Month / March 2016

by edugan516

So this hockey thing…

People have asked about this whole hockey thing. When did it start? How did this goal of trying to see a game in all the NHL arenas start? How long has it taken? Who’s going to be last? Do you include your daughter? You want answers? We’ve got answers. 

When did it start?

It’s more of a how did it start. Wade has been a hockey fan most of his life. He’s been a Redwings fan for almost as long. He’s been following them since they were referred to as the “Deadwings”. I was always a sports fan but never knew anything about hockey. Wade introduced me to the sport. It started with watching it on t.v. Then he took me to a few minor league games (Fort Wayne Komets and the Dayton Bombers). He followed that up with the big boys…..a Redwings game. I was hooked! Not long after that we headed to California to follow the Redwings. In one week we saw games in Anaheim, San Jose, and Los Angeles. This all began during the 2004-2005 season. 

How did this goal of trying to see a game in all the NHL arenas start? 

Not long after, we hit a few more games here and there. We got married and moved to Phoenix. Being hockey fans, we got season tickets to the Coyotes. We made a trip to Denver to see friends and happened to go to a game. At some point we went back to Ohio and caught a Blue Jackets game. After the game, we were talking to Wade’s brother about the arenas we had been to. Somewhere in the conversation (it’s been a long time now) somebody mentioned going to all the NHL arenas. That night we laid out the two ground rules. 1) We have to actually see a game IN the arena. We can’t just see the arena.We’ve been to an outdoor game in Chicago but, it doesn’t count because it was at Wrigley Field.  2) We have to be together. Wade has been to a Blackhawks game but I haven’t. It doesn’t count. Fairly simple and straight forward. As a bonus, I usually pick up a tshirt at all the arenas and Wade is trying to get a jersey from every team. We’ve missed a few but, our collection is large. 

How long has it taken? 

It’s not over yet. It’s been about 12 years we’ve been working on this. We try to work in games on my breaks from work. It makes it tricky. The Canada grouping we just did, we’ve been looking for about 5 years for a way to get them together. 

Who will be last? 

That’s a good question. Had we thought about that a while ago, we might have planned it better. However, Wade’s favorite team was our first arena. So obviously it can’t be last. We want to make it special. At this point, we are leaning towards Tampa Bay. Wade’s mom and brother can come down from Indiana (with enough warning) and Wade’s dad can come from Orlando. Plus, their GM is Wade’s favorite Redwing, Steve Yzerman (seriously, he’s all over our house). 

Do you include your daughter?

Some. She’s been to 5 (I think). She is just too young to get it. She likes hockey but likes the popcorn better. She will definitely be at the final game with us though. 

So there’s that. Any other questions, ask away! Thanks for reading!

by edugan516

This will be a long one….

Our last episode ended with us in Vancouver watching the Detroit game. Well folks, I’ve slacked a lot since then. While in Vancouver, we went to some pretty great restaurants, went up to the Vancouver lookout (I was super excited to see planes land on the water [weird I know]), and of course the game. The arena was nice. We had lower level tickets for this game which is always fun. Wade made some new friends.  Despite their stuffed nature, we have met some ridiculously nice people who are always ready for a chat. Vancouver is DEFINITELY a city in which we will return. We did a little shopping. The dollar is strong and it would be ridiculous not to. Next time we will bring Keely. Stanley Park, the Aquarium and thier science center will make her trip!  Mad props to our hotel, The Sutton Place. There is defintiely a reason they are five star. 

   

  
After Vancouver, we headed to Edmonton. Edmonton was nice in the respect that many things are well within walking distance or transit. We had a decent pub crawl all within walking distance. Good beer as well.  We met the awesome owner of The Hat while we had dinner. Mike was super nice and gave us a free appetizer for the next night. We headed to Craft Works for a beer and the bartender offered us free shots the next night. We took up Mike on the free appetizer. These old bodies don’t do shots well so we didn’t return to Craft Works. However, thier craft brew selection was fabulous!!

