RHYMIN’ RYAN'S ODE TO THE IGLOO

After nearly 50 years and 7,000 events here in Pittsburgh it is the end of an era as we bid adieu to Pittsburgh's Civic Arena, our beloved Igloo.  As the days go by walking by the old barn it is a difficult sight to see, pretty soon nothing of our beloved Igloo will be left for it will be only a memory.  A structure one of a kind and indeed very rare, it is hard to believe that very soon it will no longer be there, but it is important to remember the thing that will not fade with the Igloo and that is the memories and the people with whom they were shared.   The Civic Arena opened in 1961 with the first event being the Ice Capades, little did we know with this event it would be the start of 50 wonderful years of memories being made.  The Civic Light Opera is who the Igloo was originally built for, their first show was in 1962 but 7 years later because they felt it wasn't the right venue for them they were out the door.  The retractable roof was one of the things for which our beloved Igloo was known for, however the first time it was opened in 1962 for a Carol Burnett show the winds really did roar.  Back in the early days of the Igloo if Pittsburgh was looking for some hockey action they could head to the old silver dome and catch the Pittsburgh Hornets for before the Penguins came to be they were one of the Igloo's main sports attractions.  Years prior to occupying the Igloo the old Hornets had disappeared because their former home the Duquesne Gardens was torn down, but the team reappeared in 1961 at the new Civic Arena and was instrumental in helping Pittsburgh get known for what we are today and that is the real hockey town!  When Pittsburgh was awarded an NHL franchise in 1966 the Hornets time was running out but they got in their last licks as they won the Calder Cup championship before they were no longer a part of Pittsburgh's sports mix.  The Pittsburgh Penguins franchise was born on October 11, 1967 against the Montreal Canadiens who 14 previous times had won the Stanley Cup and had reached the hockey heavens.  The early days of the Penguins at the Igloo the team had many ups and downs through which they would have to juggle, for there were moments both on and off the ice in which they would struggle.  From Bathgate, Larouche, Burrows and the late Michel Briere, to Apps, MacDonald and Pronovost who were known as "The Century Line" in the early days the Penguins organization these were a few of the players that made the Igloo's ice shine.  Then Mario Lemieux came on the Pittsburgh scene in the year 1984, and while the team still had its share of struggles Mario always seemed to bring the Igloo's crowd to its feet and let out a roar.  Maybe you were there when he scored 5 goals 5 different ways and was buzzin' like a bee or maybe in the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals when he scored a highlight reel goal and he schooled a goalie by the name of John Casey, after Mario's sick move Casey didn't know whether to cry or wind his watch or maybe just shake his head and ask "Why Me?"  Perhaps you journeyed to the Igloo to witness Super Mario's heroics in 1992 when he tallied the game winning score with just seconds left in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against then Blackhawks goalie Ed Belfour or maybe you were there in the 1997 playoffs when Mario schooled Garth Snow on the breakaway as his 1st retirement was knockin' on the door.  Maybe you were there when Mario recorded his 600th career goal against the Canucks where the Igloo's decibel level reached an all time high or perhaps you were in attendance on December 27, 2000 as within the blink of an eye, Super Mario had come out of retirement and in the first minute of the game he helped assist on a goal and contributed to Curtis Joseph letting out a huge sigh; or maybe you were there after Mario announced his 2nd retirement and the Igloo crowd rose to their feet and Mario acknowledged the crowd with a wave from his suite up high.  "Simply The Best" was blasting on the arena speakers and how appropriate it was too, for that punk Alex Ovechkin was also in the house that night and in the Igloo's later years he was one of the crowd's favorite players to boo.   Were you there when Darius Kasparaitis sent Eric Lindros flying in March 1998 when Kaspar's huge hit sent Lindros reeling so much so afterward he could not even stand up straight?  That was a game changing play and it was a clean hit there was no debate; it is unfortunate a player's career was changed forever but that hit made the Igloo's crowd electric which against the hated Flyers is definitely something great.  While we can't stomach the sight of him in Flyer orange now we must not forget another player in Jaromir Jagr that many times left Civic Arena crowds excitedly exclaim WOW!  One of the more fonder memories is back in 1999 when the Penguins franchise was in serious doubt, Jagr was battling a groin injury as the Pens were facing elimination in Game 6 against New Jersey but Jags laced up his skates much to the delight of the Igloo crowd all of whom did stand up and shout!  Late in regulation and in overtime magical moments old #68 did provide as he scored the game tying and game winning goals, the Igloo crowd was ready to hop in the Cordoba baby and go along for this wild ride!  Or maybe your memories of the Igloo are more from its later years, like when hockey returned from a season long lockout when the Pens signed some big name free agents attempting to kick a Stanley Cup drive into high gear.  Well that didn't pan out when the Pens returned to play in 2005, unfortunately the Pens struggled out of the gate and they could not achieve the goal for which they did strive.  That season our hearts were broken and Le Magnifique laced up his skates for the last time, and Ziggy Palffy who retired because of nagging shoulder pain not because he was a player past his prime.  