I discovered that I loved watching ice hockey in college. Seeing the game in person is SO much better than watching on TV… though I confess I hate the atmosphere of most professional sports venues, with the constant, ear-splitting barrage of music and ads. It even happens at baseball games now, though it seems worse at indoor events. I long for the old days, when there was a little peace and quiet in between the moments of frenzied excitement. But then I’m old. (You kids get off my lawn!)
By the way, I think we need a photo of Pete in his new jacket. 😊
I wish I had thought to go watch ice hockey in college! Clever Martin.
Since I don't go to pro sports games very often, and never watch them on TV, I haven't gotten sick of the noise, although I am the kind of person who probably wouldn't like it much if I had to deal with it all the time.
I'll see what I can do about the photo of Pete in his jacket; It's currently too cold for him to wear it.
Oh wow this is a column for John, Sabrina! He is a huge fan of ice hockey, both as a former amateur player and as a follower of several teams now (Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres). We didn’t get to go to a Kraken game when we were in Seattle last April but hope to go to one in the future - what a fantastic light show! I had never been to a hockey game until I moved to Rochester in the 1980s where we have a very popular AHL team named the Amerks, a farm team to the Buffalo Sabres. Going to these games a few times a year is a lot more approachable than the NHL games, with a more down home feel than the NHL games. I tried learning to skate as an adult in my 50s and was not successful but John loves to skate recreationally. I’ll ask him to explain how to skate backwards! And to answer your question, not every hockey game has or ends in a fight….and I think there are fewer now than there were in years past. Thanks for the fun post!
PS we did go to the Kraken store last spring and came away with some fun swag - in fact I wore my light blue Kraken fleece headband to walk the dogs yesterday morning!
Glad this one resonated with you Martha! Of course living in the North, there is a lot more hockey in your neck of the woods than sunny California where we grew up. Glad to hear you get to go to the farm team games! I love going to baseball farm team games for the same reason.
Our Canadian said that most ice hockey games he went to involved fights, but good to hear that is not your experience. And very happy to hear you got some Kraken swag too! They have great colours :).
Yes, it was your brother's games that introduced me to ice hockey Beth! Many memories indeed with your family, and learning about life with brothers, and brothers' friends :)
Sounds like you are doing justice to your trip! We have also been in US, but on east coast (I just attended a big conference in DC). Spent Thanksgiving at KC's cousin's home in NJ. This was a real NY experience! I have never attended a hockey game.
Sounds like you have been enjoying some new experiences too! How fun! Keeps our minds nimble to try new things. Was that the AGU conference? We used to go to that one when it was in San Francisco every year. Hope you have/had a safe trip back home.
We must have missed each other many years running! Not going to fret about that now, but that is too bad to have missed the chance to see each other. Such a frenetic conference, though, with all the thousands of people, and so many folks to try to catch up with each year...
Great post to remind me of getting swept up in a game. I often go thinking I don't really care who wins or loses because watching people entertains me. But quickly I find myself cheering, jumping out of my seat, and applauding for a team I didn't care about. Hmmmm.
The crowd energy, especially when everyone comes outfitted in the team clothes, scoops me. Taking the train to the Yankees games in the Bronx thrilled me because the crowd was already excited.
I hope that happens to me here with futbol. I haven't bought my Real Madrid jersey yet I'm chagrined to say. But I will!
That is absolutely true about getting swept up in the crowd enthusiasm. Thanks for making that keen observation. It is a really fun and unique experience to be part of a crowd cheering for the same thing, hoping for an outcome that you can't control. And the outfits: it is curious why that is part of the bonding...but it certainly is! I expect to see that Real Madrid jersey very soon!
Do I go to sporting features? No. I dislike crowds, noise and strobing lights. However, before that all became a health issue (it's to do with the vestibular), I attended an international cricket match at the MCG in Melbourne. We had seats in the press box, high up, and it was wonderful.
Since then, have only attended only the kids' sports as they grew up and THE most favourite were the rowing regattas. So civilized and beautiful to watch. The squash and hockey matches were pretty good as well.
