Hawks-Canes game, now with pictures!

by hawksfan21 on Feb 1, 2010 11:04 PM CST Comment 29 comments

(Reposted with a few edits from my own blog, but I figured a few people here might find it interesting. Or not. If that's the case, just leave a few comments about how I suck. No insult too offensive!)

My dad flew in for the weekend, and we had all kinds of grand plans in mind- golf in the morning, Hawks at night! Except then it snowed a whole lot. Not entirely golf weather.
We decided to get seats closer to the ice than our normal 300 level seats, and we wound up right behind the Hawks bench. There were a few things I noticed that I had never seen before. Up there with the rest of the peasants, it's hard to see what's really going on. Perhaps some pictures will do the trick?

Obviously I had never seen water bottles before, and was very intrigued.

If this game had been on NBC, here's where Pierre McGuire would be ruining everyone's enjoyment of the game.

This picture was taken shortly after the equipment manager gave Buff something to chew on. Gum? Tobacco? Hard to say. Also, he may or may not look like a rooster in this picture.

I had a hard time watching a game without someone constantly complaining "Campbell sucks!" every two minutes. But I could get used to it.

Brent Sopel is actually much uglier up close. Somehow, he evaded capture by my camera. Brent Sopel- the Loch Ness Monster?

The Q-Stache is oh so much more imposing in person. When Q turns around and looks you in the eyes, you'll know exactly what being seconds from death feels like.

"So you see, Steeger, that's how you make love to a woman!" (When I first tried to take the picture, Madden was gesturing wildly with his arms, so the caption would have worked a lot better, but too late, I was already committed to it in my mind)

For a brief second after Hossa's goal, I was convinced Brent Sopel scored it. This picture was intended to be titled "Last Thing I See Before a Heart Attack" but then Hossa was credited with the goal, and cats and dogs resumed warring.

"People are upset that they did WHAT?!"

Sippin' on some Haterade.

Juuuust the two of us...

The Original Mr. Handsome

Funny, I seem to remember we had a savior with a beard... all Hossa can manage is a soul patch?

Blackhawks' assistant coach John "Frankentorch" Torchetti had his game face on the entire time. The frightening thing was that when he went to yell instructions to players on the bench, he seemed to turn around, almost so he was looking me dead in the eyes. I had no idea what he was saying but I made a point of backchecking much harder on the next play.

"Man, you should hear what me and Duncs were doing in OUR limo..."

Blue Steel.

I'm guessing that if Jonathan Toews' hockey career doesn't pan out, he can probably get a job as a Dementor. Notes and Observations

As cool as it was to be so close to the action, it's not quite so fun having the coaching staff/ training staff/players blocking your view the whole game. I'll take the 300 level in the future, please.
The crowd at the game was pretty small- below 7,000. As someone familiar with driving in the snow, getting to the game wasn't a very big problem for me. However, for a native of NC without much experience, I could see why it'd be enough to keep you from the game. There was not a plowed street in sight, the roads were fairly icy, and the whole state pretty much shuts down.
I disagree strongly with the notion that Carolina isn't a strong hockey market, especially considering where they are this season in the standings. One thing about the Canes that was very noticeable from the beginning was that they market very heavily towards a family experience at games. You can see that from their commercials, you get that vibe from being in the stadium, and as a matter of fact their normal national anthem singer is a young girl (who missed the game because she got into a sledding accident). They're trying to build the market from the youngsters on up so that by the time they're irritating 20-somethings like me, they'll be filling the RBC Center just like they have since they were kids. Much better idea than Phoenix who tried to fill an arena with snowbirds from Chicago and Canada.
The fan experience more than anything else was ruined by... you guessed it, a Hawks fan. You don't go into another man's home, sleep with his wife, insult his children, and drink all of his beer (so that's why my uncle isn't allowed at family Christmas anymore). This clown decided to irritate all of the Canes fans around us, who were beyond friendly. I understand it must be tough to only see your favorite team once a year tops, but you have to account for the fact that they may not win when you see them. Does it do any good to repeatedly yell "If you want to win the CUP you have to beat teams like this!!!!"? I remember absolutely zero Stanley Cup Champions who went 82-0-0 . I was hoping that Quenneville would jump over the glass and choke the guy to death with his mustache.
I'm a big fan of the Blackhawks Ice Crew, but the Hurricanes' incarnation, the Storm Squad, made all of those girls look like me with a wig on. Pictures didn't do them justice, but here's one anyhow.

