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I get it, but the low numbers are used too often as a shield imho. Primary responsibility of the refs is to protect the players. Miss an offsides, goal, fine. Ignore the bad behavior right in front of you...I think we should be complaining. Our governing bodies share some blame for this. There are players who develop a rep for only playing to hurt kids and they get passed around from organization to organization, rather than being booted entirely from the game. Kids booted from their school teams get too much time in PAHL to continue to target children and vice versa. I don't know how many times last year I heard that there is no point to complain about no calls or light punishment rendered by refs for serious injuries rendered by these types of players because there aren't enough refs. The checking rules requiring a play to be made for the puck are STILL rarely called, and we've had that for a few years now. Puck kinda only needs to be in the vacinity for a check to be ok. Call it, call the late hits. What happened to the Mars goalie and the type of behavior I just described, we really need you, refs. Please protect our kids. I hear your complaints as well, refs. The behavior in the stands is also a huge problem. Organizations need to start policing their own. Help the refs out by not being an ahole and helping to figure out how to curb the aholes sitting next to you. The refs and USA Hockey and PIHL, PAHL etc have been pleading with us to do so for years. Armstrong apparently didn't care and/or bother to try and curb behavior for years and became subject to some national level embarrassment. Wake up call for all programs. It is a multi pronged issue with many shoulders that responsibility falls on. In this thread, I have seen responsibility being handed off and deflected. We need to all be a part of the solution. We need to do better by our kids.

Anyone notice the empty seats at PPG and how cheap tickets are now on sites like StubHub and Seat Geek for Pens games? I went to last nights game - two seats, lower bowl for under $90. Is it because Sid and Geno are not on the ice? If so, imagine what its gonna look like when they are gone. True hockey towns have high attendance and interest when their teams are good or bad. Not here, and when the boys are retired and gone youth hockey will take a huge hit here. Do I want to see it happen? No, but reality is coming soon. As far as the Pens helping to develop youth hockey in western PA, I recall PPE was founded on that concept. Not anymore, and as many have said on this thread the Pens are all about the dollar and its brand, nothing more. Just look at any of the U14 and above rosters to see how many imports are holding roster spots.

After 30-50 years a lot of these schools still heisman their hockey programs and act like they don’t exist or are parasites for their other school teams. Makes you wonder if it would be any different if the sport was sanctioned.

Parents who raise turds also are a large problem in all of this and bear the brunt of the responsibility.

1000% Agree with you. Couldn't have said it any better. Thanks

I think some would want the Penguins to open a few rinks around town. Other teams have done this. Admittedly, those teams are newer and in new hockey markets.

Pens model of development is like giving out some 'seed money'. Like donations here and there for various rink upgrades around town. Building deks around town. Buying the jerseys for a program. Hosting youth hockey websites. They want to empower others to develop the game, be in the background, not owners of it. You can disagree with that, but they are a private entity. Although encouraging development is good for them in the long run for their fan base.

No it doesn’t. Pittsburgh is not a hockey town. It’s a Penguins town or maybe a Crosby town, but not a hockey town. It’s lack of support of youth, college and junior hockey shows. If you think Pittsburgh is on par with Minnesota, Boston, Chicago etc, you may not have spent enough time there to understand the difference. Sorry