Penguins request opening PPG Paints Arena at 25% capacity
The Pittsburgh Penguins have made requests to Gov. Tom Wolf as well as the Pa. Department of Health seeking permission since the start of the NHL’s season in mid-January to open PPG Paints Arena to spectators at 25% capacity.
The team presented a plan to the state for when it is deemed safe and appropriate to open the venue.
Currently, PPG Paints Arena is closed to most spectators and is limited to 500 people at a time, including players, coaches, team employees and family of those groups, as well as arena employees and media.
Because of the covid-19 pandemic, the Penguins’ four home games this season have been played in a mostly empty building.
Based on the listed capacity of PPG Paints Arena of 18,387 for hockey games according to the venue’s website, a target of 25% would equate to 4,596 spectators.
On Wednesday, neighboring New York state announced it would permit sporting and entertainment venues to open in limited capacities Feb. 23. New York will permit venues of 10,000 or more to open at 10% capacity.
According to Penguins vice president of communications Jennifer Bullano Ridgley, the team has no target date to open the building to spectators. Without such a date, the team is taking steps to be as “prepared as possible” for a potential reopening.
A number of measures already have been taken at PPG Paints Arena, such as drone disinfecting technology in the arena bowl, autonomous UV floor scrubbers, touchless faucets and flush valves in all restrooms, 200-plus hand sanitizer stations and enhanced cleaning protocols throughout the building.
Beyond cleaning measures, the team is aiming to “make fan experiences almost completely touchless.”
On Saturday, the team practiced at the venue with a number of seats in the lower and upper bowls tied off in blocks of two and four that were socially distanced.
The first 10 rows of seats along the glass and bench areas remain covered by tarps with advertising.
The Penguins’ last home game with full capacity was March 8, 2020.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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