Tampa Bay
We had two weeks to get to Tampa from the Raleigh area, so we had planned on doing some sightseeing and taking our time getting to Florida for the remaining two games in our schedule. After another night's stay at the rink in Raleigh, we pulled up stakes and headed south. Our destination for the day was Wilmington NC. It was a pretty quiet drive down highway 40. North Carolina also seems to have the messiest highways I have seen in our travels. Along with the ordinary trash, there were chairs, coolers and lots of cooler lids with no coolers. Maybe they haven't done their spring clean up yet. It sure was messy. We stayed in another woodsy campground near Wilmington and enjoyed the warmer weather. After a great breakfast, it was a short drive to the border of South Carolina. The one thing I noticed immediately upon entering SC, was the palm trees. They seemed to appear out of nowhere and everything was so green and colourful. Myrtle Beach is just a short drive from the border of the Carolinas right on the coast. I have never been there before, so didn't know what to expect. It was very touristy, but mostly deserted at this time of year. I guess the golfers and tourists are mostly present in the fall and the spring. It was a cold day with the wind blowing in off the ocean when we were there, so I can see why there weren't many people around. We stayed at a local campground that was again like being in the woods. If there is one thing you can count on seeing when you are in the Carolinas, it is pine trees. I thought Northern Ontario had a lot of pine trees. So do North and South Carolina. Lots and lots of tall ones. There are also lots of living oak trees. They have leaves on them all year round. They shed constantly and are very messy. At every campground they seem to be cleaning up after them with leaf blowers. And very early in the morning too!!! We headed out in the morning for Charleston as our next stop. We travelled along the ocean highway and saw bits and pieces of the water. The area along the northern coastal area is The Grand Strand. There were a lot of bridges to cross when we got to the Charleston area, but we finally found our campground. It too was in a piney woods area in the north of the city. It was mostly quiet till after supper when we kept hearing gunfire. It came in regular rounds and we found out that we were quite near a firing range. That went on for a couple of hours and then it stopped. Ran out of ammunition I guess. After sleeping with one eye open we made our way to the southern coast area. Moonshine Madness on the radio kept us moving while we got ready to go in the morning. As we left the Charleston area, we passed some beautiful homes as we made our way back to Interstate 95. They were every colour imaginable. They were all surrounded by gorgeous trees and bushes. Some were just plain green, but some were flowering. And most of the trees had Spanish moss hanging from them. It looked so wispy and airy. I read in a travel brochure that there is an old tale about why Spanish moss hangs from the trees, that has to do with a young couple. They were travelling under a banner of trees when they were attacked and murdered on the spot. The locals cut the young woman's hair and hung it from the trees where they both died. Spanish moss grows and hangs like hair from the trees in their memory. An interesting old tale indeed. We were now on our way to Hilton Head, where we planned on staying for a few days. The campground we stayed at was indeed one of the nicest we have been to. I would say it is at the top of the list for me. It was a well established campground with many of the lots being owned by the campers. Much like a condo, only with a RV. The landscaping and maintenance of the grounds was beautiful. There were palm trees mixed in with the living oaks and pine trees. Baskets and beds overflowed with lots of colourful flowers, so it was my kind of place. It made me anxious to get home and work in my own gardens. We had dinner with the Ferriers and the Mansers from good old Elmira on two nights while we were at Hilton Head. It was nice to see some people from back home. The grounds were indeed beautiful, but to maintain them they had the leaf blowers running about six hours a day. I grew weary of that noise after the first day. We rented bicycles for three days and did some major biking. For us anyway. There are bike paths to follow everywhere on the island and the main highway loop in the centre of the island has a bike path going beside it the entire way around. We biked for two or three hours everyday and it was a nice way to get around. We even biked several miles on the beach one afternoon. We haven't had a car available to us when we are stopped and camped, so we have to make sure we get our supplies before we make camp or walk when possible. It was nice to bike to the store and do a bit of shopping. We left Hilton Head and the leaf blowers behind and made our way south to Florida. It was the warmest day of our stay here. When we left later in the morning the mercury had already risen to 76F. The warmer weather was now beckoning. We went as far as Jacksonville and camped at a place right by the highway. It too was very woodsy and had a small outdoor restaurant that served barbeque. There was a huge meat smoker going right beside the screened eating area. Lots of locals came for their barbeque. That is one term I have found funny as we have travelled in the southern U.S. At home where we live, you barbeque your food. And you cook it on the barbeque. In the south, you grill your food and you eat barbeque. Every restaurant has claims to having the best barbeque around. And some of them do. We have had some good barbeque!! The next morning it was back on the highway as we planned on getting to the Orlando area by the afternoon. Today is February 23rd, which is Dan's birthday. It seems fitting that we arrived in Orlando where he played for two hockey seasons and won a Turner Cup championship, on this his birthday. It didn't make the day sting as much. For me, he felt close. We camped in the Disney area and met up with some of the Snyder family while there. Jeff, Jacky, Blaire and Nicole were starting a holiday in the Orlando area and we spent two days with them. Finally, we made our way to the Tampa area. We found a place to stay just near Busch Gardens that conveniently had a huge weekend flea market across the highway. It also just happened to be Sunday, so that made for a good way to pass the afternoon. Also, as luck would have it, there was a shooting range (inside a small trailer) right beside the flea market, and we got to listen to gunfire for the evening again. I guess we are in the south. Guns and Barbeque instead of Guns and Roses. Finally on the 27th we made our way to the St. Pete Times Forum, which is where the Tampa Bay Lightening play. The team arranged for us to stay behind the rink at the loading dock for the night after the game. Graham attended the game day skate and I explored the shops on the waterfront. A good deal as far as I was concerned. Game time soon approached and the Lightning had their hands full with the Dallas Stars. During the first period intermission, Executive Vice President and General Manager Jay Feaster and Community Relations Director Nancy Crane presented us with a cheque for the Dan Snyder Memorial Foundation in the amount of $3500.00. They made the presentation on the Lightning bench and we were very grateful for their generosity. We also had a nice surprise cheque from Russ and Lorraine Snyder. Lorraine found us in the concourse level at the Tampa arena and we then met Russ. They met Dan when he played his first year in Orlando. They introduced themselves at the beginning of that season and Dan said it would be nice to have "family" at the games. They went to see him when he played his first game in Atlanta. He signed their "Snyder" jersey for them. When Dan passed away, they also sent us his jersey from his first year in Orlando. They bid on it at the end of the year and had Dan sign it for them. It was ripped and sewed in a couple of places and had a lot of holes in it. Russ said that it looked just like the way Dan played. Rough and tumble. It was very generous of them to send it to us and is a treasured keepsake for our family. Their donation to Dan's Memorial Foundation was much appreciated and again they showed us their generosity. The amount reflected the numbers he wore. $1519.37. Very symbolic numbers indeed. Thank you Russ and Lorraine. It was nice to finally meet you. The game went to overtime with the Stars coming out on top by a final score of 2-1. That makes our record 18 wins and 11 losses for the home team. This is stop number 29. One more stop to go. It seems like yesterday that it was stop one with 29 to go. The time has passed quickly. I must say though, the warm weather makes the winter go much faster. It just doesn't seem to work that way in the cold north! Miami and the Florida Panthers, here we come.
Graham's Game Report
Feb 27, 2007
St. Pete Times Forum
Dallas Stars vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
This game featured two teams who have been playing well lately. As expected it was a close game decided in overtime by recently acquired Ladislav Nagy of the Stars. It was a tense day around the rink today as teams made a multitude of moves on deadline day. The sight of a player heading out of the rink with a hockey bag and sticks slung over his shoulder just a few hours before the game was a reminder how little control players have over their careers and how it changes a family's dynamic in the blink of an eye.
The Stars got off to a quick start and controlled play for long stretches of time even though the game remained scoreless past the halfway point in the match. Jere Lehtinen notched a powerplay marker to break the goosegg but Brad Richards broke loose on a shorthanded breakaway late in the second period and put a slick move on Marty Turco to tie the score. After a scoreless third period with strong goaltending at both ends the above mentioned Nagy quieted the boisterous home fans for the ony time all night. We were pleasantly surprised by the strong support the Lightning receive in a city not recognized as a hockey hotbed. The Cup win I'm sure is a factor but it feels like the Bolts have found a home in Tampa.
It hardly seems possible but we head south to Miami now to see our 30th NHL rink. An amazing journey it's been but we seem to be running out of road.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Raleigh
Raleigh
Weekly travel
It was a quick trip home for 48 hours and it was time to head back to the RV in Atlanta. We were able to have a visit with family and friends and of course with my crazy little Robbie man. The dog that never stops entertaining. I can still hardly believe we are finished with the northeast part of the tour. It was a very fast and furious pace and we are both looking forward to slowing it down a bit when we get back to travelling in the RV. We both missed the RV. It is a really neat way to travel. Everything you need is with you. And you don't have to lug your suitcase in and out of a hotel every day. Yes, it will be nice to slow down a bit. We arrived back in Atlanta on February 5 by mid afternoon and by supper time had picked up the RV and were settled at an RV campground. We had been at the same place before Christmas, so we didn't have to go looking for a site. It was nice to attend another Thrasher's game on the 6th and visit with special friends Michele and Scott. We also made a visit to the Children's Outpatient Clinic at Emory Hospital. We were invited to read to some children at an afternoon clinic. Some were waiting to go in for appointments and some of the kids were siblings. A special thank you to Sarah, Brook, and Kris for arranging our visit. The children come to the clinic for any number of different treatments related to their illness. I was honoured to be a guest reader and they were good listeners, and seemed to enjoy hearing the Robert Munsch story, Thomas' Snowsuit. It was always a favourite bedtime story at our house. It was especially memorable for me because Dan had a brown snowsuit and he, like Thomas, did not like to wear it. We had many a struggle getting that brown snowsuit on. It was always a joke at our house over the years. We finished up with a rousing game of red light green light. We stayed in Atlanta for three days and then made our way towards Raleigh for the next game. The Hurricanes are the only team we have yet to see on our travels. Some teams we have watched three or more times, but we haven't yet crossed paths with the Hurricanes. We were finally able to travel at a more leisurely pace. It is about a 5 to 6 hour drive from Atlanta to Raleigh. We took four days to get there! An hour or so a day. That wasn't too bad. Along the way we got to stop here and there and see some of the Carolinas. We drove through the upper northwest part of South Carolina on the interstate to get to North Carolina. We made our first stop near Anderson. We were at a campground out in the woods. Way out in the woods. We went into town the next day and found a couple points of interest. One of them for me was a home and garden show. It was in the local Civic Centre and was obviously a well attended event. We got free tickets at the local visitor information centre. There were some interesting exhibits and we managed to come away with some amazing wire strippers, much to Graham's dismay (doesn't everyone need some wire strippers) for a mere twenty dollars. A good buy I thought. Then there was the magic indoor stovetop bbq. They were two for the price of one, so what the heck, we got two. And believe it or not, it works great. We drove for a bit and stopped at an out of the way flea market. Now that was interesting to say the least. It was a fairly large flea market and there was a good cross section of merchandise available. Depends on what you are looking for I guess. We drove on to Charlotte and stayed at one our more interesting spots. We were at the Lowe's Nascar Speedway RV Park. It is directly beside the Racetrack at Concord NC. It was of course pretty empty at this time of year, but it was neat to see the track where one of Nascar's main races takes place. The park has over 400 sites and on a race weekend, forget about getting in unless you reserve in advance. The Carolinas are the largest producers of furniture for North America. We saw lots and lots of furniture stores featuring locally made products. Just northwest of Charlotte is the town of Hickory which is a large furniture producing area. By now it was our third day on the road and we stopped just outside of Raleigh-Durham at Chapel Hill. This area has a large grouping of universities and colleges. Duke, Wake Forest, UNC and NC State are just a few. The sporting rivalries are very intense with their close proximity to each other. We arrived at Raleigh the day before the game and Graham attended the practice. They were well prepared for our arrival and had a spot for us to hook up to in the arena parking lot. Raleigh also has one of the best ice makers in the league. Donny the ice man. He conveniently lives behind the arena in the loading dock area in a RV. Hard to get away from your job though. Best of all he drives an Elmira made Olympia ice machine. Check out the pictures in the picture blog. That evening we were invited to speak to the Canes Booster Club and enjoyed talking to one and all. They also gave us a very generous donation to the Memorial Foundation for which we are very grateful. We attended the game on Tuesday the 13th of February. The Canes improved our winning streak to 18 and 10 with their 2-1 victory over the L.A. Kings. It's getting close to the end. This is game number 28 for us. Two more to go.
Graham's Game Report
Feb 13, 2007
RBC Center
Los Angeles Kings vs. Carolina Hurricanes
The Southeast Conference has produced the last two Stanley Cup Champions and tonight we saw the defending champs. Just as Tampa Bay did last year, the Hurricanes have struggled with consistency this year. They currently hold down the eighth and final playoff spot and this game was one they needed to maintain their standing. The Kings are playing out the string with no real hope for a playoff spot but they hung tough tonight. The Canes struck first on a goal by their leading scorer Ray Whitney. L.A. answered back halfway through the second to tie it but less than three minutes later ex-Owen Sound Plater and Cambridge WinterHawk Scott Walker notched the winner for a 2-1 Carolina victory. Ironically Walker was assisted on the goal by former Sault Greyhound, Josef Vasicek who had been traded to Nashville for Walker in an off season trade and just last week was dealt back to the Hurricanes. You really never know who you might be playing with when the trade wheel starts spinning in the NHL. It should be an interesting couple of weeks leading up to the trade deadline on Feb 27. The Canes will be a force I'm sure but it looks to be a dogfight for the last few spots in the east.
