Two Recent Hockey Stories I Like!

photo credit: Bridget Bennett, Las Vegas Journal Review

Golden Knights Doin' it Right...

I thought I'd check out the Las Vegas Golden Knights website just to see what's what with the NHL's newest hockey team. I was pleasantly surprised to learn the Knights made special transportation arrangements for their fans...meet the Golden Knights Express bus.

For only four dollars, return, hockey fans from outlying areas of Las Vegas have a fun and safe ride to the Knights home games this season thanks to a partnership with Las Vegas Regional Transit (you can read all about it...link to story below)

I call that doin' it right. You see, just over ten years ago, I was at another NHL city in the desert, Phoenix, Arizona. I was in town for some fun and a hockey game. The day before that game, we visited the Yotes arena (it was called jobbing.com Arena in those days) for a tour. I had a rental car for the loooooong drive to Glendale, the arena's location. During the tour I asked the sales rep if they had special transportation for fans due to the location and the whole, "if you build it, the fans will come mentality" Nope..they didn't, and as far as I can tell, they still don't! I couldn't believe it back then, the arena was so beautiful and new, yet starving for ticket buying fans. The rep even told me how many of their fans lived in Scottsdale. SCOTTSDALE??? I yelled. Literally, I yelled and said, WHY DON"T YOU BUS THEM IN????

Just think, if the Coyotes managed to pull off what the Knights have done with organizing  transportation and making it as easy as possible for fans to actually attend games, they maybe could have avoided at least some of the hell they have endured over the years. GO KNIGHTS!!!
Las Vegas Review Journal  G.N Express story


Awe, Paul Kariya !

photo: nhl.com

Recently inducted Hockey Hall of Famer, Paul Kariya met a special fan during the HHoF events last weekend.

Michelle Blackburn traveled to the induction event so she could both congratulate her fave player, and thank him in person for an inspirational letter he wrote to her as she was grappling with a breast cancer diagnosis back in 2010. Michelle has also done some serious fundraising for the fight against breast cancer. She's also from my mom's hometown, Thunder Bay, Ontario, so a big shout out to Michelle. Below is the link so you can read all about her story. GO MICHELLE!! WOOHOO PAUL KARIYA!!!        Michelle and Paul HHoF story                                          



 

Feeling Purple?

by Lisa Ovens

A funny thing happened to me Wednesday night during the third period of Game Four. It was still 0-0 on the scoreboard and I was hankering for a goal. So I tweeted, "Think I'll leave the room for a bit, in hopes it will encourage a goal to be scored." I went outside for a short walk. I walked back inside, and sure enough, not one, but two goals were scored! First the Devils broke the deadlock, and then a minute or so later, the Kings tied it up, creating a new deadlock. The Devils went on to score two more, winning the game 3-1. Then Phil Pritchard, the guy that has one of the coolest jobs ever, packed up Stanley and headed to the airport.Yes, I guess they brought the Cup out too soon (it was still o-o when they showed Cup curator, Pritchard putting it on a table somewhere in the bowels of Staples Center).

And speaking of Pritchard, who is also VP of the Hockey Hall of Fame, wouldn't this be the best contest ever...

Win the opportunity to be Phil Pritchard...

 and accompany the Stanley Cup on one of it's many journeys!!

Just another way the Hockey Hall of Fame could engage us. Anyway, Game Five takes place in New Jersey on Saturday June 9th...which seems so far away. I can imagine Kings fans will take this time to relax a bit. I can imagine everyone was on pins and needles right up until Wednesday night's game was out of reach. Hang in there, regal ones!