The Good Ole Hockey game

And on the fourth day there was hockey. Going to Florida this January gave me a chance to check out the phenom that is Sidney Crosby. This is probably one of the pluses of NHL expansion into the southern United States. Now die hard hockey fans like myself can enjoy some sun while watching their favourite sport. I have to admit that watching hockey in Florida is a little different than the games I have seen in Winnipeg, Minnesota, Ottawa or Calgary. There is a different type of fan at a Florida Panthers Game, but then there isn't. I think I heard as much French being spoken at the Bank Atlantic Center as I had at any game I attended at the Corel Center/Scotiabank Place. Apparently the location of the Panthers arena is very near where many of the French Canadians go during the winter months. Still this experience had its differences

The crowd wasn't too great at the game. There were a lot of empty seats and many of the fans just didn't seem to get into the game. Of course it doesn't help when you have one of the worst teams in the league, but the Pittsburgh Penguins and the league's best player were in town. There was a lot excitement around the Penguins ice during the warm ups as kids pressed themselves against the glass hoping to get the attention of Sid the Kid. It could be a good sign for hockey in Florida if there are kids like this who are excited about the game. Again they could have just been the grand kids of all the Quebecois wintering in Sunrise. So there was all this excitement about the Penguins during the pre-game, too bad they couldn't give something to the fans.


The game was dominated by the Panthers as captain and finlander Olli Jokinen scored a hat trick pacing the Panthers to a 5-2 victory. The Penguins looked sluggish out there, having played the night before. Crosby was held pointless and was less than I hoped for. I have had that experience when watching other superstars. Mario Lemieux may have had one assist the first time I saw him play. Teemu Selanne on the other hand was pretty good when I saw him play for the Winnipeg jets. Maybe I just have the luck of seeing great performances by Finns when going to NHL games. So despite the Panthers being dominant, I just never got the impression that anyone was really that excited. The guy who set off the goal horn even seemed to be a little out of it. The highlight of the game was listening to these young girls screaming at the top of their lungs every time the noise meter came up on the scoreboard. Ear piercing noise at its best.


So the game may have been a bit of a bust, but having a chance to watch NHL hockey in SoFla was still pretty fun. I'd go again. So Day 4 was a little slow, but things are about to pick up. On Day 5 me and the gang are going for a fan boat ride, with a possible gator sighting and world famous food. Stay tuned more to come on this and more as the road trip to the everglades continues.


Later