Weekly travel
It was a quick trip home for 48 hours and it was time to head back to the RV in Atlanta. We were able to have a visit with family and friends and of course with my crazy little Robbie man. The dog that never stops entertaining. I can still hardly believe we are finished with the northeast part of the tour. It was a very fast and furious pace and we are both looking forward to slowing it down a bit when we get back to travelling in the RV. We both missed the RV. It is a really neat way to travel. Everything you need is with you. And you don't have to lug your suitcase in and out of a hotel every day. Yes, it will be nice to slow down a bit. We arrived back in Atlanta on February 5 by mid afternoon and by supper time had picked up the RV and were settled at an RV campground. We had been at the same place before Christmas, so we didn't have to go looking for a site. It was nice to attend another Thrasher's game on the 6th and visit with special friends Michele and Scott. We also made a visit to the Children's Outpatient Clinic at Emory Hospital. We were invited to read to some children at an afternoon clinic. Some were waiting to go in for appointments and some of the kids were siblings. A special thank you to Sarah, Brook, and Kris for arranging our visit. The children come to the clinic for any number of different treatments related to their illness. I was honoured to be a guest reader and they were good listeners, and seemed to enjoy hearing the Robert Munsch story, Thomas' Snowsuit. It was always a favourite bedtime story at our house. It was especially memorable for me because Dan had a brown snowsuit and he, like Thomas, did not like to wear it. We had many a struggle getting that brown snowsuit on. It was always a joke at our house over the years. We finished up with a rousing game of red light green light. We stayed in Atlanta for three days and then made our way towards Raleigh for the next game. The Hurricanes are the only team we have yet to see on our travels. Some teams we have watched three or more times, but we haven't yet crossed paths with the Hurricanes. We were finally able to travel at a more leisurely pace. It is about a 5 to 6 hour drive from Atlanta to Raleigh. We took four days to get there! An hour or so a day. That wasn't too bad. Along the way we got to stop here and there and see some of the Carolinas. We drove through the upper northwest part of South Carolina on the interstate to get to North Carolina. We made our first stop near Anderson. We were at a campground out in the woods. Way out in the woods. We went into town the next day and found a couple points of interest. One of them for me was a home and garden show. It was in the local Civic Centre and was obviously a well attended event. We got free tickets at the local visitor information centre. There were some interesting exhibits and we managed to come away with some amazing wire strippers, much to Graham's dismay (doesn't everyone need some wire strippers) for a mere twenty dollars. A good buy I thought. Then there was the magic indoor stovetop bbq. They were two for the price of one, so what the heck, we got two. And believe it or not, it works great. We drove for a bit and stopped at an out of the way flea market. Now that was interesting to say the least. It was a fairly large flea market and there was a good cross section of merchandise available. Depends on what you are looking for I guess. We drove on to Charlotte and stayed at one our more interesting spots. We were at the Lowe's Nascar Speedway RV Park. It is directly beside the Racetrack at Concord NC. It was of course pretty empty at this time of year, but it was neat to see the track where one of Nascar's main races takes place. The park has over 400 sites and on a race weekend, forget about getting in unless you reserve in advance. The Carolinas are the largest producers of furniture for North America. We saw lots and lots of furniture stores featuring locally made products. Just northwest of Charlotte is the town of Hickory which is a large furniture producing area. By now it was our third day on the road and we stopped just outside of Raleigh-Durham at Chapel Hill. This area has a large grouping of universities and colleges. Duke, Wake Forest, UNC and NC State are just a few. The sporting rivalries are very intense with their close proximity to each other. We arrived at Raleigh the day before the game and Graham attended the practice. They were well prepared for our arrival and had a spot for us to hook up to in the arena parking lot. Raleigh also has one of the best ice makers in the league. Donny the ice man. He conveniently lives behind the arena in the loading dock area in a RV. Hard to get away from your job though. Best of all he drives an Elmira made Olympia ice machine. Check out the pictures in the picture blog. That evening we were invited to speak to the Canes Booster Club and enjoyed talking to one and all. They also gave us a very generous donation to the Memorial Foundation for which we are very grateful. We attended the game on Tuesday the 13th of February. The Canes improved our winning streak to 18 and 10 with their 2-1 victory over the L.A. Kings. It's getting close to the end. This is game number 28 for us. Two more to go.
Graham's Game Report
Feb 13, 2007
RBC Center
Los Angeles Kings vs. Carolina Hurricanes
The Southeast Conference has produced the last two Stanley Cup Champions and tonight we saw the defending champs. Just as Tampa Bay did last year, the Hurricanes have struggled with consistency this year. They currently hold down the eighth and final playoff spot and this game was one they needed to maintain their standing. The Kings are playing out the string with no real hope for a playoff spot but they hung tough tonight. The Canes struck first on a goal by their leading scorer Ray Whitney. L.A. answered back halfway through the second to tie it but less than three minutes later ex-Owen Sound Plater and Cambridge WinterHawk Scott Walker notched the winner for a 2-1 Carolina victory. Ironically Walker was assisted on the goal by former Sault Greyhound, Josef Vasicek who had been traded to Nashville for Walker in an off season trade and just last week was dealt back to the Hurricanes. You really never know who you might be playing with when the trade wheel starts spinning in the NHL. It should be an interesting couple of weeks leading up to the trade deadline on Feb 27. The Canes will be a force I'm sure but it looks to be a dogfight for the last few spots in the east.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Detroit
Detroit
It was another quick drive and we were in Detroit before we knew it. We stayed for one night in the suburbs of Dearborn Michigan. Nearby is the Henry Ford Museum. I remember going there with my family as a kid. Now that was a couple of years ago for sure. We drove into the city the day before the game and Graham attended the Wings practice. I got a much needed car wash for the Escapee. It was black with dirt from the snow storm in West Virginia. I went back to pick up Graham and was invited in for the team's monthly barbeque lunch. Ann Marie, their PR Manager, arranges for a barbeque luncheon once a month after practice. She said no one misses that one. And I can see why. What a spread. If you went hungry, it was your own fault. It was fun sitting and having lunch with some of the players. Dominic Hasek sat with us as did Tomas Holmstrom and coach Mike Babcock. They we great hosts and asked lots of questions about our tour. Coach Babcock remembered Dan well from the AHL when he coached against the Chicago Wolves and said he always admired his competitive spirit and tenacity. After lunch we met Steve Yzerman and had a chat with him also. We talked about his new position with Team Canada and he said he was excited about getting started. He'll do a fine job I'm sure. We were fortunate again to stay at a hotel right near the Joe Louis Arena. Our room faced the Detroit River and it was neat looking across to Windsor and thinking that we would be driving there tomorrow on our way home. Game day arrived before we knew it and with the posters all signed and our visiting done, we didn't have to stay after the game. The Red Wings beat the St. Louis Blues to bring our win record to 17 and 10. This is also game #27 and is our last game of our northeastern swing. We have been travelling by car this past month and have seen 12 games in 28 days. And that is also with 5 days off for the All Star break. It was quite a hectic pace and I am looking forward to getting back in the RV and travelling at a little slower pace when we return to Atlanta. Three teams to go. The Carolina Hurricanes, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Florida Panthers. Bring on the warm weather.
Graham's Game Report
Feb 2, 2007
Joe Louis Arena
St. Louis Blues vs. Detroit Red Wings
The St. Louis Blues have come a long way since we saw them back in December and they pushed the powerful Wings to the limit tonight before falling 5-3. Tomas Holmstrom and Henrik Zetterburg had three and four points respectively to lead the Wings to victory. Detroit went up half a minute after the opening faceoff on a goal by Zetterberg but Stempniak replied less than thirty seconds later for the Blues. Ryan Johnston's shorthanded marker answered Tomas Holmstrom's second period marker to send the teams deadlocked into the third period. The Blues bounced back a third time to tie the score when Tkaczuk tipped home Dennis Wideman's shot from the blue line halfway through the third period. Kris Draper notched the winner shorthanded when he batted home a rebound of Lidstrom's shot on a two on one break. Daniel Cleary iced it with an empty net marker in the last minute. It was our first look at Detroit since an October loss in Edmonton and they look to be a serious cup contender as usual. I enjoyed spending some time in the Wings room after their practice and left with some good memories and a book entitled " What it means to be a Red Wing." Their storied history is retold by many former and current players. A class organization that has known exquisite highs and devastating lows over the years but continues to persevere. I have a feeling we will see them in the fight right to the end this year.
It was another quick drive and we were in Detroit before we knew it. We stayed for one night in the suburbs of Dearborn Michigan. Nearby is the Henry Ford Museum. I remember going there with my family as a kid. Now that was a couple of years ago for sure. We drove into the city the day before the game and Graham attended the Wings practice. I got a much needed car wash for the Escapee. It was black with dirt from the snow storm in West Virginia. I went back to pick up Graham and was invited in for the team's monthly barbeque lunch. Ann Marie, their PR Manager, arranges for a barbeque luncheon once a month after practice. She said no one misses that one. And I can see why. What a spread. If you went hungry, it was your own fault. It was fun sitting and having lunch with some of the players. Dominic Hasek sat with us as did Tomas Holmstrom and coach Mike Babcock. They we great hosts and asked lots of questions about our tour. Coach Babcock remembered Dan well from the AHL when he coached against the Chicago Wolves and said he always admired his competitive spirit and tenacity. After lunch we met Steve Yzerman and had a chat with him also. We talked about his new position with Team Canada and he said he was excited about getting started. He'll do a fine job I'm sure. We were fortunate again to stay at a hotel right near the Joe Louis Arena. Our room faced the Detroit River and it was neat looking across to Windsor and thinking that we would be driving there tomorrow on our way home. Game day arrived before we knew it and with the posters all signed and our visiting done, we didn't have to stay after the game. The Red Wings beat the St. Louis Blues to bring our win record to 17 and 10. This is also game #27 and is our last game of our northeastern swing. We have been travelling by car this past month and have seen 12 games in 28 days. And that is also with 5 days off for the All Star break. It was quite a hectic pace and I am looking forward to getting back in the RV and travelling at a little slower pace when we return to Atlanta. Three teams to go. The Carolina Hurricanes, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Florida Panthers. Bring on the warm weather.
Graham's Game Report
Feb 2, 2007
Joe Louis Arena
St. Louis Blues vs. Detroit Red Wings
The St. Louis Blues have come a long way since we saw them back in December and they pushed the powerful Wings to the limit tonight before falling 5-3. Tomas Holmstrom and Henrik Zetterburg had three and four points respectively to lead the Wings to victory. Detroit went up half a minute after the opening faceoff on a goal by Zetterberg but Stempniak replied less than thirty seconds later for the Blues. Ryan Johnston's shorthanded marker answered Tomas Holmstrom's second period marker to send the teams deadlocked into the third period. The Blues bounced back a third time to tie the score when Tkaczuk tipped home Dennis Wideman's shot from the blue line halfway through the third period. Kris Draper notched the winner shorthanded when he batted home a rebound of Lidstrom's shot on a two on one break. Daniel Cleary iced it with an empty net marker in the last minute. It was our first look at Detroit since an October loss in Edmonton and they look to be a serious cup contender as usual. I enjoyed spending some time in the Wings room after their practice and left with some good memories and a book entitled " What it means to be a Red Wing." Their storied history is retold by many former and current players. A class organization that has known exquisite highs and devastating lows over the years but continues to persevere. I have a feeling we will see them in the fight right to the end this year.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
Columbus and Pittsburgh are very close to each other, but we decided to drive as far as Wheeling, West Virginia and stay put for a couple of days. It was great to catch up on some extra sleep and just relax. Our four days in Las Vegas during the All Star Break didn't somehow allow for much rest. Now it was catch up time. We stayed near a very large shopping mall and theatre complex, so managed to do some shopping and see a couple of movies. Graham had to twist my rubber arm to do some shopping, but I managed to go over and buy a couple of things. We left for Pittsburgh on Monday morning and it was a short one hour drive to get there. Graham attended the morning practice, did some media interviews and met with Mark Recchi and Sidney Crosby to get our posters signed. We were once again fortunate to stay directly across the street from the arena. The Mellon arena is definitely showing its age and indeed doesn't have some of the more lucrative aspects we have seen in other newer facilities, such as lots of luxury boxes. There were a few, but not many. It also has the only retractable roof of any arena in the United States. It was built in the early 1960's as a Civic Centre and was host to many concerts and entertainment venues. It evolved into the arena for the Penguins and has served them since they came into the league. It is a very well maintained building and by no means looks run down or dumpy, but it has seen its day and definitely needs to be replaced. Land has apparently been secured directly across the street from where it now stands and I'm sure the city of Pittsburgh will build them a new facility. We have now watched the Penguins play three times and of all the teams in the league, this one to me is the most exciting. With Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Fleury, and Armstrong to name a few, they have such a strong youth movement to build on for the future. They are really fun and exciting to watch. You can feel their passion as they play and that is what playing hockey is all about. They make it fun for everyone. Their teammates, coaches and especially the fans. They are definitely the team to watch for the future and I hope for the wonderful fan base in Pittsburgh, they can remain in that city. We were also very fortunate while in Pittsburgh to meet Cindy Himes with the public/community department. Cindy has been with the Penguins for 30 years and has been there for the good times and the bad. She arranged for us to meet with Hockey in the Hood organizer Cliff Benson and coach Howard Smith. What amazing people and what an amazing bunch of kids that attend the sessions each week. The kids are brought by their parents from all over the city and the Hockey in the Hood organization sees to it that they have all the necessary hockey equipment to play the game. They now have enough kids enrolled to have a couple of older divisions like pee wee and bantam and sometimes play in tournaments. The little guys are so cute. They work hard on the ice under the direction of coaches Howard and Monique. They are very passionate and devoted to the Hockey in the Hood program and are able to make a difference in some children's lives. If anyone reading this would ever like to make a donation to a very worthy cause, this is it. It is a non profit organization that lets children play hockey that might not otherwise be able to play the game because of cost. It furthers sport and promotes a healthy activity. And that is what playing hockey is all about. We also were surprised to meet Dave Hanson at the Hockey in the Hood facility. He is one of the famous Hanson Brothers from the movie Slapshot. He is the facilities manager when he isn't on tour with his "other brothers". He was a very nice man and graciously posed for a picture with us. This is stop #26 and our win record now stands at 16 and 10. Four teams to go. Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!
