Nice piece by Bucci. For me it boils down to:

And what about Lemieux and his Penguins alumni? Their playground is being torn down. But Mario, as part owner and revenue beneficiary, certainly likes the change. He wanted the upgrade, and Mario always made the right play in Pittsburgh.

To be sure, the new arena has that “box” feel and not much of the character that the Igloo had. But it was cramped for fans, players and the people who worked there. It was dumpy and even though it was our dump and holds a special place in many people’s hearts, it wasn’t working.

It’d be kind of like trading your old comfortable car, the first one you ever had. You know it perfectly, and even though it’s ratty, you love it. Even though it’s constantly breaking down you know how to coax it home.

Well upgrade that to a brand new Ferrari and that’s what Consol is. Sure it doesn’t have much a soul, but it’s brand new. And boy does it have some nice new features that you couldn’t even dream of.

I’ll miss the “feel” of the Igloo, but as anyone who’s been in Consol so far can tell you, the new barn is going to be a great one to make a lot of memories in.