So loving the cold and all that is cold related, one would think that I would be a rabid hockey fan. After all, I love ice skating; there was a time when I just knew I would be bringing home Olympic figure skating gold to The Last Frontier. But figure skating was as far as it went with me. Sure I had tons of friends who played hockey, even some girls, but it never really piqued my interest. I never learned the rules and I didn't understand how in the hell you were supposed to get going on hockey skates with no toe pick. Seriously! The one time I tried to learn hockey, I was on my ass five times in five minutes. No one told me there was no toe pick. No one told me that because there is no toe pick when you try to push off like you would in figure skates you topple forward in a graceless heap. So after my fifth and final fall, I promptly decided that hockey sucked.
I managed to make it through most of my teenage years without going to a hockey game. Even when I dated a hockey player, I somehow maneuvered my way around actually going to his games. I would hang out at Ben Boeke Ice Arena with all of the other hockey girlfriends, but there was no game watching going on. Oh I pretended to love hockey like a good little Alaskan (I got a UAA hockey jersey and everything!) but I prayed that no one would try to engage me in hockey speak because the jig would be up. When having a crush on a UAA hockey player and wearing a pin with is face on it on your jean jacket was "the thing" to do, I went along wholeheartedly, even though I couldn't tell you what the center does or what all of the lines on the ice mean. I realize now that my hockey ignorance is kind of taking away from my credibility as a real Alaska girl so I am on a mission to embrace this game.
I unfortunately do not live in a city that hosts a major league hockey team, so I am going to have to settle for going to a Cincinnati Cyclones game as my first hockey experience. They are a local minor league hockey team, so I think that qualifies as professional hockey, no? I have heard these games are a blast so it should be pretty fun. I wanted to enlist a few people to go with me, so I chose to go on dollar beer night, figuring someone might be enticed enough by that to tag along. Jaime, Lisa and Jodi all agreed to make my maiden hockey voyage with me so I was set.
Jody and I arrived at the game with the plan of meeting Jaime and Lisa at US Bank Arena. Typically, being the somewhat anal planner that I am, I would (gently) insist that we all ride together so that there is no confusion, but I am trying to be more laid back in 2010 so I refrained. I am terminally early for things, so Jody and I were parked and headed to the arena at 6:45 even though the game did not start until 7:30. We approach the ticket counter and this guy who had just got tickets with his son offered us two free tickets. Jody and I exchange glances, immediately suspicious, but the man insists we take them and says we can trade them for different seats. I figure we should take them...maybe it's a good omen for the evening. We exchange the two free tickets and purchase two more so the four of us can sit together, then head inside to wait for Jaime and Lisa. For the record, hockey games are a great place to people watch! We saw a little bit of everything, including a guy with a puck hat...I am not really sure if my description would do it justice. Picture a foam hockey puck about the size of a platter. Then picture said puck on the head of a grown - ass man. Now you see the comedy.
At about 7:15, I am beginning to get a little antsy. Then I get a text from Jaime saying they finally made it and are in the building but don't see us. I told her we were by the main entrance and that we had the tickets. A few more minutes pass...no Jaime. The music is beginning to pump up in the arena and from where we are standing I can see on the Jumbotron that they are making the player introductions. I am not sure what to do at this point. I call Jaime, but her cell phone is going to voicemail. Crap. At this point we have two choices...go in and hope that she calls when they get to the door or wait. We wait. I can't bring myself to go in even though I am dying to see the faceoff (isn't that what it's called?). Jodi tells me to go in so I can see it and she'll wait for them. I'm torn but rush past the ticket taker and into the arena in time to see the one of the Cyclones skating away with the puck. Oops. Missed it.
I go back out to where Jodi is standing and try to call Jaime again. Voicemail. Crap crap. Jodi and I are trying to figure out what to do when a roar erupts from the crowd, a ridiculously loud horn goes off and the announcer screams "GOAL!" Jodi and I look at each other and burst out laughing. Seriously. It would have to be at the game I go to that they score like two minutes in. That never happens! Never!
Now I am really not sure what to do! I decide to walk to the other entrance (though they wouldn't have been able to get in there without their tickets, which I have) but they are not there either. I just don't know what to do. I can see Jodi and I walking into the game just as they get to the entrance and we completely miss each other. I try to call again but it goes straight to voicemail. Crap crap crap.
I head back to Jodi, still not sure what to do when out of the corner of my eye I spy the answer to at least one of my problems....an open bar! I don't drink beer so the dollar beer special did nothing for me, but the bar has a Smirnoff Ice with my name on it. Now I can at least keep my anxiety at bay! Drink in hand, I find Jodi and ask her what she thinks we should do.'
Roar of the crowd. Ridiculously loud horn. "GOAL!"
Are you kidding me??? Are you freakin kidding me?
Needless to say, we decided to go in. We grab Jodi a beer and try to find our section. We got great tickets in the lower level, row K, right at center ice, but we decide to sit in the first row of the upper level anyway. We could still see everything and we didn't have to crawl over a bunch of what I can only assume given the promotional beer rate, are drunk or almost drunk rowdy fans. I feel terrible about not being able to find Jaime and Lisa. I keep my phone in my lap hoping that they will call and say that they are here and that we just somehow missed them.
I am trying to take in the scenery of my very first hockey experience and one thing jumps out at me. There are a lot of men here. A LOT of men. The combination of testosterone and cheap beer give the arena a buzz unlike any sporting event I've ever been to. I feel like at any moment guys are gonna start pounding on each other... I love it!
I am trying to follow the action of the game, but I have to admit I am kind of lost. The puck is much easier to follow in person though, thank goodness. I was worried it would be like my attempts to watch NHL and being confused because I never knew where the damn puck was! But this was cool. And these guys can really skate! I am mesmerized by their footwork, it's amazing. And then there is the checking. Now seriously, that's what I came to see. How great is a sport where you can smash someone hard as hell against a wall and it's not against the rules?! And they let you fight!! I was praying I would get to see a good hockey fight but the checking was pretty awesome too.
By the start of the second period I am pretty into the game. Then my phone finally beeps with a text. JAIME!! She says they must have missed us and ended up buying tickets and coming in. I can't figure out how we missed them! We were standing right inside the main entrance, and honestly, there were not a lot of black women there. Especially ones wearing a huge hockey jersey with the word Alaska across the front! But somehow they slipped past us and were seated in the section right in front of us! I look down to section 132 and immediately spot them. Hilarious! I send a text back telling them where we are and they come up to join us. Given how few people are at this game, it is complete comedy that we somehow missed each other totally.
We walk into the night and are greeted by big beautiful snowflakes. Alaska flakes. Tonight, it feels like I am home.
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