Little Caniacs

We got some free tickets to the Hurricanes' game on Saturday evening, so I took the kids. I wanted to take them for a while, but the games are so expensive I didn't think it was worth it considering they would not likely make it through the game. But when they were free I had to jump at the chance. Thanks Ian!

This was game 82 and they had to win it to make the playoffs. I figured that the atmosphere would be electric. It was except that about a third of the people were dressed as red seats and didn't cheer much. But the folks who were there got loud and stayed loud to support their team even though the team played terribly. It was sad to see them go out like they did. Plus, it was surreal for me to root against the Lightning after having season tickets for three years. But I wanted to get Lily and Noah engaged in the local team.

The best part for me was the player introduction time.  It is perhaps a bit trite to play "Rock You Like a Hurricane," but it works. Noah's face just lit up and he made a wonderous "o" with his mouth as the spotlights started moving around and the music started. We were sitting way way way up high, but the sound up there was incredible. It was fantastic to see how much they enjoyed just being there and taking it all in.

Lily actually got into the game a little bit. At first she was just afraid of falling out of her seat and tumbling down to the ice. We really were up high. She started to get the hang of icing and offsides. She admonished me for not cheering enough at times. It was really great for her.

Noah did well too, though of course he couldn't quite grasp what was happening. Lily at least cheered when the Canes scored, but Noah didn't quite get it. By the end he was more interested in reading the letters on our row and on the steps in the aisle than the game. We left after an empty-net goal made it 5-2 with just a few minutes to go.

Lily was not as into the Storm Squad as I thought she'd be. That's just as well. I haven't figured out why hockey needs cheerleaders either. Since it was game 82 it was fan appreciation day too. They gave away several sweaters and other miscellaneous stuff. Lily very astutely noticed that only people in the lower bowl with the good seats got free stuff. Funny how that works.