"There's no better way to leave a meaningful and lasting impact in the Pittsburgh community as part of the 2017 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™ Game legacy project than with a transformation of an outdoor rink and skating park," said Heidi Browning, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, NHL. "The South Park Ice Skating Rink is an important part of both the Allegheny County and Pittsburgh Penguins communities, and we're proud to continue our important tradition of supporting our Clubs' local community organizations across North America."
"The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation is excited to partner with PPG and the NHL to provide this important funding for the South Park Ice Skating Rink," said Dave Soltesz, President of the Penguins Foundation. "The development of a year-round hockey center at South Park will create many more opportunities for local youth and residents of Allegheny County to participate in our great sport at all levels. We appreciate the support and cooperation of County Executive Rich Fitzgerald on this initiative."
The community rink - which introduced Learn to Play™, Try Hockey for Free, and learn-to-skate programs this year - will use its donation to convert the facility into a year-round hockey center. Upgrades include a brand new sport court surface for ball hockey in the summer; new sets of ball hockey equipment; improved player benches; a brand new scoreboard; energy efficiency upgrades; landscaping enhancements; and upgrading the space to an NHL regulation-sized hockey rink for winter programming.
"At PPG, renovating community spaces so they're brighter and more vibrant is at the heart of what we do," said Bryan Iams, Vice President, Corporate and Government Affairs, PPG. "We are proud to partner through our COLORFUL COMMUNITIES™ initiative with the NHL and the Pittsburgh Penguins on the renovation of the South Park Ice Rink by providing paint and a monetary donation to upgrade the rink."
"On behalf of Allegheny County, I thank the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, PPG and the NHL for this contribution," said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. "We have been fortunate to benefit from the foundation's quality-of-life investments in this region. We don't just have a great hockey team which brings our community together, giving us thrills and Stanley Cup championships, but a team which, through its foundation, continues to invest in our parks. Similarly, PPG has a great legacy as a hometown company which, literally, beautifies the world. Each is a great partner providing economic opportunity in our region, and we are very fortunate to have them."
The Legacy initiative is an ongoing philanthropic endeavor in which the League and the local Club support community organizations in the host city of an NHL Event.
