Ice hockey has always been the American sport that I felt I could most get addicted to. On Monday night I got to go to my first game with the usual suspects, sports-mad Jason and Louise. The game saw the New York Rangers facing off against Minnesota Wild at the world’s most famous arena – Madison Square Garden.
Since we got our tickets virtually at the last minute, we had to basically take what was left. Though they were unsympathetically branded “Limited View – No refund or exchange”, we were optimistic that we’d be able to upgrade to better seats once the game had started. And sure enough, the entire row that we were sitting in was empty, as was the first part of the next section. So simply moving over about 10 seats ensured we had a birds eye view of the entire rink.
After the overly patriotic singing of the national anthem, the game was underway, and it wasn’t long before I noticed some striking trends. Firstly, the players (and even the refs) are amazingly good at ice skating. Having recently been skating ourselves I had an extra appreciation for just how difficult what they were doing really is, and yet the players make it look easier than walking. Secondly, though the game is very rough, the players bounce off those perspex guards like rag-dolls. Watching them slam each other into the guards is definitely a highlight of the game. Finally – the game is fast. Real fast. On many occasions I had to do a scan of the rink just to find where the puck had been hit. Watching the throng of 10 skaters speeding in the same direction is usually a give-away, though.
The only letdown in the action comes during the 17 minutes (or so) that it takes to clean and resurface the ice between each of the three periods. Given that each period is only 20 minutes, the delay is very noticable. But besides that, its pure adrenaline pumping action from go-to-woah. And since Kristy is on night shift this week, and hence had to miss the game, I have a perfect excuse to go back for a second helping.
4 comments
Sounds like it would be awesome fun – even if you don’t know all the dos and don’ts of ice hockey! <br>Are the rules similar to grass hockey?
Sorry Meegs, I don’t have a clue about the rules for grass hockey either!<br><br>From what I could tell though, the rules are basically: you can do whatever you want, except trip people with your stick. If you do that, then you’re off the rink for 2 minutes – that’s called a "Power Play".
So who won ?
Oh! Sorry – the Rangers won, 3 – 1. The final goal was scored in the dying seconds of the game, for some reason the goalie had come way out and the shot was taken from about 1/3rd the way down the field. It just drifted in, unopposed!