Graham's Game Report
Jan 30, 2007
Mellon Arena
Florida Panthers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins have had little success against the Panthers for a long time now but tonight they maintained their winning streak with a shutout victory. Marc-Andre Fleury was outstanding between the pipes and the Pens got all the offense they needed on a late first period goal by Michel Oullet. Moore and Whitney added insurance in the second period to extend their current winning streak and build the confidence of a blossoming young team. It was our third Penguin game and they look better every time we've seen them. Crosby and Malkin are on their way to superstardom already but I've been impressed with youngsters like Jordan Staal, Colby Armstrong and Oullet who get less press but are playing a solid NHL game that all teams need to be successful. This should be a fun team to watch in the future and the sooner they get into the playoffs the tougher it will be on the rest of the league. We enjoyed our stay in Pittsburgh and hopefully this franchise will stay here for years to come.
Columbus and Pittsburgh are very close to each other, but we decided to drive as far as Wheeling, West Virginia and stay put for a couple of days. It was great to catch up on some extra sleep and just relax. Our four days in Las Vegas during the All Star Break didn't somehow allow for much rest. Now it was catch up time. We stayed near a very large shopping mall and theatre complex, so managed to do some shopping and see a couple of movies. Graham had to twist my rubber arm to do some shopping, but I managed to go over and buy a couple of things. We left for Pittsburgh on Monday morning and it was a short one hour drive to get there. Graham attended the morning practice, did some media interviews and met with Mark Recchi and Sidney Crosby to get our posters signed. We were once again fortunate to stay directly across the street from the arena. The Mellon arena is definitely showing its age and indeed doesn't have some of the more lucrative aspects we have seen in other newer facilities, such as lots of luxury boxes. There were a few, but not many. It also has the only retractable roof of any arena in the United States. It was built in the early 1960's as a Civic Centre and was host to many concerts and entertainment venues. It evolved into the arena for the Penguins and has served them since they came into the league. It is a very well maintained building and by no means looks run down or dumpy, but it has seen its day and definitely needs to be replaced. Land has apparently been secured directly across the street from where it now stands and I'm sure the city of Pittsburgh will build them a new facility. We have now watched the Penguins play three times and of all the teams in the league, this one to me is the most exciting. With Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Fleury, and Armstrong to name a few, they have such a strong youth movement to build on for the future. They are really fun and exciting to watch. You can feel their passion as they play and that is what playing hockey is all about. They make it fun for everyone. Their teammates, coaches and especially the fans. They are definitely the team to watch for the future and I hope for the wonderful fan base in Pittsburgh, they can remain in that city. We were also very fortunate while in Pittsburgh to meet Cindy Himes with the public/community department. Cindy has been with the Penguins for 30 years and has been there for the good times and the bad. She arranged for us to meet with Hockey in the Hood organizer Cliff Benson and coach Howard Smith. What amazing people and what an amazing bunch of kids that attend the sessions each week. The kids are brought by their parents from all over the city and the Hockey in the Hood organization sees to it that they have all the necessary hockey equipment to play the game. They now have enough kids enrolled to have a couple of older divisions like pee wee and bantam and sometimes play in tournaments. The little guys are so cute. They work hard on the ice under the direction of coaches Howard and Monique. They are very passionate and devoted to the Hockey in the Hood program and are able to make a difference in some children's lives. If anyone reading this would ever like to make a donation to a very worthy cause, this is it. It is a non profit organization that lets children play hockey that might not otherwise be able to play the game because of cost. It furthers sport and promotes a healthy activity. And that is what playing hockey is all about. We also were surprised to meet Dave Hanson at the Hockey in the Hood facility. He is one of the famous Hanson Brothers from the movie Slapshot. He is the facilities manager when he isn't on tour with his "other brothers". He was a very nice man and graciously posed for a picture with us. This is stop #26 and our win record now stands at 16 and 10. Four teams to go. Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!!!
Graham's Game Report
Jan 30, 2007
Mellon Arena
Florida Panthers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins have had little success against the Panthers for a long time now but tonight they maintained their winning streak with a shutout victory. Marc-Andre Fleury was outstanding between the pipes and the Pens got all the offense they needed on a late first period goal by Michel Oullet. Moore and Whitney added insurance in the second period to extend their current winning streak and build the confidence of a blossoming young team. It was our third Penguin game and they look better every time we've seen them. Crosby and Malkin are on their way to superstardom already but I've been impressed with youngsters like Jordan Staal, Colby Armstrong and Oullet who get less press but are playing a solid NHL game that all teams need to be successful. This should be a fun team to watch in the future and the sooner they get into the playoffs the tougher it will be on the rest of the league. We enjoyed our stay in Pittsburgh and hopefully this franchise will stay here for years to come.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Columbus
Columbus
It was a long snowy and yucky drive to Columbus from Washington. We left early in the morning and soon were in Virginia driving through the rolling Appalachian Mountains. The weather would go from clear and sunny to stormy with poor visibility and then back to clear and sunny again. It was a strange drive. It once again, made it very hard to see much of the countryside. We did do a lot of up and down driving on winding roads. I thought for a moment that we were back on the coastal highway on the west coast. The snow soon chased that thought out of my mind. We arrived in Columbus in the early evening and stayed downtown in a hotel right across from the Nationwide Arena. We were told that this used to be a very run down part of the city, and with the building of the arena, things changed around. The surrounding buildings are beautifully constructed and the area is aptly named the "Arena District". This is a case where the entire inner city, with good planning has been built up and is certainly something for the city of Columbus to be proud of. Besides the arena, there is lots of green space, shopping, and restaurants. The arena itself is the cornerstone of the area and is one of the nicer rinks we have been to in our travels. It is very large with lots of open concourse space. It is also a short 5 minute walk from a few downtown hotels so is very convenient. The away teams stay at these hotels and the Sabres were staying at the same hotel as us. There were also lots and lots of Sabre fans. There were a few buses that had come down to Columbus and a many also drove. The rink was loud and very noisy for the whole game and when Buffalo scored, it was amazingly loud for an away team goal. They made it lots of fun and it was a great atmosphere. Columbus won 3-2 giving us a 15 and 10 win record. It's getting pretty even with the wins and losses. In the afternoon the wonderful public relations people arranged for Graham to speak to their sales and marketing staff. It was quite a large group and Graham's message was well received. It was back to the hotel after the game and we were on our way in the morning to Pittsburgh. We continue to get closer and closer to our 30 city number. This was stop number 25, giving us 5 more stops to go.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 26, 2007
Nationwide Arena
Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
The crowd for this Blue Jackets home game was a noisy sell out but the noise favoured both sides fairly equally as thousands of Sabres fans made the trek to Columbus and made their presence known. The Sabres looked strong in opening up a 2-1 lead after two periods with the Jackets getting strong goaltending from Fredrik Norrena, including a stop on a late period penalty shot by Daniel Paille to keep them in contention. Goals from Rotislav Klesla and Dan Fritsche brought the home team back in the third for a 3-2 Columbus victory. Ted Drury netted two power play goals for Buffalo and Rick Nash notched a powerplay marker for the home side. The game had quite a festive atmosphere with fans of both teams battling for vocal supremacy. This hockey only arena is one of the nicest we've seen on our tour and I'm sure some day soon the Columbus faithful will be rewarded for their support of this young franchise.
It was a long snowy and yucky drive to Columbus from Washington. We left early in the morning and soon were in Virginia driving through the rolling Appalachian Mountains. The weather would go from clear and sunny to stormy with poor visibility and then back to clear and sunny again. It was a strange drive. It once again, made it very hard to see much of the countryside. We did do a lot of up and down driving on winding roads. I thought for a moment that we were back on the coastal highway on the west coast. The snow soon chased that thought out of my mind. We arrived in Columbus in the early evening and stayed downtown in a hotel right across from the Nationwide Arena. We were told that this used to be a very run down part of the city, and with the building of the arena, things changed around. The surrounding buildings are beautifully constructed and the area is aptly named the "Arena District". This is a case where the entire inner city, with good planning has been built up and is certainly something for the city of Columbus to be proud of. Besides the arena, there is lots of green space, shopping, and restaurants. The arena itself is the cornerstone of the area and is one of the nicer rinks we have been to in our travels. It is very large with lots of open concourse space. It is also a short 5 minute walk from a few downtown hotels so is very convenient. The away teams stay at these hotels and the Sabres were staying at the same hotel as us. There were also lots and lots of Sabre fans. There were a few buses that had come down to Columbus and a many also drove. The rink was loud and very noisy for the whole game and when Buffalo scored, it was amazingly loud for an away team goal. They made it lots of fun and it was a great atmosphere. Columbus won 3-2 giving us a 15 and 10 win record. It's getting pretty even with the wins and losses. In the afternoon the wonderful public relations people arranged for Graham to speak to their sales and marketing staff. It was quite a large group and Graham's message was well received. It was back to the hotel after the game and we were on our way in the morning to Pittsburgh. We continue to get closer and closer to our 30 city number. This was stop number 25, giving us 5 more stops to go.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 26, 2007
Nationwide Arena
Buffalo Sabres vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
The crowd for this Blue Jackets home game was a noisy sell out but the noise favoured both sides fairly equally as thousands of Sabres fans made the trek to Columbus and made their presence known. The Sabres looked strong in opening up a 2-1 lead after two periods with the Jackets getting strong goaltending from Fredrik Norrena, including a stop on a late period penalty shot by Daniel Paille to keep them in contention. Goals from Rotislav Klesla and Dan Fritsche brought the home team back in the third for a 3-2 Columbus victory. Ted Drury netted two power play goals for Buffalo and Rick Nash notched a powerplay marker for the home side. The game had quite a festive atmosphere with fans of both teams battling for vocal supremacy. This hockey only arena is one of the nicest we've seen on our tour and I'm sure some day soon the Columbus faithful will be rewarded for their support of this young franchise.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Washington
Washington
The driving is easy on this part of the tour, but we move along quickly. We arrive at a place, watch the game, and move on to the next place after the game. I'm having trouble remembering where I am sometimes. But for the people who know me, they'd say that's normal!!!! I'm glad I have a calendar all mapped out with the schedule, or I'd have trouble remembering what day it is. We left Philadelphia after the game and drove part way to Washington DC. It is another short drive, but we stopped for the night outside of the city. In the morning, we drove into the city and Graham attended the practice. It was in one of the most unusual spots I'm sure in the whole NHL. The Caps practice rink is on top of a parking garage that is attached to a large downtown shopping mall. There are two ice surfaces and they are right on the top floor of the parking garage. One ice pad is a public rink and there were a number of people out for a public skate. The other ice pad is where the Caps practice. A most unusual location for sure. The St. Louis Blues have their practice rink attached to a shopping mall, but it is at ground level. Afterwards we checked out the local sights. It was once again pretty neat to see buildings that I have heard so much about or have seen on television, right in front of me. The building that of course stood out right away was the Washington Monument. It rises out of the city like a giant upside down icicle and you see it from everywhere. Nearby are the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Monument. Across a nearby bridge you are in the community of Arlington which is where the Arlington National Cemetery is located. It is also where the tomb of the Unknown Soldier is, and the final resting place for President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Buried alongside them are two children who died in infancy. A guard is stationed at their gravesite at all times and the eternal flame burns constantly. It is a very peaceful calm spot. As you walk around, you see row after row of simple white headstones which identify each soldier that is buried there. The white markers are very similar to the ones in the Mennonite Cemeteries near our hometown of Elmira, Ontario. Our touring ended with nightfall approaching and we returned to our hotel near the airport. Gameday started early. The game was at 1:00 PM. The Caps looked flat for most of the game and lost by 4-1. This puts our record at 14 and 10. Some home teams need to start winning. It is now the All Star Break which goes into next week. We didn't get picked for the all star team, so with this being our 24th stop, we decided to take a break. We have seen 9 games in 15 days. We are off to Vegas. Now that should be a relaxing rejuvenating break. NOT. See you after the break.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 20, 2007
Verizon Center
Florida Panthers vs. Washington Capitals
Today marked the last games before the players and these two tired travellers take a five day break for the All-Star festivities. I had the chance to catch up with a few of the Capitals at practice the day before the game at their practice facility which is located on the 8th floor of a parking garage attached to a large mall. Being a little weary ( and naturally a bit slow) I actually phoned our team contact on the way to the rink to ask where I could park. Doh! I had a chance to chat with three former OHLers with ties to our family. Brent Johnson was the goaltender in Owen Sound during Dan's first two seasons in Owen Sound and Matt Bradley played in Kingston during Dan's junior years and he and I share some fastball connections from the Stittsville area. Steve Eminger also played for the Kitchener Rangers during my brother Jeff's time there as an assistant and then head coach. I also chatted with Guelph native, GM George McPhee, who remembered skating in the old Elmira bandbox for the Guelph Jr B club. Unfortunately Dan's former teammate Brian Pothier from the Turner Cup champion Orlando Solar Bears was under the weather and didn't attend practice. Dan and Brian played their first NHL games together after being called up from Orlando for a late season game against the Ottawa Senators. An exciting time and a cherished memory.
The game was a brutal one for the home team which was very surprising given that both teams have a realistic shot at a playoff run. The Caps started quickly with a powerplay goal from Zubrus but that was all the fans had to cheer about except the spectacular goaltending of Ollie Kolzig. He gave the home side a chance to steal points until an empty net goal with under a minute left sealed the deal for the Panthers who outshot and outworked the home side and left town with a 4-1 victory. Shots were 42-18 Panthers as Eddie Belfour needed to withstand only a few brief Cap flurries for the win. A series of giveaways by both the forwards and defence kept Kolzig busy throughout and allowed Florida many point blank chances including a second period Washington powerplay which resulted in Josef Stumpel's game winner. I'm sure the Capitals will want to forget this one as quickly as possible and start the second half with a fresh perspective.
