It was a great day for hockey — especially for Pittsburgh Penguins fans returning to PPG Paints Arena to enjoy the game in person.

Tuesday night’s matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers marked the first hockey night in Pittsburgh with fans in attendance since last March.

Gov. Tom Wolf eased some coronavirus restrictions Monday, paving the way for PPG Paints to open at 15% capacity for the remaining 20 home games of the season.

Madison Vincent and Dylan Goss were at the last game before covid-19 restrictions banned fans from the arena last March. They were eager to return for Tuesday’s game.

“We got to go to the last game they had with fans, so we wanted to be the first ones back,” Vincent said.

“We’re just excited to be here. We came to a lot of Penguins games last year, and we were let down when we weren’t able to come anymore,” Goss said. “So when we found out that they were going to be opening up to fans again this year, we wanted to come as soon as we possibly could.”

Season ticket holder Dave Sherman was waiting outside PPG Paints Arena with his sons, Chris and Brian, over an hour before puck drop.

“I can’t wait to see the Penguins in action,” Dave Sherman said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been here, so we’re excited.”

Watching the games on television, he said, was simply not the same as cheering on the team in person.

“You get a different perspective at the game,” he said.

John Albright was also at the arena early with his family. He was excited for the game and had no reservations about attending considering PPG Paints Arena’s covid-19 mitigation efforts, which include a mask mandate and distance between groups.

“It’s been over a year since we’ve gotten to do something like this,” he said.

Though fans were glad to be back, someone was still missing from the hockey game.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has been placed on the NHL’s list of absences related to the league’s protocol for covid-19. This does not necessarily mean Crosby has covid-19; players can be placed on the list because of contact with someone else who has the virus.

Crosby’s absence put a “slight damper” on the evening for Shad Greco, who was at the game with his daughter, Chloe.

Nonetheless, they were eager to return to hockey.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Greco said. “It’s exciting.”

Billy Conley and Robert Holupk also admitted to being disappointed at the captain’s absence.

“Hopefully, some other guys will step it up,” Conley said.

The pair said they were still happy to be there after spending over an hour Tuesday morning tracking down tickets online. In Crosby’s absence, they said, they were most eager to watch Jake Guentzel and Evgeni Malkin.

“It’s pretty incredible to be back,” Conley said. “After being locked in the house for a long time, being able to be somewhere, watch something live for the first time in a year — it’s something special.”

The official game summary listed Tuesday night’s attendance as 2,800.

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