Each virtual meeting consisted of a host (either Getzoff or Paul Steigerwald), three season ticket holders, and a player. Or two, in the case of Crosby and Letang. And the look on 9-year-old Jameson Monroe's face was priceless when he saw that they were joining the chat.
"I was just so happy that my son was able to experience something like that," said Jameson's father John, who has been a season ticket holder since 2006. "I mean, he just loves hockey so much. And I knew Sid and Letang were good people, but it just proved what genuine characters they are. It wasn't a surprise just to see how good they were. Especially Sid calling out my son, calling him little man and stuff. That was really cool."
At one point, Crosby asked Jameson if he played - which he does, for the Steel City Renegades.
"So that's your dream, to play in the NHL? Hopefully we can stick around long enough. Maybe we can play with you," Crosby said with a laugh.
The guys certainly stuck around on the call for quite a while, answering questions - like how Crosby's wrist is feeling - and giving shoutouts to family members who couldn't make it.
The meeting wrapped up with Crosby and Letang personalizing and autographing jerseys for the season ticket holders that will be mailed to them later (which is something that all of the players did), and thanking them for their continued support.
"Me and Sid have been fortunate to play in Pittsburgh for a long time, and our fans are the best," Letang said. "You guys have been great to us as players, and our teammates can say the same. It's just amazing to play for a team in a city that have great fans like you guys."
Once the call ended, Jameson - who got to take a half day of school so that he could log on - simply couldn't contain his excitement. It was a fantastic early birthday present, as he turns 10 on Friday.
"Afterward, Jameson was like, 'Dad, that was amazing. That was so cool,'" John said. "So he's definitely telling all of his buddies in the neighborhood right now. I have never been disappointed with the Penguins organization. They treat us so well as season ticket holders. Even if I wasn't a season ticket holder, I think their priorities are just on point, and I would have said that even before we had this kind of experience. Don't get me wrong, having Sid and Letang playing in my backyard would have been awesome, but this was still really cool."
And season ticket holders John D'Andrea and Fred Shaheen got an even more unique experience when Jake Guentzel, who was logged on from PPG Paints Arena, actually went to their seat locations (which are both in Section 114) and commented on the view.
"I really didn't know what to expect. It was a lot of fun," D'Andrea said. "I thought both Jake and Josh were great. Seemed like they were very genuine and enjoyed talking to the fans."
D'Andrea had actually almost worn a signed Guentzel jersey from the winger's time with the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers, and now he'll have a signed Guentzel Penguins sweater to go along with it.
"What I personally really liked was how at the very end, the players would sign the jerseys on camera and the season ticket holder knows that's coming to them," said Chad Slencak, Penguins Senior Vice President of Ticketing. "I think those were very good moments."
Other players that made 'House Calls' to fans included Bryan Rust, Brian Dumoulin, Jason Zucker, Kasperi Kapanen, Teddy Blueger, Zach Aston-Reese and Tristan Jarry. And Tony Nee, who has been a Penguins season ticket holder, appreciated both the chance to get to know the goaltender on more of a personal level and the opportunity in general.
"I've often said that the Pittsburgh Penguins are a first-class organization. Today's call reinforced that opinion in a major way," Nee said. "The team has a very loyal fan base, and that's not by accident."
