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.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
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
Atlanta
Atlanta
It was a very short trip to Atlanta. It was a mere three hour drive to the north part of the city. After some of our long stretches of driving, three hours is a piece of cake. We travelled to the suburb of Marietta where we stayed for two nights and days. We had some catching up to do with paperwork and housecleaning before we headed home. It was nice to have a couple of days to relax in one spot with no travelling. We met with Chris Simpson on Tuesday and did an interview with her for Rogers Sportsnet. We have got to know Chris the past three years and she is a wonderful person. It is our pleasure to say we know her. On Wednesday morning we were at school bright and early. We went to the middle school that our young author friends attended. Darren Elliot met us at the Duluth practice facility which is where the Thrashers practice. He drove us to the girl's school which was way on the south side of the city. I don't know if I could ever get used to some of the driving you have to do in these big cities. Of all the cities we have been to, I would say that Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago and Atlanta have the heaviest traffic. It certainly makes it hard to maneuver, especially when you are in a 37 foot RV. It was a pleasure to meet with the girls again. They entered a junior authors contest two years ago and won with their story "The Life of Dan Snyder". They worked very hard writing and illustrating their book and we are very proud of their effort. Graham gave a brief talk to their classmates after they introduced him. We were presented with school t-shirts which we will always wear with pride. We returned to Duluth just in time to catch the end of the Thrasher's practice and then got a chance to visit with a lot of the guys.
That evening, Graham was part of an on ice hockey clinic for young players that is run by the Thrashers and spoke to a group of young hockey players. He hasn't played any hockey this year and it was his first time on skates. He said he was just glad he didn't fall. The nice thing about coming back to Atlanta is visiting with all the friends we have made. I was able to go out for supper with one of those new friends Mark Holland, while Graham was at the hockey clinic. It was also time to finish cleaning out our fridge in the RV and Mark was the recipient of the contents. Graham the food police was happy he didn't have to throw anything out!!!
The next day we finished getting the RV ready to leave behind in Atlanta. We had storage arranged courtesy of Michele and Wayne Daniels. Wayne was storing the RV for us at his United Van Lines business. It was nice to know that the 37 machine was going to be safe and sound till we returned to Atlanta in February to pick it up. I finished getting everything packed up to take home. I had managed to do most of my Christmas shopping along the way and got it all organized too. I sure was glad I brought along an empty suitcase to haul everything home in. It was a tight squeeze getting the zipper closed. Before we knew it, it was time to head to the rink. Graham spoke briefly to a group of season's ticket holders and was very well received. We met a number of them when he was finished they were so kind with their words. I would like to also thank the lovely lady that gave me the gift basket with all the honey products. I'm sorry, I can't remember your name, but the honey was delicious and I would love your recipe for the lip balms. I make them too and that recipe is a good one. We also enjoyed the homemade cookies and could taste the hint of honey baked into them too. Thank you for your generosity.
The Thrashers beat the Penguins putting our home team record at 10 and 4. We are now at stop 14 with 16 to go. We stayed at an airport hotel for the night and easily made our way over to the terminal for our morning flight. I was pretty anxious to get home to see everyone and wasn't happy that we were delayed for three hours. Oh well, such is life and we made it home safe and sound for the Holidays.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season and we will be back in the New Year with reports on the next leg of our journey. Thanks to everyone for your responses to our website and most of all thanks for taking the time to read it and send your thoughts and comments along to us. I don't have time to respond to all the emails, but will try and get to as many as I can.