But if there was anything that kept the Igloo rocking in that disappointing season when the Pens came back from the lockout in 2005, it was one teenage phenom named Sidney Patrick Crosby who from the first face off of that season there was no doubt "The Next One" had arrived.  Were you there in 2005 on that early October night when Sid lit the lamp for the first time against the Bruins and goalie Hannu Toivonen as the Crosby show started to take full flight?  Perhaps you were in attendance for the last game of the 2005-06 season, the Pens unfortunately were not playoff bound but fans flocked to the Igloo to see if Sid The Kid could become the youngest player ever to reach 100 points in a season that was the reason.  And thanks to a late 2nd period power play goal by Ryan "Bugsy" Malone, Sid reached the 100 point plateau it was time to get Arnold Slick from Turtle Creek on the phone as Islanders goalie Garth Snow could only let out a huge moan!  It was like a playoff atmosphere in the Igloo as the crowd went into a complete frenzy, while Mike Lange exclaimed his newest catch phrase "Slap Me Silly Sidney!"  It was a great ending to a season where the Pens goal of wrecking havoc on the rest of the league was not meant to be, however this night was a sign of things to come it gave us hope that hockey nights at the Igloo were looking more promising every Pens fan would have to agree, and with one Evgeni Malkin preparing to hit the Pittsbugh scene a quick summer and the arrival of a new hockey season was their one wish and plea.  However, Malkin's debut was delayed because of a shoulder injury, for the opportunity to amaze and leave us in awe he and Pens fans would have to wait patiently.  On October 18, 2006 the wait was over for Malkin made his debut and his very first NHL goal he did score against the likes of one of the greatest goalies in the game in Martin Brodeur, just another moment where the Igloo's crowd erupted in a loud roar.  But nothing would compare with what happened a week later where Malkin would once again play an important role; for once again he took Martin Brodeur to school and scored a highlight reel goal.  This goal showed signs of Super Mario, well yeah the Pens got another world class player wouldn't ya know?  This was just the start of what would be some magical moments on the Igloo ice for the guy we call Geno.  Were you there for those 2 years of magical Stanley Cup final runs in 2008 and 2009?  Remember when we liked Hossa and in a 2008 overtime thriller he schooled Henrik Lundquist and tickled the twine?  Or do you remember when Geno scored that nasty shorthanded breakaway against Philly which made Flyer fans do what they do best and that's let out a big whine?  Anyone who questioned if the Pens were going to be a force to be reckoned with this playoff run was definitely a sign.  Maybe you were there in the finals against Detroit when Brooks Orpik delivered "the shift," this moment came at the right time as the Pens were down in the series and it seemed to give them a lift.  That night Brooksy really did step up to the plate, for he was the free candy express on skates; and while the Pens felt the sting of defeat when Detroit lifted the Stanley Cup on the Civic Arena ice in 2008, they vowed to come back next year and achieve a different kind of fate.  More playoff memories were abound at the Igloo in 2009, the Pens were back with a vengeance for they felt now was their time.  Were you there when they silenced the Filthy Flyers and kept their streak of futility alive in the first round or maybe when the Pens fought back from a 2-0 series deficit against Ovechkin and the Capitals and sent their championship dreams crashing to the ground?  Maybe you were part of the crowd that loudly roared when Geno contributed to the loss of the liquor license of a goalie by the name of Cam Ward for against him in Game 2 of the conference finals a hat trick he scored.  Maybe you were in attendance in the rematch against Detroit when The Gronk Jordan Staal scored a series changing shorthanded goal, the Igloo went into a frenzy for there was no doubt on Detroit this did indeed take its toll.  Perhaps you were there when Detroit had the chance to raise the Cup on our ice for the 2nd year in a row, but thanks to goals from The Gronk and Tyler Kennedy and heroics by Fleury and Scuderi the Pens answer was a resounding "no."  The Pens avoided elimination and were one win away from the end of that long climb, I remember at the end of that game the Igloo's goal horn blaring and the crowd yelling "THIS YEAR IT'S OUR TIME!"  You may have been fortunate enough to also witness the talents of players like Francis, Tocchet, Murphy, Coffey, Recchi, Stevens, Mullen and Ulfie too or maybe you were during the "X Generation" days where Morozov, Fata, Koltsov, McKenna, Surovy, Holzinger, Bradley, Murley and Melichar are some of the names that you knew.  No matter what though they are all a part of the hockey history that was experienced at our beloved silver dome the Igloo.  We will always remember the great memories that were experienced on the Igloo's ice, but maybe you remember the Igloo for the famous goal calls of the voice of the Igloo John Barbero or maybe the musical mastery of organist Vince Lascheid playing "Three Blind Mice."  Maybe you loved it when it was time for some cowbell and the Igloo's speakers blasted "Hell's Bells" from AC/DC which always made the Igloo go crazy, or perhaps you are just like me when right after the pre-game skate The Spinners tune "The Rubberband Man" just got stuck in your head and would make you want to exclaim "YEAH BABY!"  As it was said by the great Mike Lange "it is our past that defines who we have been and who we are today," and while the memories will not disappear it sure is difficult to see the Igloo slowly disappear and go away.  

