Pittsburgh Public Schools students can get free Penguins preseason tickets: "Hockey is for everyone"

KDKA-TV producer Ashley Funyak contributed to this report.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are partnering with Pittsburgh Public Schools to give every student two free tickets to upcoming preseason games.

Tracey McCants Lewis, the chief legal and community affairs officer for the Penguins, says it gets some kids in the seats to watch hockey for the first time. 

"I've had parents that have brought their children, and now they come every season," says Lewis. "Or they've bought a mini package, or they buy single game tickets to come to the games because they enjoy it so much."

"There's so much that happens during a game that kids, people, pick up on anything," Lewis adds. "It could be the T-shirts that we hand out. It could be something that's happening on the ice besides the game, the Zamboni, the singers, everything. It's just a fun time."

The partnership is now entering its fourth year, and tickets include vouchers for a complimentary food item and drink courtesy of Aramark.

Students can attend the Monday, Sept. 21 game against the Buffalo Sabres or the Tuesday, Sept. 22 game against the Detroit Red Wings.

Lewis says each student should have received a flyer with details on how to redeem their tickets at the recent PPS back-to-school drive. Guardians should have also received an email from the school district. Parents can also go online.

"The mission is really to get students involved, interested in hockey, and give them an opportunity. We had some parents even that had never been in PPG Paints Arena," says Lewis. "Hockey is for everyone, and we just wanted to make sure that we invited students at PPS. It's a great opportunity for them to enjoy the game of hockey."