I had the incredible opportunity to intern for the Pittsburgh Penguins this past year, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.
I have been covering the Sabres for Trainwreck Sports and our Crossing Swords Podcast page for a few years now and always wondered how coverage changes with credentials.
With the Penguins, I was a staff writer intern, so I helped out and learned from the incredible Michelle Crechiolo every day. I was at every practice and home game the team had and learned all of the ins and outs of what a team reporter does.
What having credentials is like
First and foremost, it was such a shock to be in the same environment as the players I was covering. In the past, there was that distance between me, my coverage, and the people I was covering.
Having that access gave me another way to cover the Penguins, and do it in a way I wouldn’t be able to without credentials.
We often see the same cookie-cutter responses from players, but from what I noticed, players give better answers the better relations you build with them.
I am not saying journalists should be buddy-buddy with players, but there needs to be that respect and the players seem to reciprocate that.
Normally, the stories I was able to tell covering the Sabres revolved solely on what I was able to watch on TV and my knowledge of the game. Being in the locker room and talking to players allowed me to expand the coverage I could do, and opened up my thought process on different ways to cover hockey.
What it’s like in the press box
Again this part of it is so cool. The amount of big-name hockey people I met while walking around the concourse there I still cannot believe.
Now, you don’t need to sit up there to be able to cover the team, but it certainly doesn’t hurt at all.
I grew up an hour from where the Sabres played, so I haven’t seen that many professional hockey games before. Being at the arena several times a week really helped me get that experience of being there.
The Penguins’ food setup was a three-item rotation. The best day was by far and away the hotdog day, followed by pretzel day, then nacho day. This is all you can eat (and drink) and is free with being up in the press box.
Every arena has a different setup for food (rumor has it the Islanders have an ice cream machine up there) and I have no idea where the Penguins rank on that.
The Penguins also have a catered meal before the game (in a big room on the first floor) for employees, NHL and opposing team folks, and media personnel. This meal could be anything, and was a great place to meet so many people involved in the NHL. As a broke college student, these meals kept me going and I certainly got my money’s worth from the ice cream machine that was located here.
Again none of this is necessary for covering the NHL or any pro sports, and we should be doing a better job at legitimizing bloggers, but being at these games was a great way to get the full experience.
My experiences
I have been on skates since I was 3 years old, and know the game like the back of my hand, but covering the game at that level was completely eye-opening. The attention to detail every single day, and being beyond organized were huge areas for improvement for me.
One of my biggest takeaways was just how nice and genuine all of the players were. For being one of the greatest hockey players of all time, Sidney Crosby was beyond nice to me and all of the other interns. The fact he would wait and hold the door open for me and other interns right before a game is the most mind-boggling thing ever.
I got to write around 15 stories that were published on the Penguins website, talk and interview players for Pens TV, help run the @PensInsideScoop X account, and meet some absolutely incredible people in the Penguins organization and the people who cover the team.
I am so thankful for everyone in the Penguins organization and Michelle especially for helping me and giving me the greatest experience I could have ever imagined. The Penguins were a first-class organization and the people who work there are genuinely some of the greatest individuals I have ever met.
I have no idea what my future has in store for me when I finish school next year, but I know for a fact this internship taught me so much, and set me up for the future.
I made some incredible connections, and made some even better friends from this internship, and cannot wait to hopefully run into these people once I hopefully work full-time in the industry.
I am very thankful for MANIAC for giving me as much leeway I needed to put this opportunity first, even if I had to put my Trainwreck duties behind it. This train never stops