The Hockey State

13th October, 2011

I have always wanted to see a live ice hockey game. My favourite game at one point in my life was NHL '99. It was the first game I got for the Nintendo 64. I remember playing with the Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings or, my favourite, the New York Rangers. I had never heard of Minnesota Wild because they did not exist until 2000 so weren't in the game.

Ice hockey is a pretty big thing in MN because of all the snow and ice they have, I guess. I heard that the season had just started so I thought it would be a great opportunity to see a live game. I knew that I was free tonight so I booked a ticket. I didn't know who they were playing until I got the ticket. They were playing the Edmonton Oilers, a Canadian team (because it is a Canadian and American competition).

So tonight I went along to see the fastest team sport. Like the baseball game I saw in Chicago last year, there was always something going on. Every time the game was stopped (and this happened a lot), there was music, games or announcements. There is a lot of audience participation with a number of competitions, some karaoke and lots of things to try and get the crowd going. Despite all of this, the game did seem a little long.

Games last 60minutes. There are three periods. The game is stopped frequently though. About 3 times every period, the game is stopped to sweep up the loose ice. Also if it is a draw, there is 5 mins of overtime followed by a shoot-out. The game was exciting at times but like all other American sports, there are too many stoppages. I prefer flowing games like football, hurling or rugby. The pitch also seems very cluttered so it is very hard for good chances to emerge. Th goal is so small and the goalkeeper so big (with all the padding), it's a wonder they score at all. I was at a low-scoring game, which ended 1-1.

A nice thing was that I got more bang for my buck because I got to see overtime (where they play with 5 instead of 6 players) and a shoot-out which Minnesota Wild won. Overall hockey is probably my favourite American sport but a cluttered field really disrupts the flow of the game, I think.