PNC Park
A while back, Sidney Crosby hit a home run during a batting practice at PNC Park. On Tuesday night, he took the mound instead. Crosby and the rest of the Penguins brought the Stanley Cup to the ballpark for the Pirates' game against the Colorado Rockies.
The team got a tour of the clubhouse before taking the field, where Crosby threw the first pitch. He was grateful for the chance to bring the chalice this year, as the Pirates had been on a long road trip this time last year.
"This is an unbelievable stadium and to be able to bring the Stanley Cup here and do all this is a great experience," Crosby told PensTV. "Pretty cool to be able to throw out the first pitch and share it with all the guys."
When the team arrived, they took the Stanley Cup straight to the clubhouse, where the players marveled at the setup of the room. They put the trophy on a table next to the Pirates logo (people are allowed to step on it here) and then mingled with their fellow athletes. It was a really cool scene that included Marc-Andre Fleury chatting with his fellow No. 29, catcher Francisco Cervelli - who gave him a jersey that the goalie immediately put on - and Phil Kessel sitting on the back of a couch deep in conversation with Andrew McCutchen.
While that was going on, Ron Hainsey donned full catcher's gear - with help from Matt Cullen's three boys - and went to the bullpen with Crosby to take a few warmup throws. They spent a lot of time in the bullpen - where Josh Bell was taking practice swings next to them - with their teammates assembled in the media room waiting to take the field. The Cullen kids, along with Chris Kunitz's son Zachary, provided the entertainment, as they had a blast playing with the mic that was set up on the table on the stage for press conferences. "Sing us a song up there, guys!" Cullen called out. "Give us something! How about Bruno Mars?" Instead, the boys giggled through a few one-liners before horsing around with Ian Cole and Carl Hagelin.
Once Crosby and Hainsey were ready, they and the rest of the team then went into the dugout, where they stood as a congratulatory video played before the national anthem. Once all of that finished, it was time. Crosby headed out to the mound, with all of the boys following him - except for Hainsey, who split off to go behind home plate - and Fleury bringing up the rear with the Cup.
They then gathered behind Crosby as he wound up and delivered the pitch, and certainly didn't quiet down as he threw - hooting and hollering and taking more videos with their phones.
"I was a little nervous because there were a lot of guys heckling me behind there," Crosby laughed. "But it's fun."
When I asked Crosby if he and Hainsey had worked out a signal, he laughed and said, "He asked me, 'Do you want me to throw a 1 or a 2?' I was like, 'a fastball that's not fast, No. 1. So let's see what I can do.'"
Crosby went out and threw a pitch that was in the strike zone, but going a little slow at 45 mph.
"(Hainsey) might have bailed me out there, I might have hit the dirt if he didn't get it," Crosby smiled. "Pretty cool that he could catch. I don't know if that's typically how they do it, but it was cool to see him suit up there and wear the catcher's gear."
While Crosby may have gotten chirps from his teammates, he certainly got plenty of cheers from the fans in the crowd.
"Pittsburgh's just a great sports town," he said. "I think we all understand that and I think we all pull for the other teams who are a part of the city. It's no different with the Pirates. So to be able to come to their stadium, for them to have us here and to do this, it's really cool to see some of the guys and see the reaction of seeing the Stanley Cup. It doesn't get old."
"This is an unbelievable stadium and to be able to bring the Stanley Cup here and do all this is a great experience," Crosby told PensTV. "Pretty cool to be able to throw out the first pitch and share it with all the guys."
When the team arrived, they took the Stanley Cup straight to the clubhouse, where the players marveled at the setup of the room. They put the trophy on a table next to the Pirates logo (people are allowed to step on it here) and then mingled with their fellow athletes. It was a really cool scene that included Marc-Andre Fleury chatting with his fellow No. 29, catcher Francisco Cervelli - who gave him a jersey that the goalie immediately put on - and Phil Kessel sitting on the back of a couch deep in conversation with Andrew McCutchen.
While that was going on, Ron Hainsey donned full catcher's gear - with help from Matt Cullen's three boys - and went to the bullpen with Crosby to take a few warmup throws. They spent a lot of time in the bullpen - where Josh Bell was taking practice swings next to them - with their teammates assembled in the media room waiting to take the field. The Cullen kids, along with Chris Kunitz's son Zachary, provided the entertainment, as they had a blast playing with the mic that was set up on the table on the stage for press conferences. "Sing us a song up there, guys!" Cullen called out. "Give us something! How about Bruno Mars?" Instead, the boys giggled through a few one-liners before horsing around with Ian Cole and Carl Hagelin.
