Wednesday, October 21, 2009

What were you doing at exactly 8:00 pm on Wednesday night....

I was watching them drop the puck to start the 2nd period at the Wild game, sitting in section 104, row 2, seat 15. The owner of the company I work for has season tickets, and when he can't make it, they have a drawing. They have drawings for all kinds of sporting events, and after a year and a half, I finally won. Jonathan got to see his first professional hockey game, and I got to see a pro hockey game since the North Stars played at the Met Center.


The highlight from the first period. This buy, Boogaard, who's bigger than a moose, squared off with this guy from the Avalanche. I swear, after they dropped gloves, it was about a full minute before the first punch was thrown. The refs just sat and watched as they circled around like a couple of dancers.


4.9 seconds, that's 4 point 9, left in the game, a 2-2 tie, and the glass directly in front of the announcer gets shattered during a vicious body check. Took about 15 minutes for them to clean up the mess and put in a new pane.

Another highlight---a woman 2 rows behind us took a puck that came fluttering over the glass in the right temple. For crying out loud, by the response---a bunch of ushers and eventually some EMT's---you would have thought she took a Bobby Hull slapshot right between the eyes.

The Wild pretty much dominated the first period, led 1-0; they stunk in the 2nd period, down 2-1; tied it up with about 5 minutes left in the third; and eventually won it in the shootout, when Koivu was the only player to score out of the 6 attempts.

It was a very enjoyable evening, and being able to share it with Jonathan was a big part of it. I did get a little stiff in the neck having to look almost straight up to see the videos on the scoreboard.



3 comments:

  1. Thanks for sending your North Stars to Dallas for me, its appreciated.

    Stupendous seating btw.

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  2. Back in the day when I was working the scoreboard at the Metrodome I was invited to try out for a cameraman position at the old Met Center for the North Stars. I was part of a group of guys that showed up for the audition, a North Stars pre-season game. Each period I moved to a different camera, listening to the director in my headset. Eventually I was down at ice level with Camera 5, a shoulder mounted unit, positioned in a corner behind the goal and up against the glass. Sure enough, Keith Acton came sweeping into my corner after a loose puck, a St. Louis Blue, I believe, in hot pursuit. "Get 'em, Camera 5," the director said, and I expertly framed the shot and followed the players and the puck as they swept around behind the net and into the opposite corner, my eye glued to the camera's eye-piece. Hence, I was unaware that Willi Plett was just about to slam another Blue into the glass, six inches from my head. "Great shot of the ceiling, Camera 5," the director said.

    I never heard from them again.

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  3. Lovely bird, the St. Louis Blue. Beautiful plumage!

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