Hockey Stadiums

  In my previous post I had mentioned that on my still to do Bucket List, I want to see hockey games in at least half the NHL stadiums in the U.S. and Canada.  So far we've got four stadiums under our belt and plans for more.

We saw the Chicago Blackhawks in Fall 2010, a few months after they won the Stanley Cup.  I remember the stadium was packed with people going crazy over the Windy City's new champions.  The Blackhawks play in the United Center.  I like this stadium and feel that there's a decent view from almost every seat.  Outside the stadium, there isn't much to do but it's a short drive to other parts of the city for post-game partying.

In March 2011 we saw the New York Rangers play at Madison Square Garden.  Unfortunately we weren't very fond of "The Garden".  Some seats had blocked views which I didn't think was fair considering tickets were pretty expensive.  Also, I didn't like the setup where the bathrooms were in the arena with the seats so there were lines of people waiting to use the bathrooms right next to the seats.  Madison Square Garden is a historic stadium and I do recommend a visit.

In March 2012 my husband, my friend and I went to see the Ducks in Anaheim.  The area around the stadium is nice and nearby is the Angels' baseball stadium.  I liked the setup of the stadium and each seat seemed to have good views of the rink.  On our way to the stadium from Los Angeles we stopped by a couple of hockey stores and the popular In and Out Burger.  My friend suggested the "Animal Style" burgers which were as good as it gets.

 Our Tampa Bay Lightening game in January 2009 rounded out a nice Tampa Bay/Carnival Cruise trip.  My husband proposed to me at the beginning of this vacation.  Then we boarded a Carnival Cruise ship and headed to Cozumel and Grand Cayman.  When we arrived back in Tampa Bay we ended the trip with a fun Tampa Bay Lightening game.  Before the game, there was a pre-party around the stadium with food, drinks, a band, and games.  The weather was so mild compared to Chicago winter weather and we were secretly wishing that the Blackhawks could have these kind of pre-parties outside the United Center.  We both liked St. Pete Times Forum and had no complaints about the rink views from our seats. 

We're hoping the NHL players and owners are able to work out their differences in the next month so we can have a hockey season this year.  If so, our plan is to hopefully see the New Jersey Devils and NY Islanders this year and the L.A. Kings next year.