Graham, LuAnn, Erika, Jake and Dawn, (and our little Robbie man too)
Graham's Game Report
Dec 21, 2006
Philips Arena
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Atlanta Thrashers
Tonight was our first visit to an Eastern Conference team and a firsthand look at the newest young guns in the NHL. The Thrashers who have been either red hot or ice cold this season, were coming off a shootout win in New Jersey which had halted a five game skid. They prevailed again tonight in a 4-3 shootout win over the Penguins who have also been struggling. The Thrashers looked in control for the first half of the game building a 2-0 lead on goals by Niko Kapanen and Ilya Kovalchuk. A turnover allowed Jordan Staal to walk in all alone while shorthanded and he quickly converted the opportunity to halve the lead. Atlanta regained a comfortable 3-1 lead late in the same penalty when Slava Kozlov's wrister from near the boards eluded Thibault . Scoring sensation Sidney Crosby's tap in with 45 seconds remaining tied the game after he had assisted on Ryan Malone's goal earlier in the third period. He showed several flashes of the brilliance that should make him one of the all time greats in the game as his line at times seemed unstoppable controlling play for extended periods of time. After a scoreless overtime we saw why the Thrashers are a good bet in any shootout. Kari Lehtonen stopped both the Penguin shooters and Slava Kozlov snapped one over Thibault's glove and Marian Hossa found his five hole for a quick extra point. Kozzy is threatening to catch Jusse Jokinen's 12 of 15 shooting for the Stars as he has upped his mark to 10 of 13 in the shootout. Pretty amazing shooting stats in any league much less facing the top tenders in the world. The Thrashers look like they are playoff bound for the first time but still searching for the consistency of champions. It was great to meet up with many Thrasher friends both on and off ice this week and a fitting way to wrap up the first leg of our tour as we return home for a Christmas break.
It was a very short trip to Atlanta. It was a mere three hour drive to the north part of the city. After some of our long stretches of driving, three hours is a piece of cake. We travelled to the suburb of Marietta where we stayed for two nights and days. We had some catching up to do with paperwork and housecleaning before we headed home. It was nice to have a couple of days to relax in one spot with no travelling. We met with Chris Simpson on Tuesday and did an interview with her for Rogers Sportsnet. We have got to know Chris the past three years and she is a wonderful person. It is our pleasure to say we know her. On Wednesday morning we were at school bright and early. We went to the middle school that our young author friends attended. Darren Elliot met us at the Duluth practice facility which is where the Thrashers practice. He drove us to the girl's school which was way on the south side of the city. I don't know if I could ever get used to some of the driving you have to do in these big cities. Of all the cities we have been to, I would say that Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago and Atlanta have the heaviest traffic. It certainly makes it hard to maneuver, especially when you are in a 37 foot RV. It was a pleasure to meet with the girls again. They entered a junior authors contest two years ago and won with their story "The Life of Dan Snyder". They worked very hard writing and illustrating their book and we are very proud of their effort. Graham gave a brief talk to their classmates after they introduced him. We were presented with school t-shirts which we will always wear with pride. We returned to Duluth just in time to catch the end of the Thrasher's practice and then got a chance to visit with a lot of the guys.
That evening, Graham was part of an on ice hockey clinic for young players that is run by the Thrashers and spoke to a group of young hockey players. He hasn't played any hockey this year and it was his first time on skates. He said he was just glad he didn't fall. The nice thing about coming back to Atlanta is visiting with all the friends we have made. I was able to go out for supper with one of those new friends Mark Holland, while Graham was at the hockey clinic. It was also time to finish cleaning out our fridge in the RV and Mark was the recipient of the contents. Graham the food police was happy he didn't have to throw anything out!!!
The next day we finished getting the RV ready to leave behind in Atlanta. We had storage arranged courtesy of Michele and Wayne Daniels. Wayne was storing the RV for us at his United Van Lines business. It was nice to know that the 37 machine was going to be safe and sound till we returned to Atlanta in February to pick it up. I finished getting everything packed up to take home. I had managed to do most of my Christmas shopping along the way and got it all organized too. I sure was glad I brought along an empty suitcase to haul everything home in. It was a tight squeeze getting the zipper closed. Before we knew it, it was time to head to the rink. Graham spoke briefly to a group of season's ticket holders and was very well received. We met a number of them when he was finished they were so kind with their words. I would like to also thank the lovely lady that gave me the gift basket with all the honey products. I'm sorry, I can't remember your name, but the honey was delicious and I would love your recipe for the lip balms. I make them too and that recipe is a good one. We also enjoyed the homemade cookies and could taste the hint of honey baked into them too. Thank you for your generosity.
