It was a very realistic bid, but National Hockey League games will not be played in Pittsburgh for the remainder of the 2019-2020 season.
The Penguins, in a press release, announced on Tuesday that they had been informed by the league that they would not be selected to be one of the league's two hub cities for the return-to-play plan.
In the release, the Penguins stated that the city had support from local politicians and companies, including UPMC and PPG.
With PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh and the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in nearby Cranberry Township, the area presented an array of options and hotel accommodations for the players.
According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, Pittsburgh is among four cities that have been informed that they will not be hosting. Other rejected cities include Columbus, Dallas, and St. Paul.
The six cities remaining eligible for a bid are Chicago, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Toronto and Vancouver. It has been previously reported that Las Vegas and Vancouver are front-runners. A decision is expected at some point this week.
Of the Penguins' five Stanley Cup championships, zero have been won on Pittsburgh ice.
The league is expected to return to action on Thursday, July 30.
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