My original plan for today was to fly to Pittsburgh in the morning, attend the Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers game and fly back to Chicago after the game. That plan was changed when the game, originally scheduled for 1:00 pm ET, was changed to a 4:15 pm ET kick off – meaning I could no longer make my 6:50 pm ET flight back to Chicago.
With my trip to Pittsburgh cancelled, I took in the best event in Chicago today – the Detroit Red Wings were visiting the Chicago …

After the Chicago Bears game, I took the CTA train back to our house to pick up the Ultimate Sports Wife, go to a holiday party near our house and then drive down to the United Center for the Blackhawks game – ah, the conveniences of living in the city.
Obtaining TicketsWhen I called Blackhawks Jim to invite him and his wife to the Packers and Bears game, he said he had his usual four seats in the lower level for the Blackhawks game. So after a simple trade of tickets, …

There was drama both on and off the ice last night as the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Colorado Avalanche.
Obtaining TicketsBlackhawks Jim, who buys his tickets from a friend, invited me to the game. His tickets are in Section 120, Row 11 which was the only reason why I could participate in any off ice drama.
On Ice DramaBefore the game Blackhawks Jim mentioned that both games between the Blackhawks and Avalanche this season have gone to a shootout. Thus, he thought this game would be close. I did …

I was back at the United Center last night for the Chicago Blackhawks game versus the Minnesota Wild to see Martin Havlat’s return. The Blackhawks defeated the Wild 3-1 as Patrick Kane scored the 50th goal of his career in spectacular fashion. Minnesota became the first team since Pittsburgh in 1996 to earn zero points in their first eight road games.
I had planned to attend this game for awhile since Hospitality Jim of the Arsenal boys was in town with his family.
Pre Game DiningSince Hospitality Jim has a …

Last night the Vancouver Canucks were back at the United Center for the first time since losing Game 6 of the second round series against the Chicago Blackhawks 7-5 as the Blackhawks advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
Last night’s game was different as the Blackhawks could not hang onto a 2-1 lead in the third period giving up two goals to the Canucks at 7:44 and 4:42 left in the game. The Canucks won 3-2.
ParkingOnce again I parked for free along the 2100 block of W. Warren Blvd. …

For the first time in ten days, I was attending two games in as many days in the same city.
Pre Game DiningSince there was nowhere to eat around the arena before the game Friday night, I chose to eat at Zetor before getting on the train to Hartwall Areena. Zetor is just a couple of blocks from the Helsinki train station. The restaurant was recommended by Let’s Go as a good Finnish restaurant. I was disappointed with the “Finnish” meal I ordered at Zetor but overall the …

Even though my plane was on time I did not arrive at the hotel until 5 pm. After checking in, I left for the game immediately which started at 7 pm. In order to get to Hartwall Areena, I took the train from the main Helsinki train station to the Pasila train station (the first stop after the main train station). I paid for my ticket (2 euros) but quickly realized that there was no reason to buy one since nobody would actually check my ticket on …

From the start of the day, Game 4 had a different feel than the other Chicago Blackhawks playoff games I have attended. First, it was the first afternoon game of the playoffs. The Blackhawks usually play Sunday afternoon games during the regular season but the weather is cold and on this Sunday it was warm.
Obtaining TicketsWhile searching for Game 3 tickets on Friday afternoon, I also bought my ticket for Game 4 on Sunday. While searching ads on craigslist.org, I found an advertisement that was selling his …

For the first time since 1995, the Blackhawks hosted a Western Conference Finals game (that series also happened to be against the Detroit Red Wings).
Obtaining TicketsI had planned to meet up with Blackhawks Jim at the game since he already had a ticket in his regular seats. However, since his wife and daughter and the Ultimate Sports Wife also wanted to attend, I needed to buy four tickets. I considered buying Standing Room Only tickets, but with four people it is next to impossible to find four seats …

In what had to have been one of the most exciting NHL games I have ever attended, the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 7-5 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals. The Blackhawks advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1995.
This was the third NHL series clinching game I have attended. The other two came on May 19, 1995 as the Blackhawks defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 and May 7, 2007 as the Detroit Red Wings defeated the San Jose Sharks …