The driving is easy on this part of the tour, but we move along quickly. We arrive at a place, watch the game, and move on to the next place after the game. I'm having trouble remembering where I am sometimes. But for the people who know me, they'd say that's normal!!!! I'm glad I have a calendar all mapped out with the schedule, or I'd have trouble remembering what day it is. We left Philadelphia after the game and drove part way to Washington DC. It is another short drive, but we stopped for the night outside of the city. In the morning, we drove into the city and Graham attended the practice. It was in one of the most unusual spots I'm sure in the whole NHL. The Caps practice rink is on top of a parking garage that is attached to a large downtown shopping mall. There are two ice surfaces and they are right on the top floor of the parking garage. One ice pad is a public rink and there were a number of people out for a public skate. The other ice pad is where the Caps practice. A most unusual location for sure. The St. Louis Blues have their practice rink attached to a shopping mall, but it is at ground level. Afterwards we checked out the local sights. It was once again pretty neat to see buildings that I have heard so much about or have seen on television, right in front of me. The building that of course stood out right away was the Washington Monument. It rises out of the city like a giant upside down icicle and you see it from everywhere. Nearby are the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Monument. Across a nearby bridge you are in the community of Arlington which is where the Arlington National Cemetery is located. It is also where the tomb of the Unknown Soldier is, and the final resting place for President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Buried alongside them are two children who died in infancy. A guard is stationed at their gravesite at all times and the eternal flame burns constantly. It is a very peaceful calm spot. As you walk around, you see row after row of simple white headstones which identify each soldier that is buried there. The white markers are very similar to the ones in the Mennonite Cemeteries near our hometown of Elmira, Ontario. Our touring ended with nightfall approaching and we returned to our hotel near the airport. Gameday started early. The game was at 1:00 PM. The Caps looked flat for most of the game and lost by 4-1. This puts our record at 14 and 10. Some home teams need to start winning. It is now the All Star Break which goes into next week. We didn't get picked for the all star team, so with this being our 24th stop, we decided to take a break. We have seen 9 games in 15 days. We are off to Vegas. Now that should be a relaxing rejuvenating break. NOT. See you after the break.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 20, 2007
Verizon Center
Florida Panthers vs. Washington Capitals
Today marked the last games before the players and these two tired travellers take a five day break for the All-Star festivities. I had the chance to catch up with a few of the Capitals at practice the day before the game at their practice facility which is located on the 8th floor of a parking garage attached to a large mall. Being a little weary ( and naturally a bit slow) I actually phoned our team contact on the way to the rink to ask where I could park. Doh! I had a chance to chat with three former OHLers with ties to our family. Brent Johnson was the goaltender in Owen Sound during Dan's first two seasons in Owen Sound and Matt Bradley played in Kingston during Dan's junior years and he and I share some fastball connections from the Stittsville area. Steve Eminger also played for the Kitchener Rangers during my brother Jeff's time there as an assistant and then head coach. I also chatted with Guelph native, GM George McPhee, who remembered skating in the old Elmira bandbox for the Guelph Jr B club. Unfortunately Dan's former teammate Brian Pothier from the Turner Cup champion Orlando Solar Bears was under the weather and didn't attend practice. Dan and Brian played their first NHL games together after being called up from Orlando for a late season game against the Ottawa Senators. An exciting time and a cherished memory.
The game was a brutal one for the home team which was very surprising given that both teams have a realistic shot at a playoff run. The Caps started quickly with a powerplay goal from Zubrus but that was all the fans had to cheer about except the spectacular goaltending of Ollie Kolzig. He gave the home side a chance to steal points until an empty net goal with under a minute left sealed the deal for the Panthers who outshot and outworked the home side and left town with a 4-1 victory. Shots were 42-18 Panthers as Eddie Belfour needed to withstand only a few brief Cap flurries for the win. A series of giveaways by both the forwards and defence kept Kolzig busy throughout and allowed Florida many point blank chances including a second period Washington powerplay which resulted in Josef Stumpel's game winner. I'm sure the Capitals will want to forget this one as quickly as possible and start the second half with a fresh perspective.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia
We left for Philadelphia right after the game in New Jersey. It was about an hour drive so we were in Philly before we knew it. We actually stayed in the south of New Jersey near the Flyer's practice facility. They practice right across the Pennsylvania border in Voorhees, New Jersey. Graham once again attended the practice and I got to have a much needed sleep in at the hotel. I am wearing down on this part of the tour and am not getting enough sleep. We drove into Philadelphia the next day and found the Wachovia Center. This is their new rink and like many others, it is a beautiful facility. The Flyer's organization treated us great. Upon our arrival, Graham did a pre-taped TV interview and then we were given sport bags and hats for ourselves. Very nice. Despite the tough times for the team, there was a good crowd and they were very, very loud and boisterous. I think the horn they blew when the Flyers scored is the loudest one I have heard in the entire league so far. It was ear drum shattering loud. Unfortunately, it didn't get to sound very often and the Flyers lost to the New York Islanders. In the first period we were honoured to be presented with a Simon Gagne autographed jersey and stick by Bob Kelly and Gary Doernhoffer who are ambassadors for the Philly organization. The presentation was live on the jumbotron and the fans were very supportive. These items will also be part of our online auction at the end of the tour. Here it is the 23rd stop on our tour, giving us 7 more stops. Our win record is now 14 and 9. On to Washington.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 18, 2007
Wachovia Center
New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers
We caught the Flyers at their best in November when they posted back to back wins on the road over Anaheim and Los Angeles. Tonight we saw a team who have lost all confidence. The game was tied after two periods at deuces with Randy Jones and Simon Gagne tallying for the Flyers. The Isles took over the game in the third period when in a stretch of less than eighty seconds the Islanders popped two goals and the Flyers visibly wilted. The effort seemed to be there but these Flyers looked as if they were waiting for bad things to happen and eventually they did. On paper the Flyers look to be a highly competitive team with veterans like Kuble, Gagne, Zhitnik and Forsberg complementing youngsters like Richards, Carter and Umberger. The results however have not been coming this year as Philly fans suffer through their first losing season in many years. I'm sure with the quality of the organization that things will turn around eventually but for now both fans and the team are learning lessons in humility and patience.
We left for Philadelphia right after the game in New Jersey. It was about an hour drive so we were in Philly before we knew it. We actually stayed in the south of New Jersey near the Flyer's practice facility. They practice right across the Pennsylvania border in Voorhees, New Jersey. Graham once again attended the practice and I got to have a much needed sleep in at the hotel. I am wearing down on this part of the tour and am not getting enough sleep. We drove into Philadelphia the next day and found the Wachovia Center. This is their new rink and like many others, it is a beautiful facility. The Flyer's organization treated us great. Upon our arrival, Graham did a pre-taped TV interview and then we were given sport bags and hats for ourselves. Very nice. Despite the tough times for the team, there was a good crowd and they were very, very loud and boisterous. I think the horn they blew when the Flyers scored is the loudest one I have heard in the entire league so far. It was ear drum shattering loud. Unfortunately, it didn't get to sound very often and the Flyers lost to the New York Islanders. In the first period we were honoured to be presented with a Simon Gagne autographed jersey and stick by Bob Kelly and Gary Doernhoffer who are ambassadors for the Philly organization. The presentation was live on the jumbotron and the fans were very supportive. These items will also be part of our online auction at the end of the tour. Here it is the 23rd stop on our tour, giving us 7 more stops. Our win record is now 14 and 9. On to Washington.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 18, 2007
Wachovia Center
New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers
We caught the Flyers at their best in November when they posted back to back wins on the road over Anaheim and Los Angeles. Tonight we saw a team who have lost all confidence. The game was tied after two periods at deuces with Randy Jones and Simon Gagne tallying for the Flyers. The Isles took over the game in the third period when in a stretch of less than eighty seconds the Islanders popped two goals and the Flyers visibly wilted. The effort seemed to be there but these Flyers looked as if they were waiting for bad things to happen and eventually they did. On paper the Flyers look to be a highly competitive team with veterans like Kuble, Gagne, Zhitnik and Forsberg complementing youngsters like Richards, Carter and Umberger. The results however have not been coming this year as Philly fans suffer through their first losing season in many years. I'm sure with the quality of the organization that things will turn around eventually but for now both fans and the team are learning lessons in humility and patience.
New Jersey
New Jersey
We realized after we settled in our hotel that we should have driven over to to New Jersey after the Islanders afternoon game. Oh well, live and learn. It was our first time that we had back to back games. It is easy to get around in the environ of the "New York" teams since they are so close geographically. The Islanders were a great help (thanks Justina) in getting us directions to a hotel close by. We headed over to New Jersey by the many highways and biways and found the Continental Airlines Arena with no problems. Graham was going to be present at the game day skate in the morning, so we managed to get their early. The New York highways are marked so clearly and we both thought it was very easy to navigate. Mind you, we never hit any major traffic jams, which I'm sure happen, but all in all it was much easier to get around in New York City and the surrounding area than it was in Los Angeles. The grid system for the streets in New York City also make it very simple to get around. We were right near the Lincoln Tunnel, so we crossed back to New York, hoping to find the Amsterdam Whitney Gallery. We weren't able to go there on Sunday or Monday because it was closed. It was an exciting trip for me to the art gallery. One of my neighbours in Elmira, Linda Brubacher is quite an artist and she had painted a couple of canvases this summer to put in this particular art gallery. The fun part for me was that two of her four paintings at the gallery were of the gardens at the front and side of my house. The area between my house and the McGovern's house next door is one huge garden. It has a gate at the front to walk through and Drew (my neighbour) designed and made the flagstone path which leads to both our backyards. It is a beautiful calming spot for me and a piece of work that is dedicated to Dan. Dan used to work for Doug Mooder who has a local landscaping company and he and I always had a project planned for every summer when he would get home from hockey. Every part of my garden is very near and dear to my heart because Dan helped plan a lot of it. I am also so lucky to have wonderful neighbours that have been such a big help in the yard. Anyway, I got to see Linda's paintings and it was kind of neat to see such a familiar scene hanging in an art gallery in New York City. After a stop for some lunch, we headed back to New Jersey. We travelled a bit in a southerly direction and went to see the Statue of Liberty. There is a state park along the waterfront where you can view the statue out on its little island in the river. You only get a view from the back, but that was OK with me. It is quite an amazing sight whether you see it from the front or back. Maybe another time on a visit to NYC we can take a harbour cruise of the lower Manhattan area. It was a very windy, bitterly cold day so we didn't linger long. Nearby within view was Ellis Island where immigrants were processed years ago when they entered the US by boat. We put in a bit of time at a local internet cafe and then went over to the rink. The only thing I didn't like about the Contintental Airlines Arena was the parking situation. The arena is directly across the highway from Giants Stadium. When you drive to the arena, you get directed back to the other side of the highway to park at the Giant's parking lot. Then you walk a long, long way to get back across to the arena. Through the parking lot, over the highway through a covered walkway, down a large ramp, and then over to the arena entrance. It was a good mile walk. And cold to boot. The walk back was even more interesting. Because we stayed after the game to meet Martin Brodeur and Patrick Elias to sign our posters, we ended up walking back to the parking lot alone. It was kind of eerie. For me anyway. New Jersey was solid the whole game and came out at the end with a 1-0 victory over the New York Rangers. There was a lot of taunting back and forth between the fans and there were just as many Ranger jerseys in the stands as Devil's jerseys. The fans were loud and had a great time with their numerous funny chants. It was another shut out for Martin Brodeur. We were able to meet with him after the game and he signed our poster. We also received an autographed Brodeur jersey. Patrick Elias also came out and spoke with us briefly and signed out captain's poster. The posters are filling up with signatures and are starting to look great. We will be getting them framed at the end of our travels and they will be part of an online auction, along with the jerseys that we have graciously received from so many of the teams we have visited. It is hard to believe, but this is the end of our New York area stops. This is stop number 22. Eight more stops to make and our record stands at 14 and 8 for home team wins while we're there.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 16, 2007
Continental Airlines Arena
New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils have been producing a familiar theme lately as they methodically work their way towards the top of the Eastern Conference. Score a goal or two and let team defence and goaltending take over. Tonight was textbook as Brad Lukowich scored an unassisted goal halfway through the first period and Brodeur and company gave the Rangers little chance for recovery. The Devils took no penalties in the game and on the few quality chances the Rangers did have Brodeur was more than equal to the task. The 1-0 final score was a testament to the effectiveness of a rigidly disciplined team effort. It is very seldom pretty to watch but it's sure hard to beat. Look for New Jersey to be very tough to crack come playoff time if they can consistently produce this type of game.
