Last weekend
I got my first real dose of NHL hockey. From paying big $$$ to have a casual drink
at the game, to paying more $$$ to eat Saddledome favourites like ‘Pocketdogs’
and mini-donuts; I truly experienced and NHL game for the first time.
I will
admit, I have seen a pre-season game; an exhibition match between the then
Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadians in Halifax. But
it wasn’t the true NHL experience. We had great seats, we decked ourselves out
in team apparel but it was not the real deal. It was a great night, but not
quite and NHL game.
Last winter
I took in a Ducks game in Anaheim, Nashville was in town and I was in awe. It
was closer to what I had expected an NHL game to be like, the Honda Center was
incredible. Again, we had great seats; but something about it was still
lacking. The rink wasn't even close to full. It was quieter than the Metro
Centre’s pre-season exhibition game (where there was no home team). People were
more concerned with taking selfies than watching the game.
Other things
seemed off too, the lines were WAY longer for food than drinks. Something my
boyfriend (a guy who grew up with Flames season tickets) said was the opposite
in Canada.
But, I got
to have a moment with Wild Wing (the Ducks mascot). This was a great moment
because as a kid, before I ever even thought about playing hockey I was a fan
of the short-lived Disney animated Mighty Duck series.
So, last
Saturday night I was ecstatic to finally be seeing a game in Canada. I had always
thought it would be a Canucks game, I have been a fan of the Canucks for ages
and it had been a goal to see my first NHL game in Vancouver. But, then life
happened and I found myself calling Calgary home and things changed a bit. I
could no longer avoid popping on Flames merch and smiling at the dream of
playoffs.
I don’t
think we could have picked a better night to see the Flames. It was Western
Night at the Dome, Paul Brandt made both national anthems sound incredible and
the Flames pushed their home winning streak to five games. Minnesota was in
town and made a comeback after pissing away the first part of the game,
pushing it to overtime.
Things I
loved about this game:
-Dany Heatley,
scored his tenth of the year at the Dome. I know this is counter-intuitive, I
was totally cheering for the Flames but when the All-star himself is in town you
want to see him put something on the board.
-Mikael
Backlund achieved redemption after a horrible pass (that led to a Wild goal)
with not one, but two goals; including the game-winner in OT.
-It was
Western Night. I love how hokey Calgary becomes during the Stampede and that
kitchy environment was part of the Flames Western Night. Gunfire after the
national anthems, the ice cleaning girls in plaid and denim, white Stetsons in
abundance and LOTS of Stampede talk; Western Night recreated the feeling of
Stampede at a hockey game.
-No matter
how big the crowd is, you can always find a friend. Without knowing where our
buddy was sitting (he didn't know where we were either) we ran into him during
the first intermission. No barn is to big to keep friends apart!
My first NHL game in Canada was not what I expected. The fact that it was Western Night was a delightful surprise that made my trip Calgary complete.