I do LOVE catching our local Indian and Pakistani community cricket matches in the summer - exciting and fun. And husband and self enjoy watching various soccer teams training through the winter, but neither of us are avid sports fans. We're pretty dull folk really...
I do not agree that you are dull in any way Prue! Being an avid sports fan is a way of life and takes a lot of time. Many of us have other things to distract us, or are not passionate about the sports. I like watching various sports now and again, and love to get engrossed during the Olympics, but that's about it. I enjoy watching many sports, but rarely seek them out. Cricket is the one game I have yet to watch fully with someone knowledgeable and patient enough to explain what is going on. I think I would love that.
As a former rower, I agree about watching rowing regattas! I had a big thrill getting passes to attend Henley Royal Regatta within the Royal Enclosure one year, a very long time ago. Sort of like a sporty Glyndebourne. 🤣
Ha! That is what everyone else was wearing, actually! But I was far less able to dress the part as I had no warning that I would be attending so my travel wardrobe was less dressy. But I did my best, and still toasted the rowers with Pimm's cup and afternoon tea.
I grew up in Minnesota and hockey was a way of life. During winter, the parks department created free outdoor ice rinks and most parks had warming houses. One such park was at the end of my street and down a wooded hill. I would sled down the hill, skate for awhile, then hike back up the hill for some hot cocoa.
Wow, that sounds amazing Jen! Its a storybook version of what winter for a kid should be. At least that is how I imagined kids who had snowy winters lived :).
I really enjoy watching ice hockey. Being from CA, as a kid I went to one SF Seals game at the Cow Palace. I was exposed to it more once I moved to MT as there were people from other northern states living here who grew up playing hockey. Side note: I don't skate well but can claim to have been on "Olympic ice" at 2 venues; Squaw Valley and Salt Lake City. When we lived in SLC we'd go to the IHL (analogous to AAA baseball) games which was really fun, because they were in the championships several years in a row. Now they have the former AZ NHL team. I definitely would have gone to Kraken games and the team existed when we lived there. We did go to one minor league game where the players were mostly "kids" (18-22 yo's) and several years away from the Pros. I've been to NFL and NBA games but not into those sports. We would go to a number of Mariners games in Seattle. Since Kathy is a knitter and they have a game (Stitch and Pitch) where all things knitting is available we would go to that one. No knitting on the field was allowed.
You have spent a lot of time at ice hockey games! And yes, the Kraken team hasn't been around very long. Their arena is pretty sweet. I guess like many pro sports, the feeder teams end up being the most fun games to go to, especially knowing that many players you see may end up in the pro team someday. I love the idea of the stitch and pitch game!
Susan, Kathy's co-worker, taught her how to knit. She can knock out a pair of socks in a day or two and takes on sweaters, shawls and mittens/gloves. Once we moved back to MT and make the trip to Seattle for S&P, I took it upon myself to challenge Susan's knitting chops and bring along some Montana themed materials for her to knit with. Having only 9 innings to create something, a swatch would suffice given the complexity of the challenge. Attached are photos (links) of some of what Susan, and Nemesia, had to work with. Yes, there were others who dabbled in knitting and were up for the challenge, thusly making it a quest for me to come up with enough material combinations for several to partake. In addition to those in the photos there was barbed wire (fence), electric fence tape, power brush bristles (from the equipment clearing the sidewalks of snow), powder (skiing) cords, fencing spikes, parachute cord, and others I don't recall. S&P_Susan-Antelope/BailingTwine.jpg S&P_Susan-Deer.jpg S&P_Nemesia-Pheasant/FlyLine.jpg
This is an amazing tale! Thanks for telling me about it. I love how you were the challenger and how creative you have been with the materials! Sadly the comments section won't publish your photo so I can't see the image you linked. Maybe try sending it via email?
I discovered that I loved watching ice hockey in college. Seeing the game in person is SO much better than watching on TV… though I confess I hate the atmosphere of most professional sports venues, with the constant, ear-splitting barrage of music and ads. It even happens at baseball games now, though it seems worse at indoor events. I long for the old days, when there was a little peace and quiet in between the moments of frenzied excitement. But then I’m old. (You kids get off my lawn!)
