Love, Pittsburgh Style
If you read Part I of this story of love and devotion, you know that Pens fans take their team to heart, quite literally. Some fans wear their black and gold, some paint their faces, and others decorate their homes with Penguin paraphernalia. But all of them seem to find ways to include their favorite team in their lifestyle. Some even include them in the most important parts of their lives, like their proposals and weddings.
And many female fans have a way of “recruiting” their boyfriends to the ranks of Penguin supporters. Such was the case with Tressa and Matt McCune.
Tressa has been a Pens fan since about 2001.
“Back in the day, I was kind of obsessed,” she said. “I scheduled work around their games, went to all their practices, etc. Student Rush back then was awesome! I remember getting second row seats a couple of different times and for twenty bucks!”
Of course, back “in the day”, the team wasn’t very good and rarely won, but to a real fan like Tressa, that didn’t matter, it was still fun.
“Soon life and work and college slowed demanded priority and while I was still a huge fan, the team had to be put on the back burner. I no longer knew each player’s birth date and hometown. It got to the point where I found myself forgetting whose number was whose! But still my love for the team remained.”
When the Penguins won the world-famous lottery that landed them Sidney Crosby, the team began winning regularly again and became more exciting. But Student Rush tickets were now out of the question for Tressa.
“I felt like “my little boys are all grown up and doing me proud,” Tressa laughed.
In 2005, she started dating the man who is now her husband. He was not a Pens fan, but she knew she would be able to sway him.
“I took him to ONE game and he was hooked! He became more obsessed than even me. We went to as many games as we could swing, though it was tough on the budget.”
As Tressa and Matt’s relationship got more serious, she felt the need to let Matt know that she did not approve of people being proposed to at sporting events.
“I distinctly remember saying it a number of times. But…men….I don’t know if he thought I was kidding or if it just didn’t sink in….because on February 6, 2007, we got to the Penguins/Predators game and I was totally unsuspecting. As soon as we got there, he ran off to the bathroom and returned with nachos and a coke (nachos are my favorite Pens game snack) and he handed them both to me. With no cup holder available and cramped seating, you have to picture me standing there holding a drink and nachos while looking for a place to put them. I turned back around and he’s down on one knee.
The first words that came out of my mouth were ‘What are you doing???’” It wasn’t the sweetest tone of voice either. I still feel kinda bad about that! But then I figured it out and said yes, all while still holding the coke and nachos. I couldn’t even hug him! People all around us cheered and I felt an overwhelming mix of happiness, anger, embarrassment, and still a little confusion!”
So maybe it wasn’t the smoothest or most romantic proposal ever, but Tressa and Matt still laugh about it.
When it came time for the wedding, May 31, 2008, of course the Pens had to play a part.“We included the Penguin theme music in our wedding, just a small, tasteful amount with the theme song playing before we entered the reception and….nacho bar!”
What more could a girl ask for at her wedding? A new husband, who is a Pens fan, a beautiful wedding, with familiar music and….a nacho bar!
A perfect storybook ending!
Stay tuned, sports fans, because you’ll never believe Part III!
Read Part three of Penguin Devotion on Wed. February 11th, 2009
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