The big game

Spent the evening with my father at the newly renamed "Scotiabank Place" (formerly the Corel Center) to watch the Sens and Habs. A good time was had by all, dispite the dissapointing shutout (3-0 for Ottawa).

As you can see in the panarama above, we arrived early so as to take advantage of the opportunity to explore the area, get a bite to eat (sausage dog), and to take it all in.

It always amazes me how big and small the building appears. The ice surface appears so close and much smaller than you imagine from television, juxtaposed with the immense size of the building and seating. Attendance was approximately 20,000 last night (easily 5X the population of my home town of Botwood, Newfoundland).

And then there's the spectacle of it all. Unlike television, it's truly a show when you're there in person. Not a moment is without the roar of the crowd, the booming music, the lights, events or action of some kind. It's truly entertainment of the finest kind. Not to mention the game itself. It's the sort of thing that anybody can enjoy, hockey fan or not. It's an experience.

Dad's dream of seeing a professional game of hockey was realized in fine fashion.