Once Crosby and Hainsey were ready, they and the rest of the team then went into the dugout, where they stood as a congratulatory video played before the national anthem. Once all of that finished, it was time. Crosby headed out to the mound, with all of the boys following him - except for Hainsey, who split off to go behind home plate - and Fleury bringing up the rear with the Cup.
They then gathered behind Crosby as he wound up and delivered the pitch, and certainly didn't quiet down as he threw - hooting and hollering and taking more videos with their phones.
"I was a little nervous because there were a lot of guys heckling me behind there," Crosby laughed. "But it's fun."
When I asked Crosby if he and Hainsey had worked out a signal, he laughed and said, "He asked me, 'Do you want me to throw a 1 or a 2?' I was like, 'a fastball that's not fast, No. 1. So let's see what I can do.'"
Crosby went out and threw a pitch that was in the strike zone, but going a little slow at 45 mph.
"(Hainsey) might have bailed me out there, I might have hit the dirt if he didn't get it," Crosby smiled. "Pretty cool that he could catch. I don't know if that's typically how they do it, but it was cool to see him suit up there and wear the catcher's gear."
While Crosby may have gotten chirps from his teammates, he certainly got plenty of cheers from the fans in the crowd.
"Pittsburgh's just a great sports town," he said. "I think we all understand that and I think we all pull for the other teams who are a part of the city. It's no different with the Pirates. So to be able to come to their stadium, for them to have us here and to do this, it's really cool to see some of the guys and see the reaction of seeing the Stanley Cup. It doesn't get old."
Fort Point Parade
"As I said in 2009, this is hockey heaven."
Penguins emcee Paul Steigerwald addressed these words to a crowd of fans huddled together at Point State Park to celebrate Pittsburgh's back-to-back Stanley Cup championships on Wednesday afternoon.
And it's hard to disagree with him.
A crowd estimated at 650,000 flooded the streets of downtown Pittsburgh, swarmed nearby parking garages, gazed from office windows and inched their way onto rooftops - all to catch a glimpse of the 2017 Stanley Cup champions. Black and gold confetti fell onto Sidney Crosby as he lifted the Cup into the air and over half a million people cheered.
"It's amazing to see so many people here supporting us," Pens winger Patric Hornqvist said. "This is a great sports town, but this is something special. I remember this last year and this was the best part of winning the Cup. It's the same this year."
Looking up and down the streets, it was easy to see just how big of a sports town Pittsburgh truly is, but, also, how much hockey means to this city.
The players were divided up into trucks to ride through the parade, but it didn't take long for them to begin leaping out to greet fans.
Rookie Jake Guentzel, known for being quiet, was the complete opposite for the event. He ran past crowds of fans to give out high-fives and signed autographs - a smile never leaving his face.
"No, no, no," Guentzel laughed when asked if the experience helped break him out of his shell. "This just happens when you win. You're all happy."
All the players were smiling ear-to-ear the entire route. Phil Kessel, who is now a two-time Stanley Cup champion, was barely in his truck, spending the majority of the time signing autographs and taking selfies with fans. Veteran Matt Cullen laughed as the crowd chanted "One more year!" as he made his way through the streets. Prankster Marc-Andre Fleury was quick to pop a bottle of champagne, soaking the crowd before passing the bottle to Cullen in the truck ahead.
After a stressful year of injuries and overcoming adversity, all of this celebrating was well deserved.
"It's been crazy," Trevor Daley said. "What we just accomplished, what we have achieved just says a lot about our group. It is a special group. We are a resilient group that we knew we could do this again. Here we are. We did it."
The fans were just as excited for the celebration after a long season.
Zach Smith and Joshua Watson brought a replica Stanley Cup to the parade. By the end, it was covered in signatures.
"It was a crazy season," Smith said. "We went through so many injuries toward the end of the season and the start of the playoffs, I didn't even know we could make it this far, but I had faith."
"It was a great season," Watson added. "We are diehard fans. It was a magical season, and it was all for this."
Though the parade ended, the celebration won't stop. The 'Ol' 29er' Phil Bourque made that clear when he christened the crowd with his famous line, saying, "Let's take this down to the river and party all summer!"
And it's hard to disagree with him.
A crowd estimated at 650,000 flooded the streets of downtown Pittsburgh, swarmed nearby parking garages, gazed from office windows and inched their way onto rooftops - all to catch a glimpse of the 2017 Stanley Cup champions. Black and gold confetti fell onto Sidney Crosby as he lifted the Cup into the air and over half a million people cheered.
