Welcome to the hockey version of our ever-popular “Take Us Out To The Ball Game” series.
As I recently mentioned, I made my first ever visit to the western part of my vast homeland. This visit included my first ever live NHL experience. More on that after the jump.
But first, a special shout-out to my new favourite city, Vancouver! Calgary was alright – I can’t fault any city with a Bath and Body Works. But oh, how I love Vancouver and its lush mountains, coastal scenery, Granville Island Market and sushi! I would live there tomorrow, if it weren’t for that whole outrageous real estate situation. Oh, and the uprooting of my family. They’d be pissed.
Oh yeah, so I went to this hockey game…
…and guess who was there?!
I have several shots of him tying his skate. No joke.
Sir Sidney and the Pens were in town for a rare meeting against the Calgary Flames at the Pengrowth Calgary Saddledome. The atmosphere in the building was nothing short of electric. As you can expect in just about any other NHL arena when the Penguins come to play, you had your fair share of Crosby jerseys dotted throughout the vaunted Sea of Red.
My brother and I had terrific seats within a few steps of the Alumni Lounge, where we were able to snag a few bottles of Miller Genuine Draft for $6.50 each. That was easily the most reasonable price I’ve ever seen for bottled beer at any event I’ve attended. Programs were reasonably priced at $5. I was also impressed with the service I received at the fan shop, where staff were more than willing to help as I browsed for a tee for my little guy. We had already eaten before the game, but you will find your usual gametime snacks at the Saddledome, as well as Good Earth Coffee and Boston Pizza.
We had a terrific view and managed to sneak in a few decent pictures.
The highlight was definitely seeing Crosby ‘s 30th goal this season (not shown. Too busy cheering, obviously). But what is a live NHL experience without a fight?
Props to my brother for this shot
As is generally the case when I see a live sports event, the visiting team won the game 3-1. That said, it was terrific hockey, something I don’t see nearly enough anymore (see: Leafs). Fleury stood on his head while the Flames put on an excellent effort outshooting the Penguins 38-27. Sadly, it wasn’t enough, and it marked Game #2 of the Flames’ current nine-game losing streak.
I couldn’t have asked for a better experience, so thank you, Calgary Flames and Flames fans!
Ladies... 