By the way, I think we need a photo of Pete in his new jacket. 😊
I wish I had thought to go watch ice hockey in college! Clever Martin.
Since I don't go to pro sports games very often, and never watch them on TV, I haven't gotten sick of the noise, although I am the kind of person who probably wouldn't like it much if I had to deal with it all the time.
I'll see what I can do about the photo of Pete in his jacket; It's currently too cold for him to wear it.
I was going to make the same comment. Just how cool is this jacket?
Well, cool is in the eye of the wearer. 😉
We're still waiting for a photo :)
Don't hold your breath....
Oh wow this is a column for John, Sabrina! He is a huge fan of ice hockey, both as a former amateur player and as a follower of several teams now (Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres). We didn’t get to go to a Kraken game when we were in Seattle last April but hope to go to one in the future - what a fantastic light show! I had never been to a hockey game until I moved to Rochester in the 1980s where we have a very popular AHL team named the Amerks, a farm team to the Buffalo Sabres. Going to these games a few times a year is a lot more approachable than the NHL games, with a more down home feel than the NHL games. I tried learning to skate as an adult in my 50s and was not successful but John loves to skate recreationally. I’ll ask him to explain how to skate backwards! And to answer your question, not every hockey game has or ends in a fight….and I think there are fewer now than there were in years past. Thanks for the fun post!
PS we did go to the Kraken store last spring and came away with some fun swag - in fact I wore my light blue Kraken fleece headband to walk the dogs yesterday morning!
Glad this one resonated with you Martha! Of course living in the North, there is a lot more hockey in your neck of the woods than sunny California where we grew up. Glad to hear you get to go to the farm team games! I love going to baseball farm team games for the same reason.
Our Canadian said that most ice hockey games he went to involved fights, but good to hear that is not your experience. And very happy to hear you got some Kraken swag too! They have great colours :).
This accurate description of watching ice hockey brought back years of memories watching my brothers’ games!! Those were fun times 🏒
I wondered if those were the "brothers" that Sabrina mentioned.
Yep! You remember well!
Yes, it was your brother's games that introduced me to ice hockey Beth! Many memories indeed with your family, and learning about life with brothers, and brothers' friends :)
Sounds like you are doing justice to your trip! We have also been in US, but on east coast (I just attended a big conference in DC). Spent Thanksgiving at KC's cousin's home in NJ. This was a real NY experience! I have never attended a hockey game.
Sounds like you have been enjoying some new experiences too! How fun! Keeps our minds nimble to try new things. Was that the AGU conference? We used to go to that one when it was in San Francisco every year. Hope you have/had a safe trip back home.
Yes AGU. I commonly attended it in SF through about 2019, I think.
We must have missed each other many years running! Not going to fret about that now, but that is too bad to have missed the chance to see each other. Such a frenetic conference, though, with all the thousands of people, and so many folks to try to catch up with each year...
Great post to remind me of getting swept up in a game. I often go thinking I don't really care who wins or loses because watching people entertains me. But quickly I find myself cheering, jumping out of my seat, and applauding for a team I didn't care about. Hmmmm.
The crowd energy, especially when everyone comes outfitted in the team clothes, scoops me. Taking the train to the Yankees games in the Bronx thrilled me because the crowd was already excited.
I hope that happens to me here with futbol. I haven't bought my Real Madrid jersey yet I'm chagrined to say. But I will!
That is absolutely true about getting swept up in the crowd enthusiasm. Thanks for making that keen observation. It is a really fun and unique experience to be part of a crowd cheering for the same thing, hoping for an outcome that you can't control. And the outfits: it is curious why that is part of the bonding...but it certainly is! I expect to see that Real Madrid jersey very soon!
Lordy! What a show!
Do I go to sporting features? No. I dislike crowds, noise and strobing lights. However, before that all became a health issue (it's to do with the vestibular), I attended an international cricket match at the MCG in Melbourne. We had seats in the press box, high up, and it was wonderful.
Since then, have only attended only the kids' sports as they grew up and THE most favourite were the rowing regattas. So civilized and beautiful to watch. The squash and hockey matches were pretty good as well.
