ripped out, some of mine just wanted to rub it in.
1st off the fact that were in the middle of the SC Finals and the best thing you can find to write about is the the ticket policy is pretty sad.
2nd anybody who has been to Toronto game here knows for a fact that it is not impossible to get tickets here if your an away fan.
3rd as for the playoffs why should tickets be given to someone who lives in NC when theres thousands of other people tryin to get tickets in just the immediate area.
Grapes17,
Respectfully, your 3:17 PM post
is unacceptable. I would almost
accuse you of being a "liberal"
with that remark of yours. Cut
and run? At least your blog created
some animated discussion on a positive
note. Don't give up. ;-)
I don't like the geographical discrimination. What other products and services can you refuse sale based on the location of the buyer? I can imagine telling a customer, yeah you qualify for this loan, but you live in "neighborhood z" so I don't want to give it to you.
I realize a team wants it's fans there, but I'm looking at it purely from a business law perspective.
This is a stupid blog...are the teams supposed to accommodate rich guys from far away or allow working class fans to go see their home teams? If Steve Williamson is your new hockey hero, you aren't a hockey fan...you're a fan fan. In fact, from now on we'll call you Peter Fan.
I don't understand Powercornholer2's comment. I didn't think we were discussing accommodating people from out of the area, just giving them the same opportunity to buy tickets.
Get a business law book...and somebody help me here...isn't "giving the same opportunity to buy tickets" "accommodating people from out of the area?"
Sorry ChiSox, but this is a textbook example of how forums and blogs, more often than not, are where people go to argue...pointless arguments...and then argue about the arguments. I can't believe I wasted my time getting into this stupid discussion...good-bye. I'm going to watch some paint dry, or maybe a baseball game...no, paint drying is way more exciting than baseball.
Last edited by powercornholer on May 31st at 9:34 AM.
I live 30 minutes on a good day from the Mellon Arena, and I would have to sell my soul to get tickets - so I agree with whoever's policy it is to keep it local and pretty much divisional. At least we stand a chance of getting to see the home team - and there seems to be a lot of Canadians with Pittsburgh addresses if you ever watched the Sens or leafs play here. Oh, and the local news 4 team was actually telling us that Wings attendance is down (season ticket holders can't afford ticket prices etc) so lots of tickets were for sale, so of course some got bought by Pens fans.
Accommodate- "to adjust actions in response to the needs of somebody." I am not aware of any actions that would need to be adjusted while selling to an out of area customer instead of a local customer except possibly a greater shipping charge.
I didn't try to argue, I said I didn't understand your comment. People blog to share ideas and opinions, and yours didn't make any sense to me, probably because you used the wrong word. You also mention shunning "rich" out of towners, for "working class" locals. Are you saying your tax bracket should also determine if you get tickets?
And speaking of starting arguments with no relevance to the blog, what were you saying about baseball? And seperately, what were the first 4 words in your first post? "This blog is stupid..."
Bias Ticket sales happen in Every Sport...
Just look how the rest of the NFL treats Visiting Steeler Fans..
Jacking up the Prices, or NOT selling..
What goes around comes around...
The ONLY reason Detroit hasn't done the same is because their Attendance is in the Dumper,
(Yeah, Hockey Town)...
Their Licking their Chops at the turn out of Pen Supporters....
As Far As the Franzen shot goes,
anybody that knows anything about sports
knows that hFranzen Obviously did something to Roberts behind the play that would warrant
a Crack to the Chops....
Fair, Cheap or Otherwise,
if you can't take a Shot then you
shouldn't be out there..
Calsteeler, ckwick and any other pens fans out there who feel that this type of discrimination is just fine: Obviously, a whole lot has happened since the last time any of you has actually followed an entire season's worth of hockey. Many , many teams, including the Red Wings have been selling out their arenas for years (plural) without resorting to this kind of underhanded tactic. The fact that Mellon has been sold out now for what (?), maybe 1 or 2 years does not automatically confer on Pens fans the title of The Greatest Fans on Earth of Any Sports Franchise in the Entire Universe. I wonder if this type of policy is peculiar to all of the weak expansion teams in the Eastern Conference?
Who cares about all this stuff..So we can't see a game in pit big deal..Pens fans you are more than welcome to come to Detroit to watch your team get beat and watch a worthy team raise the cup..
Aww, thats to bad. You mean those of us who live in this area, pay the taxes to make sure they have the money to pay these overpriced kids and build their play grounds have first dibs on the tickets bothers you? Tough ####!
thesupposedbuckles...your a flippin crybaby just like therian and "sidney" at leat the Wings play fair for the most part...Datsuk...up for the Bing..go #### something you little girl.
Only one thing matters - and it is not any of our opinions. What is the policy of the NHL in regards to this? If it is allowed, get over it. The governing body of the sport has the final say about the regulations and rules. It is not up for debate. It is not up for a vote. If the Penguins want to, that is up to them. Just because you do not agree with it does not make it underhanded, a form of discrimination, gives you the right to take shots who do not agree with you, or any thing else. Team policy is exactly that - Team policy.
BTW, if you want to watch a game during the finals in Pittsburgh, you can watch for free outside the Mellon. Has any other team done that?
As a life-long hockey fan and sports fan in general, sports has always been a big part of my life. I have combined that with my interest in writing to create a long-term interest in sportswriting , something that has manifested itself in various sportswriting opportunities over the years.
