By Brian Metzer
You’ve come a long way kiddo!
The Penguins have certainly come a long way in a short period of time. They were lucky to draw 13,000 fans to a game during the 2004-05 season and now have just drawn their 206th consecutive sellout. The streak began back on February 14, 2007 and has now run through four consecutive seasons.
The amazing thing about that is that prior to this streak, the team had never sold out every home game during a single season — even during the Stanley Cup winning seasons of 1991 and 1992.
A lot of this can be attributed to Sidney Crosby, but his supporting cast has also done a masterful job. It is also worth noting that team management has done an awful lot to cultivate this fan base. I will run through some of that in a blog tomorrow, but it began with “Student Rush” nights, players delivering season tickets and games like this evening in which those players give away the jerseys from their backs.
Congrats Penguins… it has been awesome to watch the transition as a fan and as a media member. I can’t wait to see what the future holds…