I do LOVE catching our local Indian and Pakistani community cricket matches in the summer - exciting and fun. And husband and self enjoy watching various soccer teams training through the winter, but neither of us are avid sports fans. We're pretty dull folk really...
I do not agree that you are dull in any way Prue! Being an avid sports fan is a way of life and takes a lot of time. Many of us have other things to distract us, or are not passionate about the sports. I like watching various sports now and again, and love to get engrossed during the Olympics, but that's about it. I enjoy watching many sports, but rarely seek them out. Cricket is the one game I have yet to watch fully with someone knowledgeable and patient enough to explain what is going on. I think I would love that.
As a former rower, I agree about watching rowing regattas! I had a big thrill getting passes to attend Henley Royal Regatta within the Royal Enclosure one year, a very long time ago. Sort of like a sporty Glyndebourne. 🤣
A sporty Glyndebourne!
I have visions of you in a floaty chiffon dress, a beautiful picture hat, and a glass of champagne in hand as you toast the rowers!
Ha! That is what everyone else was wearing, actually! But I was far less able to dress the part as I had no warning that I would be attending so my travel wardrobe was less dressy. But I did my best, and still toasted the rowers with Pimm's cup and afternoon tea.
I grew up in Minnesota and hockey was a way of life. During winter, the parks department created free outdoor ice rinks and most parks had warming houses. One such park was at the end of my street and down a wooded hill. I would sled down the hill, skate for awhile, then hike back up the hill for some hot cocoa.
Wow, that sounds amazing Jen! Its a storybook version of what winter for a kid should be. At least that is how I imagined kids who had snowy winters lived :).
I really enjoy watching ice hockey. Being from CA, as a kid I went to one SF Seals game at the Cow Palace. I was exposed to it more once I moved to MT as there were people from other northern states living here who grew up playing hockey. Side note: I don't skate well but can claim to have been on "Olympic ice" at 2 venues; Squaw Valley and Salt Lake City. When we lived in SLC we'd go to the IHL (analogous to AAA baseball) games which was really fun, because they were in the championships several years in a row. Now they have the former AZ NHL team. I definitely would have gone to Kraken games and the team existed when we lived there. We did go to one minor league game where the players were mostly "kids" (18-22 yo's) and several years away from the Pros. I've been to NFL and NBA games but not into those sports. We would go to a number of Mariners games in Seattle. Since Kathy is a knitter and they have a game (Stitch and Pitch) where all things knitting is available we would go to that one. No knitting on the field was allowed.
You have spent a lot of time at ice hockey games! And yes, the Kraken team hasn't been around very long. Their arena is pretty sweet. I guess like many pro sports, the feeder teams end up being the most fun games to go to, especially knowing that many players you see may end up in the pro team someday. I love the idea of the stitch and pitch game!
Susan, Kathy's co-worker, taught her how to knit. She can knock out a pair of socks in a day or two and takes on sweaters, shawls and mittens/gloves. Once we moved back to MT and make the trip to Seattle for S&P, I took it upon myself to challenge Susan's knitting chops and bring along some Montana themed materials for her to knit with. Having only 9 innings to create something, a swatch would suffice given the complexity of the challenge. Attached are photos (links) of some of what Susan, and Nemesia, had to work with. Yes, there were others who dabbled in knitting and were up for the challenge, thusly making it a quest for me to come up with enough material combinations for several to partake. In addition to those in the photos there was barbed wire (fence), electric fence tape, power brush bristles (from the equipment clearing the sidewalks of snow), powder (skiing) cords, fencing spikes, parachute cord, and others I don't recall. S&P_Susan-Antelope/BailingTwine.jpg S&P_Susan-Deer.jpg S&P_Nemesia-Pheasant/FlyLine.jpg
This is an amazing tale! Thanks for telling me about it. I love how you were the challenger and how creative you have been with the materials! Sadly the comments section won't publish your photo so I can't see the image you linked. Maybe try sending it via email?
I love the smell of an ice rink. There’s nothing like it. Great writing! I was right there with you!
Thanks Amy! It really does have a very specific smell, doesn't it? I couldn't quite capture it, but I'm glad you were transported. ❤️