Hello, Good-bye: Penguins Spend One More Season in Mellon Arena

       It's a bittersweet symphony for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they get ready to spend their last year playing in Mellon Arena. While they get ready to start up the season of 2009-2010, they remember the way it used to be inside of the igloo.

Battles near the boards and battles in front of the nets. Bloody teeth, bloody jersey's, and bloody ice. Broken sticks, broken skates, and broken bones. This being some, of what The Consol Energy Center has yet to experience.

It's going to be hard to get used to another arena, let alone one that hasn't felt the excitement and passion that Mellon Arena has brought for years. Pittsburgh Penguins fans are going to need to unleash it all this year as we sadly say good-bye to the igloo and welcome in a new addition.

The ground was broken August 14, 2008 for the Consol Energy Center to be built. The arena will be finished in the fall of 2010, which should be ready for the 2010-2011 season. The new home holds 18,087 seats, and has a full HD Jumbo-Tron. It offers a wide variety of food and beverage options which are located on each level of the new arena.

The last year with the arena is going to be pretty emotional, i think. We have all watched some amazing games that took place there and never thought this day would come, but i guess for most cities, new arena's have come about which brings new excitement and new experiences.

Mario Lemieux along with other penguin employee's and workers, signed their names on a gold steel beam. The arena construction workers raised the beam high into the rooftop.

Every city should get to know what it feels like to play on a brand new, untouched rink. Fresh ice, fresh paint, fresh seating, and a new year for the team to touch center ice and drop the puck in their new home.

Talk about a fresh new start, and maybe, just maybe, the team will be starting their 2010-2011 season, with a 4th Stanley Cup.