Now perhaps you remember the Igloo for something other than hockey, for perhaps you ventured to the Igloo and one of your favorite artists in concert you did see.  Maybe you saw Def Leppard and rocked to their hit tune "Pour Some Sugar On Me," or maybe you went to be entertained by Peter Gabriel and hear that catchy tune called "Shock The Monkey."  Perhaps you were rocking to "I Don't Like The Drugs But The Drugs Like Me," or there were some opportunities to rock out the tunes of "I Won't Back Down," and "You Wreck Me," by the likes of one Tom Petty.  If those acts were not your cup of tea the Igloo also rocked to the likes of "T.N.T." by that Austrailian rock band AC/DC, and Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam appeared at the old barn and would jam tunes such as "State Of Love And Trust" and "Glorified G," no matter what seeing those two acts at the Igloo would be dyanmite to be able to see.  Now if you saw AC/DC maybe your favorite song to hear at a deafening level in the Igloo was "For Those About To Rock," another group called New Order visited the old silver dome as well playing such tunes like "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "Shellshock."  Maybe with the likes of Bon Jovi you were "Livin' On A Prayer," or perhaps you preferred to rock with Rivers Cuomo and Weezer and hearing that catchy tune called "Buddy Holly" made you get up out of your chair.  Crowds also flocked to the Igloo to hear the tunes "Tom Sawyer" and "Subdivisions" from Rush, but others might have preferred to head to the Igloo to hear Scott Weiland and STP belt out the tunes "Sour Girl" and "Plush."  Possibly some of you rocked out at the old silver dome to jam to Korn playing the tune "Blind," while others wanted to see Brad Delp, Tom Scholz and Boston because all they wanted was to have their "Peace Of Mind."  Maybe you made the venture up Centre Avenue to hear the classic tunes "Behind Blue Eyes" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" from Pete Townshend and The Who, while others made the journey because they wanted to rock to Brandon Boyd and Incubus playing the tune "Nice To Know You."  Perhaps you spent an evening jamming to the songs of "Minority" and "Warning" from Billie Joe Armstrong and Green Day; or maybe you checked out Dexter, Noodles and The Offspring because you badly wanted to hear the tunes "The Kids Aren't Alright" and "Gotta Get Away," while some had the thought that it would be cool at the Igloo to hear one of Pittsburgh's own play, well Rusted Root did in 1996 on New Year's Day so people could hear tunes like "Ecstacy" and "Send Me On My Way."  Perhaps you or someone you know checked out Fleetwood Mac because you wanted to hear that catchy song called "The Chain," or maybe the preference was to check out Anthony Kiedis and the Red Hot Chili Peppers perform their catchy anthems of "Knock Me Down" and "Taste The Pain."  Then again maybe seeing Sting and the Police was your concert of choice at the Igloo because it was a night away from ma and pa or because you really loved the tune "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da," while others may have just preferred to check out an Eric Clapton show and rock out to his famous tune "Layla."  Some Pittsburghers may have had "Lips Like Sugar" and wanted to head to the Civic Arena to see Echo And The Bunnymen, or maybe they preferred to head up the hill to see Gavin Rossdale and Bush rock the Igloo with their well known tune "Everything Zen."  