In 2024, I dove head-first into committing to travel to every arena in the National Hockey League (NHL) to watch my favourite team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, play.
In 2024, I dove head-first into committing to travel to every arena in the National Hockey League (NHL) to watch my favourite team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, play. With my favourite players — Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang — getting older, I know I only have a handful of years left to watch them play, an opportunity I will never take for granted.
Over the past year, I was able to watch five NHL games and travel to four different cities in the United States. With the introduction of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), I also caught my favourite team — PWHL Montréal, now the Montréal Victoire — in two different cities.
The NHL All-Star Weekend also took place in Toronto this past year. While I wasn’t able to attend the actual game, I did get tickets to the Thursday night events, which focused on the all-star draft and the PWHL All-Star Showcase.
Below, I break down each of the games I attended in 2024, some key moments and what’s next in 2025!
Event: 2024 NHL All-Star Night 1 (Draft), PWHL All-Star Game
Date: February 1, 2024
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Key Moments: The NHL brought back the draft in this year’s NHL All-Star weekend and included some of Canada’s biggest stars to assist with the evening, including Justin Bieber and Tate McCrae. I also went to the NHL All-Star Fan Event, which included a red carpet where each of the all-stars came out to greet the fans.
The Thursday night events concluded with the PWHL All-Star Showcase, which was surreal to watch. To see all the incredible women who make up the newest women’s hockey league come together to play was absolutely incredible.
Game: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Date: February 15, 2024
Location: Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
Final Score: 4-1 Pittsburgh Penguins
Key Moments: Unexpectedly, this game was Connor Bedard’s first back from his broken jaw injury in 2024. After 14 games, it only made sense for him to return against his idol, Sidney Crosby. Although, Crosby wouldn’t let Bedard get all the attention as he netted two goals and led the Penguins to tidy a 4-1 win.
Game: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New York Rangers
Date: March 16, 2024
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Final Score: 7-4 New York Rangers
Key Moments: The purpose of this trip to Pittsburgh was to watch the PWHL game between PWHL Montréal and PWHL Toronto. I was lucky enough that the Penguins also had a home game that weekend against the New York Rangers. Unfortunately, the game was a mess from the very start, resulting in a 7-4 Rangers win.
Game: PWHL Montréal vs. PWHL Toronto
Date: March 17, 2024
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Final Score: 2-1 PWHL Toronto
Key Moments: This was my first-ever PWHL game! I was thrilled to see the league decided to put on a showcase, with one of the out-of-market games being held in Pittsburgh. I jumped on the chance to watch PWHL Montréal with the hopes of seeing Marie-Philip Poulin. Sadly, she was out with an injury, but the atmosphere was still electric.
Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Date: March 30, 2024
Location: Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
Final Score: 4-3 (SO) Columbus Blue Jackets
Key Moments: I brought my sign for the first time to watch warmups on my trip to Columbus. Michelle Crechiolo, the Pittsburgh Penguins team reporter, which we also saw in Pittsburgh for the PWHL game, took a picture of my mother and I to post on the Penguins’ social media account. As for the game itself, Pittsburgh gave up a 3-1 lead to eventually lose in a shootout.
Game: Detroit Red Wings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Date: October 11, 2024
Location: Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
Final Score: 6-3 Pittsburgh Penguins
Key Moments: When I originally bought my ticket for this game, I didn’t realize it was the Detroit Red Wings’ home opener. This was one of the best game experiences I’ve ever had. Throughout the night, I spoke with the nicest people. The Penguins clinched the win with a solid score of 6-3.
Teams: Toronto Sceptres vs. Montréal Victoire
Date: December 21, 2024
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Final Score: 4-3 (OT) Montreal Victoire
Key Moments: With a new season starting for the PWHL, I knew I had to watch the Montréal Victoire in Toronto any chance I could. The game was absolutely insane, with both teams trading goals the entire time. For the first time in their history, the Victoire got the last laugh against the Toronto Sceptres, securing their first-ever win against the home team.
Game: Detroit Red Wings vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Date: December 31, 2024
Location: Detroit, Michigan, United States of America
Final Score: 4-2 Detroit Red Wings
Key Moments: This game was definitely a last-minute decision. I ended up not having any plans for New Year’s Eve and knew that the Penguins were playing their last game of the year in Detroit. I decided to make the trip back to Detroit to watch one more NHL game in 2024. With a new coach, the Red Wings secured the win with a 4-2 score.
Over the next few months, I’ll be heading to Philadelphia and New York to watch the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers. There’s also another Montréal Victoire game that I have tickets to in 2025.
As usual, there might be a couple of unplanned trips I make to watch NHL games over the year. I’d like to watch the Penguins in Buffalo again since I haven’t been to that arena since 2016, and there’s a game in Pittsburgh I’m eyeing if the time is right.
