The Penguins have a new look on the ice this season.
The arena around them looks a whole lot different, too.
PPG Paints Arena underwent $30 million in arena upgrades over the summer, including changes to the lighting, sound systems, and the club/premium seating areas.
The main attraction, of course, is the giant videoboard that's three times the size of the previous one.
Thursday's morning skate ahead of the Penguins' preseason game against the Sabres was the first time many of the returning players saw the changes. Only a couple of NHL regulars played in the preseason opener at the arena on Sunday, and none of the training camp practices had been held at the arena.
When most of the returning players stepped onto the ice Thursday morning, they stopped in their tracks and gawked at the giant screens above them.
"I looked up at it, I couldn't believe how big it was," Marcus Pettersson said after the skate. "I've seen pictures, but obviously it feels a little different live."
The videoboard is so big that it's challenging to see the main screens from the bench, but the inside of the videoboard is hollow and has additional screens that are angled down, so players on the bench and fans sitting closer to the ice can see the video.
"It's big," Bryan Rust observed. "I think guys on the bench are going to be utilizing the screens underneath more than the actual outside."
Players took some time before the skate to peek around at the other arena changes, from the new Casamigos club at the opposite end of the arena to the new expanded Club 66 that is across from their locker rooms.
"It looks spectacular," Rust said. "I took a couple of extra minutes this morning, kind of roaming around, tried to see what was new. It's awesome. I think everyone that's going to be able to experience those is going to have a really good time."
Pettersson takes the route to the locker room that goes past the Casamigos club, so he popped his head around there first.
"I think the improvements they've made all over the arena in the past few years have been impressive," he said.
The renovations have impacted the players in one big way that they're still trying to solve -- where does the pregame soccer take place now?
The Club 66 was expanded on the event level, and the right-side wall was built out over the summer into what was previously just a wide-open space to the right of the locker room doors -- what was once the perfect space for everyone to form a circle and play a 5 p.m. game of two-touch on a game night.
With that area being cut in half, there's no room for soccer. They can't move the game down the hall to the left, because that's where the visiting rooms are. They can't move to the right, because it's a high-traffic area for media and employees getting to the game.
"That's still under consideration," Rust said with a little grin of what happens to the soccer games now. "We'll have to talk to some veteran guys who might have a little bit more say, but I think it's going to be a work in progress."
THE ASYLUM
Players rave about arena upgrades
The Penguins have a new look on the ice this season.
The arena around them looks a whole lot different, too.
PPG Paints Arena underwent $30 million in arena upgrades over the summer, including changes to the lighting, sound systems, and the club/premium seating areas.
The main attraction, of course, is the giant videoboard that's three times the size of the previous one.
Thursday's morning skate ahead of the Penguins' preseason game against the Sabres was the first time many of the returning players saw the changes. Only a couple of NHL regulars played in the preseason opener at the arena on Sunday, and none of the training camp practices had been held at the arena.
When most of the returning players stepped onto the ice Thursday morning, they stopped in their tracks and gawked at the giant screens above them.
"I looked up at it, I couldn't believe how big it was," Marcus Pettersson said after the skate. "I've seen pictures, but obviously it feels a little different live."
The videoboard is so big that it's challenging to see the main screens from the bench, but the inside of the videoboard is hollow and has additional screens that are angled down, so players on the bench and fans sitting closer to the ice can see the video.
"It's big," Bryan Rust observed. "I think guys on the bench are going to be utilizing the screens underneath more than the actual outside."
Players took some time before the skate to peek around at the other arena changes, from the new Casamigos club at the opposite end of the arena to the new expanded Club 66 that is across from their locker rooms.
"It looks spectacular," Rust said. "I took a couple of extra minutes this morning, kind of roaming around, tried to see what was new. It's awesome. I think everyone that's going to be able to experience those is going to have a really good time."
Pettersson takes the route to the locker room that goes past the Casamigos club, so he popped his head around there first.
"I think the improvements they've made all over the arena in the past few years have been impressive," he said.
The renovations have impacted the players in one big way that they're still trying to solve -- where does the pregame soccer take place now?
The Club 66 was expanded on the event level, and the right-side wall was built out over the summer into what was previously just a wide-open space to the right of the locker room doors -- what was once the perfect space for everyone to form a circle and play a 5 p.m. game of two-touch on a game night.
With that area being cut in half, there's no room for soccer. They can't move the game down the hall to the left, because that's where the visiting rooms are. They can't move to the right, because it's a high-traffic area for media and employees getting to the game.
"That's still under consideration," Rust said with a little grin of what happens to the soccer games now. "We'll have to talk to some veteran guys who might have a little bit more say, but I think it's going to be a work in progress."
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits!
We’d love to have you!