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The Full Story: Idiot Takes Puck From Boy, Penguins Fans Go Nuts

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Pittsburgh Penguins fan steals puck

There was side drama to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning Sunday evening. Many fans at PPG Paints Arena and those watching on screens large and small were left to wonder what in the world was happening as a larger corner of the arena was going bonkers and chanted things that didn’t make sense in relation to the game.



Here are the basics of the story: A puck was caught in the netting in the left-wing corner of the Penguins zone during the second period, and a young teenage boy was attempting to free it for a spiffy souvenir. Hey, who doesn’t want a game puck?

The young fan was able to free the puck, but an older fan quickly took it. Multiple witnesses, which Pittsburgh Hockey Now can verify as present, said the older fan took the puck from the boy and gave it to his adult granddaughter.

Yikes.

PHN got the full story from witnesses and involved arena employees, who asked not to be named but referred to as Usher No. 1 and Usher No. 2.

After the elder fan swiped the puck, the situation escalated for the better half of the second period. Hundreds and then thousands of fans chanted, “Give him the puck.” However, the older fan with an ill-fitting baseball cap, like a Grinch’s heart that was three sizes too small, was unphased and refused to cough up his ill-gotten gain.

Fans booed the man. Fans jeered the man. And fans chanted again, to no avail.

A couple of sections over, the Penguins’ families watched with disappointment and decided to act. One player’s wife, whom we’ll not name because we haven’t received her permission, told Usher 2 that she had a game puck in a locker in the family room downstairs, and she wished to give it to the boy.

The situation reached a crescendo almost simultaneously to Tampa Bay scoring late in the period for a 2-1 lead.

Usher 2 directed Usher 1 to escort the player’s wife downstairs for the puck, and she returned with Usher 1 to present the gift, which was met with loud, approving cheers. It’s too bad we can’t name the player’s wife because she’s a bit of a hero in all of this. She did a wonderful thing.

The boy raised his arms in triumph, puck in hand. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end there. It should have ended there, and we wish it had, but the man’s ridiculous and childish behavior was only beginning.

The greater fan reaction to justice being served only incensed the offending fan, who decided to have a few terse words with the boys’ mom.

Usher No. 2, who was present for the entire situation, referred to the older man as “irate.”

You can hear the cheers of the growing number of emotionally invested fans who roared when the boy got the puck and a warm greeting from the player’s wife.

Here’s video of the player’s wife delivering the puck to the young fan, whose appreciation was obvious. Our reader Rob sent the video via X. Thanks, Rob!

Sadly, the player’s wife and other wives were upset by the fallout of the gesture. They didn’t return to their seats for the third period.

So, to recap, a man took a puck from a young fan, ignored thousands of people, watched the boy receive an autographed game puck from a player’s wife, and then felt the need to confront the boy’s mother after watching the kind gesture.

Smooth, dude.

Yet, we’re still not done with this knucklehead’s terrible behavior. He apparently didn’t believe he was in the wrong and had a few words with Usher No. 1, even grabbing the usher by the arm on their way up the stairs. PHN witnessed this, as well.

As the toadstool reached the top of the section, Pittsburgh Police were waiting for him. In keeping form, the villain in our story then berated them, too.

And the police led him away.

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