Comments on: Umberger raves about hockey’s growth in Pennsylvania

By: florida76

florida76 — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 01:33:00 +0000

Few people know this, but the Pittsburgh/Western Pennsylvania area is one of the birthplaces of pro hockey in the United States, way back in the early 1900s. Players from the Western PA league are inducted in the HOF from this time period, this is well before the Original Six came on the scene. After a brief time in the NHL, Pittsburgh was still a fixture on the professional hockey scene for several decades.

In fact, the old Hornets captured the title as a minor league affiliate in their final season, before the Penguins began play. So when you take into account the history, combined with the success of the Pens since the Mario era, it’s not surprising youth and college hockey is taking off in the area.

By: whatthepuck2012

whatthepuck2012 — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 22:53:59 +0000

Thank you! I’m surprised they don’t take Ryan Malone into consideration.

By: danphipps01

danphipps01 — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 20:23:59 +0000

Elite-level, basically. If the Tribune’s comment is accurate, Umberger’s the first NHL-calibre player of note to come out of Western Pennsylvania. Dunno if that’s actually true or not, but one assumes a Pittsburgh newspaper would know their hockey history better than I do.

By: whatthepuck2012

whatthepuck2012 — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 19:34:40 +0000

Can someone explain what “blue chip hockey talent” means?

By: mustbechris

mustbechris — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 18:00:04 +0000

Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation is doing great things in Philly too. PA isn’t quite at NJ’s level for hockey yet but it’s definitely making strides the past few years.

By: spydey629

spydey629 — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:07:18 +0000

How about a little love for Robert Morris University — the Pittsburgh school that hosted the tournament?

6-0 over Penn State and 1-0 over #5 Miami to win the Three Rivers Classic.

It’s not every weekend your goalie turns aside 99 of 99 shots.