"It's amazing to see so many people here supporting us," Pens winger Patric Hornqvist said. "This is a great sports town, but this is something special. I remember this last year and this was the best part of winning the Cup. It's the same this year."
Looking up and down the streets, it was easy to see just how big of a sports town Pittsburgh truly is, but, also, how much hockey means to this city.
The players were divided up into trucks to ride through the parade, but it didn't take long for them to begin leaping out to greet fans.
Rookie Jake Guentzel, known for being quiet, was the complete opposite for the event. He ran past crowds of fans to give out high-fives and signed autographs - a smile never leaving his face.
"No, no, no," Guentzel laughed when asked if the experience helped break him out of his shell. "This just happens when you win. You're all happy."
All the players were smiling ear-to-ear the entire route. Phil Kessel, who is now a two-time Stanley Cup champion, was barely in his truck, spending the majority of the time signing autographs and taking selfies with fans. Veteran Matt Cullen laughed as the crowd chanted "One more year!" as he made his way through the streets. Prankster Marc-Andre Fleury was quick to pop a bottle of champagne, soaking the crowd before passing the bottle to Cullen in the truck ahead.
After a stressful year of injuries and overcoming adversity, all of this celebrating was well deserved.
"It's been crazy," Trevor Daley said. "What we just accomplished, what we have achieved just says a lot about our group. It is a special group. We are a resilient group that we knew we could do this again. Here we are. We did it."
The fans were just as excited for the celebration after a long season.
Zach Smith and Joshua Watson brought a replica Stanley Cup to the parade. By the end, it was covered in signatures.
"It was a crazy season," Smith said. "We went through so many injuries toward the end of the season and the start of the playoffs, I didn't even know we could make it this far, but I had faith."
"It was a great season," Watson added. "We are diehard fans. It was a magical season, and it was all for this."
Though the parade ended, the celebration won't stop. The 'Ol' 29er' Phil Bourque made that clear when he christened the crowd with his famous line, saying, "Let's take this down to the river and party all summer!"
Parade Experience
A day after their championship parade through downtown Pittsburgh, the Pens players were still marveling at the turnout from the city. An estimated 650,000 people - which is more than double the population of the city - took to the streets to cheer on the Pens as they traveled along the parade route to Point State Park. It was an atmosphere that most players called 'unbelievable,' and rookie forward Jake Guentzel said it will always be his most cherished memory.
"Yesterday was insane," he said. "650,000, I heard? That's incredible. We have the best fans here."
While the players loved the crowd support, the fans loved seeing three of the quietest guys on the team show a different side of their personalities, as no one had more fun than Guentzel, Olli Maatta and Justin Schultz. Guentzel, 22, shared a truck with Conor Sheary and kept jumping out to run up and down the streets high-fiving fans, signing autographs and taking selfies - chugging beers the entire time. At one point, Sheary joined him to take a picture with a hilarious 'Sid and the Kids' sign.
"There were a couple funny signs. The Sid and the Kids one with the babies was pretty funny," Guentzel laughed. "That's probably the best one."
Meanwhile, Maatta, 22, and Schultz, 26, shared a truck and also downed a bunch of beers that they received from fans. Their teammates were torn about which one of the pair deserved the Conn Smythe Trophy as parade MVP.
"No. 3," Matt Murray laughed. "I bet you every guy would probably say that. He was MVP of the parade for sure. 'Schultzy,' actually. Schultzy was good out there too."
"Probably Schultzy," Sidney Crosby grinned. "Guys had fun. Everyone made it so great and the turnout was incredible. To kind of finish it off at the stage there, it was a great setting."
Maatta and Schultz were a hit on social media, with a picture of Schultz chugging a beer on the road making the rounds. He said he didn't know of its existence until later that night.
"My buddies were texting me and I was seeing all the pictures I was Photoshopped in chugging the beer," Schultz laughed. "It's pretty funny. I don't know, I was having a good time and I'd do it again."
His fellow defenseman Brian Dumoulin couldn't be happier that Schultz was enjoying himself.
"I just love the guy to death," Dumoulin said. "He's one of my best friends on the team. He's a great guy. I'll look at all the pictures of him."
Meanwhile, a photo of Maatta napping on his balcony got the meme treatment. He let everyone know today that he didn't get sunburned and he didn't get caught in the rain - "I heard the thunder and had to get up," he said.
Those photos were the only ones Crosby has seen, and he said the rest of the team received them as well.
