This post has been on the back burner for a while but it's finally getting written, not because I've been suffering from writers block, it's mainly from the fact that I'm a lazy bastard. I have realized that I have only 4 more days to kill my 30 for 30 list, and I have yet to blog about several of the things I've recently done.
One item on the list was #18 Attend A Las Vegas Wranglers Hockey Game, this one started off as attending a UNLV BB game, but sadly my schedule didn't allow for that to happen (one of the drawbacks to working in a sportsbook). So I had to modify it to attend a Hockey Game.
I grew up in MN, but honestly didn't even know Hockey existed until middle school. One of the first times I went ice skating my mother broke her ankle in 2 places and I didn't really want to be on the ice again. It wasn't until years later that I discovered how insane watching live hockey is. I was too old to really learn the game as a player, but I became a dedicated fan of my High School Team. I then moved to several non-hockey communities (plus the stars leaving MN) so hockey kind of took a back burner in my life, but that all changed when I moved to Vegas.
The Las Vegas Wranglers are a ECHL hockey team, these guys will probably never go pro, most of them have side jobs during the off season to make ends meet, but I can tell you from first hand experience, they play the game with a passion unlike many others. If you go to an ECHL game you might not see the most technically superb hockey, but you will see some fights, some goals, and you will have fun.
I went with a few friends to a home playoff game a few weeks ago. I was quite shocked to see that there was probably no more than 1,000 fans in attendance (they announced a number higher but I don't think that was accurate), but the sparse crowd did let us score some amazing seats. The game was against The Idaho Steel Heads, and while it was a Triple OT Thriller, sadly the Wranglers lost. While we may not have won, I can honestly say it was a fun time, and I will be checking out more games next year.
Seats On The Glass...Not Too Shabby
Bob Wishing He Was On The Ice Not In The Stands
Sailor Jerry and Sugar Free Redbull always takes the sting out of a loss