The Thrashers beat the Penguins putting our home team record at 10 and 4. We are now at stop 14 with 16 to go. We stayed at an airport hotel for the night and easily made our way over to the terminal for our morning flight. I was pretty anxious to get home to see everyone and wasn't happy that we were delayed for three hours. Oh well, such is life and we made it home safe and sound for the Holidays.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season and we will be back in the New Year with reports on the next leg of our journey. Thanks to everyone for your responses to our website and most of all thanks for taking the time to read it and send your thoughts and comments along to us. I don't have time to respond to all the emails, but will try and get to as many as I can.
Graham, LuAnn, Erika, Jake and Dawn, (and our little Robbie man too)
Graham's Game Report
Dec 21, 2006
Philips Arena
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Atlanta Thrashers
Tonight was our first visit to an Eastern Conference team and a firsthand look at the newest young guns in the NHL. The Thrashers who have been either red hot or ice cold this season, were coming off a shootout win in New Jersey which had halted a five game skid. They prevailed again tonight in a 4-3 shootout win over the Penguins who have also been struggling. The Thrashers looked in control for the first half of the game building a 2-0 lead on goals by Niko Kapanen and Ilya Kovalchuk. A turnover allowed Jordan Staal to walk in all alone while shorthanded and he quickly converted the opportunity to halve the lead. Atlanta regained a comfortable 3-1 lead late in the same penalty when Slava Kozlov's wrister from near the boards eluded Thibault . Scoring sensation Sidney Crosby's tap in with 45 seconds remaining tied the game after he had assisted on Ryan Malone's goal earlier in the third period. He showed several flashes of the brilliance that should make him one of the all time greats in the game as his line at times seemed unstoppable controlling play for extended periods of time. After a scoreless overtime we saw why the Thrashers are a good bet in any shootout. Kari Lehtonen stopped both the Penguin shooters and Slava Kozlov snapped one over Thibault's glove and Marian Hossa found his five hole for a quick extra point. Kozzy is threatening to catch Jusse Jokinen's 12 of 15 shooting for the Stars as he has upped his mark to 10 of 13 in the shootout. Pretty amazing shooting stats in any league much less facing the top tenders in the world. The Thrashers look like they are playoff bound for the first time but still searching for the consistency of champions. It was great to meet up with many Thrasher friends both on and off ice this week and a fitting way to wrap up the first leg of our tour as we return home for a Christmas break.
Nashville
Nashville
What a great city. We easily found the Gaylord Centre in the downtown area of the city. We weren't attending the practice so we decided to park and explore the downtown. We parked in a city lot and paid for two spaces!!! A quick walk found us on Music Row. We were going to try and find a fancier restaurant to celebrate our anniversary that day, but settled on the Wildhorse Saloon. It's a very large well known local establishment. It has a very large stage in front of a huge dance floor area. If there isn't a live band playing, they show country and western videos on the huge screen over the stage. It was pretty empty when we were there, but can get pretty full in the evening, especially on the weekends. After having one of their sampler plates (that had three kinds of barbequed meat), we walked on further to check out some of the local honky tonks but they were pretty quiet too. We found a RV campsite out near Opryland. We did check out their shuttle service and purchased tickets for The Grand Ole Opry show for the next night. Graham was happy, his favourite female entertainer Emmy Lou Harris was going to be performing. The line up was impressive. Other performers that would be appearing were: Vince Gill, The Charlie Daniels Band, Mike Snider and friends, Diamond Rio, Little Jimmy Dickens and many more. The Opry performances for the winter are also held at the Ryman Theatre right near the arena, so that was going to be a bonus to see "The Mother Church" of country music. I wouldn't say we are avid country music fans, but we do enjoy all music. The chance to see an Opry performance at the Ryman Auditorium is too good to miss.
