Penguins practice at Hunt Amory to spotlight efforts to grow hockey

Monday was not convenient for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Anytime you dress in one building and then need to take a bus to practice in another venue, it’s nothing near convenient.

But it might have been the most fun day the Penguins have enjoyed this season.

Trekking via chartered buses from the state-of-the-art confines of PPG Paints Arena in Uptown, the Penguins staged a practice at the seasonal rink they have constructed within the spartan environs of the Alfred E. Hunt Armory in Shadyside.

While the session was closed to the public, dozens of children who are residents of the city (as well as their families) who participate in the organization’s “Learn to Skate” and “Learn to Play” programs were invited to attend as spectators.

“A different place to practice,” Penguins forward Sidney Crosby said. “It was fun to kind of have that atmosphere.”

Opened in 1916, the armory, as the name suggests, was used for military purposes throughout most of its history as well as concerts, political rallies and other gatherings. In 2015, the city purchased the venue from the state and last year, the Penguins constructed a seasonal — or temporary — rink within the cavernous facility using resources similar those the NHL has utilized in staging outdoor games at Acrisure Stadium.

Seth Rorabaugh | Tribune-Review

The Penguins constructed a seasonal rink at the Hunt Armory for the second consecutive year.

While the armory is hardly a luxurious setting — there are no dressing rooms but plenty of musty industrial fragrances — it is a remarkable venue stained glass skylights as well as an arched roof and white rafters.

“It is unique,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “It’s really cool. The roof, I think, is spectacular. They’ve done a great job with renovating this. I thought it was going to be a little bit colder. We were prepared for the worst, but it wasn’t too bad.”

Beyond a handful of mammoth compressors to maintain the ice, the building is not climate controlled. So the conditions of the dank, slate gray day with temperatures in the 40s outdoors were not all that different from the climate in the armory, minus the drizzle.

For those on the ice Monday, staging this practice in a different location was a nice way to break up the monotony that a marathon regular season presents.

Even the inconvenience of the event added to the jovial atmosphere.

Forwards and defensemen left PPG Paints Arena in full gear, with the exceptions of shoes or sandals, then put their skates on at the armory.

Goaltenders, given the cumbersome nature of their equipment, were “transferred” to and from the buses while sitting on laundry bins that were pushed by team staffers.

“Anytime you can do something like that, it’s a different change of pace,” forward Jeff Carter said. “Whether we’re here (PPG Paints Arena or the practice facility in) Cranberry, it’s the same thing. Every day is the same, basically. So it’s nice to get a little bit of a change of pace.”

Additionally, Monday’s practice provided a spotlight on the Penguins’ initiatives — such as the rink itself — in providing further exposure of the sport to city residents.

Penguins president of business operations Kevin Acklin, who was previously the chief of staff to former Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto, spearheaded efforts to establish a rink in the building while still in his capacity within the city’s government.

“(In 2015) we went to the community and we solicited a number of proposals, everything from a golf course to housing,” Acklin said. “Over time, the community coalesced around an ice rink. There’s not a sheet of indoor ice in the city except for PPG Paints Arena (before the Hunt Armory opened). If we as an organization are going to be serious about improving access to the game to the inner city to diversify the game to reach players of color, we have to bring a sheet of ice to the city.”

As was the case last year, the rink — which serves as the home venue for Chatham’s men’s and women’s teams — opened after Thanksgiving last week and is scheduled to close before St. Patrick’s Day (on March 17). The team has ambitious hopes for what the venue can provide.

“What it’s done is create an additional opportunity for us to reach kids in city neighborhoods,” Acklin said. “Maybe we’ll draft a kid out of Homewood one day who learned to play and learned to skate at the armory. Even without that, we’re teaching them the intangibles of the game like teamwork and hard work.”

Above all else, seemingly everyone had fun Monday, especially those on the ice.

“This is a small gesture on our part for us to come and practice here,” Sullivan said. “I know our guys here really enjoy it. It’s nice to play in front of kids with their level of enthusiasm. Their enthusiasm is contagious. When you get an opportunity to be around kids and see how excited they are to see us, for me, it elevates the energy in the practice for sure.”

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