Dartmouth Hockey

We happened upon a big hockey game in the big city, all on the heels of our bid day at the Winter Carnival. We were hoping to have supper at Boloco, but the festivities ended around 3:00, which was way too early to eat. However, we didn’t want to hang around the big city for a few hours just killing time. Our other option was to just go home, which I was fine with me, being in pain and all.

I spoke to a neighbor who was in town for the hockey game, and that presented us with another option, which excited the kids. However, men’s hockey is a big deal in this town, and we saw the masses heading to the arena and figured it was sold out.

Even still, it sounded like fun, so we checked it out. Parking was at a premium, and they had stopped letting people into the lot. Traffic was awful, and we were on the verge of giving up and just going home, when out of nowhere we found a killer parking space on the street. It was almost too good to be true, which nine times out of ten will come to fruition. I.e., we’ll get a ticket. Either way, I took it as a sign that we were going to watch this game.

The spot was about 500 feet from the arena, so we walked over, prepared for the possibility that there were no tickets left. Sure enough, the game was sold out, but they were offering standing room only tickets. We went for it, and watched the first period on our feet. The game was exciting, hockey is big stuff up here, and the match was against Princeton, which I’m told is a perennial powerhouse.

There were empty seats all over the place, so we managed to seat the kids while R and I stood behind them and watched. It was a lot of fun, and I was impressed with the crowd. Amazing number of people. I spoke with an alumni/devotee, and he said the crowd was very unusual, and a by-product of the carnival attendees.

Interestingly enough, there is a Boloco stand in the arena, as well, so not only did we get to watch the game, but we scored a few of our favorite burritos, as well. Another sign, perhaps? Dartmouth ended up winning, which I”m told was an upset, and we saw many people we knew at the game, some of whom we weren’t as thrilled to see as others, but what else is new in life?

Afterward, we walked back to our killer parking spot, the kind that you’re so happy to have found that you don’t want to move your car, and then headed home, capping off a nice day. The kids got a little crazy outside for a bit and R and I rested our tired, old and weary bones by the wood stove.

I love those moments.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Adam Klepsteen for the pic.