Pittsburgh Penguins: Top 10 Games of Inaugural Consol Energy Center Season

The Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, a building several years in the making, finally opened its doors in August. It began hosting Pittsburgh Penguins hockey in late September.

Although Penguins fans will always have a soft spot for Mellon Arena, they were just as excited for the CEC, as it became known. The arena had modern amenities such as interactive exhibits and wider concourses, but still paid respect to the franchise's rich history.

The CEC was quickly embraced, as Penguins fans managed to sell out all 41 games there this year. It also became the home for many great moments, and more are sure to come as Pittsburgh gets ready for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Before we look ahead to the postseason, let's look back at the 10 greatest games of the CEC's first regular season.

10. October 18, 2010 vs. Ottawa Senators: Sergei Gonchar Returns

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NEWARK, NJ - MARCH 08: Sergei Gonchar #55 of the Ottawa Senators skates against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on March 8, 2011 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Sergei Gonchar, who was a big part of the Penguins' Stanley Cup Finals runs in 2008 and 2009, signed a three-year deal with the Ottawa Senators in the 2010 offseason.

Early this season, he returned to Pittsburgh wearing the other team's colors, but he was still welcomed back.

The Penguins put together a video tribute for Gonchar, which was shown during a TV timeout, and fans gave him a standing ovation.

When it came time to take care of business, the Penguins came out on top. They beat the Senators by a score of 5-2. Mike Comrie, Sidney Crosby, Mark Letestu and Evgeni Malkin all had two-point nights for Pittsburgh.

9. February 2, 2011 vs. New York Islanders: Brent Johnson Fights Rick DiPietro

Goalie fights are pretty rare in hockey, so when they happen, they're just as hilarious as they are entertaining.

As time wound down in the third period, Matt Cooke ran into Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro. As a melee ensued along on the boards between Islanders and Penguins skaters, DiPietro initially just stood around watching.

But that wouldn't last long.

DiPietro threw off his gloves and skated down the ice to challenge Penguins goaltender Brent Johnson. Johnson accepted and needed only one punch to get DiPietro to the ice. Both goalies were thrown out of the game, and Johnson received congratulatory smiles and laughter from his teammates as he skated back to the bench.

The Penguins won the game 3-0 with goals from Tyler Kennedy, Chris Kunitz and Max Talbot. Talbot's empty net goal in the third period gave him his 100th career point.

8. March 12, 2011 vs. Montreal Canadiens: Penguins Sellout 200th Straight Game

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PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 20: Fans enter the Consol Energy Center before the start of play between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers on March 20, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

This is far from the Penguins' greatest game of the season. They were shut out 3-0 by the Canadiens, and Marc-Andre Fleury was yanked in favor of Johnson in the second period.

However, the Penguins' milestone sellout was enough to put it on the list.

Paid attendance was 18,310, which exceeded the Consol Energy Center's capacity of 18,087. It marked the 200th consecutive sellout for the Penguins. The sellout streak goes back to the team's days at the Mellon Arena, where they sold out 165 straight games. 

The streak has continued to this day.

Hopefully, it never ends.

7. January 18, 2011 vs. Detroit Red Wings: Chris Conner's Penalty Shot Goal

The Penguins were up 1-0 over the Detroit Red Wings when Kris Draper hooked Chris Conner on a breakaway.

The referee called a penalty shot for the Penguins, and fans got to their feet as the 5'8" forward prepared to skate in on Joey Macdonald.

Conner scored to put Pittsburgh up 2-0. It was the Penguins' first successful penalty shot since 2007, when Jarkko Ruutu scored against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Pittsburgh won the game 4-1 with help from Jordan Staal, Kunitz and Cooke. Fleury made 36 saves on 37 shots.

6. December 6, 2010 vs. New Jersey Devils: Bill Guerin Retires

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PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 06: Bill Guerin waves to the crowd during his retirement ceremony before a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New Jersey Devils at Consol Energy Center on December 6, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin

Bill Guerin was only in Pittsburgh for a season and a half, but he felt it was only appropriate to retire as a Penguin.

“We were only here a short time but my family and I developed such a deep connection to the city, the team and the fans,” Guerin said in a statement on the Penguins website.

“It was amazing. From ownership and Ray Shero to the coaching staff and trainers, from my teammates to the arena workers to the people in the stands, they all treated us in such a first-class manner. It was an extremely positive experience. We all agree that retiring as a Pittsburgh Penguin is the perfect thing to do.”

Guerin announced his retirement on the day the Penguins were playing one of his former teams, the New Jersey Devils. He had won a Stanley Cup with both teams, hoisting the trophy with the Devils in 1995 and the Penguins in 2009.

The Penguins defeated the Devils 2-1 and matched a franchise record with their 10th straight win.

