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If you’re an adult who attends a baseball or hockey game, you’re usually expected to abide by a largely unspoken code of conduct if you end up in possession of a ball or a puck: give it to the nearest kid. However, a Penguins fan declined to go that route and sparked some drama that led to the wife of one of Pittsburgh’s players getting involved to make things right.
As a 30-something guy who’s attended dozens of baseball games without snagging a foul ball or a home run, there’s part of me that would want to take the souvenir home with me if I was finally able to check that box. However, I know I’d end up giving it to a younger fan to both make their day and avoid the inevitable backlash that would come with refusing to hand it over.
Hockey pucks don’t end up in the stands with the same frequency as baseballs, but the “rule” that governs MLB games also applies to the NHL. However, according to Pittsburgh Hockey Now, a fan at Sunday’s game between the Penguins and the Lightning didn’t get the memo.
The outlet’s Dan Kingerski was in attendance for the contest and witnessed the saga that began to unfold in Section 105 when a puck got stuck in the netting above the glass during the second period.
A teenager sitting a few rows back attempted to shake it loose during a break in the action and managed to do so before it was grabbed by a decidedly older gentleman who handed it to his “adult granddaughter” and quickly found himself subjected to the boos and jeers he had to know he was signing himself up for.
Kingerski spoke to an usher who said the commotion came to the attention of some family members of Penguins players sitting a couple of sections over before one of the guys’ wives told the employee she had an autographed game puck sitting in the locker room she was willing to offer up.
Another spectator captured video of the unidentified spouse giving the puck to the teen who’d been robbed of the other one—a development that did not sit down well with the alleged thief who had some words for his mother who responded with some of her own (and almost punched him) before he was escorted from the area.
@TheDanKingerski here’s some more video of the jackass… pic.twitter.com/W5lg8T7Fuc
— Rob Standeezy™ (@StanDaugherty15) January 13, 2025
Kingerski says the man also mouthed off to the police officers who were waiting for him at the top of the stairs to lead him away and diffuse the situation, but it’s hard to imagine he ended up facing any actual charges.
You’ve got to love a story with a happy ending.