We realized after we settled in our hotel that we should have driven over to to New Jersey after the Islanders afternoon game. Oh well, live and learn. It was our first time that we had back to back games. It is easy to get around in the environ of the "New York" teams since they are so close geographically. The Islanders were a great help (thanks Justina) in getting us directions to a hotel close by. We headed over to New Jersey by the many highways and biways and found the Continental Airlines Arena with no problems. Graham was going to be present at the game day skate in the morning, so we managed to get their early. The New York highways are marked so clearly and we both thought it was very easy to navigate. Mind you, we never hit any major traffic jams, which I'm sure happen, but all in all it was much easier to get around in New York City and the surrounding area than it was in Los Angeles. The grid system for the streets in New York City also make it very simple to get around. We were right near the Lincoln Tunnel, so we crossed back to New York, hoping to find the Amsterdam Whitney Gallery. We weren't able to go there on Sunday or Monday because it was closed. It was an exciting trip for me to the art gallery. One of my neighbours in Elmira, Linda Brubacher is quite an artist and she had painted a couple of canvases this summer to put in this particular art gallery. The fun part for me was that two of her four paintings at the gallery were of the gardens at the front and side of my house. The area between my house and the McGovern's house next door is one huge garden. It has a gate at the front to walk through and Drew (my neighbour) designed and made the flagstone path which leads to both our backyards. It is a beautiful calming spot for me and a piece of work that is dedicated to Dan. Dan used to work for Doug Mooder who has a local landscaping company and he and I always had a project planned for every summer when he would get home from hockey. Every part of my garden is very near and dear to my heart because Dan helped plan a lot of it. I am also so lucky to have wonderful neighbours that have been such a big help in the yard. Anyway, I got to see Linda's paintings and it was kind of neat to see such a familiar scene hanging in an art gallery in New York City. After a stop for some lunch, we headed back to New Jersey. We travelled a bit in a southerly direction and went to see the Statue of Liberty. There is a state park along the waterfront where you can view the statue out on its little island in the river. You only get a view from the back, but that was OK with me. It is quite an amazing sight whether you see it from the front or back. Maybe another time on a visit to NYC we can take a harbour cruise of the lower Manhattan area. It was a very windy, bitterly cold day so we didn't linger long. Nearby within view was Ellis Island where immigrants were processed years ago when they entered the US by boat. We put in a bit of time at a local internet cafe and then went over to the rink. The only thing I didn't like about the Contintental Airlines Arena was the parking situation. The arena is directly across the highway from Giants Stadium. When you drive to the arena, you get directed back to the other side of the highway to park at the Giant's parking lot. Then you walk a long, long way to get back across to the arena. Through the parking lot, over the highway through a covered walkway, down a large ramp, and then over to the arena entrance. It was a good mile walk. And cold to boot. The walk back was even more interesting. Because we stayed after the game to meet Martin Brodeur and Patrick Elias to sign our posters, we ended up walking back to the parking lot alone. It was kind of eerie. For me anyway. New Jersey was solid the whole game and came out at the end with a 1-0 victory over the New York Rangers. There was a lot of taunting back and forth between the fans and there were just as many Ranger jerseys in the stands as Devil's jerseys. The fans were loud and had a great time with their numerous funny chants. It was another shut out for Martin Brodeur. We were able to meet with him after the game and he signed our poster. We also received an autographed Brodeur jersey. Patrick Elias also came out and spoke with us briefly and signed out captain's poster. The posters are filling up with signatures and are starting to look great. We will be getting them framed at the end of our travels and they will be part of an online auction, along with the jerseys that we have graciously received from so many of the teams we have visited. It is hard to believe, but this is the end of our New York area stops. This is stop number 22. Eight more stops to make and our record stands at 14 and 8 for home team wins while we're there.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 16, 2007
Continental Airlines Arena
New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils have been producing a familiar theme lately as they methodically work their way towards the top of the Eastern Conference. Score a goal or two and let team defence and goaltending take over. Tonight was textbook as Brad Lukowich scored an unassisted goal halfway through the first period and Brodeur and company gave the Rangers little chance for recovery. The Devils took no penalties in the game and on the few quality chances the Rangers did have Brodeur was more than equal to the task. The 1-0 final score was a testament to the effectiveness of a rigidly disciplined team effort. It is very seldom pretty to watch but it's sure hard to beat. Look for New Jersey to be very tough to crack come playoff time if they can consistently produce this type of game.
Long Island
Long Island
With another mapquest clutched tightly in our hands, it was off to Long Island. Up and down and around the one way streets in Manhattan, and we made our way across to Long Island via the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. The directions were easy to follow (much better than the GPS) and we were at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum before we knew it. It was a 12:00 noon game and there were a large number of kids in attendance. It was Martin Luther King Day which is a National Holiday and the children had a school holiday. The upper bowl was jammed full and there were only a few empty seats left in the lower bowl. The Nassau Coliseum is the second oldest facility in the NHL and although it is showing its age, it has lots of character and I really liked the "feel" of it. The concourse level is at ground level with the parking lot and you can look outside through tall windows as you walk around. The seats have seen better days, but were made of material (in most sections) and were very comfortable. There weren't the number of luxury boxes that you see in the newer facilities, it was a blue collar crowd in a blue collar facility. The crowd was loud, boisterous, and enjoying every minute of the game. It was also the first arena that we have been to that didn't have a large stand alone team gear store. There were kiosks all around the concourse and each one had a little different offering of team merchandise. And lottery tickets. It was also the first time I saw lottery tickets for sale at the team gear locations. The Islanders didn't come out on top of this one and Tampa Bay left with the two points. Graham did a few media interviews during the intermissions and after the game we went downstairs to meet a couple of the players. While waiting, we met the owner Mr. Wang, the GM Garth Snow, and the coach Ted Nolan. All very nice men. They all chatted and visited with us for a bit. Jason Blake came out and signed our poster for the Islander's team player and Alexi Yashin then came out and signed the captain's poster. They both were still in their underwear but took the time to chat and offered their assistance for anything we needed. They both were very nice. I'm always amazed how gracious and kind a hockey player can be standing in his underwear out in the hallway after a hockey game, talking to complete strangers, and sweating like crazy. They are truly one of a kind. I think their mother's taught them all good manners! We also had the pleasure to visit with Chris Campoli after the game. Chris was the first recipient of the Dan Snyder Humanitarian Award for the OHL (the Ontario Hockey League). The OHL Board of Governors renamed the award in Dan's honour and we were present to award it for the first time to Chris. A player's name is submitted from each team in the league and then there is a vote to decide who will receive the award at the annual awards presentation at the Hockey Hall of Fame in June. As many people know, Dan worked hard in every community he called home for a number of different causes. It was very important to him and our family was very touched and honoured when the OHL renamed the humanitarian award in his name
This is stop number 21 and our win record now stands at 13 and 8. We are also whittling down the list. We have nine more stops to make. It's another quick trip in the morning over to New Jersey to see the Devils in the evening.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 15, 2007
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Islanders
These two teams went into today's game tied for the last playoff spot in the conference and the contest reflected that closeness. Both teams had their opportunities but the Lightning came out on top 4-3 despite being outshot by a 36-24 margin. The Isles struck first when captain Alexi Yashin batted home a rebound on the powerplay. The Bolts bounced back with the next three goals to take a 3-1 margin into the third period. The Isles pushed hard in the third but couldn't get the equalizer despite outshooting the opposition 16-5. The well traveled veteran Mike Sillinger had a pair of assists in the third on goals by Victor Kozlov and Trent Hunter and the Isles pressed valiantly for the equalizer with the goalie out but couldn't send the game to extra time.
It was interesting to see the championship banners from those powerful Islander teams of the past and hopefully they will be able to recapture some of that pride after some tough years. They look like they could be turning the corner this season with some good young players and a solid work ethic.
With another mapquest clutched tightly in our hands, it was off to Long Island. Up and down and around the one way streets in Manhattan, and we made our way across to Long Island via the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. The directions were easy to follow (much better than the GPS) and we were at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum before we knew it. It was a 12:00 noon game and there were a large number of kids in attendance. It was Martin Luther King Day which is a National Holiday and the children had a school holiday. The upper bowl was jammed full and there were only a few empty seats left in the lower bowl. The Nassau Coliseum is the second oldest facility in the NHL and although it is showing its age, it has lots of character and I really liked the "feel" of it. The concourse level is at ground level with the parking lot and you can look outside through tall windows as you walk around. The seats have seen better days, but were made of material (in most sections) and were very comfortable. There weren't the number of luxury boxes that you see in the newer facilities, it was a blue collar crowd in a blue collar facility. The crowd was loud, boisterous, and enjoying every minute of the game. It was also the first arena that we have been to that didn't have a large stand alone team gear store. There were kiosks all around the concourse and each one had a little different offering of team merchandise. And lottery tickets. It was also the first time I saw lottery tickets for sale at the team gear locations. The Islanders didn't come out on top of this one and Tampa Bay left with the two points. Graham did a few media interviews during the intermissions and after the game we went downstairs to meet a couple of the players. While waiting, we met the owner Mr. Wang, the GM Garth Snow, and the coach Ted Nolan. All very nice men. They all chatted and visited with us for a bit. Jason Blake came out and signed our poster for the Islander's team player and Alexi Yashin then came out and signed the captain's poster. They both were still in their underwear but took the time to chat and offered their assistance for anything we needed. They both were very nice. I'm always amazed how gracious and kind a hockey player can be standing in his underwear out in the hallway after a hockey game, talking to complete strangers, and sweating like crazy. They are truly one of a kind. I think their mother's taught them all good manners! We also had the pleasure to visit with Chris Campoli after the game. Chris was the first recipient of the Dan Snyder Humanitarian Award for the OHL (the Ontario Hockey League). The OHL Board of Governors renamed the award in Dan's honour and we were present to award it for the first time to Chris. A player's name is submitted from each team in the league and then there is a vote to decide who will receive the award at the annual awards presentation at the Hockey Hall of Fame in June. As many people know, Dan worked hard in every community he called home for a number of different causes. It was very important to him and our family was very touched and honoured when the OHL renamed the humanitarian award in his name
This is stop number 21 and our win record now stands at 13 and 8. We are also whittling down the list. We have nine more stops to make. It's another quick trip in the morning over to New Jersey to see the Devils in the evening.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 15, 2007
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Islanders
These two teams went into today's game tied for the last playoff spot in the conference and the contest reflected that closeness. Both teams had their opportunities but the Lightning came out on top 4-3 despite being outshot by a 36-24 margin. The Isles struck first when captain Alexi Yashin batted home a rebound on the powerplay. The Bolts bounced back with the next three goals to take a 3-1 margin into the third period. The Isles pushed hard in the third but couldn't get the equalizer despite outshooting the opposition 16-5. The well traveled veteran Mike Sillinger had a pair of assists in the third on goals by Victor Kozlov and Trent Hunter and the Isles pressed valiantly for the equalizer with the goalie out but couldn't send the game to extra time.
It was interesting to see the championship banners from those powerful Islander teams of the past and hopefully they will be able to recapture some of that pride after some tough years. They look like they could be turning the corner this season with some good young players and a solid work ethic.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
New York
New York
We left Boston after the game and drove as far Mystic Connecticut. In the morning we made our way to the Ranger's practice facility in Tarrytown. And what a practice facility. We were given a tour of the building by Miles and then watched the practice. The Rangers share the facility with the NBA New York Knicks and the Ladies Professional Basketball League New York Liberty. There is a large arena and then two regulation practice basketball courts side by side. In the middle are their offices and a large cafeteria used by the players from all the teams. We were treated to a delicious lunch and afterwards met Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan who visited with us for a bit and then both graciously signed our posters. With a mapquest sheet in our hands, we made our way to New York via the Henry Hudson Parkway. We were booked at a hotel directly across from Madison Square Garden which was convenient for walking to the game the next day. That evening we walked down to the Time Square area for a brief look. The Rangers had an afternoon game on Saturday. I had never been to New York and it was a thrill to walk in and finally see MSG. There was a good crowd for an afternoon game and they were boisterous. Graham was hoping for an obnoxious New York fan to be sitting in the vicinity of our seats and I was fortunate to have him sitting behind me. Free entertainment. MSG was also the place where Dan scored his first NHL goal. The Thrashers had the puck and a copy of the game sheet framed for him. It is now a treasured keepsake for our family. After the game we once again walked to Time Square. It was a beehive of activity. Lots and lots of people were bustling around shopping at the many stores that were open late. Everywhere there were lights and huge billboards and eateries. We had a late supper at a diner in Time Square and made our way back to the hotel. On Sunday we did a New York Mesa Grill run. Graham is a huge fan of Bobby Flay and we had a meal at his restaurant in Las Vegas last year. We booked a reservation at his restaurant in New York for brunch and once again weren't disappointed in our meals. I had the most amazing blue corn waffle with blackberry syrup and blackberries served on top. It was yummy and light. My sister Susan, and her son Scott and his girlfriend Karen were in town the same time as us, so we met up with them and did a little more touring later in the afternoon. We went through Macy's and a bunch of other stores and then went to the Empire State Building. It was up and up and up. We were informed (several times) that there was little to no visibility on the observation deck, but we went up anyway. The observation area is on the 86th floor of the building and I was just as glad that the visibility wasn't going to be that great at that height. It really wasn't too bad when we got outside though. There was a good night view and the lights all over the city were beautiful. We could see MSG, Macy's, Time Square, the skaters at the Rockefeller Center and lots and lots of lights. One more night in Manhattan and it would be off to Long Island to see the Islanders. The Rangers increased our home team win record to 13-7 against the Bruins. This is hockey stop number 20. Ten more stops to go.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 13, 2007
Madison Square Gardens
Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers
It was my first trip to the home of so many great sporting events over the years. It was interesting to see the old boxing pictures and posters from years gone by as well as some original six pictures with these two old rivals facing off. The Rangers were much the stronger team today, outshooting the Bruins by a wide margin. It wasn't until late in the game however before they secured the win on Jed Ortmeyer's first goal of the season on of all things a penalty shot. He looked like he knew what he was doing as he deked Thomas and slid the puck calmly inside the post for a 3-1 lead. Michael Nylander gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead halfway through the first but Savard responded less than a minute later to knot the score. Martin Straka regained the Ranger lead putting home a rebound at 5:52 of the second period and that was all the scoring for this Saturday afternoon until the Big O excited the crowd with his nifty moves. These two teams look to be battling along with half a dozen other teams for a spot in he top eight of this tight Eastern Conference.
