How can you not be happy going to a hockey game?

On what may very well have been the rainiest day of the last decade, while a whole bunch of people with apparently no sensibilities decided to jog from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica, we decided to attend the most nerve-wracking Ducks game of the year. 

Before I start the story, let’s get the clichés out of the way: 

Ducks douse Flames 

Anaheim tramples Calgary 

Waterfowl flatten Flames 

Flames fail to cook Ducks 

Please feel free to add your own. 

First we blow Kiprusoff off the ice in the first, then we totally suck in the second – extinguishing a 3 goal lead, eventually tie it 4-4, Bobby draws a ‘déjà vu’ penalty shot in OT (fail), then Corey Perry finally nets the sudden death winner to avoid a shoot out. 

I thought I was going to have a heart attack, brain embolism and a grand mal seizure all at the same time. 

Apparently Adam Brady, the Ducks official blogger, felt the same way and posted: “I am honestly sick to my stomach with nerves,” during OT. 

Carlyle said he thought the team went “dead” in the second and I couldn’t agree with him more. The guys were skating around with their thumbs up their butts and let the Flamers own them. It seemed like the only players who were trying to make anything happen were Selanne, Perry and Ryan. Oh, and what was up with playing Parros so much in such an important game? Everyone knows how much I love our Gentleman Goon, but he doesn’t get enough ice time to be a truly effective player. Just look at his dropped passes last night. 

Are our Ducks trying to kill us with this annoying habit of owning the first period, crapping out in the second and then pulling out a win on a wing and a prayer at the last second? Every shift of every game should be played the same. Teemu Selanne has been preaching this for years and I’m starting to feel a tang of frustration in some of his comments. 

Full disclosure of the game including pics and hilights are here. 

Funnies at the game: 

The arena announcer practically tripping over his tongue trying to announce the first three goals and their assists because they happened in such rapid succession. 

After every Ducks goal, my boyfriend managed to partially obscure the TV camera. You don’t believe me? Go watch the video hilights. 

Part way through the third period, a very young boy in front of us decided to fling his hat over the railing for no apparent reason. Everyone in our section cracked up. 

And, of course, Bobby Ryan clearly living in the net! 

The good thing, though, aside from the Ducks actually winning what could have been a fiasco of mammoth proportions, is the fact that the Honda Center is a fantastic and welcoming facility. The other cool thing is that a lot of corporations purchase club level season tickets and can’t use them all. That’s where CraigsList comes in. Yes, sometimes deals that sound too good to be true are just that, but sometimes you strike gold. Redline, club level gold for less money than you would pay for premium parking. 

The best way to protect yourself from scammers and schemers is to first talk to the person on the phone and if they sound nervous or strange, just hang up. If they sound OK, ask them to scan and email or fax an image of the tickets so you can verify they are legit. Finally, always ask why they’re selling. Be friendly but firm and your best bets are large companies unloading tickets at the last minute. Heck, I got mine from the people that waterproof the Honda Center’s roof! 

Many people think the entire idea of club level is elitist BS, but as I get older and less tolerant of … well … pretty much everything; I understand exactly what it is you are paying for. Peace of mind. Leave me alone. Security doesn’t treat you like a gangbanger. The luxury of eating at a real restaurant instead of grabbing a hot dog and nachos before the game. CLEAN BATHROOMS. The big guy sitting next to you doesn’t smell like he drank a 12-pack before the game. Stella Artois instead of Bud Light. Relaxing in a comfy chair for 30 minutes after the final horn while everyone else is freaking out in the car park. 

Okay, I can’t stop myself; Calgary’s name just invites this kind of stuff: 

THE FLAMES GO DOWN IN FLAMES! 

And now for our completely unprofessional pix from the game.