Around 3:45 pm yesterday, the Ultimate Sports Wife checked her Facebook account and noticed that my cousin’s status read “Carl is going to the Hawks game!!” Having wanted to go to the Blackhawks game myself and get together with my cousins, I called Carl’s father, Jim, and asked if he was going as well. He was, as well as his wife and Carl’s girlfriend. Nicole realizing that her checking of Facebook was leading her directly to the Blackhawks game added “I don’t think I will state anyone’s status to you anymore!”

Pre Game Dining
The plan was to meet our cousins at The Beer Bistro, located at 1061 W. Madison St., before the game. We were able to park our car for free on Madison St. just outside our meeting place. The Beer Bistro has over 140 beers to choose from as well as a free shuttle to the United Center (if the shuttle is there as you leave). As we were leaving for the game, the shuttle was just coming back to pick up more passengers so we hopped onboard.

Obtaining Tickets
We needed to buy three tickets since we were also going to the game with foxsoccer.com’s Jamie Trecker. Since we arrived after game time we had to buy tickets from scalpers. Ticket Buying Tip: Most fans with extra tickets will not wait around after the puck drops to sell or give away their tickets.

The scalpers would not accept $20 for three tickets, even though there were no other buyers. We ended up paying $35 for three singles for the sold out game. Since we were planning to sit with our cousins in Section 120, we just needed to buy tickets to get into the game. We did not care where the seats were or whether they were together.

The Game
The Blackhawks defeated the Nashville Predators 3-1. We were able to find three seats in Section 121 through a guy my cousin played hockey with – he even gave us his extra tickets so we would have no problem getting passed the ushers.

Post Game Dining
After the game, we ate burgers at Billy Goat Tavern located on the corner of Ashland Ave. and Madison St – only a few blocks from the United Center. We then walked a few more blocks back to our car outside of The Beer Bistro.