New York has Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium, Boston has Fenway Park, Chicago has Wrigley Field, Los Angeles has the Rose Bowl, but none of them are a unique as what Pittsburgh has. The Mellon Arena. The oldest hockey in the NHL has been home to our beloved Pittsburgh Penguins since their inaugural season in 1967. Since then the Penguins have played over 1,600 games inside the Igloo. Tonight though, we say goodbye to Old Lady Mellon. Tonight the Pittsburgh Penguins will host the New York Islanders in the last regular season home game to ever be played there. Tears will be shed, but amongst all the emotion from the fans and players we must remember the good. The Igloo has brought us so many great moments over the past 43 years. There have also been some terrible moments inside the Igloo but for now let’s just focus on the good.

The Igloo has been home to so much in 43 years. It saw Mario score an unprecedented five goals in five different ways against the New Jersey Devils. It was home to maybe the greatest comeback in Stanley Cup Finals history when the Penguins rallied against the Blackhawks in Game 1 of the 1992 Finals after being down 3-0 and 4-1. It saw Mario make is comeback from retirement in 2000. It saw young stars grow into superstars right before our very eyes. It was the arena that saw the Penguins earn their first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 16 years. It’s been home to series changing goals and amazing saves. Milestones were set there. Three Stanley Cup banners proudly hang from the rafters for all to see. This will forever to our home. The Consol Energy Center will be gorgeous, but it will never be the Mellon Arena. Our memories of Old Lady Mellon will live on forever.

For me, the Igloo has always held a very special place in my heart. It’s the only place I’ve ever known as home for a hockey game. Even living two hours away in Johnstown, the Igloo feels like it’s just around the corner. I’m only 20 years old but my memories of the Mellon are plentiful. I have seen so many great moments and even more great players.

I went to my first Pens game when I was 2. It was in 1992 against the Chicago Blackhawks. I don’t remember it since I was only 2, but it will live on in my memory forever because it was my first one. Ever since that game not a season has gone by where I haven’t made it to the Igloo for at least one game. Yes, for the past 18 years I have been to at least one Pens game every year (excluding the lockout year of course). I have seen many great games, some of which I can no longer remember. I saw the Pens oust the Capitals from the playoffs. I saw Ryan Malone score the game winning goal against Ottawa with 30 seconds left in the 2008 playoffs. I saw Mario play his next to last home game before his first retirement. I witnessed Petr Skudra shutout the Hartford Whalers. I saw the Winnipeg Jets before they relocated to Phoenix. There is so much I have seen in this building.

On top of all the great games I have seen there are all of the great players that I have seen. I witnessed many Penguin greats take the ice over the years wearing black and gold. I have had the opportunity to see Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis, Kevin Stevens, Tom Barasso, Luc Robitaille, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Jordan Staal, and many, many more. However, there have also been numerous all-time greats that I have seen play on the opposing side. I saw Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan play for Detroit. I witnessed Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy when I saw the Avalanche in the Mellon. Also added to the list is Devils’ goalie Martin Brodeur, Ed Belfour, Dominic Hasek, Brett Hull and many more that I can’t think of right now.

Writing this post is one of the hardest things I have ever done relating to hockey. Saying goodbye to the Igloo is very difficult for me. Condensing 20 years of memories is never easy, doing it when you’re about to say goodbye to the only hockey arena you have ever known makes it just that much more difficult. To some fans they don’t understand what this building truly means because they never watched a game before 2005. Even if they have been there 20 times in 5 years they don’t love it like I do. There are plenty of fans like me who will sit back after tonight’s game and think back on all the great memories we have had there. It takes memories like mine to truly appreciate what this building means. It’s nothing against those other fans, it’s just my opinion. I’m glad they support our team but never will they understand what the Mellon means on the same level that I do.

Even after we say goodbye tonight, we must not forget that there is still work to be done. A division title is still up for grabs. More importantly though there is still a Stanley Cup to be defended by our team. There will still be more hockey to be played at this arena and what better way to send the old lady out and to make one last memory of the rink than to raise the Stanley Cup on her ice for the first time in her history.

GO PENS!!!!