Before we went to the game, the old Islanders arena was by far the worst. They had old wooden seats that crushed your knees when you sat down. We walked into Edmonton and it wasn’t bad. I was perplexed that there was no true team store to buy merchandise. (I buy a t-short at all the arenas). Yet, it wasn’t too bad. Then we went upstairs. The best way to truly judge an arena is by its upper levels. Wow.  Pretty much the best era to describe it. The second level doesn’t even go all the way around. The third level is mostly narrow walkways. By narrow, I mean one person at a time. The most exciting event was the fight twenty seats over. The game was really boring until the third period. The fans were apparently bored as well.  The last time we heard such a quiet fan base was in Minnesota. The coolest thing was the oil tower that came down from the roof for the players to come through.  Our hotel was okay. It was in a great location. It’s just after staying at The Sutton Place, it’s hard to measure up. 

   

That brings me to Calgary. We grabbed a Greyhound from Edmonton to Calgary. I was actually impressed. I’m not sure what image I had in my head but, it was actually a nice ride. I don’t read well in the car, but I was able to read on the bus. (Side note here; I haven’t been able to read for enjoyment for awhile so this has been a nice departure. I finished Brain on Fire by Susannah Callahan and started Sherlock Holmes. Both I recommend).  Anyway, we arrived in Calgary in time to celebrate my favorite holiday. We had a few beers and some good food. The Shepahrds Pie was great and Wade enjoyed tater tot poutine. Poutine is flat out addicting. If anyone is concerned about withdrawals, be concerned about poutine withdrawals! Now we sit at the Tool Shed brewery. This place is super cool!! Game tonight and then home to squeeze our favorite person in the whole world!!! Skype and FaceTime has been great but, I can’t wait to squeeze her!!!

   
       

by edugan516

The next day…

Wade and I worked Friday morning and slept very little on the red eye. With the crazy events of the day in Winnipeg and the game Saturday night, we finally hit the hay after being awake for 42 hours. At our age, that’s asking a lot! We were exhausted and because of that, we had an adventurous bus ride back to our hotel after the game. 

We were able to sleep about 3 hours before we had to get up to shower and head to the airport. The Hampton Inn in Winnipeg had breakfast in a bag waiting for us. Winnipeg may not be a whole lot to look at right now but the people are SUPER friendly!!

We landed in Vancouver around 7:30 am. We headed to our hotel I hopes our room would be ready and we could take a nap. No such luck! However, the staff at The Sutton Place were awesome and gave us suggestions as to what we should do and held our bags. 

Upon their suggestion, we headed to Granville Island. They had a public market that would rival (not in size but in quality) Seattle’s or Reading Terminal it Philadelphia. We were able to watch the, clean our fish we had for brunch! That was pretty cool.  They had a Kids Market, tons of shops, a Kids Market, a distillery, and a great brewery. We are already trying to figure out when we will bring Keely. 

We’ve had such a great response from those we meet when we tell the, why we are in Canada. You know, the stereotype is true. Canadians are super friendly people. I don’t think we’ve met a stranger yet. (Except for the Winnipeg bus driver.)

Now it’s time to watch the Deteoit game (on T.V) and finally get some much needed rest!

by edugan516

Spring Break!

Wade and I set a goal a few years back to try and see a game in all of the National Hockey League arenas. It combined our love of hockey with our love of travel and well, why not? We have been trying to cluster as many of them as possible.  Wade has been searching for about 5 years for a way to get Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver all at once. Amazingly, it all came together and we are able to hit them all during my Spring Break.  Beepers (Keely) is not on this trip as it would be way too taxing on her.

 

Spring Break started with a bang. My (Erika’s) dad was admitted to the hospital Thursday night with stroke like symptoms. Being the daddy’s girl that I am, that was difficult. I was pretty much a mess Friday morning when I found out. But, knowing that my dad would kick my butt if I took the day off work to sit at the hospital, I went to work. My principal and team gave me the green light to leave a half hour early and I headed up to the hospital. He was as feisty as ever. While I wasn’t completely okay with leaving, he was threatening bodily harm and I’m pretty sure he could take me, stroke and all.

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Keely was less than thrilled that Mommy and Daddy were leaving (the first time ever she’s shown this emotion). She feigned a stomach ache and finally admitted she was sad. Two minutes after we were gone, she was fine.

 

We departed for Canada at 11:55pm on March 11th. After a less than eventful journey (but rather fishy smelling) trip through customs in Toronto, we are sitting at a bar in Winnipeg. Our first of four games is tonight. Should you choose to follow this journey, thanks! I’ll do my best to make it an interesting read. No promises!!

(He can’t even take his eyes off the t.v. game long enough for a picture)

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