Penguins to increase capacity to 50% on May 17 with first round of playoffs on horizon

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins announced they will have 50% capacity at PPG Paints Arena for the Stanley Cup Playoffs starting Monday.

The announcement follows Gov. Tom Wolf’s that capacity limits for gatherings and events will increase to 50% indoors and 75% outdoors.

This means the Penguins will be able to have more than 9,000 fans inside for any game played on or after Monday.

While the NHL has yet to announce dates for the first round of the playoffs, if Game One is scheduled before Monday, capacity for that will stay at 25%. The Penguins are set to take on the New York Islanders in the first round, with the first two games being played in Pittsburgh.

“This is very exciting news for our region and our fans,” said David Morehouse, president and CEO of the Penguins. “We want to thank Governor Wolf, Secretary Alison Beam, County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Mayor William Peduto for their tireless efforts in safely opening venues as we work our way out of the pandemic. Thank you also to our partners at UPMC, who have been working with us every step of the way. All fans will still be required to wear masks, and other cleaning and safety efforts on game days will continue both inside and outside PPG Paints Arena.”

The Penguins ticketing department will be in contact directly with season ticket holders who have already purchased tickets to playoff games.

“Any time we can put more fans in the building, we think that helps create the environment and energy our players have the ability to feed off of,” head coach Mike Sullivan said.

Wolf also announced that all COVID-19 mitigation efforts would be lifted by Memorial Day, meaning if the Penguins advance beyond the first round, they could be playing in front of a full PPG Paints Arena.

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