Former National Hockey League star Jean Pronovost, launched his 14-year NHL career in the city of Pittsburgh. In his rookie year in 1968, the building was known as the Civic Arena.  It opened in 1961 and in 1999 its name was changed to Mellon Arena. Since 1967 this edifice has been the home of the Penguins. For the last several years Mellon Arena has been the oldest building in the NHL. 

JEAN PRONOVOST (#19) AND DAVE BURROWS (#4) STAND WITH 48 OTHER FORMER PENGUINS PLAYERS WHO WERE BROUGHT BACK FOR THE LAST REGULAR SEASON GAME AT MELLON ARENA

After 49 years, the building hosted its last hockey game on Wednesday, May 12 when the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Penguins 5-2 to oust Pittsburgh from the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Penguins will move into the brand new Consol Energy Center for the 2010-11 season.

Fifty former Pittsburgh Penguins' greats were invited to attend the team's final regular-season home game on Thursday, April 8 against the New York Islanders. Several former Penguins players have been involved with HMI for many years. In addition to Pronovost they include Dean Prentice, Dave Burrows, Paul Baxter, Michel Dion and Marc Chorney. Pronovost and Burrows were invited to attend the historic night.

Pronovost, a former Hockey Ministries International staff member and current volunteer, commented about the memories of the Civic Arena and his time with the Penguins. "We worked hard and wanted to be successful,” Pronovost said. “We wanted to make Pittsburgh proud. We did our best, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. We had competition. I remember at that time Pittsburgh was called ‘City of Champions … Except the Penguins.’ But that’s changed now, so that goes in cycles.”

Pronovost remembers the "hard to swallow" playoff series in 1975 when Pittsburgh was up three games to none against the New York Islanders. The Penguins lost the next four straight games, to become at that time only the second team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 series lead.  

“Especially that series against the Islanders, we made some mistakes,” Pronovost said. “We should have put the nail in the coffin and we did not. We allowed them to come back and win it on a cheap goal in the seventh game. It hit Ed Westfall in the chest and fell into the net. But that’s hockey.”

JEAN PRONOVOST IN A GAME AT THE CIVIC ARENA AGAINST THE BOSTON BRUINS WHEN PITTSBURGH WORE BLUE JERSEYS

HMI staff member, Tim Donelli, also remembers the many great Penguins' players who played at the long-time arena that also went by the nickname of "The Igloo."  Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Donelli recalls how he first got involved in hockey. "I remember there was a "Stick Night" promotion in January of 1969 with the Penguins, where all kids 16 years of age and under got a free hockey stick. I begged my dad to take me to my first hockey game so I could get that stick. I fell in love with the game and the Penguins that night, even though Pittsburgh lost to the Oakland Seals 4-3."

Donelli came in contact with Hockey Ministries International in 1982 while a hockey broadcaster with the Baltimore Skipjacks, and became a full-time staff member in 1999. "Those early years of going to Penguins' games I would see players like Jean Pronovost, Dean Prentice, Davey Burrows and Michel Dion. I was not even a Christian then. Little did I know that years later those players and I would come to trust Jesus Christ as our Savior, and we would work together in Hockey Ministries International. God certainly wove an unusual web to get us together later in life."

So the curtain has closed on the Civic / Mellon Arena, leaving behind many wonderful memories for former players like Prentice, Pronovost, Burrows, Dion, Baxter and Chorney. And of course there's the 16-year old kid (Donelli) who in 1969 when he didn't even realize it, was being prepared by God for future service with HMI.  The Lord does truly work in mysterious ways.

NOTE:  Speaking of Pittsburgh, Hockey Ministries International will hold one of its' 32 weeks of Christian Hockey Camps International youth camps in the Steel City tihs summer. The camp runs from Sunday, July 11 through Friday, July 16. Current Pittsburgh Penguins player Mike Rupp will be one of the featured on-ice instructors at the Pittsburgh camp. For more information on the HMI PIttsburgh camp, CLICK HERE.  You may also send questions and inquries to the Pittsburgh camp e-mail address at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .