Buddie3

Is there anywhere in the Niagara area that we could watch a game of ice hockey mid April?

Cat123

If you'd like to see an NHL game, the Buffalo Sabres play fairly close by.

laverendrye

In Buffalo, the regular season ends with games against Montreal on 12 April and Toronto on 16 April. You'll have a better chance of getting seats for the Montreal game, as there will be hordes of Maple Leaf fans coming to Buffalo to see their sad sack team before they are eliminated from the playoffs.

Buffalo will almost certainly be in the playoffs, but tickets will be harder to come by. Don't try to get tickets in Toronto, as there are very few seats available. However, if you want to pay a scalper, you can likely get seats for Toronto's last game of the year, against the equally dismal Pittsburgh Penguins.

laverendrye

I meant to mention that the Toronto Pittsburgh game will be on 18 April at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

saltymuffin

If you are happy to see just any hockey game - not NHL, there should be no problem seeing a non-professional game in Naigara Falls at the local arena.

keldar

Hi Buddie3:
As others have said if you don't mind that it's not NHL (professional) hockey there is a local Junior B team here in the Falls that you might enjoy. Lots of energy and enthusiasm from the team and the local fans. Here is their website.
http://nfcanucks.net/

Enjoy

Buddie3

Hi Thanks for the help so far but I am still having a few difficulties. Tried the Canucks website but coould not find any info on the dates when we would be there ie from the 12th to 16th April. We are in Toronto from the 6th to 12th but unfortunately I booked Lord of the ring tickets for the same night that the game is on at the Air Canada Centre. I would prefer to book the tickets in advance so any further details on who is playing when and where and how I can get the tickets would be most helpful. Thanks

laverendrye

The Canucks are a Junior "B" team, and their regular season will be long over by April. They might be in the playoffs then, but it's hard to know.

If you don't want to see a NHL game in Buffalo, your best bet would be to see the Hamilton Bulldogs of the professional American Hockey League (one level below the NHL). They play at home on April 12 and 15th, and Hamilton is close enough to Niagara Falls to go for the evening. You probably won't need to buy in advance, as the Copps Coliseum where they play is NHL sized, but you can do so through Ticketmaster.

Here's their website: http://www.hamiltonbulldogs.com/

If you do want to see the Sabres in Buffalo, here's their site:
http://www.sabres.com/index.cfm

Buddie3

Thanks but one last question, are they do-able by public transport from the Niagara area.

saltymuffin

You can definitely get to a Buffalo game by public transit. There are shuttles to the game from Niagara Falls New York, and you can bus over there. I don't know the details, and you would have the hassle of crossing the border.

laverendrye

You could get to Hamilton by public transport, but I don't know whether the timings would be suitable for an evening game.

Buddie3

Thanks, I will keep trawling the web sites to find the closest venue for ice hockey and try to match a game with our visiting time. Cheers