What makes the reigning Stanley Cup Champions even more successful off the ice? Their level of customer service.

In pro sports, the term “customer service” is usually swapped with Fan Appreciation Day or “pay $10 to get something signed by a player” day. And more often than not, these types of attractions are spread few and far between; especially if said team is already succeeding on the field/ice/court. [Aren’t they serving the customers enough by winning? Right.] Which is what makes the Pittsburgh Penguins so intriguing.

Not only did the Pens win the Stanley Cup in June [hockey’s highest prize, for all of you non-puckheads out there], but they’ve also been extremely inspiring within their community for years.

The team begins their community outreach during training camp. Marching to the doors of their season ticket holders, 12-13 of the team’s best players deliver tickets for an afternoon. They hang out in homes and sign gear, venture into full-blown business meetings and alleviate the stiffness with some jokes, and even play with kids. All to the wonderment of the fans, of course. Which is why the Penguins are beloved in Pittsburgh, whether they’re successful or not.

Part of that success stems from the fact that, as I mentioned earlier, they don’t send some unknown minor leaguers out to their charitable events. They send Stanley Cup heroes like team captain Sidney Crosby, Conn Smyth winner [Stanley Cup MVP] Evgeni Malkin, and clutch goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Not to mention guys like Game 7 hero Max Talbot and a host of others who, honestly, come with accolades that would fill the rest of this page.

But that’s just scratching the surface of the Pens’ community service, which carries on throughout the season. Recently though, they invaded a children’s hospital [for the Nth time], bringing presents and smiles to the faces of kids who are going through a lot in their lives. However, it seems like the kids weren’t the only ones who reaped the benefits of that day.

“It’s always something that puts things into perspective,” Crosby told Jason Seidling of the Pens’ website. “We always talk about adversity and things like that when we talk about hockey. When you see real-life situations where kids are sick or really facing true adversity, you see their bravery and how courageous they are to deal with it. I think it puts things into perspective for us as players.

No offense to other professional athletes, but that’s not a statement you’d hear a lot of other stars make. And that’s the major difference. Sure, it helps that the Pens are again successful on the ice this year, but their work in the community is the real reason they have such a loyal following. The fans don’t feel like they’re cheering for a group of millionaires they share nothing in common with. Rather, they feel like they’re cheering for their friends. And that, in itself, is a big reason why the Pittsburgh Penguins are a successful business entity that’s preparing to open next season in a brand new arena [funded by their supportive city].

But there are definitely other teams like the Pens out there. Does your favorite team mirror Pittsburgh’s charitabilities?

For the sake of communities and fans everywhere, I truly hope so.