We left Boston after the game and drove as far Mystic Connecticut. In the morning we made our way to the Ranger's practice facility in Tarrytown. And what a practice facility. We were given a tour of the building by Miles and then watched the practice. The Rangers share the facility with the NBA New York Knicks and the Ladies Professional Basketball League New York Liberty. There is a large arena and then two regulation practice basketball courts side by side. In the middle are their offices and a large cafeteria used by the players from all the teams. We were treated to a delicious lunch and afterwards met Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan who visited with us for a bit and then both graciously signed our posters. With a mapquest sheet in our hands, we made our way to New York via the Henry Hudson Parkway. We were booked at a hotel directly across from Madison Square Garden which was convenient for walking to the game the next day. That evening we walked down to the Time Square area for a brief look. The Rangers had an afternoon game on Saturday. I had never been to New York and it was a thrill to walk in and finally see MSG. There was a good crowd for an afternoon game and they were boisterous. Graham was hoping for an obnoxious New York fan to be sitting in the vicinity of our seats and I was fortunate to have him sitting behind me. Free entertainment. MSG was also the place where Dan scored his first NHL goal. The Thrashers had the puck and a copy of the game sheet framed for him. It is now a treasured keepsake for our family. After the game we once again walked to Time Square. It was a beehive of activity. Lots and lots of people were bustling around shopping at the many stores that were open late. Everywhere there were lights and huge billboards and eateries. We had a late supper at a diner in Time Square and made our way back to the hotel. On Sunday we did a New York Mesa Grill run. Graham is a huge fan of Bobby Flay and we had a meal at his restaurant in Las Vegas last year. We booked a reservation at his restaurant in New York for brunch and once again weren't disappointed in our meals. I had the most amazing blue corn waffle with blackberry syrup and blackberries served on top. It was yummy and light. My sister Susan, and her son Scott and his girlfriend Karen were in town the same time as us, so we met up with them and did a little more touring later in the afternoon. We went through Macy's and a bunch of other stores and then went to the Empire State Building. It was up and up and up. We were informed (several times) that there was little to no visibility on the observation deck, but we went up anyway. The observation area is on the 86th floor of the building and I was just as glad that the visibility wasn't going to be that great at that height. It really wasn't too bad when we got outside though. There was a good night view and the lights all over the city were beautiful. We could see MSG, Macy's, Time Square, the skaters at the Rockefeller Center and lots and lots of lights. One more night in Manhattan and it would be off to Long Island to see the Islanders. The Rangers increased our home team win record to 13-7 against the Bruins. This is hockey stop number 20. Ten more stops to go.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 13, 2007
Madison Square Gardens
Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers
It was my first trip to the home of so many great sporting events over the years. It was interesting to see the old boxing pictures and posters from years gone by as well as some original six pictures with these two old rivals facing off. The Rangers were much the stronger team today, outshooting the Bruins by a wide margin. It wasn't until late in the game however before they secured the win on Jed Ortmeyer's first goal of the season on of all things a penalty shot. He looked like he knew what he was doing as he deked Thomas and slid the puck calmly inside the post for a 3-1 lead. Michael Nylander gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead halfway through the first but Savard responded less than a minute later to knot the score. Martin Straka regained the Ranger lead putting home a rebound at 5:52 of the second period and that was all the scoring for this Saturday afternoon until the Big O excited the crowd with his nifty moves. These two teams look to be battling along with half a dozen other teams for a spot in he top eight of this tight Eastern Conference.
Boston
Boston
Well, it was up and at 'em early this morning. And it was a good thing too. Winter decided to make an appearance overnight in Burlington Vermont. It snowed quite heavily during the night and the conditions were blizzard-like. We had encountered some snow and ice in southern Oklahoma back in December, but this was our first taste of "real" winter in our travels so far. The snow was coming down very hard and was real wet and heavy. As fast as I could clean off the car, it was covered again. We wanted to be in the Boston area by mid morning, so we got moving as soon as we got up. I once again can't comment much on the surrounding scenery, since visibility wasn't the best. And not because it was dark, it was snowing pretty hard. Travellers on the highway were driving with caution and the plows and sanders were out in full force. As we moved along through Vermont, the snow started to fall more slowly and soon it wasn't snowing at all. As we neared the border of New Hampshire it had stopped snowing altogether and the sun was shining and the sky was bluer than blue. Go figure. One of the things I have enjoyed while travelling in all the different States, is the many unusual signs along the roadside. While driving through the snow in Vermont, it was disconcerting to see signs that said - Moose crossing for the next 15 miles. There were also the usual deer crossing signs and then one very different one. It was the first time I saw a sign that said Bear crossing. I was really hoping that we didn't see a moose, deer, or a bear crossing the road in that blizzard. As we drove closer to the New Hampshire border, there was a sign for the next rest stop. Then a sign that said you could buy your liquor at the State Liquor Store - at the rest stop. An unusual spot indeed to be selling booze. My all time favourite though is the one I saw near Baton Rouge that said - no swimming or crossing this canal, alligator infested waters! No further instruction needed. Anyway, we did arrive at the Bruin's practice facility just north of Boston and on time. Graham attended the practice and their public relations director, Kerry made sure our posters got signed and made all the arrangements for us for the game the next day. We left the practice facility and made our way to Marblehead by way of Salem. I wish we had more time to explore. I would have liked to tour around Salem. Buildings in the area date back to the early 1600's and people are still living in them. Now that is an old house. We were staying with the McEachern family for the night (in a newer house). Sean was the captain of the Thrashers when Dan was there and was a big part of guiding the team through a very difficult time. His wife Andrea and the kids Allie, Maddie, and Mike made us feel welcome and then after supper out settled us in their guest room. The next day, we drove into the city and found the TD Bank Gardens. The arena was right near the water nestled in the heart of downtown. We did a small tour in the afternoon and saw the site where Paul Revere started out on his midnight ride many, many years ago at what is now Charleston Square. The foundation of the original house at that location is still nestled in the ground in the middle of the square. Paul Revere started his famous midnight ride on April 18, 1775. Then we drove over to Fenway Park to check out the team store. Graham had misplaced his Carl Yazstremski t-shirt and wanted to replace it. As luck would have it, they had the "Yaz" t-shirts in stock and Graham was a happy camper. Back to the rink, we enjoyed a delicious supper at the Legends Restaurant. The local fresh cod fish and chips were very tasty. A very nice surprise was in store at the beginning of the game. Marc Savard had been named the NHL player of the week recently and the Bruins organization gives a $1,000.00 donation to the charity of the winning player's choice. Marc asked that the donation go to the Dan Snyder Memorial Foundation. We were presented with a cheque by Dan Zimmer, VP of Business Operations and Marc before the game started in a small ceremony on the ice. We were very grateful to the Bruins and of course to Marc Savard for their generous donation. The hockey community continues to support us in so many ways. We are truly grateful. The Bruins couldn't pull out a win and were defeated in the shootout. Our record now moves to 12-7 This is stop number 19. A mere 11 more to go.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 11, 2007
TD Banknorth Garden
New York Islanders vs. Boston Bruins
Three times the Bruins grabbed the lead tonight only to have the Isles come back and even things up. Eventually New York prevailed on the fourth round of the shootout. The first period was all Boston as they dominated play and opened up a 2-0 lead on goals by Patrice Bergeron and Marc Savard. It was 2-1 after two periods and early in the 3rd the Isles scored to tie the game. A couple of defencemen, Chara and Mara, gave the B's leads in the third but both times the Isles responded to knot the game with the final blow coming with under two minutes remaining in regulation time. Boston outshot the Isles 9-1 in overtime but could not put one by DiPietro. The best chance fell to Glen Murray who had the tender down and out but somehow couldn't find the strength to lift the puck over his outstretched stick. Toivonen was spectacular in the first two periods for Boston but faltered down the stretched and I'm sure he'd love to have the final goal back as it just trickled between his pads and across the goal line. Marc Savard was the first star on the night with a goal and two helpers as he seems to be responding well to the pressures of being the offensive leader in Beantown. The Bruins look close to becoming a contender again but need to really tighten up the defensive game if they are to gain the playoffs in a very tight Eastern Conference. It was good to catch up with Dan's former teamates Savard and Shean Donovan (Thrashers) and Wayne Primeau ( Owen Sound) at the practice on Wednesday. Their generosity was very much appreciated.
Well, it was up and at 'em early this morning. And it was a good thing too. Winter decided to make an appearance overnight in Burlington Vermont. It snowed quite heavily during the night and the conditions were blizzard-like. We had encountered some snow and ice in southern Oklahoma back in December, but this was our first taste of "real" winter in our travels so far. The snow was coming down very hard and was real wet and heavy. As fast as I could clean off the car, it was covered again. We wanted to be in the Boston area by mid morning, so we got moving as soon as we got up. I once again can't comment much on the surrounding scenery, since visibility wasn't the best. And not because it was dark, it was snowing pretty hard. Travellers on the highway were driving with caution and the plows and sanders were out in full force. As we moved along through Vermont, the snow started to fall more slowly and soon it wasn't snowing at all. As we neared the border of New Hampshire it had stopped snowing altogether and the sun was shining and the sky was bluer than blue. Go figure. One of the things I have enjoyed while travelling in all the different States, is the many unusual signs along the roadside. While driving through the snow in Vermont, it was disconcerting to see signs that said - Moose crossing for the next 15 miles. There were also the usual deer crossing signs and then one very different one. It was the first time I saw a sign that said Bear crossing. I was really hoping that we didn't see a moose, deer, or a bear crossing the road in that blizzard. As we drove closer to the New Hampshire border, there was a sign for the next rest stop. Then a sign that said you could buy your liquor at the State Liquor Store - at the rest stop. An unusual spot indeed to be selling booze. My all time favourite though is the one I saw near Baton Rouge that said - no swimming or crossing this canal, alligator infested waters! No further instruction needed. Anyway, we did arrive at the Bruin's practice facility just north of Boston and on time. Graham attended the practice and their public relations director, Kerry made sure our posters got signed and made all the arrangements for us for the game the next day. We left the practice facility and made our way to Marblehead by way of Salem. I wish we had more time to explore. I would have liked to tour around Salem. Buildings in the area date back to the early 1600's and people are still living in them. Now that is an old house. We were staying with the McEachern family for the night (in a newer house). Sean was the captain of the Thrashers when Dan was there and was a big part of guiding the team through a very difficult time. His wife Andrea and the kids Allie, Maddie, and Mike made us feel welcome and then after supper out settled us in their guest room. The next day, we drove into the city and found the TD Bank Gardens. The arena was right near the water nestled in the heart of downtown. We did a small tour in the afternoon and saw the site where Paul Revere started out on his midnight ride many, many years ago at what is now Charleston Square. The foundation of the original house at that location is still nestled in the ground in the middle of the square. Paul Revere started his famous midnight ride on April 18, 1775. Then we drove over to Fenway Park to check out the team store. Graham had misplaced his Carl Yazstremski t-shirt and wanted to replace it. As luck would have it, they had the "Yaz" t-shirts in stock and Graham was a happy camper. Back to the rink, we enjoyed a delicious supper at the Legends Restaurant. The local fresh cod fish and chips were very tasty. A very nice surprise was in store at the beginning of the game. Marc Savard had been named the NHL player of the week recently and the Bruins organization gives a $1,000.00 donation to the charity of the winning player's choice. Marc asked that the donation go to the Dan Snyder Memorial Foundation. We were presented with a cheque by Dan Zimmer, VP of Business Operations and Marc before the game started in a small ceremony on the ice. We were very grateful to the Bruins and of course to Marc Savard for their generous donation. The hockey community continues to support us in so many ways. We are truly grateful. The Bruins couldn't pull out a win and were defeated in the shootout. Our record now moves to 12-7 This is stop number 19. A mere 11 more to go.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 11, 2007
TD Banknorth Garden
New York Islanders vs. Boston Bruins
Three times the Bruins grabbed the lead tonight only to have the Isles come back and even things up. Eventually New York prevailed on the fourth round of the shootout. The first period was all Boston as they dominated play and opened up a 2-0 lead on goals by Patrice Bergeron and Marc Savard. It was 2-1 after two periods and early in the 3rd the Isles scored to tie the game. A couple of defencemen, Chara and Mara, gave the B's leads in the third but both times the Isles responded to knot the game with the final blow coming with under two minutes remaining in regulation time. Boston outshot the Isles 9-1 in overtime but could not put one by DiPietro. The best chance fell to Glen Murray who had the tender down and out but somehow couldn't find the strength to lift the puck over his outstretched stick. Toivonen was spectacular in the first two periods for Boston but faltered down the stretched and I'm sure he'd love to have the final goal back as it just trickled between his pads and across the goal line. Marc Savard was the first star on the night with a goal and two helpers as he seems to be responding well to the pressures of being the offensive leader in Beantown. The Bruins look close to becoming a contender again but need to really tighten up the defensive game if they are to gain the playoffs in a very tight Eastern Conference. It was good to catch up with Dan's former teamates Savard and Shean Donovan (Thrashers) and Wayne Primeau ( Owen Sound) at the practice on Wednesday. Their generosity was very much appreciated.
