Category Archives: Sports

66 Years Before the Igloo, the Schenley Park Casino Hosted the First Hockey Game in Pittsburgh

Yesterday, when I was writing about the Catahecassa Springs in Schenley Park I was looking for the date that the Schenley Park ice rink was constructed. While I still don’t know when the Schenley Park ice rink was built, I learned about a building that I had never heard of before, the Schenley Park Casino. Since it is a hockey night in Pittsburgh, it seems fitting that our next post on historic preservation is about the building that hosted the very first hockey game in the City of Pittsburgh.

In 1893 construction began on an elaborate recreation building that was located on the site of what is now the Frick Fine Arts building, just across the bridge from Phipps Conservatory.

The Schenley Park Casino was one of the most elaborate sports and entertainment facilities in the world and it was the first place to have artificial ice, as well as the site of the first hockey game in Pittsburgh. The building opened to the public on May 29, 1895 and was used until it was destroyed by fire on December 17, 1896.

The first artificial ice rink opened in Pittsburgh in 1895. #LetsGoPens

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In researching the history of this building, I learned about the website PittsburghHockey.net which has a detailed page about the Schenlney Park Casino as well as every possible thing you might want to know about hockey in Pittsburgh.

From the PittsburghHockey.net page on the ice rink:

At ice level, which was below ground, the rink was surrounded with three rows of hardwood benches with red velvet cushions. Each end of the rink featured 10 dressing rooms smartly furnished with oil paintings and floor-to-ceiling tapestries. The rooms were owned by politicians and capitalists from the banking, steel, coal and railroad industries and were used for winter carnivals, skating expos and political rallies. In all, the Casino’s management added $140,000 in amenities beyond the original construction cost.

The other fact that really stands out about the Schenley Casino is the size of the place:

Upon entering the building, visitors walked in on a balcony that circled the skating floor 20 feet below. The balcony was 840 feet in length and could accommodate 12,000 people looking down on the skating floor. An article in The Pittsburg Press from December 1885 described a “friendly hockey match” between local hockey clubs in which 10,000 people attended.

For context, PPG Paints area has a capacity of 19,758 and the Igloo could seat 17, 181. To hold a crowd of 12,000, this had to be a large space.

More on the history of Hockey in Pittsburgh

Interior of the Casino, the first hockey team in 1895. This is the earliest known image of ice hockey in Pittsburgh. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Pittsburgh Hockey history timeline on PittsburghHockey.net is quite extensive and provides a nice way to browse the history of hockey in Pittsburgh. The timeline really starts with the Schenley Casino and the first hockey exhibition that was played at the Schenley Park Casino on December 30, 1895. Leading up to the Winter Classic in 2011, the New York Times wrote a long article about the history of hockey in Pittsburgh, “Hockey Has Deep Roots in Pittsburgh“, December 30, 2010.

Here is a 2009 video from FSN that details the history of the Schenley Casino and hockey in Pittsburgh:

A few more links for information on the Schenley Park Casino:

Stuff That’s Gone: Schenley Park Edition, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Blog
From Schenley Casino to Forbes Field to Consol Energy – A Tale of Pittsburgh’s Sports Arenas, Dave DiCello Photography

IheartPGH Exclusive: UPMC to Buy Steelers

Photo Credit: Nate Guidry, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

We have just confirmed with our source, UPMC is in talks to buy the Steelers football franchise from the Rooney Family.

While this may seem like a surprising move, it reflects the changing nature of the City of Pittsburgh. The Steelers franchise was established in 1933, when Pittsburgh was a steel manufacturing hub. The city has transformed, and weathered the decline of industry with a new focus on “meds & eds.”

It makes sense that UPMC would want to acquire the team. Not only does it provide an expanded platform to market the UPMC health plan, it also positions UPMC to be a world leader in studying CTE and traumatic brain injury on the field.

One of the first changes fans will see at Heinz Field this fall is a UPMC urgent care clinic and medical research lab that will study both players and fans. There is no better place to study the effects of stress on the heart than studying the fans during a fourth and goal, with the clock winding down. You will be able to order your Primanti brothers sandwich and schedule your triple bypass during half-time.

Another interesting idea that is apparently being tossed around (pun intended) is adding a nurse-themed cheerleading squad to the sideline this fall. Looks like UPMC marketing department is trying to recruit new patients by raising the collective blood pressure of the fans.

Stayed tuned to Wendy Bell’s Facebook page for more details on this breaking story.

Now Hiring: The Steelers are looking for an Email Marketing Specialist

This showed up in my inbox from LinkedIn. Do you have what it takes to join the (office) team? If you love the Steelers and love email marketing, then this is the job for you. According to LinkedIn, the job was posted 19 days ago and as of today only 20 people have applied.

I could only find this job posted on LinkedIn here, if you are looking for other openings with the Steelers organization, check out the listings here.

Job description – Email Marketing Specialist, Pittsburgh Steelers

The email Marketing Specialist will join our email marketing team to improve the relevance, segmentation and targeting of our email program. This individual will have a blend of quantitative/analytical skills to work with email list data, the creativity and writing skills to improve the content and relevance of email content and the experience running internet marketing campaigns, measuring results and pulling out insights to improve future campaign performance.

