Lemieux and Crosby are first to skate at Consol Energy Center

One of the most important “firsts” in the history of CONSOL Energy Center took place today – Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby were the first to skate on the ice at Pittsburgh’s sparkling new arena.

The Penguins’ owner and captain came out of different doors on the Penguins’ bench so that their skates actually touched the ice at the same time.

Video of the special moment is available at www.pittsburghpenguins.com.

“That was pretty special,” said Crosby, who saw the inside of the new arena for the first time. “There are going to be a ton of things that happen here, so to go out there and be the first ones on the ice, that was special. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to skate with Mario.”

Lemieux and Crosby skated on the rink for about five minutes before they were joined by a group of youngsters wearing – you guessed it – Lemieux and Crosby jerseys.

“It felt great to be able to skate for the first time with Sid and then have all the kids here,” Lemieux said. “I think it was pretty special for all of us. It was a long time coming. We worked hard to get this accomplished. I’m glad we were able to do this today.”