If Pittsburgh wanted to "Rock And Roll All Nite" they would be sure to head to the Igloo to see Gene Simmons and Kiss for that would be one musical act people would not want to miss, but I got to ask will anyone here admit they checked out MC Hammer in 1990 because you really dug the tune "Can't Touch This?"  Did you check out the time Dave Navarro and Jane's Addiction rocked the old silver dome with their tunes of "Mountain Song" and "Stop!" or will you admit you had to accompany someone to the Civic Arena to hear Hanson perform that tune called MMMBop?  Were you there to hear the likes of Mike Stipe the rest of R.E.M. perform tunes like "Losing My Religion" and "Driver 8," or perhaps you wanted to go hardcore and hear Pantera blast the tunes "Walk" and "Cemetery Gates?"  Did your musical taste involve you going to the Igloo to hear that tune "Copacabana" of Barry Manilow's or perhaps did you preferred to jam to the tunes of "Hard To Handle" and "Jealous Again" from the group The Black Crowes?  Maybe you were in attendance for a show from the late Michael Hutchence and Inxs because you wanted to hear that mellow tune "Burn For You," then again maybe you wanted to rock out to the songs "Gloria" and "The Unforgettable Fire" from Bono and U2.  The Igloo also saw such acts as Neil Diamond where fans would sing along to the tune of "Sweet Caroline;" while others wanted to see Fred Durst and Limp Bizkit play that awesome song "Re-Arranged" when they came to the Civic Arena in 1999, or others might have seen Triumph because like them they wanted to "Lay It On The Line."  Maybe you wanted to hear the classic tunes "Born In The U.S.A." and "Glory Days" so you decided to check out a concert from "The Boss" Bruce Springsteen, otherwise Pittsburghers headed to the old silver dome because they wanted to hear Megadeth rock the walls with "Hangar 18."  Perhaps there were songs such as "Back In The Saddle" and "Ragdoll" that you wanted to rock along with, so you decided to take in a concert at the Civic Arena featuring Steven Tyler and Aerosmith.  Others may have decided to take in a concert featuring that distinctive voice you would never be able to avoid, of course that would be referring to catching Ozzy with Black Sabbath belting out the song "Paranoid."  Did you make trip up Centre Avenue so you could hear Johnny Cash perform hits like "God's Gonna Cut You Down" and "Folsom Prison Blues," or was your preference to hear songs such as "Black Balloon" and "Long Way Down" from John Rzeznik and the Goo Goo's?  Pittsburghers also could take in the likes of Duran Duran at the old barn as they vied to hear the Igloo rock to tunes like "Hungry Like The Wolf" and "Rio," while others may have had the privilege to "Cry Out For Magic" and singing along like Whip does to "Rainbow In The Dark" by the late Ronnie James Dio.  So many different musical acts and the different memories they bring, surely you or maybe someone you know was there for the last New Year's Eve show in the 70's by Elvis Presley, the King.  From Zeppelin to ZZ Top to Skynyrd to The Grateful Dead and Styx Pittsburghers always flocked to the Igloo to get their musical fix.  From Van Halen to Deep Purple to Motley Crue and the Scorpions belting out their classic tune "The Zoo," these are just many of the various artists that graced the stage of our beloved Civic Arena, The Igloo.

