Goodbye Igloo....parting is such sweet sorrow

The more I thought about it after the early morning blog, the Igloo (Civic Arena) deserved better than that. For such a historical structure and center of countless memories, at the very least deserves it's own blog.

The Civic (Mellon) Arena drew the nickname the Igloo because of the team that played there (Pittsburgh Penguins). Ironically, it was shaped exactly like one as well. It was like a terror dome, with it's steel structure and re-tractable roof. Yes, read that again. A re-tractable roof for a hockey arena!! It was the first modern day indoor sports arena with a re-tractable roof. Great concept, but slightly misguided.

It was built in 1961 and saw it's last game on May 12th, 2010. Almost 50 great years. It was originally constructed for the CLO, but has held much larger acts and events.

Would you ever guess that greats such as Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, U2, and Justin Timberlake performed there? Err second thought, scratch that last one. Muhammed Ali boxed there, and the straight to DVD movie "Sudden Death" with Jean-Claude Van Damme was filmed there. It's actually an entertaining movie, especially when he beats up the Penguins goalie and replaces him on the ice.

Ironically the Penguins in all their time playing at the Civic Arena, never actually won the Cup on home ice. The only time the Stanley Cup was won on that ice, was by the Detroit Red Wings in 2008. So much for home-ice advantage!

In this arena I've been able to watch many of the greatest hockey players in history. I've witnessed Mario Lemieux's comeback, Mark Messier's leading the hated Rangers, Wayne Gretzky's greatness, and the birth of the new dawn of players in Geno Malkin and Sid the Kid. No matter what, the new arena will never be able to match the players and performers who have stepped through those Igloo gates.

My biggest memory there stems from a little event known at the 1998 King of the Ring. Yes, it was a wrestling event, but what I saw went far beyond the realm of wrestling. I attended the event with my cousin and several other friends. During this event, we witnessed as Mick Foley was thrown 20 feet straight to the ground, only after briefly skipping across a table, which shattered upon impact.

At that point in my life I knew wrestling was fake, but honestly thought I may have just seen a murder in real life. I have no idea how anyone could survive that, let alone get up, walk, and keep performing for 20 minutes. Call it what you may (pathetic, unreal, etc), but it's the type of event that remains etched in one's mind.

In the end unfortunately, Brian Gionta's goal will go down in history as the last event in the hallowed grounds.

I've had nothing but great memories at the Igloo, and to it, I wish the best of luck. May your demolition be painless and quick. Another part of my childhood becomes rubble.