Game time!

One of the coolest things about going to the United Center for a Blackhawks game is getting there a half hour before puck-drop so that we can watch the warm-up. It doesn't matter where your seats are, you can sit down on the floor, close to the glass, and watch the hockey players warm up. We like to sit right behind the goal because the pucks come right at you, and occasionally, if you are lucky, you can grab a puck as it goes over the glass. If a player hits the puck just right, the puck will sail over the glass and won't get hung up in the netting (and if there's not a huge crowd around) and you can claim a practice puck. We got one last year. I believe it was shot over the glass by Patrick Sharp. I think so because after the kids picked it up, he skated by the glass and gave the glass a whack to get the kids' attention. Hannah was worried he wanted it back. When she realized that she could keep it, she was thrilled. So was Caleb. They took turns holding it. I'm not sure where the puck is right now, but it turns up occasionally.

Getting up close to the glass really drives home what a crazy, insane game hockey can be. One thing that I've discovered about myself is that there is no way on this green earth I would ever want to get in the way of one of those pucks. Those things hit the glass with a thunk that makes your ears hurt. George tells about the time that his father caught a puck that went over the glass back in the 1970's-- it broke his father's hand.  I'd probably play hockey the same way I play soft-ball; I'd be spending a lot of time hoping that no one hits anything my direction. The problem with this strategy is that there is no outfield in hockey.

I can't think of anywhere sweeter to watch a game than from up against the glass. Not that I'll ever get the opportunity. During the skate-around, when the teams are practicing you can go up to the glass. You can sit in the lower rows. You can stand up in front. But, you CANNOT SIT IN THE FRONT ROW. The front row seats, I've discovered, are auctioned off. The price of these seats ranges between $600 and $1000 (each!!) for a regular season game. And we mere mortals with seats up in the 300 level are not allowed to even park our rear-ends in these seats for a brief respite before the game begins. We can sit anywhere else before the game begins(until the ticket-holders show up at least) but our common heinies will never grace the   posh resting place of the gilded heinie bearers that will recline in the seats against the glass.

There are special ushers who enforce the heinie hierarchy, and they will ask you to stand up if you are seated in one of the special seats. You can stand in front of the seats. You just can't sit in the seats. Of course, behind you are many more fans, all wanting to get as close to the action as possible, so standing up in front of the seats blocks other peoples' views. If you are in that front row, in front of the special seats, and the rightful ticket holders have not yet shown up, you can stay as long as you crouch in a sort of strange, crab-like posture, knees to the sides in an awkward deep knee bend, elbows knocking against the undersides of the boards, trying not to topple over into the special chairs--if you do topple you will be swooped down upon by the special ushers who remind you (politely but firmly) that you cannot sit in the special chairs.

I really don't have much of a problem with this. I mean, who wouldn't want to sit so close to the action that you can see the players up close and personal, witness the blood and sweat, and hear their skates, and watch the puck flying towards you? And what organization wouldn't want to get as much money from that desire as possible? But every person has to prioritize their spending, and our priorities are kind of wrapped up in museum memberships, clothing, food, the mortgage...I suppose that someday I could budget for a gilded seat, but that would mean going without something else. We can see the action from up high much better than from the floor anyhow, and there's no danger of being struck by a seriously dangerous puck.

My only complaint about going to a hockey game is that there is no way to guarantee the outcome. If I can only afford one game a year (and not in the special seats by any means) my team should at least be able to guarantee me a win. That didn't happen this year. But as Caleb said halfway through the game as fists started flying, "Well, if they aren't going to win, at least we'll see a good fight."

It wasn't bad. I just wish we were closer.

Stan Mikita and the kids.