One-on-one: NSYNC's Kirkpatrick 'blessed' to be Penguins fan
TAYLOR HAASE / DKPS
NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick sits front row for Penguins-Golden Knights at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday
NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick estimated that he became a Penguins fan about the time that he came out of his "mother's womb."
Kirkpatrick grew up about 90 minutes outside of Pittsburgh in Clarion, Pa., where he said he was a "die-hard Steelers fan since I was born, a 'We Are Family' Pirates fan since I was born." But one of the moments that stands out most for him in his years of being a Pittsburgh sports fan came just a few days shy of his 13th birthday.
"I remember when (Mario Lemieux) came," Kirkpatrick told me at PPG Paints Arena during the Penguins' game against the Golden Knights on Tuesday. "His first shift, first time on the ice, first shot, he got a goal? No big deal, right?"
Kirkpatrick, now 53, is still just as invested in his childhood team. In addition to Lemieux, he considers the "big three" -- Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang -- some of his favorites of all-time. He loves Marc-Andre Fleury, admitting that he shed real tears when the Penguins welcomed Fleury back as a visitor for the first time with a tribute video in 2018.
NSYNC is one of the best-selling boybands of all-time, selling over 70 million records in the late 1990s and early 2000s. And Kirkpatricks' all-time favorite Penguins player was one he was following through that heyday with NSYNC: Darius Kasparaitis, falling in love with Kasparaitis' "energy" over anything else.
Kirkpatrick moved to the Nashville area in 2016, where he and his wife Karly welcomed a son Nash in 2017. He started watching the Predators after the move to Nashville, and adopted them as his second team. He was torn going into the 2017 Stanley Cup Final ... right up until the start of Game 1.
"A soon as that puck dropped, I was like, 'Nope, see you later, Preds.' I'm a Pens fan. It's like, your heart against your home, and my heart always wins out."
Kirkpatrick keeps a collection of Penguins jerseys at his home -- a lot of "old school" favorites. He's fond of his Kasparaitis jerseys, and on this night he donned a Crosby sweater from Crosby's first two years in the league.
But most of all, Kirkpatrick said he has "so many" Lemieux jerseys. And as his son got older, he started asking who "Le-mex" was on the back of his dad's jerseys.
"I'm like, 'It's Lemieux!' One of the greatest hockey players of all time. You'll learn,'" he recalled with a laugh.
Kirkpatrick has met Penguins players over the years -- he's attended Lemieux's charity golf tournament, and got to see the Penguins skate in one of their trips to Nashville, and was struck by watching Crosby take time after to interact with kids.
"Everybody that's played for the organization is class," he said.
Though Kirkpatrick is still now based in Nashville, he's still as big of a fan as ever, and has his son following in his footsteps, sitting front row behind the Penguins' bench for their win over the Golden Knights and hoping to pass along some of the enjoyment he's felt over his years following the team.
"I remember when we stunk," he said. "Then we got Mario and Jagr. And then, God came down and said, 'We'll also give you Sidney and Malkin.' We've been blessed as Penguins fans for a long time, so I'm lucky. I mean, it's Pittsburgh. You've got to be a Penguins fan. You realize what type of people we are in Pittsburgh."
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THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
5:53 am - 03.12.2025UptownOne-on-one: NSYNC's Kirkpatrick 'blessed' to be Penguins fan
TAYLOR HAASE / DKPS
NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick sits front row for Penguins-Golden Knights at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday
NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick estimated that he became a Penguins fan about the time that he came out of his "mother's womb."
Kirkpatrick grew up about 90 minutes outside of Pittsburgh in Clarion, Pa., where he said he was a "die-hard Steelers fan since I was born, a 'We Are Family' Pirates fan since I was born." But one of the moments that stands out most for him in his years of being a Pittsburgh sports fan came just a few days shy of his 13th birthday.
"I remember when (Mario Lemieux) came," Kirkpatrick told me at PPG Paints Arena during the Penguins' game against the Golden Knights on Tuesday. "His first shift, first time on the ice, first shot, he got a goal? No big deal, right?"
Kirkpatrick, now 53, is still just as invested in his childhood team. In addition to Lemieux, he considers the "big three" -- Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang -- some of his favorites of all-time. He loves Marc-Andre Fleury, admitting that he shed real tears when the Penguins welcomed Fleury back as a visitor for the first time with a tribute video in 2018.
NSYNC is one of the best-selling boybands of all-time, selling over 70 million records in the late 1990s and early 2000s. And Kirkpatricks' all-time favorite Penguins player was one he was following through that heyday with NSYNC: Darius Kasparaitis, falling in love with Kasparaitis' "energy" over anything else.
Kirkpatrick moved to the Nashville area in 2016, where he and his wife Karly welcomed a son Nash in 2017. He started watching the Predators after the move to Nashville, and adopted them as his second team. He was torn going into the 2017 Stanley Cup Final ... right up until the start of Game 1.
"A soon as that puck dropped, I was like, 'Nope, see you later, Preds.' I'm a Pens fan. It's like, your heart against your home, and my heart always wins out."
Kirkpatrick keeps a collection of Penguins jerseys at his home -- a lot of "old school" favorites. He's fond of his Kasparaitis jerseys, and on this night he donned a Crosby sweater from Crosby's first two years in the league.
But most of all, Kirkpatrick said he has "so many" Lemieux jerseys. And as his son got older, he started asking who "Le-mex" was on the back of his dad's jerseys.
"I'm like, 'It's Lemieux!' One of the greatest hockey players of all time. You'll learn,'" he recalled with a laugh.
Kirkpatrick has met Penguins players over the years -- he's attended Lemieux's charity golf tournament, and got to see the Penguins skate in one of their trips to Nashville, and was struck by watching Crosby take time after to interact with kids.
"Everybody that's played for the organization is class," he said.
Though Kirkpatrick is still now based in Nashville, he's still as big of a fan as ever, and has his son following in his footsteps, sitting front row behind the Penguins' bench for their win over the Golden Knights and hoping to pass along some of the enjoyment he's felt over his years following the team.
"I remember when we stunk," he said. "Then we got Mario and Jagr. And then, God came down and said, 'We'll also give you Sidney and Malkin.' We've been blessed as Penguins fans for a long time, so I'm lucky. I mean, it's Pittsburgh. You've got to be a Penguins fan. You realize what type of people we are in Pittsburgh."
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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