If it wasn't Penguins hockey or your favorite musical act, maybe you came and to see your favorite WWF wrestler for the Igloo held many of those events that is a fact.  From the early days of Bruno Sammartino when wrestling was considered to be the real deal, to the days of Hulk Hogan, Big Boss Man and the British Bulldog where you either cheered because they were a baby face or booed because they were a "heel."  From Jake The Snake Roberts to Dusty Rhodes and the Legion Of Doom, to when it was lights out and the Phenom The Undertaker's entrance to the squared circle did loom, to many when this happened it may have felt like the Civic Arena turned into a dark tomb.  Maybe you saw the likes of Mr. Perfect, Ted DiBiase, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage OOH YEAH, putting on an entertaining show is what they came to the Civic Arena many times to do, but of course my all time favorite to make his presence in the Igloo is of course the legendary Ric Flair always letting out that hearty WOOOOOO!!!  On the other hand maybe you are more down with the "Attitude Era" with the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H and the many personalities of Mick Foley, whether it was Dude Love, Mankind or Cactus Jack they were always a fun sight to see.  If you are a wrestling or sports entertainment fan maybe you were there in 2001 when Pittsburgh's own Kurt Angle defeated Stone Cold for the WWF title and for at least a few weeks once again became the man.  From what were considered wrestling’s glory days to when more of a sports entertainment direction this industry did sway these events and performers are a part of the Igloo's history in a very important way.  Whether you thought it was real or fake or if you came to cheer or boo, people came to see these performers put on an entertaining show at our beloved Igloo.

So many events, too many to name, to the Civic Arena to witness memories that will last a lifetime people of Pittsburgh and from across the country came; maybe you ventured to take in a basketball tilt between Pitt and Duquesne, which we always knew around here as the annual city game.  Perhaps you always loved to attend those U.S. Hot Rod Monster Jams or maybe you remember when the Civic Arena was used as the focal point of that movie called "Sudden Death" starring Jean-Claude Van Dam.  It gets more and more difficult each and every day to see the Igloo slowly but surely fade away, we must remember though the memories we made there forever with us they will stay.  Whether if it was Penguins hockey, wrestling, or a David Copperfield magic show that enticed you or concerts featuring Bad Religion, Blink 182, The Police, STP, Tom Petty or U2, no matter what we thought of the old silver dome one thing that is true, there are but two words we should be saying to this historic structure as it takes its final bow: Thank You!

http://www.thecult.us

Prodced by Bob Rock, who has worked with them in the past.. nice.  Has a Zep/Green RIver Thing happening to me...

Phil Knight at Joe Paterno Memorial

TEBOW :(

Whip's Blood Drives with Central Blood Bank are 10-7 at both locations on Wed the 4th

Sokol Center on the southside and out in Greensburg!

7 Springs passes and Movie passes this time!

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