The ultimate 2025-26 Penguins fan NHL roadtrip guide: Part 1

New York Times

a day ago

The dog days of summer are here. Perhaps you've already taken a summer vacation, or maybe it just wasn't in the cards this year.
But fear not. There are other trips to be had.
Your Pittsburgh Penguins might not be very good this season, but you can still spice up what could be a depressing season by making a road trip. Seeing Sidney Crosby play in Canada? Good stuff, always. Following Geno Malkin on tour in what is perhaps his final NHL season? Sure, why not?
If you have the itch to see the Penguins play on the road — and I see you in airports and arenas all season long, so I know you do — I'm here to help. Here's the first half of my annual rankings of the best cities for Penguins fans to visit. Part 2 is coming Wednesday.
Enjoy, and safe travels.
• In the distance, you can see New York City, so it's not that far away.
• The Devils are sneaky fun to watch.
• In the distance, you can see New York City, which is a cruel tease more than anything.
• Newark isn't my favorite place for an afternoon walk.
• The Prudential Center is sterile and boring.
• The Penguins usually lose here.
• There's little fun to be had, unless you just go to New York.
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Driving around Newark and looking for landmarks from 'The Sopranos' is actually a lot of fun.
I can't, in good faith, recommend that any Penguins fan make this trip unless you're already in the area for another reason.
• Easy to get tickets these days.
• It's one of two remaining NHL buildings where the Penguins claimed the Stanley Cup (Bridgestone Arena in Nashville is the other).
• San Francisco is an hour away, and there is much culture to enjoy there.
• There isn't much going on in San Jose.
• Despite this, they sure charge you a lot of money to do anything in this city.
• The building is getting quite old.
Fly home from San Jose. Even though it's not a direct trip, it's less trouble than driving to San Francisco for said direct flight, and cheaper. San Jose's airport is super nice.
If you want to do the California swing, have at it. I'll join you. But be warned, the Southern California trip is generally more fun than the San Jose swing. There's just not much going on in San Jose, and I can't say I recommend it. I'm always very bored here.
• You're a mere hour away from Chef Vola's, the greatest Italian restaurant I've experienced, which is in Atlantic City.
• It's Penguins-Flyers, so something interesting is certain to happen.
• You're almost guaranteed to see Sidney Crosby enjoy a big night.
• The arena stinks.
• The citizens are less than friendly, and that goes for the whole city, not just the hockey fans.
• The drive is a menace through the mountains, and American Airlines charges an arm and a leg for direct flights.
If you're wearing Penguins colors, don't be afraid to trash-talk with the locals. They smell fear there. Stand up for yourself. Be assertive if necessary.
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You have to do it once. It's a wild experience. Still, knowing that friend of the Penguins Rick Tocchet will be behind the bench stings a bit for everyone.
• Direct flights.
• Cheap hotels.
• Maybe the Cardinals will be in town.
• There's a museum under the Arch! (I never knew this, and it's really cool.)
• The arena is located in a part of town that I wouldn't otherwise recommend visiting.
• I always find the Blues to be kind of boring.
Try the toasted ravioli. Along with BBQ, it's what they do best in St. Louis, and they do it very well.
Believe it or not, you might have to go. Do you love Evgeni Malkin? Well, the Penguins' last game of the season is in St. Louis. Assuming the Penguins don't make the playoffs, and assuming this is Malkin's last NHL season — we don't know if it is, but I'm betting on it — this could be Malkin's final game. Will he play in this game if it's meaningless? Or would he rather end his career against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals? I don't know. But this one is worth keeping in mind for the hardcore Malkin fan.
• UBS Arena is quite impressive, one of the NHL's best.
• Manhattan is nearby.
• Tickets aren't hard to get.
• By air or car, reaching this neck of the woods from Pittsburgh is a pain.
• Long Island has its charm, I suppose, but it's just far enough away from Manhattan to be logistically annoying.
• You'll have to watch the Islanders play hockey.
Parking is obnoxious there. I'd recommend staying in Manhattan and going the Uber route. Not cheap but more relaxing, and this way you still can enjoy the big city.
The arena is great, but I can't say that the rest of the trip is all that worthwhile.
• Probably the best fans in the league, and it's great to experience the atmosphere there.
• The Penguins play there on Nov. 1, so you may only need to wear about seven layers.