Crosby played in his 400th career game, posting a goal and an assist. Fleury earned his ninth straight win with 27 saves.

5. October 7, 2010 vs. Philadelphia Flyers: Consol Energy Center Home Opener

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PITTSBURGH - OCTOBER 07: Team owner Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins drops the puck between Sidney Crosby #87 and Mike Richards #18 of the Philadelphia Flyers as NHL commissioner Gary Bettman looks on prior to the arena opening game at the Conso

The Philadelphia Flyers sent the Penguins home disappointed on opening night by defeating them 3-2.

Ultimately, though, the loss could not take away from a night that had been eagerly anticipated for so long.

Penguins players and coaches started the night by entering the Consol Energy Center on a red carpet. Ceremonies before the game included Mario Lemieux skating out to center ice and pouring a bottle of melted ice from Mellon Arena on to the ice at the CEC.

Fans who were unable to get tickets to the game were able to watch the game from a big screen set up outside the arena.

Kennedy scored the first Penguins goal in arena history 44 seconds into the third period. It was also the first time that night Pittsburgh got on the board.

4. February 10, 2011 vs. Los Angeles Kings: Dan Bylsma Gets 100th Career Win

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PITTSBURGH, PA - FEBRUARY 21: Head coach Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins directs his team during the NHL game against the Washington Capitals at Consol Energy Center on February 21, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Capitals defeated the Pengu

Dan Bylsma entered the February 10 matchup against the Los Angeles Kings as the Penguins coach with the highest win percentage in team history (.657). 

He began to increase his total at the end of the night, as the Penguins defeated the Kings by a score of 2-1 in overtime.

Brett Sterling, a call-up from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League, got Pittsburgh on the board in the first period. Jarrett Stoll scored for the Kings at 17:17 of the opening period to tie the score, which remained knotted until the overtime period.

With 19 seconds left in the extra frame, Staal scored to give Pittsburgh the win.

Bylsma got his 100th career win, reaching the mark in 163 games. He was the fifth fastest coach to 100 wins and the third Penguins coach to earn as many victories.

"It was a rewarding win, to get the 100th one, the way our team battled here," Bylsma said after the game. 

"I've got the puck. It's nice to get to triple-digits."

The game also marked a return to Pittsburgh for defenseman Rob Scuderi, who made several key plays during the Penguins' 2009 Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Fans welcomed him back with a standing ovation.

3. November 12, 2010 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning: Marc-Andre Fleury Returns to Form

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PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 13: Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins defends the net against the Edmonton Oilers on March 13, 2011 at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

It was no secret that Marc-Andre Fleury was having a tough start to the season.

He struggled to put up wins and was losing valuable playing time to backup goaltender Brent Johnson.

But on November 12, Fleury began to change all of that.

Prior to the game, fans chanted Fleury's name to give him confidence. He went on to make 15 saves on 16 shots as the Penguins defeated the Lightning 5-1.

The win marked Fleury's 150th career win. He became the seventh youngest goalie to reach the milestone.

Fleury was helped by five different goal scorers: Pascal Dupuis, Alex Goligoski, Talbot and Crosby. Deryk Engelland also chipped in his first career NHL goal.

2. January 5, 2011 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning: Penguins Explode on Offense

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PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 05: Chris Kunitz #14 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his first period goal with Brooks Orpik #44 and Pascal Dupuis #9 against the Tampa Bay Lightning on January 5, 2011 at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The Penguins set many milestones in their January 5 thumping of the Tampa Bay Lightning:

-First time scoring five goals in a period since a 1990 matchup against the Washington Capitals

-First time scoring eight goals in a win since a December 2009 win over the Senators.

-Second career NHL hat trick for Kunitz

Malkin opened the scoring seven seconds into the game, and the Penguins took off from there, defeating the Lightning by a score of 8-1.

Defensemen Goligoski and Kris Letang also stood out in the win. Goligoski had a four point night, while Letang tallied three points.

Tampa's lone goal came from former Penguin Adam Hall at 2:25 of the third period.

1. October 15, 2010 vs. New York Islanders: Penguins Get First Win at New Home

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PITTSBURGH - OCTOBER 07: Pittsburgh Penguins fans wait for game time prior to the arena opening game against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Consol Energy Center on October 7, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The Penguins did not have a smooth opening to their arena as far as their record was concerned.

In fact, after three straight home losses, fans began to think the arena was jinxed.

On October 15, though, those concerns were put to rest.

Pittsburgh defeated the Islanders 3-2 in overtime, with Goligoski getting the game winning goal at 1:51 of overtime on a power play.

Eric Tangradi scored his first career goal in the win, and Johnson made 22 saves. 

The win also continued a unique drought for the Islanders, who have not won in Pittsburgh since 2004.

It also allowed Pittsburgh to get a monkey off their back and continue a successful season.