NHL Hockey -- Minnesota Wild

Over the Christmas break, my brother-in-law decided that we needed to do something fun.

He bought us some tickets to an NHL hockey game. I thought at first that this would be a big disappointment. I'm not much into hockey, but I thought I would give it a try.

The drive from Rochester to St. Paul was pretty fast. I forget how distances are so much different in small vs. big cities. I can pretty much spend the same time on the road driving to the upper part of Salt Lake City from the southern part as driving from Rochester to St. Paul.

I haven't visited St. Paul in over eight years. I was very impressed with the city. St. Paul has become a vibrant city, not the "old cesspool" that I used to see.

The Minnesota Wild reside in the Xcel Energy Center. This is a beautiful facility that really reflect the history of Minnesota hockey. For those of you that aren't from the upper Midwest of the USA, you probably don't know how fanatical we can be about our hockey. Canadians understand. Most other people don't. Throughout the facility you see jerseys, pucks, and assorted paraphernalia associated with hockey.

The venue is perfect for hockey. The acoustics are great. Even in the upper deck, I heard every slam, bam, and shot in perfect clarity. I also thought that "Wild dogs" were probably the best hot dogs I have ever had at a sporting event.

There were a few drawbacks however. It seems that the designer of the stadium decided to put people second. There were only two escalators that take "the peons" to the upper level. Otherwise you were left walking six flights of stairs with a cold beer and a "Wild dog". The bathrooms left much to be desired as well. It was simply a case of "too few holes for too many pegs".

The game was great. I think that some of the old passion that I had for hockey was reignited. I think the NHL has done a good job after the strike at trying to rebuild the fan's loyalty. I heard that the Wild has sold out every game they have had so far in THE ENTIRE FRANCHISE HISTORY.

I'm a little put off with the new rules of "sudden death" overtime. Do Americans and Canadians really need to have finality to a game? I think we have survived a long time with the traditional rule. I think the strike had a lot more to do with ego than rules.

Anyway, I think I will be going back to a Wild game again in the future. If you live near a pro hockey team, give them a look.

Minnesota Wild
Xcel Energy Center