Pittsburgh Penguins Deny Bruno Sammartino Statue

A Bruno Sammartino statue was planned to be built in Pittsburgh Pa., where his career started, shortly after Bruno Sammartino returned to WWE and was inducted into its 2013 class of the WWE Hall of Fame. However, in Pittsburgh, there were rumblings of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the city’s National Hockey League team, blocking the Bruno Sammartino statue. According to Wrestling Observer Newsletter, this was indeed the case.

The website reports that plans called for the Bruno Sammartino statue to be built on the site of the Civic Arena, which served as the home of the Penguins from its inception in 1967 to 2010. “The Igloo,” which has now been demolished currently serves as a parking lot for the nearby CONSOL Energy Center, the current home of the Penguins. While it’s still possible for a statue to be built at the Civic Arena, the Penguins were able to deny the move because it owns the site.

The Penguins reportedly put a stop to the Bruno Sammartino statue in this area of Pittsburgh because it recently put up a statue of NHL legend Mario Lemieux. Lemieux, arguably the most-esteemed athlete in the “Steel City” won the franchise back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992 and even saved the franchise of a possible relocation in the mid 2000s. Since then, the franchise has been able to establish itself as a consistent, winning team in the regular season that even won its third Stanley Cup in 2009. The win also marked the third Stanley Cup for Lemieux, who this time, served as the team’s owner.

The Mario Lemieux statue is currently on display just outside the main entrance of the CONSOL Energy Center, which will host the Royal Rumble on Jan. 26. The statue immortalizes one of his many plays in which he slipped past a pair of defenseman to score a goal. The statue is modeled after a play in a 1988 game where Lemieux slipped by New York Islanders defenseman Rich Pilon and Jeff Norton. However, those two are unbranded on the statue. The statue was erected on March 7, 2012.

According to Sammartino, the funds and sponsorships are in place for a potential statue. So at this point, it’s about finding a better location in Pittsburgh to immortalize him. Perhaps, Fineview, a neighborhood in the North Side of Pittsburgh may become a candidate, as this is where Sammartino got his start in wrestling. Pittsburgh’s “Studio Wrestling” was broadcasted here from 1959 to 1972, and was once esteemed as one of the best wrestling shows in the United States.

Shortly after he finally received the honor of going into WWE’s Hall of Fame, Allegheny County, the county of Pittsburgh, declared May 17 Bruno Sammartino day in the county. Along with that on Oct. 7, Sammartino was honored on “Monday Night Raw” in Pittsburgh, Pa. and received a birthday greeting from the crowd, which was the day before, Oct. 6. Now, only time will tell if a Bruno Sammartino statue can be placed in Pittsburgh.