Graham was attending the team practice this morning and since I wasn't that keen on attending, he took a taxi to the arena and I stayed at the camp and did some much needed catching up. Laundry, paperwork, cleaning. Some of my favourite things to do. NOT. But, they gotta get done. I got a lot accomplished and Graham returned by mid afternoon with Darcy Hordichuk in tow. Darcy was kind enough to give Graham a ride back to the RV park. It was nice to see him again. We had a brief visit with Darcy at the beginning of our tour, but he had to get going to catch the bus after the game in Minnesota. I was over talking to our very interesting neighbours when Graham returned. We met some fellow sports travellers. Jay and Karen and their boys. They are travelling to all the NFL cities. They are on a Tailgating Tour. It is their business. They travel to each NFL city and set up for the tailgating before the game. They quickly organize a cooking contest for the best grilled food in the parking lot. Entries are judged and the winner gets a Big gas grill and is included in their tailgating cookbook. They covered half the NFL last season and are finishing up this year. They gave us a copy of last years cookbook with the winning entries from each city they visited. Their three boys are home schooled along the way and are a big help setting up and getting organized at each parking lot. They will be finished at the end of this year's NFL schedule and will publish another cookbook from this season's travels. They donate all funds raised to the Arthritis Society. They are a fun family and it was really neat to meet them. They also have a motorized cooler that was fun to drive around. Darcy seemed to enjoy it too. After a great barbequed supper we took the shuttle bus into the Ryman Auditorium for the Grand Ole Opry performance. It was a great show and it was fun to see the performance at the historical Ryman. It was an early night to get ready for a long day tomorrow.
We headed back into the rink this morning and Graham attended the game day skate. The team arranged for us to park nearby and we went back to Music Row to do some exploring. It was nap time in the afternoon. We walked across the street early for the game and Graham was part of a live pre-game radio show. Nashville won the game in a shoot out. After the game, it was a thrill for me to meet Paul Kariya. Darcy introduced us and asked me to tell Paul my story about our little dog Spike and his favourite toy which just happened to be a Paul Kariya beanie bear. He thought it was pretty funny. He also graciously signed a t-shirt with his name and number on the back for me. It will be a treasured souvenir of our trip for me. After the game, we went back out to the music district and saw it in full swing. The hockey crowd had overflowed into the streets and the bars and honky tonks were full. There was lots of good live music, lots of refreshments, and lots and lots of people. We made our way over to Printer's Alley which is a small alley way with more live music bars. We went into a blues bar and thoroughly enjoyed the live performers. After a fun (and late) night we made our way back to the arena where we stayed in the underground loading dock area. So many of the arenas around the league have had us stay right at their facility after a game and Nashville was kind enough to have us stay with them too. We have certainly had some interesting spots to sleep for the night. I should have kept a journal of each place where we have stayed for the night. That alone would make for interesting reading. We are off to Atlanta in the morning for our last stop before we go home for Christmas. It is hard to believe we have been on the road for two and a half months. I am definitely looking forward to going home even if it is for a short time.
Graham's Game Report
Dec 16, 2006
Gaylord Entertainment Center
St. Louis Blues vs Nashville Predators
We saw the Blues for the second time in five days and after a few practices with their new coach. They were much more disciplined this time and probably deserved better than the point they earned in the 3-2 shootout loss but the Preds are a strong team coming off a 6-0 spanking of the Ottawa Senators two nights earlier. The Blues jumped out to the lead only 30 seconds into the game and began trapping almost immediately. They added a second goal on a two man advantage later in the period as Elmira native Dennis Wideman set up Doug Weight for a one timer from the point that found the back of the net. The home side battled back with a rocket from the stick of Paul Kariya midway through the second and a late solo effort from Scott Nichol with only seventeen seconds left in the second period to knot the score at two. Both teams had chances to win it in the third and overtime periods but Mason and Legace were solid between the pipes to send the game to a shootout. Kariya scored the only goal of the shootout to give the homeside the extra point.
