Hockey Night in Buffalo

Over the weekend we went down to Buffalo to see the Sabres play the Penguins. It was my first-ever NHL game which also happened to be the last game of the season and it had some playoff implications to boot. Those who know me know that I’m a baseball fanatic and that hockey really doesn’t do much for me. I was, however, excited to see a pro game for once and it definitely didn’t disappoint.

The Sabres were the NHL’s worst team this year so they were playing the role of spoiler because the Penguins were right on the cusp on making the playoffs. If Pittsburgh won, they were in, but if they lost they were in danger of their season ending earlier than they’d like. I know Pittsburgh had a good team in recent years so I had just assumed that they had already secured a spot in the playoffs but that obviously wasn’t the case.

We were in the last row in the upper bowl, but still had a great view of the entire ice. One of the first things I noticed is that you can literally be sitting in the last row and still feel relatively close to the action. If you’re in the last row in a baseball stadium it can feel like you’re years away from the action. In fact, I’ve actually sat above the foul pole at the Rogers Centre.

Another thing that stood out immediately was the pace of play. It’s more or less non-stop from beginning to end which really keeps you in the game. Compared to baseball—where you can almost leave for two hours and come back and it’s still in the fourth inning—it’s like lightning. I really did enjoy it more than I thought I would.

I was rooting for the Sabres because I like when the underdog wins, but the Penguins ended up with a 2-0 victory so they’re off to the playoffs. Maybe next year, Buffalo.