It has been absolutely amazing to have fans back in PPG Paints Arena - where they belong - after almost a year of empty buildings.
The Penguins worked tirelessly to provide the safest and most efficient experience possible so that they could reopen at 15% capacity, teaming up with their arena management operator ASM Global and their food-and-beverage partner Aramark
to make numerous enhancements
- including mobile
ticketing
, mobile ordering and touchless self-checkout scanners for food, beverage and merchandise.
I was curious about what that experience entailed, so for Pittsburgh's game against New Jersey on Sunday, I decided to be one of the 2,800 fans currently permitted inside the building. And it turned out to be a smooth and enjoyable afternoon from start to finish that I would recommend to everyone.
Inside Scoop: Fan Experience
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Tickets: March 24 vs. BUF
Tickets: March 25 vs. BUF
The only downside was that the Penguins didn't get two points in their 2-1 overtime loss, but we still saw a goal from Sidney Crosby, terrific goaltending from Tristan Jarry and some bonus hockey to top it off.
"The experience has been great," said Christopher Rodriguez, who attended the game with his 2-year-old daughter Lydia. "Being here and actually seeing the reaction when we score a goal or something like that, that is majorly different than what you watch on TV. It's nothing like I've ever seen. It helps everybody in Pittsburgh are such nice people. I love it here. If you're a Penguins fan and you've never been to a game, put it on the bucket list."
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My mobile
ticket
was sent to my iPhone through a text that had a link to redeem it. The text listed the location - Section 115, Row U, Seat 11 - along with my entry gate, F.N.B. The actual mobile ticket itself displayed all of that information as well.
In order to dissipate any sort of crush on one door and maintain social distancing, fans are given suggested arrival times. So I visited the team's '
Know Before You Go
' page - which touches on the five most important things that you need to know before you leave your house to come to a Penguins game - to find out what time I should get to the arena. Each section had their gate and entry time listed for different puck drops. For today's 1 PM start, Section 115 was given a 12 PM arrival.
As I am always running late, I was a few minutes behind. But I was grateful to see that there was no one in line ahead of me at the F.N.B. Gate. There were socially-distanced circles on the ground leading up to the doors, and once I went through security with just my wallet and my iPhone, as no bags are permitted, I opened the link for my mobile ticket as I approached the ticket reader. You can either hold your phone near the reader or scan the barcode. It couldn't have been easier, and the ushers were so helpful.
From there, I walked around the concourse. There was signage everywhere, which was great. Arrows on the ground directed fans to maintain social distancing and stay to the right, and there were also designated crossing points if you wanted to go from one side to the other.
I wanted to check out the offerings and the significant renovations completed by the Penguins and Aramark to further elevate the in-game dining experience, as I was looking to buy some lunch. PPG Paints Arena is now a cashless venue, and I had lots of options when it came to ordering and paying for my food.
There is a reverse ATM available to convert cash to a prepaid Visa card. I could also pay for concessions using the Penguins Mobile Wallet through the Penguins app, where I could load my preferred credit or debit card before making a purchase. I could also mobile order concessions (and merchandise at PensGear!) through the Penguins app and pick them up at a designated spot.
I chose to simply walk up to an Arena Favorites stand and order some chicken tenders, paying for them with my debit card in a normal transaction. Again, it couldn't have been easier.
After that, I walked to my section. Automatic hand sanitizers were located at the top of each staircase (and throughout the rest of the arena, of course!). After I descended to my seat, I was pleased to see that I had plenty of room. Seating is assigned in "pods" of 1-4 adjacent seats, with the pods separated from other groups by approximately six feet. I was the only one in my row, and there was no one directly in front of me or behind me.
I think what stood out the most is that from the moment I walked up to the arena to the moment I sat down, I never once felt even the slightest bit crowded, stressed or uncomfortable. And Penguins season ticket holders David and Carla Outcalt, who were sitting in my section, felt the same way.
"We feel extremely comfortable," said Carla, who praised the job that the ushers - who are constantly wiping down the handrails - do. "We have family members that were so compromised, so we didn't go out anywhere. Coming back to the games, I was very wary at first. Then when we sat down, my husband and I both looked at each other and we were like, 'We can do this.'"
"It's nice to stretch your legs out and stuff, you're not crowded in," David agreed. "It is nice."
The Outcalts are now attending their fourth game this season. They're thrilled to be watching hockey again in a safe environment.
"We didn't realize it had been a year, and how much we missed it," David said.
Even though we were all socially distanced, you could still feel the camaraderie between the Penguins fans cheering on their team, and I was surrounded by some knowledgeable ones. I particularly enjoyed listening to Rodriguez, who was actually attending his first-ever game at PPG Paints Arena. Any time Rodriguez would voice his support for the team, Lydia would echo him.
During intermission, I went back to the concourse, and heard a Penguins fan telling his companion about how well he could hear players' skates scraping the ice, sticks hitting pucks and bodies crashing into the boards. So I stopped the fan, named Russell Marold, to hear more.
"It was just terrible not being able to come to the games before this," he said. "You have the goal horn, the fans, and just the sights and sounds and the smells of the arena - all those things you missed between concerts and sporting events of any sort not being available. Just being cooped up for so long, it's been really nice just to back in the swing of things and come out and enjoy a hockey game."
After we finished chatting, I wanted to check out the Drink MKT stands around the concourse, which featured coolers of beverages along with various food items, and were Scan-Pay-Go.
I picked out a Blue Moon, and right now, alcohol can only be served for on-premises consumption when in the same transaction as a meal (starting April 4, this requirement will be lifted). The PA Liquor Code defines a "meal" as food prepared on the premises sufficient to constitute a breakfast, lunch or dinner. A bag of chips wasn't enough, but I was able to buy a pepperoni roll for only $2 to go with the drink.
After selecting your items, you placed them on a scanner, which knew what each one was and rang you up. I again paid the total with my debit card in a normal transaction, and returned to my seat. From there, I enjoyed the rest of the game.
The only other time I watched the Penguins play from that vantage point, during the 600th sellout, what stood out to me was how fast the game was. I was reminded of that today. As I watched Kasperi Kapanen fly down the ice at one point, behind me Rodriguez echoed my thoughts, saying, "There goes Kappy with that blazing speed."
I also thought it was so cool how clearly you could hear the players communicate with there being less people in the building. I remember Brian Dumoulin saying that was one of the biggest things he noticed watching games while injured, and I could definitely hear him and the rest of the guys talking on the ice and from the bench.
The last time Rodriguez attended a Penguins game was at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. That night, Pittsburgh and Detroit went into overtime tied 1-1, with Crosby getting the overtime winner. Unfortunately, history didn't repeat itself, as New Jersey's Jesper Bratt earned his team the victory. But it was still a great day for hockey.
"It's just been really nice to be back," Marold said. "It'd be better to have 18,000 people here, but just the fact we can be back and enjoy a hockey game again and hear those sights and sounds from the game again is just really nice."