We had a chance to catch up with Dan’s former Orlando teammate Darcy Hordichuk who is enjoying his role with this strong Nashville team. The assistant coach for the Predators is Peter Horacek who coached the Orlando team to a Turner Cup in the last year of the IHL. It was nice to remember that very special time in Dan’s career. Nashville will definitely be a team to watch in a strong Western Conference in this year’s playoffs.
What a great city. We easily found the Gaylord Centre in the downtown area of the city. We weren't attending the practice so we decided to park and explore the downtown. We parked in a city lot and paid for two spaces!!! A quick walk found us on Music Row. We were going to try and find a fancier restaurant to celebrate our anniversary that day, but settled on the Wildhorse Saloon. It's a very large well known local establishment. It has a very large stage in front of a huge dance floor area. If there isn't a live band playing, they show country and western videos on the huge screen over the stage. It was pretty empty when we were there, but can get pretty full in the evening, especially on the weekends. After having one of their sampler plates (that had three kinds of barbequed meat), we walked on further to check out some of the local honky tonks but they were pretty quiet too. We found a RV campsite out near Opryland. We did check out their shuttle service and purchased tickets for The Grand Ole Opry show for the next night. Graham was happy, his favourite female entertainer Emmy Lou Harris was going to be performing. The line up was impressive. Other performers that would be appearing were: Vince Gill, The Charlie Daniels Band, Mike Snider and friends, Diamond Rio, Little Jimmy Dickens and many more. The Opry performances for the winter are also held at the Ryman Theatre right near the arena, so that was going to be a bonus to see "The Mother Church" of country music. I wouldn't say we are avid country music fans, but we do enjoy all music. The chance to see an Opry performance at the Ryman Auditorium is too good to miss.
Graham was attending the team practice this morning and since I wasn't that keen on attending, he took a taxi to the arena and I stayed at the camp and did some much needed catching up. Laundry, paperwork, cleaning. Some of my favourite things to do. NOT. But, they gotta get done. I got a lot accomplished and Graham returned by mid afternoon with Darcy Hordichuk in tow. Darcy was kind enough to give Graham a ride back to the RV park. It was nice to see him again. We had a brief visit with Darcy at the beginning of our tour, but he had to get going to catch the bus after the game in Minnesota. I was over talking to our very interesting neighbours when Graham returned. We met some fellow sports travellers. Jay and Karen and their boys. They are travelling to all the NFL cities. They are on a Tailgating Tour. It is their business. They travel to each NFL city and set up for the tailgating before the game. They quickly organize a cooking contest for the best grilled food in the parking lot. Entries are judged and the winner gets a Big gas grill and is included in their tailgating cookbook. They covered half the NFL last season and are finishing up this year. They gave us a copy of last years cookbook with the winning entries from each city they visited. Their three boys are home schooled along the way and are a big help setting up and getting organized at each parking lot. They will be finished at the end of this year's NFL schedule and will publish another cookbook from this season's travels. They donate all funds raised to the Arthritis Society. They are a fun family and it was really neat to meet them. They also have a motorized cooler that was fun to drive around. Darcy seemed to enjoy it too. After a great barbequed supper we took the shuttle bus into the Ryman Auditorium for the Grand Ole Opry performance. It was a great show and it was fun to see the performance at the historical Ryman. It was an early night to get ready for a long day tomorrow.
