The Top 10 Pittsburgh Penguins Moments in Mellon Arena History

The Pittsburgh Penguins may not have closed the Mellon Arena in the way they were hoping to, since they were unable to clinch the 2010 Stanley Cup.

But that doesn't mean that The Igloo will be forgotten.

The Igloo hosted the Penguins for 43 years, and in that time, it saw some of the Penguins' greatest moments and some of its biggest disappointments.

As the finishing touches are put on the Consol Energy Center in preparation for its opening next month, it's time to look back at the old barn and relive some of the greatest Penguins moments it brought us.

Enjoy this list, and let me know if there are any other games you would include or if you would rank these moments any other way.

10. 1990 NHL All Star Game

The Pittsburgh Penguins hosted their first NHL All Star game in 1990 at Mellon Arena.

The Penguins changed the ASG in a few ways. The Mellon Arena hosted the first-ever skills competition with three events: accuracy shooting, hardest shot, and a goaltender's competition.

Also, instead of the game being broadcast on a Tuesday night, NBC aired the game on a Sunday afternoon to make it the first NHL event aired on American TV since 1980.

It was also the first time U.S. viewers saw Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky playing together on TV.

Penguins captain Lemieux was a starter and team captain of the Wales Conference.

He had four goals in a 12-4 Wales Conference win and was named the game's MVP. He became the second player in NHL All Star Game history to score four goals in the game.

Here are some highlights of Lemieux's goals from that game:

9. Penguins and Flyers Five Overtime Game in the 2000 Playoffs

This game was a disappointing one for the Penguins, but not including it in the list would mean ignoring a part of Penguins history that set a record for the franchise and earned a spot in NHL history.

On May 4, 2000, the Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers were playing in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Penguins had a 2-1 lead in the series and were looking to take control over Philadelphia.

With the game tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation, the Penguins and Flyers went to overtime.

As they played, the night drifted away. 11 p.m., midnight, and 1 a.m. came and went. Fans were struggling to stay awake. The players themselves could barely stand up on their skates.

And then, at 2:35 a.m., Keith Primeau helped the Flyers breathe a sigh of relief when he scored on Penguins goalie Ron Tugnutt to win the game 2-1 and tie the series.

The game required 92:01 of extra time and took just over seven hours. It was the longest game in Penguins history and is the third longest game in NHL history.

Alexei Kovalev had the lone goal for the Penguins.

Here are the final moments of that game:

8. Mellon Arena Sellout Record

Quick. Name the last time the Mellon Arena was NOT sold out for a Penguins game.

Give up?

It was February 6, 2007 when the Penguins beat the Nashville Predators by a score of 4-1.

Ever since then, the standing room only crowd of 17,132 has packed the Igloo to see the resurgent Penguins.

All home and playoff dates for the last three seasons have been sold out. The season ticket waiting list sits at over 3,000 members, and Penguins tickets are one of the hottest tickets in the NHL.

They often sell out within minutes of hitting Ticketmaster, and fans are often left scrambling on Ebay, Stub Hub, and Ticket Exchange to get their hands on a seat.

The 100th consecutive sellout was on March 15, 2009, against the Boston Bruins as the Penguins paid tribute to Eddie Johnston and won 6-4.

The Igloo's 150th consecutive sellout was this season on March 2, 2010, against the Buffalo Sabres, which the Penguins won 3-2.

I was actually present at the Penguins' 100th sellout. It was only my second game at The Igloo. I still have the game ticket and the commemorative book that was handed out at the gates.

Here are some highlights from that day:

7. Home Sweet Home

Even in retirement, Mario Lemieux didn't stop saving the Penguins.

The Penguins went through a dark period in the earlier part of the 2000s.

The team was bankrupt and had to give up contracts of key players such as Jarmoir Jagr and Martin Straka to save money.

When the Penguins were in the midst of a rebuild in 2006 and 2007, threats still existed that the team would be moved.

The team was up for sale, and it looked like the Pens could be headed to Kansas City or Houston if an agreement for an arena wasn't reached.

Lemieux eventually decided to keep the team's ownership, which ensured the Penguins could remain in Pittsburgh.

On March 13, 2007, he helped come to a deal to allow the Penguins to build a new arena and keep the team in the Steel City for at least 30 more years.

A week and a half later, Lemieux took the ice before the Penguins played the Buffalo Sabres at home and officially announced his plans to keep the Pittsburgh Penguins as the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Re-live it here:

http://penguins.nhl.tv/team/console?type=fvod&id=20272

6. Final Regular Season Game

Although the 2009-2010 regular season started without knowing when the true last game would be played at Mellon Arena, April 8, 2010 was definitely penciled in as the final regular season game.

