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On November 26th, 2010 I caught a hockey game at the Civic Centre. It was a game between the Ottawa 67’s and the Niagara Ice Dogs and I have it written here in my ticket book that Ottawa won 3-2 in overtime. Hooray for the home team.
It’s safe to say that I remember nothing specific about this game and why should I? I’m a proper Canadian lad; if you put together all the street-hockey games, the countless evenings watching my brother play in every league from pee-wee on up, the smattering of NHL games, high school games, growing up seeing every Moncton farm team at the Coliseum whether they were called the Alpines, the Hawks or the Golden Flames, well, if you put them all together you’d probably find that I’ve seen hundreds of hockey games in my life, and hopefully I’ll see hundreds more.
So unless something extra-special happens, unless there’s something unforgettable like when I saw Canada win Olympic gold, or when I watched Auston Matthews score four goals in his first NHL game, unless there’s something to make the game stand out it’s just another game. Don’t get me wrong; this is hockey we’re talking about so “just another game” is still a chance to watch the best sport in the world. Be it seasoned pros or infants on ice, hockey is generally a joy to behold.
One thing I can say with certainty is that I had a lot of fun at this game; I’ve really enjoyed every game I’ve seen at the Civic Centre, though I haven’t seen many. The players might not yet have developed the finesse seen in the NHL but they are invariably young, hungry and working hard, and the venue (or is it the league?) is also working pretty hard to keep the crowd entertained and engaged. It’s homey, honest, down-to-earth hockey, and it’s fun.
One of these days I should actually buy a ticket to one of these games.
Todd Man Out 