Pittsburgh Penguins Tickets

Your PPG Paints Arena seat, decided

For a Pittsburgh Penguins game, the best seat is a lower-level sideline section at center ice, around rows 8 to 18. From there the glass and the bench area stop getting in the way, and you see the whole sheet. PPG Paints Arena holds 18,187 for hockey.

• Value pick: center-ice sections in the upper level, especially the first rows.
• For the atmosphere: the front row against the glass on the sides.
• Lowest prices: upper-level end sections behind the nets.
• Know before you go: bags are not allowed, with only a few small exceptions.

The 2026–27 regular season runs September 29, 2026, to April 10, 2027.

Lower bowl 101–122 or upper 201–234?

The building at 1001 Fifth Avenue dates to August 18, 2010. It replaced the Civic Arena, the domed "Igloo" whose former site lies just across the street. Seat-view sites that track the arena map split the bowl into three tiers.

Lower level, sections 101 to 122

The ring around the rink. Both benches and both penalty boxes sit on the long sides, so if you buy the first few rows there, expect a close look at shoulders and helmets instead of the play.

Club level

Loge boxes and suites sit between the bowls. You pay for space, service and a quieter evening.

Upper level, sections 201 to 234

The biggest tier, with 34 sections to the lower bowl's 22, so each one is slimmer. Because there are more sections, two seats a few numbers apart can have quite different angles, so look at the map rather than the section number alone.

Capacity has shifted over the years: 18,087 at opening, a number chosen as a nod to Sidney Crosby's No. 87. It rose to 18,387 in 2011 and settled at 18,187 in 2023. Verify your section on the checkout map.

Three seats regulars argue about

Front row at the glass

You hear skates, sticks and every collision on the boards. You do not get a good read on the far end, and in the corners the curved glass warps the view. Buy it once for the experience.

Upper-level front row vs. lower-level back row behind the net

The front of the upper bowl at center often shows more hockey than a seat near the top of a lower-bowl end section: line changes, passing lanes and defensive gaps are all visible from above. It also tends to cost less.

The end Pittsburgh attacks twice

A home team attacks one net for periods one and three. For the Penguins, the sources behind this page do not confirm which net, and seat maps seldom label it. If you care, ask the team or a seat-view site, then watch which goal Pittsburgh warms up in front of. Upper-level end sections are the least expensive seats, but judging depth at the far net from there is hard.

Phone, keys, card: the no-bag arena

Pack for this arena before you think about anything else. As of the team's current ticket FAQ:

• Bags are not allowed. Inspection lets through only three things: a medical bag, a diaper bag, or a wristlet or wallet no bigger than 4 x 6 x 1.5 inches.
• Mobile-only entry: the barcode on each ticket keeps changing, which is why a screenshot or a printed copy fails at the scanner.
• Cashless: cards and mobile wallets only, with reverse ATMs that turn cash into a prepaid debit card.

Policies change, so read the team's ticket FAQ before game day. Every Reserved Seat order comes with guaranteed entry.

The building has its own distinction: it opened as Consol Energy Center, became PPG Paints Arena in October 2016, and was the NHL's first arena rated LEED Gold, a certification awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Flyers and Capitals dates, and the quiet weeknights

From 2026–27, each NHL team plays 84 regular-season games, 42 at home, after a four-game September preseason. The playoffs run April into June.

• Philadelphia Flyers: Pennsylvania's in-state feud goes back to October 19, 1967, and it is usually the hardest regular-season seat to find. There have been eight playoff meetings, the latest in 2026.
• Washington Capitals: another division foe, with plenty of postseason history between the clubs and fans who can drive up.
• Saturdays and the winter holidays: families and visitors fill these dates.
• Playoff games: the year's peak demand, with prices shifting after every result.

For the widest selection, pick a weeknight against a Western Conference visitor. On low-demand nights, resale listings often soften close to puck drop; for the Flyers, they almost never do.

Walking from downtown, or riding the T

Downtown's eastern fringe meets the Lower Hill District at the arena, so plenty of fans just walk over from work or a hotel.

• Light rail: Steel Plaza station on the T, the local light rail system, is about three blocks west. Recent references place it in the downtown zone where rides are free, but ask Pittsburgh Regional Transit whether that still applies.
• Parking: lots and garages surround the building; the team suggests booking ahead with its prepaid parking partner.
• Rideshare: easy on the way in. Leaving is slower, so stroll several blocks toward the city center before you book a ride.

On the road, Pittsburgh crowds show up in force in Philadelphia, Columbus, Washington and Buffalo, each a day's drive or less.

Lemieux, Crosby and five banners over the ice

Five Cups in six trips to the Final make Pittsburgh one of the most decorated 1967 expansion clubs; no team that joined after the original six has more.

Mario Lemieux, the first pick of 1984, and Jaromír Jágr won the 1991 and 1992 titles, and later bought the club out of bankruptcy in 1999. Crosby, picked in 2005, and Evgeni Malkin were the core of the 2009, 2016 and 2017 teams. The 2016 Final went six games against San Jose, and the 2017 win made Pittsburgh back-to-back champions for the second time. Three jerseys are retired: 21 for Michel Brière, 66 for Lemieux and 68 for Jágr.

The club is a fixture of outdoor hockey. It won the first Winter Classic in a shootout on January 1, 2008, in front of 71,217 near Buffalo, at Ralph Wilson Stadium. At home, then-named Heinz Field staged its 2011 Winter Classic with Washington and its 2017 Stadium Series with Philadelphia. Road outdoor dates followed at Soldier Field (2014) and Fenway Park (2023).

Ownership has turned over twice recently: control passed to Fenway Sports Group at the close of 2021, and league governors signed off on the Hoffmann family's purchase in June 2026. Rosters and coaching staffs change as well, so check the team site for the current lineup.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Pittsburgh Penguins
• Wikipedia – PPG Paints Arena
• Pittsburgh Penguins – Tickets FAQ
• Wikipedia – Flyers–Penguins rivalry
• Wikipedia – NHL outdoor games
• Wikipedia – 2026–27 NHL season
• Sportico – NHL approves Penguins sale to Hoffmann family
• A View From My Seat – PPG Paints Arena sections (orientation)