We headed back into the rink this morning and Graham attended the game day skate. The team arranged for us to park nearby and we went back to Music Row to do some exploring. It was nap time in the afternoon. We walked across the street early for the game and Graham was part of a live pre-game radio show. Nashville won the game in a shoot out. After the game, it was a thrill for me to meet Paul Kariya. Darcy introduced us and asked me to tell Paul my story about our little dog Spike and his favourite toy which just happened to be a Paul Kariya beanie bear. He thought it was pretty funny. He also graciously signed a t-shirt with his name and number on the back for me. It will be a treasured souvenir of our trip for me. After the game, we went back out to the music district and saw it in full swing. The hockey crowd had overflowed into the streets and the bars and honky tonks were full. There was lots of good live music, lots of refreshments, and lots and lots of people. We made our way over to Printer's Alley which is a small alley way with more live music bars. We went into a blues bar and thoroughly enjoyed the live performers. After a fun (and late) night we made our way back to the arena where we stayed in the underground loading dock area. So many of the arenas around the league have had us stay right at their facility after a game and Nashville was kind enough to have us stay with them too. We have certainly had some interesting spots to sleep for the night. I should have kept a journal of each place where we have stayed for the night. That alone would make for interesting reading. We are off to Atlanta in the morning for our last stop before we go home for Christmas. It is hard to believe we have been on the road for two and a half months. I am definitely looking forward to going home even if it is for a short time.
Graham's Game Report
Dec 16, 2006
Gaylord Entertainment Center
St. Louis Blues vs Nashville Predators
We saw the Blues for the second time in five days and after a few practices with their new coach. They were much more disciplined this time and probably deserved better than the point they earned in the 3-2 shootout loss but the Preds are a strong team coming off a 6-0 spanking of the Ottawa Senators two nights earlier. The Blues jumped out to the lead only 30 seconds into the game and began trapping almost immediately. They added a second goal on a two man advantage later in the period as Elmira native Dennis Wideman set up Doug Weight for a one timer from the point that found the back of the net. The home side battled back with a rocket from the stick of Paul Kariya midway through the second and a late solo effort from Scott Nichol with only seventeen seconds left in the second period to knot the score at two. Both teams had chances to win it in the third and overtime periods but Mason and Legace were solid between the pipes to send the game to a shootout. Kariya scored the only goal of the shootout to give the homeside the extra point.
We had a chance to catch up with Dan’s former Orlando teammate Darcy Hordichuk who is enjoying his role with this strong Nashville team. The assistant coach for the Predators is Peter Horacek who coached the Orlando team to a Turner Cup in the last year of the IHL. It was nice to remember that very special time in Dan’s career. Nashville will definitely be a team to watch in a strong Western Conference in this year’s playoffs.
Weekly Travel
Weekly Travel
It was an uneventful drive leaving St. Louis. Interestingly enough, we crossed the Mississippi River at St. Louis Missouri and were in East St. Louis Illinois. It seemed funny that we started in Chicago and were back in Illinois. The State of Missouri is bordered by five other States. It is no wonder then that it is the gateway to the east and the west.It seemed like a very short drive to the southern part of the State and we were in Kentucky. We stopped at Paducah for the night and enjoyed a great meal on the barbeque. We were up in the morning and it was a very, and I mean very short drive through the western part of Kentucky. We were quickly in Tennessee for our second time on this trip. Our destination was Nashville and we had lots of time to get there before the game on the 16th.
It was an uneventful drive leaving St. Louis. Interestingly enough, we crossed the Mississippi River at St. Louis Missouri and were in East St. Louis Illinois. It seemed funny that we started in Chicago and were back in Illinois. The State of Missouri is bordered by five other States. It is no wonder then that it is the gateway to the east and the west.It seemed like a very short drive to the southern part of the State and we were in Kentucky. We stopped at Paducah for the night and enjoyed a great meal on the barbeque. We were up in the morning and it was a very, and I mean very short drive through the western part of Kentucky. We were quickly in Tennessee for our second time on this trip. Our destination was Nashville and we had lots of time to get there before the game on the 16th.
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