New York Redux

(Editor's Note: Even though it's January of 2019, I actually went to these games in March of 2018, started this blog entry, and then other stuff happened and I only finished it now basically, so that's why the timing in the article seems odd)

Farewell to the Joe

Editor's Note: I actually went to Pittsburgh a week before, but want to get in on the Joe Louis Arena thinkpieces before the train on that runs out. So I'll talk about Pittsburgh's new boring building soon enough.

Let's get this out of the way first. Detroit has and always will suck. This is an undeniable fact of life. The only certainties in this world are death, taxes, and Detroit's suckitude.

However, my first, last, and only trip to Joe Louis Arena was like an old Western movie. Good, bad, and ugly.

The Big Freeze at the Big House

In what’s becoming the greatest tradition of all time, we as a little group went to the Winter Classic this New Year’s Day in Ann Arbor, at Michigan Stadium, which has a small city come in and watch football from September through November every week or so (that’ll come in later). 

Join the Battle

Editor's note: I was lazy and never finished this post in the 6 months after I went to the game, so it should have come out in March, or April at the latest.

Welcome to Columbus, we've got windows

So, it’s been FOREVER since I’ve been to a new (NHL) arena, and even longer since I’ve posted.  Like, seriously a year.  Yes I’ve kept myself busy during the lockout, and I did get to the Hawks home opener, and I only had to pay one of my arms for the tickets.

AND WE'RE BACK!

As I'm sure you're aware, the NHL and the players have come to a tentative agreement on a new CBA and a shortened season likely to start next week.

Which, of course, means that hopefully I'll be making it to more NHL games in the near future.  Obviously because the new schedule hasn't even come out yet, I don't have any definite dates for games yet, but I do have a few I'd like to check off on my list.

I'd like to knock off some/all of the teams below

• Columbus (easy to get to and cheap, probably about the most certain of these games)
• Pittsburgh (still easy to get to, but more expensive certainly)
• Detroit (sucks)
• Tampa/Florida
• Carolina?
• Maybe, just maybe if the season goes long enough and the stars align, Vancouver

Swimming in the Shark Tank

For the next (and, to date, last) stop on my hockeysee, I’ve entered the Shark Tank in San Jose to see the Sharks play the Bruins.  Which would be an awesome fight, sharks versus bears.

Into the Pond

The next destination on my hockeysee took me to the former Pond of Anaheim (now the Honda center, because they don’t like cool things I guess), where the (formerly Mighty) Ducks play hockey against the Predators from Nashville.

Crowning the Kings

The next installment of the hockeysee brings me to Los Angeles, the city of angels.  To see the Kings, who (of course) won the Cup the year I went.  Because I’m that good.

Welcome to SMASHVILLE!

For the (incredibly late) next entry on my hockeysee, I ventured to Nashville, home of the Predators, country music, and incredibly bad puns.

Ice Wars: Episode VI

EPISODE VI

RETURN OF THE PREDATORS

After the terrible defeat in nearby Los Angeles, The young Predators must regroup in the suburb Anaheim.  They must do so without their best goaltender, as Pekka Solo was frozen in a block of solid ice by the despicable Darth Quick.  In his place, young Anders Lindback was forced to pilot the ship for the matchup with the Ducks of Anaheim, the last team they had defeated in the playoffs, even though it feels like such a long time ago.

Ice Wars: Episode V

Editor's Note: LA will get its own regular, typical post shortly.

Ice Wars: Episode IV

Editors note: I will post regular, typical reviews for Nashville, Los Angeles and Anaheim. What follows is a mildly gripping tale of the Predators in their quest for home ice in the first round of the playoffs. Most of the names, places, and events are real, except all the names were changed to seem more like a certain science fiction franchise.

So... I gave March its own logo

This is what happens when 3 of the 4 games this month have one team in them.

Especially a team with a name begging to be turned into this.

So, March is "To Catch The Predators"

Traveling to the Lone Stars State!

Party rocking in the house!

So I made another little trip south to Dallas Texas, to see the Stars against the Colorado Avalanche.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Winter Classic

               So, I, as my Twitter followers may know, went to the Winter Classic this year.  There really are no words that can adequately describe the event.  As such, I'm going to let the pictures do the talking.

Playing Devils' Advocate

I have to credit Dad with the title of this post, otherwise it would have been something boring.

Nassau Coliseum is better than Madison Square Garden

          In the next game on my hockeysee, I went to Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders play the Calgary Flames.  I admit, I was expecting this post to be all about how it's a dump, especially compared to the world famous Madison Square Garden.  That, of course, was before the MSG Incident in the last post

The Madison Square Garden Incident

So, Madison Square Garden sucks

Really bad.

Worse than I could have possibly expected from the “World’s Most Famous Arena”.  It was just bad, not fun at all.  To show you all WHY the experience was so bad, here’s our view.

That big thing up there was the concourse.  

Where the Sabres roam...

So, for the next place on my odyssey, or “hockeyssey” (I was originally going to say “hockyssey”, which is what my mother almost demanded I put, but I like how “hockeyssey” looks, even if it is pronounced “hockey-see”), I traveled to Buffalo, New York. The Sabres were playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs, whom I’d already rooted against (and seen lose) at their place.

Minnesota here I come!

            Next up is the State of Hockey, Minnesota and its Wild.  On the day after Thanksgiving, I embarked on an epic journey to Minneapolis, to see the resurging Wild play host to the young Oilers (again).  I’ll see Edmonton at least once again before I head to Alberta, but that’s neither here nor there.  The Wild have come from pretty much nowhere to become one of the top teams in the NHL, and I needed to find out why (plus I needed to go, so it was a good fit).

One piece of advice, don’t go to the Mall of America on Black Friday, just don’t.  Stuff was needed, and we figured that by noon the place wouldn’t be as crowded (it was).  However, this did give me an opportunity to gauge the popularity of the Wild in the area.  Of course, the fact that I was in the “State of Hockey” (more on that later) helped facilitate the process.  Between the hockey stores, the sports stores, and Sears, there were plenty to choose fr from.