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awesome seats!

And hilarious commentary. :P Love the pics too.

Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.

by chiblackhawks on Feb 2, 2010 8:29 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I was just gonna say that!

Thanks for the insider info. ;) Saw you and your dad on TV quite a bit, too.

2009 SCH Post Whore
2010 Troll Collector

by Trixietrx on Feb 2, 2010 8:34 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Seconded!

Your comments were hilarious, my boss is wondering why I’m laughing like a loon at my desk. I bet that is a good experience to have once, but only once. I would’ve had a hard time keeping myself from telling Q to wait for the whistle before he stands up.

by Katherine215 on Feb 2, 2010 9:32 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly! My dad’s comment was “these guys in suits keep blocking my view!” But we all fell in line after a Frankentorch Death Glare or two. He’s actually more intimidating than Q.

According Twomey

by hawksfan21 on Feb 2, 2010 10:10 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I could see the difference in your backchecking on the next shift

Torch did his job well.

by Katherine215 on Feb 3, 2010 9:13 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

This picture actually made me think of you, Trixie. From the looks of it, Barker is skating towards the bench and everyone else has decided they have had enough of the bench.

Hard to miss my dad with that green jersey and pink hat. What can I say? He loves to stand out.

According Twomey

by hawksfan21 on Feb 2, 2010 10:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Judging by your pictures from BlackhawksDL I’d say you had better seats for watching the game. I missed a great deal of what went on on the ice, but there was some fun stuff to see on the bench. For example, during the national anthem Madden was engaging in some kind of kissing/licking/biting the top of his helmet. Not sure if this is a good luck thing or not.

According Twomey

by hawksfan21 on Feb 2, 2010 10:10 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

probably just remembering that limo…

All right, come on, dummy, you won the game. Come on. Pick up your trophy.

by meeshak on Feb 2, 2010 10:18 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I love how the picture of Q's death stare was immediately preceded by VERSTEEG! skating to the bench.

I’m guessing he’s about to say something along the lines of “Dump the fucking puck in deep!”

by HungryHungryPanda on Feb 2, 2010 9:07 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

If the guy with the Storm Squad

is part of the crew, that might explain why the ice was so bad.

Sucker! Competitive violence, that's why you're here!

by cdz3210 on Feb 2, 2010 9:18 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Sweet...

Great write-up and pictures.

by XxMJ20xX on Feb 2, 2010 10:49 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

good stuff

thanks for sharing.

"In an ideal world I would have all 10 fingers on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching."

by hackerar on Feb 2, 2010 1:17 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

thanks

Interesting to see everything from that angle; liked the captions as well. Judging from a few of your photos it looked like there were more than a few other Hawks fans there with you…in addition to the d-bag one you encountered.

by K_Dog on Feb 2, 2010 2:56 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

The Hawks fans were out in large numbers. We stayed at different hotels Friday and Saturday night, and both of them had a rather large Hawks contingent staying there. I guess there are a lot of transplants from all over the place down in NC, and Chicagoans probably fit in that group as well.

According Twomey

by hawksfan21 on Feb 2, 2010 10:29 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

pretty cool stuff, mang

by WirtzGMnomore on Feb 2, 2010 3:11 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

so jealous of your seats

thanks for sharing your pictures and thoughts!

by gmh on Feb 2, 2010 4:03 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

good stuff

I won’t lie, I’m jealous you did this, because I considered a fanpost documenting my trip to the Pittsburgh game in Dec. or Boston game in Jan., but didn’t know if anyone would care, so I didn’t post anything. I always take a couple hundred photos at any ballpark or arena that’s new to me, and a few turn out nice.

oh, and I’m also jealous of your seat, because I only get closeups during warmups (and the few minutes I sat next to my friend w/a better seat in Boston when his friend left early). but it is a trade-off of getting better shots of the players vs. getting a better view of the game…

a little chippy: a blog, mostly hockey
SCH's Resident Goalie Fixation Specialist

by KofC on Feb 2, 2010 4:12 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

oops, that’s two comments titled “good stuff.” I’d retitle mine “that was delightful” if I could…

a little chippy: a blog, mostly hockey
SCH's Resident Goalie Fixation Specialist

by KofC on Feb 2, 2010 4:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

You're comment is much better than mine though...

