When the Pittsburgh Penguins hit the ice on Thursday to play the New York Islanders, it will be the final NHL regular season game played at Mellon Arena before it hits "retirement."
Make no mistake, the concourses and dressing rooms are a tight squeeze, the chairs are old, and the ice is bad, but this place will be missed by all who have been able to experience the Mellon.
I would like to share my personal and family history with the place the Pittsburgh faithful have affectionately dubbed the "Igloo".
Built in 1961, the Igloo contains 2,950 tons of stainless steel that came from the Steel City itself. Just one look at the Igloo and it's obvious that a good portion of the steel was concentrated on the roof.
My grandfather, Julius Falcon, touched every sheet of stainless steel on that roof.
After serving in the war, my grandparents made their home in Greensburg, PA., just southeast of Pittsburgh, and began their family.
With the booming of the steel industry, my grandfather found himself working as a steel shearer for Limbach Facility Services.
Limbach Facility Services, a mechanical & sheet meta ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Laura Falcon
Saying Goodbye To My Grandfather’s Project, Mellon Arena
April 8th, 2010 by Laura Falcon Leave a reply »
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