Crosby, Penguins Visit Season Ticket Holders

Ten-year-old Lucy Duryea didn’t go to school today, for good reason.

“(My classmates) will be asking why I was out of school for a time, and I'll be like, well, I got to see Sid at my house,” she said. “I’ll be so excited to tell them.”

Sidney Crosby did indeed visit the Duryea family, hand-delivering a special package as part of the Penguins’ tradition of visiting season ticket holders throughout the region, which began in 2007.

Lucy had been standing in the backyard of their house with parents Neal and Jenny, siblings Josie and James, and grandpa Denny when the Penguins captain pulled in.

“I felt a rush of excitement. I got really excited, and I couldn't stop. Like, I just wanted to scream!” Lucy said.

“Please don’t,” Neal said with a laugh.

Neal has had season tickets since about 2010, and before that, Denny had season tickets. That whole time, they have felt so fortunate to be fans of this franchise.

“I don't know how other teams do it. Because ever since I've been born, it's been (Mario) Lemieux, (Jaromir) Jagr, Sid,” Neal said. “Everyone I talk to about hockey is like, we're so lucky. Look at all these other teams. I mean, look at the Flyers. They haven't won a Cup since 1975. So, it's amazing.”

Having one of those Hall of Fame franchise legends come to his home was quite the experience. They easily made conversation with Crosby, who asked the kids about their Halloween costumes and what sports they like. Jenny mentioned that they had recently visited Nova Scotia, and Lucy wanted to know Sidney’s favorite color (blue).

“The whole organization has been great every time we've had season tickets, and I think he's just an extension of how great the team really is,” Neal said. “He just seems like a normal guy, and just confirmed that he is.”

Before leaving, Crosby even signed a school excuse note for the three Duryea kids, joking that they might still have time to make it back before the bell rang.

“I think every time we do it, you just recognize the pride that people have,” Crosby said. “Hearing their stories, how long they've had tickets for, or how they got connected to going to games and things like that, it's fun to hear that. But you always feel the support. That's the main thing. I think it's a pretty cool event that we've been able to do here for a long time, and yeah, it doesn’t ever get old, I think, from that standpoint.”

All in all, sixteen total Penguins made stops around the Pittsburgh area. Here’s some of the content from those visits...

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