• What a friendly place.
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• It's just a miserable day of travel to get there.
• There is very little semblance of nightlife.
• Other than the Human Rights Museum, there isn't much to see or do.
It's a great poutine city. Treat yourself.
I don't know that you'll have that much fun on this trip, but there is something cool about saying, 'I'm in Winnipeg watching a hockey game.'
• Downtown Ottawa is great, especially for you architecture lovers.
• Tickets aren't hard to come by.
• Seeing Crosby play in Canada is always a cool experience.
• Canadian Tire Center is in the middle of nowhere.
• It's probably the NHL's worst arena — outdated to the core.
• The Penguins almost always lose here.
• The weather will not be great.
Stay downtown, but keep in mind that traffic gets bad on the drive to Kanata. Still, you don't want to stay in Kanata for any particular reason. Downtown is the way to go. It's beautiful.
I can't say I recommend this trip. I like it because my kids don't live far from there, but unless you have children in that area — I'm guessing I'm in the minority — there's not much going on here. Go if you have a reason, but you won't be blown away by the building, and the logistics are tough.
• You get to see Sidney Crosby versus Connor McDavid in person.
• Everything you need — hotels, restaurants, casinos, bars and the arena — is downtown and within walking distance of each other.
• The arena is larger than a spaceship but very nice.
• The Sherlock Holmes Pub is a fine place to spend some time.
• Getting there is a nightmare.
• It will be very cold.
• There isn't much to do.
The restaurant at the downtown Courtyard Marriott is incredibly good. Random, I know, but trust me.
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I don't particularly like this trip, though it's better than it once was because you get to see McDavid and the arena is nice. The Alberta trip is fun and worth doing. You'll probably like Calgary better, but Edmonton is OK.
• Three words: Mall of America.
• Xcel Energy Center remains an outstanding building.
• The Twin Cities are America's most underrated sports region.
• Direct flights on Delta aren't cheap but are frequent.
• Hotels are cheap, which helps balance the cost.
• Outrageously friendly, diverse place.
• The weather tends not to be a great attribute of this area.
• The Penguins play here on a Thursday in late October, which is a little random and not conducive to weekend travel.
Stay close to the airport and thus close to the Mall of America. Get that Christmas shopping done early.
This trip has grown on me over the years. I used to find it a little boring, but I've really started to like it during the past couple of trips there. Great airport, too, which helps. I should probably have it ranked higher, but it's tough. Lots of great trips on this circuit.
• So long as the weather isn't a nightmare, it's a very easy drive from Pittsburgh.
• Tickets are cheap and easy to get.
• Buffalo is a fine town, and the locals like to have a beverage or two; you'll enjoy the people there.
• Niagara Falls is 30 minutes away.
• Interstate 90 in February is scary. Trust me, I'm on it all the time. Watch the weather reports.
• The negativity in that arena these days might be enough to bring you down.
• Not exactly a great hockey game on paper.
Bring your passport and stay in Niagara Falls. It's a fun little getaway and only 30 minutes from Buffalo. Hotels are also super cheap there during the winter months.
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I like the people of Buffalo. Nothing about the trip is special, but it's not far, it's cheap and the Niagara Falls aspect adds some potential fun. It can make for a romantic weekend with your significant other, or an opportunity to make questionable decisions. Either way, life is about fun and choices.
• Little Caesars Arena is the NHL's best building.
• Easy drive, though the weather can get nasty in the winter.
• Detroit is on the upswing and a very underrated town.
• The Penguins play here on a Saturday afternoon, which makes for great convenience.
• The rivalry isn't what it once was.
• This isn't a tropical trip.
• The Penguins are missing the annual car convention in Detroit by a week, which is bad timing.
If you care only about hockey and not experiencing the city, stay in Toledo — about an hour south — and make the 60-minute drive to Detroit on game day. It's cheaper and less hassle that way. (Come to think of it, because the Penguins play in Detroit on a Saturday afternoon, you can do a day trip from Pittsburgh if you don't mind waking up early.)
Let Detroit into your heart. I wouldn't have said this 15 years ago, but I'm telling you, it's on the way back. Plus, Red Wings fans (and Michiganders in general) are as friendly as it gets. Fun little trip.
• If history is your thing, you could do worse than Boston.
