Pens players power through rain to deliver season tickets

PHOTO RECAP:Season Ticket Delivery Day
There's a saying associated with mail carriers that is their unofficial motto: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."
Well, there was rain on Monday in Pittsburgh, and plenty of it - but that didn't stop the Penguins players from carrying out their annual season ticket deliveries.

It certainly didn't stop Sidney Crosby from grabbing a stick and playing hockey with Tony Villiotti's grandkids in the driveway.

Villiotti had a serious illness last year and underwent a liver transplant six months ago. His wife Betsy said being with his grandkids is what kept him going and allowed him to make a full recovery. So to see them having such an incredible time with Crosby during his visit was a huge highlight for Villiotti.
"(The illness) kind of put things in perspective in terms of enjoying the little things in life," Villiotti said. "So to see my grandkids have fun just makes my day. When we saw Sid walking up the steps everybody was over the moon about that. Everyone was cheering in the living room. Like everyone else in Pittsburgh, we're big Sidney Crosby fans. They'll remember this day for the rest of their lives and that means a lot to me."
Villiotti and Betsy - who had one of their first dates at a Penguins game - first bought season tickets back in the 1980s. But after they got too busy with their children, Dave and Gina, and their various activities, they had to give them up.
Fortunately, the Villiottis had the opportunity to buy them again, and now Dave and Gina take their spouses and their kids. The family even holds a draft, where they pick certain games to attend and Crosby's bobblehead night was in high demand. And all of them were able to be at Tony and Betsy's home on Monday for Crosby's visit.
"I don't know if I can put in words, but it is just amazing," Betsy said of the experience. "I love watching my grandkids with (Crosby). It's just crazy to come full circle."
When Crosby walked into the house, he asked about the kids being out of school and whether they had notes. He ended up writing one to excuse Joey and Sophia after they finished playing hockey in the driveway, where at one point, three of the kids went into the net to play goalie against Crosby.

"I think these kids are excited to be here and I'm excited, too, just to meet them and spend some time with them and see how much they love the game," Crosby said. "These are kids who hopefully grow up supporting the team and having great memories of watching games."
* At Ray and Tara Moscollic's recent wedding, the groom's father Tony went up to the happy couple with the news that a Penguins player would be delivering season tickets.
But Tony thought the newlyweds would be getting back from their honeymoon in Saint Lucia today instead of Sunday, so Ray and Tara thought they wouldn't make it home in time.
However, Ray figured out the mix-up, and was going to surprise his new bride at his parents' house when they got back. But when the couple was preparing to fly back on Sunday, Ray realized he probably wouldn't be able to pull it over on her, so he told her what they were in for upon their return.
"I was like by the way, (the visit) is actually going to be tomorrow and we're going to get home and able to be there for it," Ray said. "That made (traveling) a heck of a lot better, because typically at the end of a week like that you're all grumpy. But she was actually in a great mood from it."
"I was jumping up and down, I was really excited," Tara laughed.
Despite getting back into town around midnight, they were at the house waiting when Matt Murray stopped by this afternoon, which capped off an incredible couple of weeks for the newlyweds.
"The team is so out there and involved in the community, it's really cool to have that moment where you get to interact with somebody on the team and actually have them come into our home," Ray said.
* One of the day's most precious moments occurred at Murray's first stop at Jeff Diehl's home, where a little girl ran into his arms for a big hug.
"She was great. Just full of energy and was happy to see us come by," Murray said. "She said she was my biggest fan, but I think I'm her biggest fan. She was amazing. She was so much fun. But all the families were so welcoming and so nice to me. I really appreciate all of their hospitality today."
And then, some of the funniest moments occurred whenever people first encountered Murray and were blown away by how tall he is in person. He had to keep telling fans his exact height.
* Jack Johnson - one of the newest additions to the Penguins roster after securing a five-year, $16.25 million contract on July 1 - was eager to engage with the Pittsburgh community for the first time.
"It was the first time I've gone and delivered season tickets in someone's home," Johnson said. "With Columbus we did season ticket events, but I thought this was a nice personal touch to actually ring the doorbell and hand them their season tickets. I thought that was pretty cool and pretty unique."
The outing was especially memorable for Johnson as he put on his No. 73 Penguins jersey for the first time.
"My first time putting on my jersey, that was cool for me," Johnson said. "Every day we are getting closer and closer to starting [training] camp, closer and closer to playing some games and closer and closer to Game 1. Summer has gone by pretty quick. Fortunately, it was a pretty busy one for me and my family, but Game 1 can't come quick enough."
* Usually the players deliver season tickets, but this year head coach Mike Sullivan joined the action. Sullivan delivered tickets around the Cranberry Township area to the employees of the Keurig Dr. Pepper offices, the Santry family and the Devin family.
During the visit with the Devin family, Sullivan met Melva Devin, who has been a Penguins fan since she was a little girl. Melva entered a contest back in 1967 to help choose the team name.
"I'm 62 years old and have been a fan ever since I was a little girl," Devin said. "I've been going since you could get tickets for $3.50 at the Civic Arena."
The opportunity to surprise the dedicated fans, but more importantly, to interact and create memories over the sport of hockey, were the biggest takeaways for Sullivan.
"I think when you see the reaction of bringing people's season tickets to the door, it really hits home on how passionate they are about our team and how supportive they are," Sullivan "It makes you appreciate the unique city that we're in in Pittsburgh. It's such a great sports town, but most specifically how supportive they are of our team."