These seats were much better than Martha Johnson’s old ones.
When her late husband, “Badger Bob” Johnson, coached the Penguins, Martha would sit in one of the corners at Civic Arena – close enough to see the action but not pressed against the glass like she was for the Penguins morning skate on Saturday.
“In all my years watching hockey, I never was this close,” Martha said.
While physically Martha Johnson might have been somewhat far away, she’s always felt especially close to Pittsburgh because of her husband and how beloved her was — and still is — here.