• If lobster and good seafood are up your alley, you'll be pleased.
• It's a great sports town and a great hockey town, and you can feel it the whole time you're there.
• You're already in New England, so you're a quick drive from beautiful places such as Vermont and Maine.
• The Penguins play there in January and early March, so prepare to be very cold.
• These are two potentially bad teams.
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Check out some college hockey while you're in the neighborhood. It's always worth it.
I've always liked Boston well enough, but have never quite loved it. Much like Chicago, I like it substantially more in the summer months. That said, it's a very important American city and a wonderful sports town, so you may love it.
• Climate Pledge Arena might be the NHL's best barn — a marvelous cathedral to catch a game.
• The areas around Seattle are as picturesque as it gets.
• Sensational food city.
• There is plenty to see and do, and for fun, Vancouver is only a two-hour drive.
• While we do have direct flights there from Pittsburgh, which is great, it's still a long day of travel to get there.
• There are expensive cities, and then there is Seattle.
• The actual downtown area is kind of blah, in my opinion.
I would strongly urge you to use public transportation or Uber to get to the game. Before last season's game, I asked Seattle PR for a parking garage recommendation. The one they gave me was very nice. It was also $75.
I want to like Seattle, and I don't hate it. But I haven't fully embraced it just yet. I think perhaps my expectations were unfairly high when I arrived there for the first time, thinking it was on Vancouver's level. It's not. But that doesn't mean it's not a beautiful place that you'll enjoy. The arena is spectacular.
• It's less than three hours away from Pittsburgh, and Interstate 70 in Ohio is much better maintained than Interstate 70 in Pennsylvania.
• Nationwide Arena remains elite, a wonderful place to see a game.
• The much-hyped bar district around the building is indeed outstanding, giving you a fun place to drink it up before and after the game.
• It's a totally manageable Black Friday drive for the game, and most of you are likely off work that day.
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• Even though the Blue Jackets are much improved, they don't exactly excite the hockey fan in you.
• The Penguins have always been Big Brother in this rivalry, so this season could serve up some humble pie.
When the Blue Jackets take the ice, and when they score goals, the good people at Nationwide Arena set off a very loud, intrusive cannon. It will startle you. If you think it won't, you're wrong. It will startle you. You've been warned. If you have heart issues, keep this in mind. No joke.
I always say it's a great first trip for a Penguins fan who has never gone on the road. It's like a starter home. It's not exotic. There aren't many bells and whistles. But it's cheap, it's easy to get to and it's a fun place.
• The Penguins play there on a Sunday afternoon in April, and you won't find a better city for a weekend trip.
• You should be there for the tail end of cherry blossom season.
• You might be witnessing history (more below).
• It's an easy, fairly pleasant drive.
• There are cities with good museums, and then there is Washington. It's the gold standard.
• This game, on Sunday, April 12, is right in the middle of Masters Sunday.
• D.C. is great in terms of things to see, but the area around Capital One Arena has seen better days.
I'll be very clear about this. There's a real chance this is the last time that Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin are ever sharing the same sheet of ice. This is likely Malkin's final season. There's a chance it will be Ovechkin's, too.
In a schedule quirk, it's the only time the Penguins play in Washington all season (good job, NHL). Malkin's final home game could be the day before, also against the Capitals. This could be the end of the road for him and perhaps Ovechkin, too. The Penguins-Capitals battle over the best two decades has been remarkable theater. The Capitals won the final battle, but I'd say the Penguins won the war. Either way, it's captivated all of us. I strongly suggest you make this trip.
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• Much like Denver and Calgary, the mountain scenery will blow you away.
• It's a friendly place and very walkable.
• The airport is new, spectacular, and Pittsburgh has direct flights to and from Salt Lake City on Delta.
• Everything is inexpensive here.
• The nightlife won't exactly blow you away.
• The building is presumably much better for basketball. It's not so great for hockey.
Check out the Utah practice facility, which is connected to the U.S. Olympic speed skating training facility. Cool place.
I ranked it in the middle because I've only been there once. I have to say, I liked it. Not as much as Denver, but I liked it. Beautiful place, friendly people and I loved how easily walkable it was. It'll be interesting to see how far it climbs in future rankings.
Thanks for reading and daydreaming. Part 2 is coming Wednesday.
(Top photo of Utah's Delta Center: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
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