Penguins Fans Rated No. 1 in NHL By Forbes

[Windy City Irish]

team was bankrupt, had no fans, was going to fold........

but now....best fans ever....

right!

[PHILLYBIRDS20]

Well they have a statue doesnt that mean anythng

[Sweetleaf22]

jealousy has been noted........................from Bost and Philly no doubt......



“For the 2008-09 season, we ranked teams based on average regular-season home game attendance as a percentage of arena capacity, regular-season local television ratings as a percentage of the team’s metro area population and team merchandise sales. Pens fans emerged the most fanatical.

“They consumed the most team merchandise last season, led by jersey sales of NHL poster boy Sidney Crosby and Art Ross Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Evgeni Malkin. Televised games drew an average 72,644 households each on FSN Pittsburgh. On top of that, the Igloo, as Mellon Arena is affectionately, known, sold out every game in the 2008-09 season – the second year in a row.”



In an ESPN.com survey of NHL players last February Flyers fans were voted "Most Disruptive."

Boston Bruins fans skated on thin ice too. The B's tied the Sharks for the best record in the league last year. Yet their fans ranked 17th in terms of attendance, putting them in the middle of the pack in our ranking. It was an increase over the previous year, but the worst among the NHL's Original Six. That's wicked cruel.


.................................................. .............
ESPN The Magazine is out with its annual Ultimate Standings 2010..


The Penguins rank fifth among the 122 franchises surveyed and first among NHL teams.

Penguins are No. 1 in Fan Relations, which, the magazine calls, ``Openess and consideration toward fans by players, coaches and management.''

[Windy City Irish]

cant believe we are going back and forth about fan bases.

also, been well documented that for the last several years Bruins fans have been pissed at ownership about shitty trades and lack of big free agent pick-ups and stayed away...

sigh!

maybe one of these years we will hoist lord stanley again

[PHILLYBIRDS20]

yep so jealous that pissburgh has a statue atleast the homeless will have something to pee on now

[Sweetleaf22]

Originally Posted by PHILLYBIRDS20

yep so jealous that pittsburgh has the best arena in sports

me too!


I got chills, they're multiplyin'

[Chris46139]

Just when you think Sweetleaf couldn't get any gayer, he goes and quotes Grease and proves us all wrong

[PHILLYBIRDS20]

nah I new he could get gayer

[Sweetleaf22]

Im always happy,






City of Champions

[Sweetleaf22]

Originally Posted by Chris46139

Just when you think Sweetleaf couldn't get any gayer, he goes and quotes Grease and proves us all wrong

what ever your av is, that gay

[Chris46139]

Its not a man dancing with a handkerchief

[Sweetleaf22]

Twirling with a towel...............



Twirling is any of several artforms, hobbies, or sport and recreational activities accomplished by spinning or rotating the twirled object either for exercise, or in a rhythmic, or otherwise artful manner.

[Sweetleaf22]

John Barbero, R.I.P.


John Barbero, the Penguins' PA announcer since the 1972-73 season, passed away July 26 after a lengthy battle with an inoperable brain tumor. He was 65.

With all due respect to Mike Lange, John had equal claim to the title "Voice of the Penguins." His goal recaps, particularly for those scored by Mario Lemieux, provided exclamation points to many of the most memorable moments in Penguins history. His timing was impeccable, and his voice had a rich, natural resonance that made me jealous, although I would have never admitted that when he was alive.

I spent many years in the press box sitting just a few seats away from John, and the barbs were always out in full force. Don't get me wrong...I don't even LIKE many people, and I LOVED John. But that's just the way the Mellon Arena press box was. That's what made it fun, and John was always at the center of that fun.

I once wrote, formatted and distributed a "press release" comparing him to Barbaro, the horse. His inability to win the press box's fantasy hockey league, to which he'd belonged since its inception in 1979-80, was a constant source of discussion. So was his toupee. (Although I must admit, I'd have never known he was wearing a toupee if somebody hadn't told me. It was actually pretty good.)

Believe me, John gave as good as he got. Sometimes better. My weight occasionally came up, as did Liverpool Football Club losing streaks, which he was kind enough to keep track of. Want more? Too bad. You'll have to wait for MY obit.

Seriously, though, how do you belong to a fantasy hockey league for almost 30 years and not win it? I've won it twice in less than 15. John could have lived 200 more years, and I feel confident in saying he would have never won. Not once.

John had few peers in his chosen profession, education. He spent 35 years as a teacher and administrator.

But John's spotlight was Mellon Arena. No doubt. The Penguins respected him enough to give him a Stanley Cup ring in 2009. His successor, Ryan Mill, had difficult shoes to fill this past season. Ryan's plenty good. He's just not John. John Barbero helped define Penguins hockey at Mellon Arena. His tone, his delivery, his enthusiasm, his inflections...the combination is impossible to replicate. He was THAT good.

John will be included in the Penguins All-Time Team exhibit at Consol Energy Center. The honor is richly deserved.

John loved the Penguins. Penguins fans loved him, too. I hope he knew. I think his year away from the microphone gave him time to realize that. It's almost appropriate that the Penguins are moving to Consol Energy Center at this precise time. Without John, hockey at Mellon Arena would have never been the same.

John Barbero was a hell of a guy. I'm going to miss him. I hope people think as highly of me when I leave this mortal coil as they do John. (They won't, and I actually don't care at all, but it just seems like the right thing to say.)


MM

[nrc85]

If anyone spent a weekend in Montreal to watch a Saturday night game against a rival you would know who the best fans are. Simply put.

[huscroft6]

Red Sox have best fans in US, Forbes.com says - Daily Business Update - The Boston Globe