In front of yet another sold-out crowd, the Penguins had an elaborate pregame ceremony where they showed a tribute video to Mellon Arena and introduced several past players who were in attendance to bid farewell to the Igloo.

Players that showed up for the ceremony included Paul Coffey, Andy Bathgate, Jean Pronovost, Rob Brown, and Bryan Trottier.

Each guest was given a modern era Penguins jersey with his name on the back and walked the red carpet while shaking hands with present Penguins.

At the end of the ceremony, these alumni joined with the current team for a big team picture.

The Penguins then concluded their final Mellon Arena regular season with a 7-3 win over the New York Islanders and their annual jerseys off the players' backs ceremony.

Part one of the pregame festivities:

Part Two:

5. Sidney Crosby's Rookie Milestones

Sidney Crosby was the player who was supposed to bring the Penguins franchise out of turmoil and back to greatness.

In his rookie season in 2005-2006, he began doing just that.

Crosby scored his first professional point in a road game against the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 5, 2005, an assist on Mark Recchi's goal in a 5-1 Penguins loss.

But he saved his first goal for the fans in Pittsburgh.

Crosby scored that first goal three nights later against the Boston Bruins, and although the Penguins lost 7-6 in overtime, he still managed to live up to the high expectations the Penguins fans had for him.

Crosby made an impact in the Penguins' final game that season on April 17, 2006 against the New York Islanders.

He got his 100th point off an assist of a Ryan Malone goal and became the youngest player in NHL history to score 100 points in one season.

Take a look back at Crosby's first goal, which came on a Penguins power play:

Here is the move that gave Crosby 100 points and set an NHL record:

4. Saying Goodbye to Badger Bob

"Badger" Bob Johnson was the man responsible for leading the Penguins to their first Stanley Cup title in 1991 with a victory over the Minnesota North Stars.

Little did anyone know it would also be the last time he helped the Penguins get a Cup.

In the summer of 1991, Badger was diagnosed with brain cancer and passed away that same November.

On November 27, 1991, just one day after Badger's death, the Penguins honored him in a candlelight ceremony prior to playing the New Jersey Devils.

The Penguins stood in a circle around the ice as the lights dimmed over the Igloo and the crowd held electric candles.

The Penguins then honored their late coach with an 8-4 win over the Devils and added patches to their uniforms in his memory.

Badger popularized the saying "It's a Great Day for Hockey!", and it has become iconic among Penguins fans.

It was painted on the ice for the tribute ceremony, and it was also used in a Penguins marketing campaign for the 2008-2009 season.

This video remembers one of the most somber moments at Mellon Arena:

3. Mario Lemieux's First Retirement

In 1997, after battling through health ailments such as lymphoma and two back surgeries, Mario Lemieux announced he was calling it quits.

At the time of his first retirement, he had 1,494 points in 745 games, which averaged out to more than two points per game.

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 17, 1997 after Hall of Fame officials agreed to have the three year waiting period waived.

Lemieux was just the ninth player in NHL history to have this exception made.

A pregame ceremony was held two days later on November 19 where Lemieux's No. 66 was raised to the rafters.

Some highlights from Lemieux's 1997 ceremony:

At that time, no one knew that the Mario era was not quite over in Pittsburgh.

Their wildest dreams came true three years later...

2. Mario Lemieux's Comeback

In 2000, rumors started going around that Mario Lemieux was attempting to return to professional hockey. He had begun working out again and was getting back to health.

On Dec. 27, 2000, Lemieux made it official by making his return to the Mellon Arena ice.

In a pregame ceremony, his number was lowered from the rafters as his family and fans watched.

He had a three-point night, including an assist 33 seconds into his first shift, as the Penguins shutout the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 5-0.

Check out this video and remember the night that Penguins fans never thought would happen:

Lemieux retired for good in 2006, but no one would forget his ability to overcome adversity and pick up where he left off.

1. Mario Lemieux Scores Five Goals Five Ways

On New Year's Eve 1988, Lemieux did something no NHL player had ever done before.

While playing against the New Jersey Devils, Lemieux score five goals in every way possible: even strength, shorthanded, power play, penalty shot, and empty net.

Lemieux put up goals against both New Jersey goalies: starter Bob Sauve and relief goaltender Chris Terreri. Thanks to Lemieux's performance, the Penguins skated away with an 8-6 win over the Devils.

Lemieux was also the first player in Penguins history to score five goals in one game. He also shares an NHL record with four career five goal games.

When I was preparing this list, this was the first game that came to mind. Seeing as no other NHL player has accomplished this feat, it is only fair, in my opinion, that this is remembered as the best game at Mellon Arena.

But don't just take my word for it. See for yourself: