Pittsburgh Review

When the Pittsburgh Penguins first clinched the Stanley Cup, Timothy Hammer, a dedicated fan, found himself at a wedding. As the game approached its start time, he informed his wife that he needed to leave.

"So, we tried to sneak out the back," Hammer recounted. "And as we're going out the back of the hotel, we run into the bride and groom who were getting pictures. It was an awkward moment. It was actually one of my really good colleagues and friends that I'm still friends with today, but I said, 'Look, congratulations – I gotta go see this game.'"

Despite any lingering resentment from his friend, Hammer made it home in time to witness the Penguins' historic win and has no regrets.

Hammer's loyalty to the team dates back to 1969 when they joined the league. His uncle worked as a postal worker delivering mail to some players like Jim Rutherford and Keith McCreary. Occasionally accompanying his uncle on his route allowed Hammer to meet some players and attend games.

"I remember going to my first Penguins game; it was against the California Golden Seals," Hammer said. "That's what caught me, and the excitement that went along with that."

Hammer committed to season tickets in 1983 after securing employment. He managed to acquire them just as Mario Lemieux joined the team.

Over four decades, Hammer held onto those tickets for about 35 years total but gave them up when his son Brad was born and later moved with his wife Betty to Florida in 2020. They relocated closer to Brad due to his career as a pilot.

Once Brad returned to Pittsburgh for work, Timothy resumed attending games with family members including Betty, Kevin (his brother), Jess (his daughter-in-law), and Connor (his grandson).

"Connor... can last through maybe the first two periods," Timothy laughed about attending games with his grandson.

During preseason activities at Cranberry's facility named after Lemieux—Hammer's favorite player—he participated in Creative Day events witnessing how players interact while fulfilling media obligations for PensTV features or social media content creation.

"And now when I go see these photos show up on scoreboards," Hammer remarked enthusiastically regarding seeing familiar images during matches—a testament perhaps not only capturing moments within sports history but also cherishing shared experiences alongside loved ones cheering together under bright arena lights illuminating beloved hockey tradition deepening community bonds across generations spanning time itself...