Tag Archives: hockey

first hockey game in Pittsburgh

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.

First home of hockey in 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.

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

first hockey game 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: 

Watch Hockey at Consol Energy Center for Free – Sat. Jan 21

And its for a good cause too!  Hockey tickets are A) hard to get and B) expensive.  So this is a pretty cool event where you can watch hockey at Consol Enegy Center for free.

Saturday, January 21 is a Corporate Hockey (Day and) Night in Pittsburgh.  Corporate hockey teams will be competing in a tournament to raise money for the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and United Way. Donations can also be accepted at: https://www.formstack.com/forms/?1151244-Rbed2tOEJf

Hockey games will be played from 2pm until 10:30pm

GOLD DIVISION
Heritage Valley Health System v McGuireWoods – 2:00-2:50 p.m.
McGuireWoods v BladeRunners – 3:05-3:55 p.m.
BladeRunners v Heritage Valley Health System – 4:10-5:00 p.m.
Gold Championship Game – 5:15-6:05 p.m.

BLACK DIVISION
Reed Smith v Federated – 6:20-7:10 p.m.
Federated v PNC – 7:25-8:15 p.m.
PNC v Reed Smith – 8:30-9:20 p.m.
Black Championship Game – 9:35-10:25 p.m.

Penguins Corporate Charity Cup
CONSOL Energy Center
Saturday, January 21, 2012 2pm
Free Admission & Free Parking in the in the East arena lot, just above Lemieux Place off Center Avenue

More Hockey to Help you Throught the Weekend

Just in case you aren’t following the NHL, the Pittsburgh Penguins have made it to the playoff and will be competing against the NY Rangers on Friday and Sunday. So if you are a die hard hockey fan and are wondering about how are you going to survive Saturday or if you are just looking for a fun Saturday afternoon activity – this is the event for you.

The Pittsburgh Celebrity Hockey team will take the ice against the Pittsburgh Pharaohs.

The fun goes down on Saturday April 26, 2008 at the Ice Castle Arena.  Doors open at 3:00 pm and the game will begin at 3:10. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for children under 12. There will also be an autographed memorabilia auction, and snacks and soft drinks will be available.  All proceeds benefit the MDA.

I hope PittGirl does a follow up post on this event.

More blog coverage – The Sidney Crosby Show, Sportsocracy,

Hockey Fan? – Check out the newest blogger at Pittsburgh Metroblog.