Can I make a confession?
I’m not at all jealous of any destination that becomes an NHL hub city.
I know Pittsburgh was perceived to be a hub city candidate at one point and still hasn’t been completely ruled out. It’s far from a leading candidate, though. And that’s fine.
Because what’s the point?
I mean, it’d probably tick me off more than anything. The Penguins wouldn’t even be playing here.
I can get to PPG Paints Arena from my house in 10 minutes. But I couldn’t buy tickets since it’s likely fans will be banned.
Odds are I wouldn’t even be able to get a press credential to cover the games or practices, if any media — at all — are even allowed in the building.
I think it’d make me sad to know an event that cool was going on a stone’s throw away from my house, and I couldn’t be a part of it.
From a business standpoint, it’d be great for the hotels. But if all the NHL players, staffers and team employees were locked in their “bubble” anyway, how much of a boom to the economy would we really see?
Even the food services are likely going to be handled in house, so the restaurant bump would likely be far less than what you would expect with such an influx of potential patrons.
Plus all that sweet, sweet NHL playoff action? It’d be like having two months of forbidden fruit. And the Hill District would be the Garden of Eden. Constant temptation with nary a bite of the apple.
No thanks. Let the folks in Edmonton deal with that paradox. I’ll be satisfied with watching 11 a.m. EST start-time broadcasts from a remote studio.
And it’ll feel like manna from heaven.
Let’s see if Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio Network joins me in my envy-fueled, covid-19-induced diatribe.
We also analyze the latest bumps in the road on the path to an NHL reboot, how the expansion team in Seattle may be viewing all of this drama, and a few Penguins flashbacks to days of yore.
Like 2009. Which really does feel like … yore … at this point.
