NHL Arena #33

So as I've written about on several occasions, we are huge hockey fans.  We spent from 2008-2010 traveling through Canada and the U.S. to see a game in all 30 NHL arenas.  We were pretty pleased with this accomplishment, but in the subsequent years, new arenas have opened, so we are visiting these new arenas when we can.

We went to Winnipeg for arena #31, to an Islanders game for #32, and we went to a game in Pittsburgh for #33 two weeks ago!

The Consol Energy Center is a beautiful arena and I would say overall it was a great fan experience – something that has not been the case in other arenas.  On the upside, my favorite player, Sidney Crosby, scored two goals and we had awesome seats.  Unfortunately, the final score was 4-2 in favor of the Calgary Flames, so that was disappointing because the Penguins are vying for a playoff berth.  Nonetheless, it was a super fun game and I would recommend you see a game there if you're a hockey fan!

Iceburgh

unfortunately, my cute yellow Chucks did not help propel the Pens to a victory

no trip to Pittsburgh is complete without at least one meal at Primanti Brothers

A few days prior to the Penguins game, we went to another hockey game to see the Washington Capitals host the Maple Leafs at the Verizon Center.  The tickets were a Christmas gift from my brother and sister-in-law, so we had been looking forward to the game for more than two months!

A quick glance at the NHL standings and statistics would indicate to even the most number-phobic person that for all intents and purposes, the Capitals are the best team in the NHL and the Maple Leafs are the worst team in the NHL.  Being Leafs fans, we had no delusions that Toronto would win the game; rather, we were prepared for a complete shellacking.

To our surprise and delight, the Leafs made the Caps look pretty weak.  Despite the glaringly obvious inequity in talent and skill and experience, the Leafs really held their own!  So despite a 3-2 loss, we were pretty proud of our boys!  Even though it's never fun to watch your team lose, the fact that they hung in there with the top team in the league was great!

And even if they lose, getting to see the Leafs play is always awesome!

Happy Tails to you!