I’ll change the title of mine to “I extend my gratitude for your exceptional post…..with a three word comment”

"In an ideal world I would have all 10 fingers on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching."

by hackerar on Feb 2, 2010 5:18 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I’m uptight about having the same subject line as someone else’s post, too. Most people wouldn’t notice though…I didn’t. But now that you pointed it out to everyone…

P.S. I like your new signature ;)

by K_Dog on Feb 2, 2010 5:57 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I find most of the fanposts to be worth reading, unless they suggest we should trade Kane or some such nonsense. If you threw any up there about your trips, I would happily read them.

I plan on going to a couple more road games this year (LA, ANA, and PHX), and while spending a lot less time taking pictures, I hope to get a feeling for what their fanbase is like. If I find anything interesting, I will probably turn it into a fanpost. Though with Phoenix, I can likely post an interview with every Coyotes fan in attendance… all six of them.

According Twomey

by hawksfan21 on Feb 2, 2010 11:06 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Very neat.

If I had had those seats, I probably would have worn out my battery taking pictures. I bet taking those pictures were a nice distraction from the actual game.

Oh, and the 12 year old boy in me is greatly amused by the EAGER LADD shot.

"FACEOFF!" "Makes the pass." "FIGHT!" - 8 bit hockey

by chevrier30 on Feb 2, 2010 8:28 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I wish I had noticed Eager Ladd at the time I took it, sadly I’m not quite that observant.

I would have taken more pictures, but I was borrowing my sister’s pink camera. I knew there was a chance I’d be on camera behind Coach Q’s Mustache Revue at some point, and with that camouflaged pink hat I was certain my dad would be caught on camera. So naturally, I tried to blend in so we didn’t have to be subjected to a “Hawks Fans Don’t Look Like Hawks Fans Should” column by Mr. Rick Morrissey.

According Twomey

by hawksfan21 on Feb 2, 2010 10:58 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Very cool

I’ve always wanted to be that close to the game… i’ve been about 15-20 rows back before and I think that may have been perfect (no coaches blocking the view). I’m curious though, when you were that close could you hear what players were saying either on the bench or when they were on the ice? I know when I’ve sat really close you can hear when someone is really yelling for the puck or something but I’d love to hear some of the quieter discussions…

Second City Hockey

by Matthew Dirt on Feb 3, 2010 12:11 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

15-20 sounds great

i was 9 back for a play-off game last April, and that was too close. the glass warped my view of a large part of the rink.

All right, come on, dummy, you won the game. Come on. Pick up your trophy.

by meeshak on Feb 3, 2010 12:34 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

That’s actually what I was hoping for, but it didn’t happen. I think the glass was a little thicker than normal though, but I could be wrong as it’s a total guess.

One thing I did notice is after the first goal, Q took a lineup card out of his pocket and wrote “1R.” The interesting thing is his lineup card wasn’t full of scratchouts and arrows indicating he had completely changed his lines. How very un-Q

According Twomey

by hawksfan21 on Feb 3, 2010 8:47 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

101 row 12 at the UC

was perfect. The place I manage now has more Sam Adams varieties than I would prefer, but when they offered the seats I couldn’t say no.
They were just high enough to eliminate the obstructions

by 300LevelBleacherBum on Feb 6, 2010 8:32 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Great pictures and the comments were hilarious. Thanks for the nice comments about the Canes fans as well. Hope you’ll find your way back to the RBC again.

Live & Learn

by Cathye on Feb 3, 2010 11:46 AM CST reply actions 0 recs