Montreal
Montreal
Well, the pace is fast and furious and we are now in Montreal. There wasn't much to see on the way here, because we drove straight from the afternoon game in Ottawa, and it was dark by the time we left. After a few turns in the wrong direction, we finally found our way downtown and secured a hotel room for the night. We were three blocks from the Bell Centre where the Habs play. I had been to the old Forum years ago, but this is my first time to see the new arena. Sunday was a long day and it was late, so it was nice to crawl into bed. Monday was a catch up day. Catch up with reading, paperwork, and computer work. We didn't venture too far from the hotel room. Graham isn't feeling well today. Must have picked up the flu the Canadiens have going through their team. On Tuesday, Graham attended the game day skate and visited with a number of players. Saku Koivu and Sergei Samsonov graciously signed our two posters. They are filling up with signatures and hopefully should be a collectors item for someone. We then made our way (slowly - the highways are terrible in Montreal) to visit Don Liesemer with Hockey Ministries. Running of the office is a family affair with his son, daughter and wife helping out. Hockey Ministries runs hockey camps all over for approximately 1600 boys and girls during the course of a year. It was good to visit again with Don and meet some of his family. He spoke at Dan's funeral and we haven't had a chance to see him since then. After finding our way back to the Bell Centre (once again, it was slow - the roads were still terrible to navigate) Graham went in to do some media stuff and I did some typing on the laptop. We had some supper and then it was back into the rink to watch the game. The Canadiens organization has preserved some of the glorious history of their team in many of the displays and pictures around the arena. It was fun to walk around and view everything. The Habs were playing the Thrashers and it was hard to decide which team to cheer for. We've never had any Habs fans at our house and the Thrashers are of course always near and dear to our hearts. But, we have cheered for the home team at each stop, so we had to stick with the plan and cheer for the Habs. Graham even bought (gaaaasp) a Montreal t-shirt. It has a number 4 and Belliveau's name on the back, so that made it OK for him. Montreal came out on top over the Thrashers and brought our record to 12 wins and 6 losses when we are there. This is also our 18th stop giving us 12 more to go. We left about an hour after the game and drove for the border. After crossing into Vermont, we drove to the town of Burlington and stopped for the night. It will be up early in the morning and on to Boston.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 9, 2007
Bell Centre
Atlanta Thrashers vs. Montreal Canadiens
I have always enjoyed taking in a game in Montreal even though I have not been (ahem!) a big Habs fans. The atmosphere is always exciting and tonight was no exception. The Habs have been slowed by a flu bug the last few games and tonight they fell behind 2-0 to the Thrashers despite an overall edge in play. They scored late in the second to cut the lead to 2-1 and came out firing in the third for a 4-2 victory in this important conference game. Michael Ryder was the scoring hero tallying the winning and insurance markers for the home side. The Thrashers battled hard late in the game to come back but had zero luck around the net despite some outstanding opportunities. The home side were deserving winners tonight and showed how important perseverance and teamwork is. Thanks to our gracious hosts we were able to check out some behind the scenes areas of the new arena which has done a fine job of preserving the rich history of Les Canadiens. You can check out my picture in front of the wall depicting all of the Habs Stanley Cup triumphs. Yahoo!
Well, the pace is fast and furious and we are now in Montreal. There wasn't much to see on the way here, because we drove straight from the afternoon game in Ottawa, and it was dark by the time we left. After a few turns in the wrong direction, we finally found our way downtown and secured a hotel room for the night. We were three blocks from the Bell Centre where the Habs play. I had been to the old Forum years ago, but this is my first time to see the new arena. Sunday was a long day and it was late, so it was nice to crawl into bed. Monday was a catch up day. Catch up with reading, paperwork, and computer work. We didn't venture too far from the hotel room. Graham isn't feeling well today. Must have picked up the flu the Canadiens have going through their team. On Tuesday, Graham attended the game day skate and visited with a number of players. Saku Koivu and Sergei Samsonov graciously signed our two posters. They are filling up with signatures and hopefully should be a collectors item for someone. We then made our way (slowly - the highways are terrible in Montreal) to visit Don Liesemer with Hockey Ministries. Running of the office is a family affair with his son, daughter and wife helping out. Hockey Ministries runs hockey camps all over for approximately 1600 boys and girls during the course of a year. It was good to visit again with Don and meet some of his family. He spoke at Dan's funeral and we haven't had a chance to see him since then. After finding our way back to the Bell Centre (once again, it was slow - the roads were still terrible to navigate) Graham went in to do some media stuff and I did some typing on the laptop. We had some supper and then it was back into the rink to watch the game. The Canadiens organization has preserved some of the glorious history of their team in many of the displays and pictures around the arena. It was fun to walk around and view everything. The Habs were playing the Thrashers and it was hard to decide which team to cheer for. We've never had any Habs fans at our house and the Thrashers are of course always near and dear to our hearts. But, we have cheered for the home team at each stop, so we had to stick with the plan and cheer for the Habs. Graham even bought (gaaaasp) a Montreal t-shirt. It has a number 4 and Belliveau's name on the back, so that made it OK for him. Montreal came out on top over the Thrashers and brought our record to 12 wins and 6 losses when we are there. This is also our 18th stop giving us 12 more to go. We left about an hour after the game and drove for the border. After crossing into Vermont, we drove to the town of Burlington and stopped for the night. It will be up early in the morning and on to Boston.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 9, 2007
Bell Centre
Atlanta Thrashers vs. Montreal Canadiens
I have always enjoyed taking in a game in Montreal even though I have not been (ahem!) a big Habs fans. The atmosphere is always exciting and tonight was no exception. The Habs have been slowed by a flu bug the last few games and tonight they fell behind 2-0 to the Thrashers despite an overall edge in play. They scored late in the second to cut the lead to 2-1 and came out firing in the third for a 4-2 victory in this important conference game. Michael Ryder was the scoring hero tallying the winning and insurance markers for the home side. The Thrashers battled hard late in the game to come back but had zero luck around the net despite some outstanding opportunities. The home side were deserving winners tonight and showed how important perseverance and teamwork is. Thanks to our gracious hosts we were able to check out some behind the scenes areas of the new arena which has done a fine job of preserving the rich history of Les Canadiens. You can check out my picture in front of the wall depicting all of the Habs Stanley Cup triumphs. Yahoo!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Ottawa
Ottawa
After crossing the border yet again to get back to Canada, we had a good night's rest at the Comfort Inn. It was a long day in Buffalo. We were lazy and slept in a bit and drove towards Toronto for a quick meeting at lunchtime and then made our way on to Ottawa. The drive through the Spadina area and up through Chinatown was actually quite interesting on a Saturday morning. Everyone was out shopping at the local produce stands that spilled out onto the streets from the front of their shops. It was a dull cloudy day and all the fruits and vegetables were so colourful and bright. The quick meeting wasn't quick, but that was OK. We arrived finally in Ottawa at 8:00PM and settled in our hotel that the team had booked for us right near the arena. It is quite a change from staying in the RV at campsites. We usually payed on an average of 20-30 dollars per night's stay. And we stayed at some really nice places for that price. For some reason, the hotels charge more than that. Go figure. We were of course looking forward to visiting with Dany sometime during our stop in Ottawa. As is usual, we played telephone tag with him all week, but finally decided that we could meet after the game on Sunday afternoon. We had also arranged to visit some our fellow fans from the paralympic games in Torino, Italy. We attended the games in February of 2006 to watch the Canadian National Men's Sledge Hockey Team. Graham's brother Jeff is the head coach and it was a huge thrill to be at all the games, but especially for the gold medal game which the guys won. Todd Nicholson was the captain of the team and we were meeting with him and his very enthusiastic family members for breakfast on Sunday morning. Well, morning arrived and we were off to breakfast. There was a smaller representation of the Nicholson clan. There were only eight of them. A small group by their standards I'm sure. Mom, Carol and Dad Stuart were along though and it was good to catch up and visit with everyone present. Talked of course veered to the Vancouver games and were we all going to be there for the team to defend their gold medal. We said our good-byes to the Nicholsons and made our way over to the Scotiabank Center. I had only been there once before when it was the Corel Center. A few of us family members drove through a terrible snow storm to watch Dan play with the Thrashers. Dan seemed to have this knack of sitting in the penalty box for most of the game, or getting kicked out of the game when we would travel a long distance to see him play. That particular time was no different. He got kicked out of the game at the beginning of the second period. He managed to find out where our seats were though and we got to sit and visit with him for the rest of the game. He was very contrite and apologetic. Sorry mom, I can't believe that happened again, he said. Oh well, what can you do. I was just happy to see him. Ottawa made a rout of the game and defeated the Flyers soundly. Dany had two goal and an assist and had a good game. We were happy to see him after the game and enjoyed a nice long visit with him and Sara. No media, no fans hovering around, just the four of us. This is stop number 17 and our record for the home team now stands at 11 and 6. On to Montreal.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 7, 2007
ScotiaBank Place
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Ottawa Senators
We saw the Flyers for the third time on the road this trip and unlike the previous two upsets in California this one was an easy 6-1 rout for the home side. The Flyers stayed in the game for most of the first period but the Sens had their own way the rest of the day. Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson led the scoring parade and Martin Gerber recorded his first win at home this season for the Sens. Ottawa looks like they are back on track after a shaky start this year and are slowly climbing back towards the top of the standings in the Eastern Conference. We had a chance to chat with Dany Heatley after the game and hardly recognized the smile with the new front tooth. I'm sure we'll see the Senators back in the playoffs this season.
After crossing the border yet again to get back to Canada, we had a good night's rest at the Comfort Inn. It was a long day in Buffalo. We were lazy and slept in a bit and drove towards Toronto for a quick meeting at lunchtime and then made our way on to Ottawa. The drive through the Spadina area and up through Chinatown was actually quite interesting on a Saturday morning. Everyone was out shopping at the local produce stands that spilled out onto the streets from the front of their shops. It was a dull cloudy day and all the fruits and vegetables were so colourful and bright. The quick meeting wasn't quick, but that was OK. We arrived finally in Ottawa at 8:00PM and settled in our hotel that the team had booked for us right near the arena. It is quite a change from staying in the RV at campsites. We usually payed on an average of 20-30 dollars per night's stay. And we stayed at some really nice places for that price. For some reason, the hotels charge more than that. Go figure. We were of course looking forward to visiting with Dany sometime during our stop in Ottawa. As is usual, we played telephone tag with him all week, but finally decided that we could meet after the game on Sunday afternoon. We had also arranged to visit some our fellow fans from the paralympic games in Torino, Italy. We attended the games in February of 2006 to watch the Canadian National Men's Sledge Hockey Team. Graham's brother Jeff is the head coach and it was a huge thrill to be at all the games, but especially for the gold medal game which the guys won. Todd Nicholson was the captain of the team and we were meeting with him and his very enthusiastic family members for breakfast on Sunday morning. Well, morning arrived and we were off to breakfast. There was a smaller representation of the Nicholson clan. There were only eight of them. A small group by their standards I'm sure. Mom, Carol and Dad Stuart were along though and it was good to catch up and visit with everyone present. Talked of course veered to the Vancouver games and were we all going to be there for the team to defend their gold medal. We said our good-byes to the Nicholsons and made our way over to the Scotiabank Center. I had only been there once before when it was the Corel Center. A few of us family members drove through a terrible snow storm to watch Dan play with the Thrashers. Dan seemed to have this knack of sitting in the penalty box for most of the game, or getting kicked out of the game when we would travel a long distance to see him play. That particular time was no different. He got kicked out of the game at the beginning of the second period. He managed to find out where our seats were though and we got to sit and visit with him for the rest of the game. He was very contrite and apologetic. Sorry mom, I can't believe that happened again, he said. Oh well, what can you do. I was just happy to see him. Ottawa made a rout of the game and defeated the Flyers soundly. Dany had two goal and an assist and had a good game. We were happy to see him after the game and enjoyed a nice long visit with him and Sara. No media, no fans hovering around, just the four of us. This is stop number 17 and our record for the home team now stands at 11 and 6. On to Montreal.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 7, 2007
ScotiaBank Place
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Ottawa Senators
We saw the Flyers for the third time on the road this trip and unlike the previous two upsets in California this one was an easy 6-1 rout for the home side. The Flyers stayed in the game for most of the first period but the Sens had their own way the rest of the day. Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson led the scoring parade and Martin Gerber recorded his first win at home this season for the Sens. Ottawa looks like they are back on track after a shaky start this year and are slowly climbing back towards the top of the standings in the Eastern Conference. We had a chance to chat with Dany Heatley after the game and hardly recognized the smile with the new front tooth. I'm sure we'll see the Senators back in the playoffs this season.
Buffalo
Buffalo
New Year's Greetings to one and all. I hope that everyone had a good time ringing in the new year and that this year will be happy and safe for all. After a bit of a break for more visiting (and too much eating), it was time to drive to Buffalo. We are also leaving Buffalo to start the next leg of the journey without going home in between. We will be on the road for the next month driving by car and catching the teams in the northeast. After Buffalo, we return to Canada to see Ottawa and Montreal and then return to the States and start with Boston and work our way down the eastern seaboard. Luckily it wasn't snowing in Buffalo, but it was pouring rain. There is no snow there at all which is a rare thing for this time of year. We were lucky to be able to connect with Rich Jurrella the manager of public relations for the Sabres. He had everything all lined up for us and made our stop in Buffalo so easy and worry free for us. He is another amazing "inside" hockey person we have met that is a true credit to their organization. We have met some amazing people within the public relations and community departments of each team and there are about six or seven that are stand outs. Rich is one of them. After attending the game day skate, we were fortunate to have a visit with the coach Lindy Ruff. It was a pleasure to meet and talk with him. We were hoping to visit with Dan's former teamate and friend, Adam Mair, but he was a little under the weather and did not attend practice. We wanted to watch the gold medal game with the World Juniors, but it was only being telecast by TSN and we were doubtful we would find it being televised in the Buffalo area, so we headed back to Canada to watch what else - a hockey game. We booked a hotel room and watched the game with our eyelids closed most of the time. It was another early morning and it was nice to have a nap. We did wake up in time to see Canada win the gold medal though. After some supper, it was time to cross the border again and get to the rink. Graham and I did two interviews when we got there for the local TV stations and I was nervous as usual. The HSBC Arena is also one of the nicest facilities that we have been to so far. It was electric with atmosphere during the game and was packed to capacity. The fans are LOUD and love their Sabres. That's when it is fun to attend a hockey game. When the rink is jammed full, cheering on their team. Unfortunately the Sabres couldn't pull out a win for them and the Penguins were awarded the two points. A very nice surprise for the evening was going up to the press box and receiving a generous donation from the Sabres organization. Play by play announcer Rick Jenerette made the cheque presentation to our family. We were able to see Adam after the game along with his wife and his parents, Dave and Nancy. Adam and Dan were teamates in Owen Sound for four straight years and we got to know him and his parents well. I haven't written much about travel, because well, I guess I have travelled this route so often and it is a lot of highways, traffic and congestion. For people not familiar to the Golden Horseshoe area, it is quite a sight to go and visit Niagara Falls and see the American and Canadian falls. They are magnificent and truly a wonder to see. I should have taken some pictures, but I guess it is one of those things that I have seen so often and I didn't even think to stop for a photo. I'll try and get one another time and get it posted for those that have never seen it. Well, this is stop number 16 and our record is now 10 wins and 6 losses for the home team when we are at a game. The home teams are going to have to kick it up a notch. We'll have to see how Ottawa does on our next stop.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 5, 2007
HSBC Arena
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Buffalo Sabres
This was our first opportunity to see the high flying Sabres this season. It's a team we have seen many times over the years at the old Aud and now in their spacious home up the street. We've always enjoyed the atmosphere at Sabres games and their exciting team has led to consistent sellouts this season and tonight's game was no exception. The Sabres jumped in frothnt twice during this one but the persistent Penguins eventually prevailed by a 4-2 margin. This marked only the second time this year the Sabres have dropped two in a row. Given the adversity faced by the organization the last number of years a two game losing streak for a first place team is no cause for alarm. Former Kitchener Ranger Derek Roy and co-captain Chris Drury scored tonight for this well balanced lineup. Whitney, Moore, young gun Malkin and even younger teamate Jordan Staal tallied for the Pens. This is our second look at the Penguins and I've been very impressed with the responsibility given the 18 year old Staal. He looks to be a long term star in the game. It was great to chat with Dan's former Plater teammate and friend Adam Mair of the Sabres who continues to play his robust style for this exciting team. We also had a chance to chat with coach Lindy Ruff and GM Darcy Regier and the character of both these men is evidenced in the great team play of the Sabres. I'm sure we'll see this team go deep into this year's playoffs.
