Viral picture of empty arena has eastern team seriously concerned

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Liam McCormick
March 15, 2024 (3:16 PM)

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are officially free falling as an organization. The team's dynasty is over now with the team on pace to miss the playoffs for the second year in a row, they've traded fan favourite star player Jake Guentzel, and now the Penguins arena is looking completely empty.

In just his first season as President of the team, Kyle Dubas is facing the organization falling apart, but the absence of fans might be the most concerning part. The Penguins were in a dire financial situation in the late 90s, and were contemplating selling the team before they were saved by Mario Lemiuex's comeback and then drafting Sidney Crosby.

Now, financial strain should be less of a concern now that the Penguins are owned by the massive Fenway Sports Group, but the absence of fans like this in Pittsburgh will change the way the team operates. The Penguins desperately need to rebuild, but it looks like it might be financially impossible to do so. This is a team that still has Sidney Crosby - and the arena is empty.

Kyle Dubas has an extremely hard task ahead of him, dismantling the Penguins legendary core players and looking towards the future. Pittsburgh's facing an impossible situation - it looks like no matter what, they're headed for years of pain and empty arenas.