Penguins schedule community meetings on Hunt Armory rink and hockey diversity

The Pittsburgh Penguins have scheduled in-person and virtual community meetings this month on their plans to open an ice rink at the Hunt Armory in Shadyside.

The community sessions are being held July 26 and July 28 and will involve discussions about specific plans related to the project — hours of operation, parking, programming and other matters. Each session will begin with a presentation about plans for the ice rink with a question-and-answer-period to follow.

Earlier this week, the Penguins announced plans to open a seasonal rink within the 46,500-square-foot armory by Thanksgiving. It would be the first public rink built within city limits in decades and become an integral part of the team’s goal to get more African American kids playing hockey.

The push toward that goal began in earnest just before the pandemic, when the Penguins welcomed the NHL’s Black History Month mobile museum to the Hill District on Jan. 31, 2020. On that day, Penguins President and CEO David Morehouse talked about the challenges facing inner-city kids who want to play hockey.

“I grew up in Beechview. I played street hockey on a basketball court. We couldn’t get an ice rink,” Morehouse said. “That’s the same thing with neighborhoods like the Hill District. My goal is not only to get more African American kids playing hockey, but I want to draft an NHL player from the Hill District.”

The new rink will be supported by a grant from the National Hockey League and the NHL Players’ Association to improve access to the game of hockey for youth players of color in city neighborhoods.

The rink would be operated from November to March and serve as the headquarters of the Penguins’ Hockey Diversity program and a new middle school hockey training academy. All costs of rink installation and operations will be supported by the Penguins, at no public expense, the team said.

“I’m grateful to the Pittsburgh Penguins for their investment in the Hunt Armory and their work to reopen the doors of this long empty building,” said city council member Erika Strassburger. “I look forward to meeting with members of the community, the Penguins and all partners to answer questions and troubleshoot any concerns at the two scheduled meetings later this month, as well as throughout the next year.”

The first meeting will be held in person at 6 p.m. July 26 in Calvary Episcopal Church, a block from the armory at 315 Shady Ave. The second meeting will be a virtual presentation scheduled for 6 p.m. July 28 on Webex (password: Hunt728).