Penguins Serve Tables at Annual Charity Gala

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Pittsburgh Penguins management, coaching staff and players hosted a sold-out Skates & Plates Charity Gala presented by Trib Total Media to benefit the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, the Mario Lemieux Foundation and the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation on February 23 at the CONSOL Energy Center.
 
The event raised over $260,000 for charity.
 
Penguins’ players donned tuxedos and passed plates instead of pucks as they greeted guests and served as waiters for the evening.  Top tip honors and bragging rights were captured by Penguins’ forward Matt Cooke while defenseman Ben Lovejoy finished a close second in tips.  
 
Along with dinner, the event featured live entertainment by The Three Waiters, a live auction and prizes awarded to guests for the top tips collected by the players.  An online auction also benefitted the gala.
 
Since 1986, the dinner has been an annual event for the Penguins, raising more than $5.5 million for medical research.