Excitement, Heartbreak, And Inconsiderate Fans

As you know from my previous posts, the Jackets made the playoffs. It is a long awaited accomplishment, since the CBJ had yet to make the playoffs after they became a franchise in 2000. Travis and I were lucky enough to snatch tickets to the first ever Stanley Cup playoff game at Nationwide Arena.

Tickets were not easy to get and prices were high. Travis (a long-time devoted fan of CBJ) waited in line at the ticket office from 11:30 a.m. 6 p.m. to get discounted Rush CBJ tickets... a.k.a. 250 tickets that are sold an hour before game time and are a little cheaper with a school i.d. I had class and an exam, otherwise I would have waited with him ;-) ;-)

The Arena District was absolutely crazy! Fans started gathering at the bars, restaurants and tents at about 2:30 p.m. Inside the arena, everyone was full of energy and anticipation in waiting for the puck to drop. There was constant cheering and loud pump up music during the pregame. It was definitely a fun atmosphere to be a part of.

My one pet peeve about sporting events is the loud mouth, inconsiderate, drunk 'fans'. They make themselves look like idiots and start verbal fights with fans of the opposing teams. I get the excitement of being at the game, but it is not necessary to interrupt the experience of others. Most of the time, it happens in the upper bowl seats which is exactly where we were.

Even though the Jackets are not playing to their potential and falling short of a win, I still have hopes for a victory in game 4. Thanks to Trav's Dad and Step Mom, we get to experience the 2nd playoff game just rows from the ice. Let's go Jackets!