Last night Anne and I went to see a hockey game.  I got free tickets through work.  My boss and a few of my co-workers joined us at the game.  The Saint Louis Blues were hosting the Calgary Flames.  This was my second NHL hockey game and Anne’s first.  My first hockey game was a few weeks earlier.  In that game, our work group had the company sky box.  In this game we were in regular seating.  As the angle of this post’s photo suggests, we were rather high up. 

Don’t get me wrong the box was great, who wouldn’t like free food and beer.  It is a great place to have a party.  In the box though, the hockey game was almost a distraction to the party going on.  Almost like it was on TV, which of course it was.  Sitting in the regular seats, the game was more omnipresent and so was the crowd.

Years ago, I had the privilege to take Anne (and Kayak Woman) to her first professional baseball game.  That baseball game was a much better game, at least for the home team (the Tigers won by 10+ runs), then last night’s hockey game.  The Blues lost last night, 6-3.  Don’t get me wrong, win or lose, I still enjoyed the game.  I enjoyed the spectacle of the game, with all of its ancillary attractions.  In between two periods they had audience members playing musical chairs, using inflatable chairs, on the ice.

About this post’s title, there were at least three knock down fights in the game.  Knock down being the operative verb.  The referees would stand about the combatants, as they whaled on each other, until one of the two went down.  At this point all of the referees would intervene.  Apparently this is all part of the NHL’s Marquess of Queensberry rules.  As the fate of the hockey game became more apparent, the fans took heart with the out come of these fights.  The Blues player seemed to win all of the fights.  I took a lot of video of the game, plus video of our Metrolink commute.  I hope to get two Marquis Productions out of this night.