New Year's Greetings to one and all. I hope that everyone had a good time ringing in the new year and that this year will be happy and safe for all. After a bit of a break for more visiting (and too much eating), it was time to drive to Buffalo. We are also leaving Buffalo to start the next leg of the journey without going home in between. We will be on the road for the next month driving by car and catching the teams in the northeast. After Buffalo, we return to Canada to see Ottawa and Montreal and then return to the States and start with Boston and work our way down the eastern seaboard. Luckily it wasn't snowing in Buffalo, but it was pouring rain. There is no snow there at all which is a rare thing for this time of year. We were lucky to be able to connect with Rich Jurrella the manager of public relations for the Sabres. He had everything all lined up for us and made our stop in Buffalo so easy and worry free for us. He is another amazing "inside" hockey person we have met that is a true credit to their organization. We have met some amazing people within the public relations and community departments of each team and there are about six or seven that are stand outs. Rich is one of them. After attending the game day skate, we were fortunate to have a visit with the coach Lindy Ruff. It was a pleasure to meet and talk with him. We were hoping to visit with Dan's former teamate and friend, Adam Mair, but he was a little under the weather and did not attend practice. We wanted to watch the gold medal game with the World Juniors, but it was only being telecast by TSN and we were doubtful we would find it being televised in the Buffalo area, so we headed back to Canada to watch what else - a hockey game. We booked a hotel room and watched the game with our eyelids closed most of the time. It was another early morning and it was nice to have a nap. We did wake up in time to see Canada win the gold medal though. After some supper, it was time to cross the border again and get to the rink. Graham and I did two interviews when we got there for the local TV stations and I was nervous as usual. The HSBC Arena is also one of the nicest facilities that we have been to so far. It was electric with atmosphere during the game and was packed to capacity. The fans are LOUD and love their Sabres. That's when it is fun to attend a hockey game. When the rink is jammed full, cheering on their team. Unfortunately the Sabres couldn't pull out a win for them and the Penguins were awarded the two points. A very nice surprise for the evening was going up to the press box and receiving a generous donation from the Sabres organization. Play by play announcer Rick Jenerette made the cheque presentation to our family. We were able to see Adam after the game along with his wife and his parents, Dave and Nancy. Adam and Dan were teamates in Owen Sound for four straight years and we got to know him and his parents well. I haven't written much about travel, because well, I guess I have travelled this route so often and it is a lot of highways, traffic and congestion. For people not familiar to the Golden Horseshoe area, it is quite a sight to go and visit Niagara Falls and see the American and Canadian falls. They are magnificent and truly a wonder to see. I should have taken some pictures, but I guess it is one of those things that I have seen so often and I didn't even think to stop for a photo. I'll try and get one another time and get it posted for those that have never seen it. Well, this is stop number 16 and our record is now 10 wins and 6 losses for the home team when we are at a game. The home teams are going to have to kick it up a notch. We'll have to see how Ottawa does on our next stop.
Graham's Game Report
Jan 5, 2007
HSBC Arena
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Buffalo Sabres
This was our first opportunity to see the high flying Sabres this season. It's a team we have seen many times over the years at the old Aud and now in their spacious home up the street. We've always enjoyed the atmosphere at Sabres games and their exciting team has led to consistent sellouts this season and tonight's game was no exception. The Sabres jumped in frothnt twice during this one but the persistent Penguins eventually prevailed by a 4-2 margin. This marked only the second time this year the Sabres have dropped two in a row. Given the adversity faced by the organization the last number of years a two game losing streak for a first place team is no cause for alarm. Former Kitchener Ranger Derek Roy and co-captain Chris Drury scored tonight for this well balanced lineup. Whitney, Moore, young gun Malkin and even younger teamate Jordan Staal tallied for the Pens. This is our second look at the Penguins and I've been very impressed with the responsibility given the 18 year old Staal. He looks to be a long term star in the game. It was great to chat with Dan's former Plater teammate and friend Adam Mair of the Sabres who continues to play his robust style for this exciting team. We also had a chance to chat with coach Lindy Ruff and GM Darcy Regier and the character of both these men is evidenced in the great team play of the Sabres. I'm sure we'll see this team go deep into this year's playoffs.
Toronto
Toronto
Well folks, here we are back on the road again. The trip to Toronto to see the Leafs is like a home game for us. We are about an hour and a half from the ACC, so this trip was a piece of cake. We have been enjoying our time at home, but it has been busy too. Lots of friends and family to see and lots of mail to sort out. It seems our kitchen table turned into a mail sorting center for Canada Post. It is amazing how much mail you can get in a couple of months. And Erika kindly sorted out the junk for us. If she hadn't done that, she would have had to use the dining room table too! It was a very early start to make our way to Toronto. We left home at 7:30 AM so we could make our way to the downtown area by 10:00. Graham had some media commitments and we were attending the game day skate. Driving in Toronto is no different that some of the larger American cities we have visited. They are mostly the same when it comes to driving - congested. Luckily it was Saturday morning and we didn't have to fight everyone making their way to work. After the skate, Graham had a good chat with Bryan McCabe and he signed our poster for us. Of all the people that were at Dan's funeral, I still distinctly remember Bryan and Tie Domi coming up to me afterwards and expressing their condolences. It's funny how you only remember snippets of a time like that, but I still vividly recall talking to them both and how very kind they both were. I was pleased to be able to visit with Dallas Eakins. Dallas and Dan played together with the Chicago Wolves and won the the Calder Cup together. Dallas was someone Dan respected and admired so much and we are very proud of his coaching accomplishments and wish him all the best with the Leafs. After the game day skate and the media commitments, we had to put in some time till the game. After a good lunch and long walk, we found a movie theatre and spent the afternoon watching a movie. It was hard to stay awake after getting up so early. Game time came and went and before we knew it, it was time to head home again. Unfortunately, the leafs lost to Ottawa giving us an 10 and 5 win record for the home team when we are in attendance. We were able to chat with some friends downstairs after the game and Mats Sundin graciously signed our captain's poster for us. We visited with Ron McLean and Don Cherry and had another picture taken together, minus the pink feather boa. It does add a little pizazz though. I was going to put it on the online auction, but I'm thinking of keeping it for myself now. Finally we were at home by 12:30 AM. It was a long, long day. It is going to be busy still for the remainder of the week, just getting ready to go on the road again. The next part of the trip will be by car and the schedule is hectic with games almost every other day for two weeks. Let's just cross our fingers and hope for good weather. It is the halfway mark for our tour. Toronto is the 15th stop, so we now have 15 stops to go.
Graham's Game Report
Dec 30, 2006
Air Canada Centre
Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
It was a short trip down the 401 tonight for what will be the closest we get to a home game on this tour. The Leafs and Sens have both struggled at times this year and have each faced adversity in the form of injuries to top players. Both teams seemed tentative in the early going but the Leafs jumped ahead late in the first period on a powerplay marker by Alex Steen. Ottawa tied it shorthanded on a Dean McCammond marker and both teams recieved solid goaltending to remain tied well into the third. Boyd Deveraux broke the tie with a hard wrist shot to the top corner just after Andrew Raycraft had stoned Dany Heatley with a quick glove hand at the other end. The Leafs hopes for a regulation time win over their division rivals went up in smoke when Chris Kelley was left wide open in front and he shoveled in the tying goal with under two minutes reamaining. The extra point also went out the window when Chris Philips redirected Heatley's pass past Raycraft in the OT period. Both teams should be able to remain in the playoff hunt with the calibre of goaltending they received last night but will have to get outstanding team efforts to overcome the injuries. We had the pleasure of chatting with Leafs assistant coach Dallas Eakins who was a veteran leader on the Chicago Wolves team that won an unlikely Calder Cup during Dan's time there. His leadership skills will serve him welll in his new career. We also had a chance to cht with Boyd Deveraux who often played against Dan for the Stratford Cullitons and Kitchener Rangers. It was good to see him take advantage of another opportunity in the NHL after overcoming some serious injuries in his career. The Leafs were gracious hosts again and it was a real treat to be back in "hockey country" over the Christmas season.
Happy New Year
Well folks, here we are back on the road again. The trip to Toronto to see the Leafs is like a home game for us. We are about an hour and a half from the ACC, so this trip was a piece of cake. We have been enjoying our time at home, but it has been busy too. Lots of friends and family to see and lots of mail to sort out. It seems our kitchen table turned into a mail sorting center for Canada Post. It is amazing how much mail you can get in a couple of months. And Erika kindly sorted out the junk for us. If she hadn't done that, she would have had to use the dining room table too! It was a very early start to make our way to Toronto. We left home at 7:30 AM so we could make our way to the downtown area by 10:00. Graham had some media commitments and we were attending the game day skate. Driving in Toronto is no different that some of the larger American cities we have visited. They are mostly the same when it comes to driving - congested. Luckily it was Saturday morning and we didn't have to fight everyone making their way to work. After the skate, Graham had a good chat with Bryan McCabe and he signed our poster for us. Of all the people that were at Dan's funeral, I still distinctly remember Bryan and Tie Domi coming up to me afterwards and expressing their condolences. It's funny how you only remember snippets of a time like that, but I still vividly recall talking to them both and how very kind they both were. I was pleased to be able to visit with Dallas Eakins. Dallas and Dan played together with the Chicago Wolves and won the the Calder Cup together. Dallas was someone Dan respected and admired so much and we are very proud of his coaching accomplishments and wish him all the best with the Leafs. After the game day skate and the media commitments, we had to put in some time till the game. After a good lunch and long walk, we found a movie theatre and spent the afternoon watching a movie. It was hard to stay awake after getting up so early. Game time came and went and before we knew it, it was time to head home again. Unfortunately, the leafs lost to Ottawa giving us an 10 and 5 win record for the home team when we are in attendance. We were able to chat with some friends downstairs after the game and Mats Sundin graciously signed our captain's poster for us. We visited with Ron McLean and Don Cherry and had another picture taken together, minus the pink feather boa. It does add a little pizazz though. I was going to put it on the online auction, but I'm thinking of keeping it for myself now. Finally we were at home by 12:30 AM. It was a long, long day. It is going to be busy still for the remainder of the week, just getting ready to go on the road again. The next part of the trip will be by car and the schedule is hectic with games almost every other day for two weeks. Let's just cross our fingers and hope for good weather. It is the halfway mark for our tour. Toronto is the 15th stop, so we now have 15 stops to go.
Graham's Game Report
Dec 30, 2006
Air Canada Centre
Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
It was a short trip down the 401 tonight for what will be the closest we get to a home game on this tour. The Leafs and Sens have both struggled at times this year and have each faced adversity in the form of injuries to top players. Both teams seemed tentative in the early going but the Leafs jumped ahead late in the first period on a powerplay marker by Alex Steen. Ottawa tied it shorthanded on a Dean McCammond marker and both teams recieved solid goaltending to remain tied well into the third. Boyd Deveraux broke the tie with a hard wrist shot to the top corner just after Andrew Raycraft had stoned Dany Heatley with a quick glove hand at the other end. The Leafs hopes for a regulation time win over their division rivals went up in smoke when Chris Kelley was left wide open in front and he shoveled in the tying goal with under two minutes reamaining. The extra point also went out the window when Chris Philips redirected Heatley's pass past Raycraft in the OT period. Both teams should be able to remain in the playoff hunt with the calibre of goaltending they received last night but will have to get outstanding team efforts to overcome the injuries. We had the pleasure of chatting with Leafs assistant coach Dallas Eakins who was a veteran leader on the Chicago Wolves team that won an unlikely Calder Cup during Dan's time there. His leadership skills will serve him welll in his new career. We also had a chance to cht with Boyd Deveraux who often played against Dan for the Stratford Cullitons and Kitchener Rangers. It was good to see him take advantage of another opportunity in the NHL after overcoming some serious injuries in his career. The Leafs were gracious hosts again and it was a real treat to be back in "hockey country" over the Christmas season.
Happy New Year
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