Responsibilities:

– email setup from start to finish—from business input, creative, timing, HTML set up all the way to proofing and execution.

– Leverage the marketing database to create data driven email marketing campaigns with relevant, customer-focused messaging to increase fan engagement.

– Develop and maintain the email marketing calendar detailing the timing and frequency of all internal and external email communications.

– Participate in the email marketing creative brief process, gathering creative components and business input, including copywriting and proofreading, to create a consistent brand voice.

– Monitor, cleanse and append email lists, balancing the goals of growth and quality.

– Recommend email marketing strategy enhancements to optimize future campaigns and contribute to marketing goals.

– Proactively measure and analyze the effectiveness of email campaigns extracting insights that can be used to improve future campaign performance.

– Conduct on-going competitive market and industry analysis to keep up to date with new email tactics and techniques that can be incorporated into the Steelers email campaigns.

Skills and Experience:

– Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Communications or Bachelor of Science in Quantitative field.

– 3+ years marketing experience.

– Minimum of 1 year email marketing experience, including creating/executing email campaigns.

– Working knowledge of HTML.

– Solid understanding of email industry best practices, especially CAN-SPAM compliance and a working knowledge of the legal rules.

– Previous experience with enterprise level email platforms such as Epsilon, Bronto or ExactTarget.

– Quantitative analysis skills and comfort working with large data sets.

– Photoshop and/or other photo editing program experience.

– Excellent writing and verbal communication skills.

– Strong attention to detail, organizational and management skills.

– Ability to multi-task and work in a collaborative and fast-paced environment with limited supervision.

– Quick learner and keen sense of curiosity.

– Ability to work a flexible schedule including weekends.

Steelers Announce that Mac & Cheese will Replace Fries on Primanti Brothers Sandwiches at Heinz Field

With the merger of Heinz and Kraft comes a little change to a Pittsburgh favorite. Starting in the fall, all Primanti Brother’s Sandwiches sold at Heinz Field will be topped with Kraft Mac & Cheese instead of the traditional french fries.

Say hello to the Pri-Mac-ti Brothers Sandwich… bread, meat, cheese coleslaw and mac & cheese make up the new sandwich that will be server at all Steelers home games this fall.

Kraft Mac & Cheese will replace french fries on the Primanti Brothers sandwiches at Heinz Field

via #Steelers: Primanti sandwiches sold @HeinzField will be topped w/Kraft Mac & Cheese. #macNat

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While fans have been assured that the stadium will continue to be named Heinz Field, some subtle changes will be made to the menu this fall that reflect the recently announced merger of Heinz and Kraft foods. “We feel that the Pri-Mac-ti Brothers sandwich is a great way to begin to combine Kraft foods with the Pittsburgh market,” said a Heinz Field spokesperson.

The new Pri-Mac-ti Sandwich has its own hashtag – #macNat

Heinz field is asking fans to share their thoughts on the new sandwhich with the #macNat.

What do you think about the new Pri-Mac-Ti sandwich?

Pittsburgh sports fans (and food lovers)? How do you feel about the new food merger? Would you try one of these sandwiches? What other ways would you combine Kraft foods with Pittsburgh favorites? How about a mac & cheese pierogi? (We hope that one won’t replace Jalapeño Hannah in the pierogi race at PNC park.)

How do you feel about the new Pri-Mac-ti Brothers sandwich? Share your thoughts with #macNat

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How Pittsburgh Gets Ready for the Pirates Postseason

If you are new to Pittsburgh, or are just a casual Pirates fan – you may be wondering why everyone is walking around in an extra layer of black and gold. It is a BIG day in Pittsburgh. The Pirates play a postseason game tonight at PNC Park.

Here are few of the ways that Pittsburgh is getting ready for the game tonight. We want to see how you are preparing for the Pirates postseason game – share your tweets and photos with the #PGHfanatics

The Independent Brewing Company Break Out The Television

I wanted to share the email that the Independent Brewing Company just sent out, which does an excelled job of explaining why the game tonight is a big deal. If you haven’t been to the Independent Brewing Company yet – GO THERE NOW! A great bar, located in the heart of Sq. Hill that only server local brew. If you can’t make it to the Independent Brewing Company RIGHT NOW, then take a moment to follow @IndependentPGH on Twitter.

No. We’re not putting the TVs back in and renewing Fanattics’ cable subscription. Yes. We are going to play tonight’s Pirates playoff game, which we will stream to a flat screen television through my espn.com account.

We stand by our position that televisions, for the most part, ruin good tavern experiences. And after tonight’s game, we will return to our televisionless tavern lifestyle. However, at the end of the day, if a newly-minted 21 year-old walked into the Indie tonight for her first legal beer, she would have witnessed exactly one season of Pirates playoff baseball in her life. These things don’t come around often. I’d like to think we’d televise another moon landing. Pirates playoff appearances are just as rare.

Click here to read the entire email from the Independent Brewing Company Management.