Bartkowski Hoping to Realize Childhood Dream of Playing for Pittsburgh

The walls of UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex feature photos and biographies of the western Pennsylvania natives who played their youth hockey in the Pittsburgh area before making it to the NHL. The header reads:
"MY DREAM STARTED IN PITTSBURGH."
That's the case for Matt Bartkowski, who had a front row seat to the Penguins' back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in the early 1990s growing up in Mt. Lebanon. And like many others his age, Bartkowski loved watching the likes of Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr.

"Just seeing Mario playing on TV made me want to play hockey," Bartkowski said. "And Jagr was here for years, so seeing him play was awesome, and then being able to play with him later in Boston was pretty cool too. It was mainly Mario and Jagr…I think that's why everyone my age in Pittsburgh wanted to play hockey."
And Bartkowski found success in the sport. After playing his youth hockey in western Pennsylvania and college hockey for Ohio State, he got drafted by Florida in 2008, made his NHL debut with Boston (in Pittsburgh!) in 2010, and went on to play over 250 NHL games with the Bruins, Vancouver, Calgary and Minnesota.
Now, the 33-year-old defenseman has a chance to return to his hometown as a member of the Penguins after signing a professional tryout agreement with the team.
"Obviously I always wanted to play in Pittsburgh, and one way or another, I'm trying to do it," Bartkowski said. "Being able to have a tryout is a first step in the right direction. I'll put my best foot forward, and hopefully get a contract out of it."
The first step of his hockey journey came with the Mt. Lebanon Hornets, and from there, he played most of his youth hockey for the Pittsburgh Amateur Penguins. He also spent some time with the Pittsburgh Hornets before starting high school.
While skating for Mt. Lebanon, the defenseman also played for the Pittsburgh Predators, and helped guide them to a Penguins Cup Title at Mellon Arena in 2004. As a senior, Bartkowski captained the Blue Devils to an undefeated season, ending with a Pennsylvania Cup Championship at Mellon Arena in 2006.
A few years later, Bartkowski fulfilled a childhood dream at the new home of the Penguins on Jan. 10, 2011, playing in his first-ever NHL game against Pittsburgh at PPG Paints Arena.
"That was pretty cool, being able to play my first game here," said Bartkowski, whose Bruins won, 4-2. "I was shellshocked, for one, and it was here, so that added to it. First game, in my hometown, I was just in awe the whole game. I was trying to play the game, but at the same time, you're kind of out of it. You're playing a game in the NHL - it's pretty cool."
Bartkowski's return to Pittsburgh was just as exciting for his friends and family, who he heard from both through text and at the game.
"I literally shut my phone off because so many people were texting me," Bartkowski said with a chuckle. "I know my parents were there, grandparents and close family. I do remember I took a penalty that game, and the guy working in the box, his kid used to play for my old coach's team. He said to me, 'Hey, how's it going?' It's stuff like that. I probably knew half the building."
The blueliner also fulfilled another childhood dream just a year later, playing with Jagr on the Bruins during the 2012-13 season. Bartkowski still remembers his first interactions with the winger, and how they bonded over the Steel City.
"It was a little weird…I was like, 'hey, nice to meet you,' and I was nervous, obviously," Bartkowski recalled. "Maybe like a week or so later I was like, 'I'm from Pittsburgh,' and then we started talking a little bit. That was pretty cool."
Bartkowski compared the local impact of players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to his heroes in the '90s.
"I don't know if they realize how much they do, just being here for one, but also how much they do community-wise," Bartkowski said. "Just being here in person is huge enough, but how good of guys they are for the community and all that stuff - I'm sure they don't realize how much they do."
Bartkowski also noted just how hockey in Pittsburgh has grown in the 2000s, not too dissimilar to the way it grew in the '90s - a point that was driven home from skating at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex this summer.
"As far as that facility, I've been in a few along my career, and this one is by far the nicest I've been a part of. It's first-class all the way," he said.
"The hockey here exploding since just before the '09 Cup all has to do with Sid and Geno, (Kris) Letang and (Marc-Andre) Fleury. It's kind of the next surge, the next wave after Mario, Jagr and (Ron) Francis were done. It was kind of dead in the late '90s and the early 2000s, and then those guys came along, and it's back again. I think they have a ton to do with it, just being here. It's good to see. There's a lot of good young talent here now."
For Bartkowski, who lives in Robinson during the offseasons, it would be nearly impossible for him to forget where he came from.
But even now, he still remembers that little kid who dreamed of playing for the Penguins, and even imagined what his younger self would have said if he knew he would be able to do just that.
"You grow up being from here, you want to play for the Pens," he said. "I guess just don't take your opportunity for granted, and realize you're actually there, and take the bull by the horns and run with it."
And make no mistake about it - he's here to take a spot.
"I still feel good," he said. "Physically I feel good, mentally I feel good. I got a lot of hockey left."