"I saw two pictures, actually. I saw one of Schultzy, it was a pretty good one, and then I saw Olli taking a nap. That was the only two I've seen. They were on a group text. I haven't seen a ton."
What's so special about the parade is the ability to share their win with everybody. On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday they celebrated with just their family and friends. On Wednesday, they got to celebrate with the whole city.
"Just seeing how many people and the support group we have, the fans, it's unbelievable," Maatta said. "I think when you see how many of them show up, and just how excited they are about it, you see how big of a thing it is. It kind of makes you humble."
While those guys had the time of their lives, franchise goalie Marc-Andre Fleury experienced the perfect sendoff to what is likely the end of his time in Pittsburgh. There were so many No. 29 jerseys and signs in the crowd with sentiments like "We Love You Fleury! Thank You!" and "Merci, Marc-Andre!"
"That was pretty crazy," Fleury said. "So many signs, so many people. It was crazy. I think people chanted my name the whole way, so that was really emotional, but it was a good time."
He said he tried not to reflect a lot on his 12-plus years in this city as the truck he shared with his wife Veronique and oldest daughter Estelle traveled the route.
"I tried not to too much, because as you can see, I'm struggling with this," a choked-up Fleury admitted. "But I just tried to enjoy the moment, tried to remember the good times and this last parade."
While the players loved the crowd support, the fans loved seeing three of the quietest guys on the team show a different side of their personalities, as no one had more fun than Guentzel, Olli Maatta and Justin Schultz. Guentzel, 22, shared a truck with Conor Sheary and kept jumping out to run up and down the streets high-fiving fans, signing autographs and taking selfies - chugging beers the entire time. At one point, Sheary joined him to take a picture with a hilarious 'Sid and the Kids' sign.
"There were a couple funny signs. The Sid and the Kids one with the babies was pretty funny," Guentzel laughed. "That's probably the best one."
Meanwhile, Maatta, 22, and Schultz, 26, shared a truck and also downed a bunch of beers that they received from fans. Their teammates were torn about which one of the pair deserved the Conn Smythe Trophy as parade MVP.
"No. 3," Matt Murray laughed. "I bet you every guy would probably say that. He was MVP of the parade for sure. 'Schultzy,' actually. Schultzy was good out there too."
"Probably Schultzy," Sidney Crosby grinned. "Guys had fun. Everyone made it so great and the turnout was incredible. To kind of finish it off at the stage there, it was a great setting."
Maatta and Schultz were a hit on social media, with a picture of Schultz chugging a beer on the road making the rounds. He said he didn't know of its existence until later that night.
"My buddies were texting me and I was seeing all the pictures I was Photoshopped in chugging the beer," Schultz laughed. "It's pretty funny. I don't know, I was having a good time and I'd do it again."
His fellow defenseman Brian Dumoulin couldn't be happier that Schultz was enjoying himself.
"I just love the guy to death," Dumoulin said. "He's one of my best friends on the team. He's a great guy. I'll look at all the pictures of him."
Meanwhile, a photo of Maatta napping on his balcony got the meme treatment. He let everyone know today that he didn't get sunburned and he didn't get caught in the rain - "I heard the thunder and had to get up," he said.
Those photos were the only ones Crosby has seen, and he said the rest of the team received them as well.
"I saw two pictures, actually. I saw one of Schultzy, it was a pretty good one, and then I saw Olli taking a nap. That was the only two I've seen. They were on a group text. I haven't seen a ton."
What's so special about the parade is the ability to share their win with everybody. On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday they celebrated with just their family and friends. On Wednesday, they got to celebrate with the whole city.
"Just seeing how many people and the support group we have, the fans, it's unbelievable," Maatta said. "I think when you see how many of them show up, and just how excited they are about it, you see how big of a thing it is. It kind of makes you humble."
While those guys had the time of their lives, franchise goalie Marc-Andre Fleury experienced the perfect sendoff to what is likely the end of his time in Pittsburgh. There were so many No. 29 jerseys and signs in the crowd with sentiments like "We Love You Fleury! Thank You!" and "Merci, Marc-Andre!"
"That was pretty crazy," Fleury said. "So many signs, so many people. It was crazy. I think people chanted my name the whole way, so that was really emotional, but it was a good time."
He said he tried not to reflect a lot on his 12-plus years in this city as the truck he shared with his wife Veronique and oldest daughter Estelle traveled the route.
"I tried not to too much, because as you can see, I'm struggling with this," a choked-up Fleury admitted. "But I just tried to enjoy the moment, tried to remember the good times and this last parade."
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