The CONSOL Energy Center will soon be packed with electrified college hockey fans as the Frozen Four will be hosted for the first time ever in Pittsburgh this weekend.  An arena that has been witness to its fair share of spectacular moments and hockey firsts will inevitably observe the first national championship victory for one of the remaining four schools – Yale University, UMass-Lowell, St. Cloud State University and Qunnipiac University – a testament to the overall growth of college hockey in America.

With numerous players playing in the NHL, AHL, ECHL and on NCAA Division 1 teams and junior hockey teams; the Frozen Four, All-American Prospects Game and USA Hockey Tier 1 National Championships being hosted here; and the increase in the number of youth hockey players, Pittsburgh is an awesome hockey town!

The city of Pittsburgh is certainly no stranger to the growth of hockey over the past twenty years due mainly to the success of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The city saw its first major expansion of hockey back in the late eighties and early nineties when young phenoms Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr were thrown into the spotlight to become the heroes for many local aspiring athletes. The effects of having arguably the greatest player in the history of the sport became quickly evident as rinks around the greater Pittsburgh area began to increase to accommodate the incredible growth in the number of young athletes wanting to play the game.

Twenty years later these effects are not only still being felt, but perpetuated due in no small part to the newest generation of young hockey phenoms, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.  It is this immediate succession of the sports top players in one city that has set a precedent in Pittsburgh hockey and provided a strong foundation for the youth hockey players in the area.  An immediate example of this is the ability for this city to attract the Frozen Four and is yet another example of the expanding hockey market in the greater Pittsburgh area.

Whether you want to look at NHL rosters, college rosters or even U.S. national development teams, it is clear the ever-increasing presence of Pittsburgh talent exists and it is undeniable. The expansion over the last two decades will be viewed as just the beginning as more talented Pittsburgh players begin to appear on top amateur, junior, and professional teams. Pittsburgh, the new hockey town?

Frozen Four Articles and Resources:

http://www.ncaa.com/news/icehockey-men/article/2013-04-09/frozen-jewel-pittsburgh

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/college-national/frozen-four-in-pittsburgh-features-some-surprising-names-682985/

http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=664935&cmpid=rss-crosby

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2013/04/10/excitement-building-around-city-for-frozen-four/