ice hockey games
 

Hi.

my wife and I are travelling through the US from LA to NY from Jan 18 through to feb 15. I really want to catch an ice hockey game while im there but where do I start? im not even sure how long the season goes for! but were spending some time in LA, Denver and NY so any one of these cities would be great.

thanks heaps for your help.

sabres fan here, the ottawa game would've been good at hsbc (home) tho.

http://www.ballparks.com/tickets/spo...es_tickets.htm

NHL hockey is on for sure while you are here in North America.
nhl.com will have info on teams and schedules.
I'm not sure if LA Denver and NY routinely sell out each game. I think New York Islanders are easier to get tickets than the Rangers. The New Jersey Devils are also in part of the New York area too.

In LA there are the Anaheim Ducks (Last year's champions) plus the Kings. I think Ducks tickets are relatively easy to get.

If you google 'nhl tickets' you will get links to re-sellers where tickets are available, usually for more than the printed price.

All three cities have professional hokcey league teams and the regular season will be in its prime. In fact the New York Metro area has three clubs, one in Manhattan, one in Newark, a very short train ride and one on Long Island that is hard to reach without a car.

Here is the official league website so you can see the schedule.

http://www.nhl.com/

Getting tickets for the Rangers can be hard but there should tickets for the New Jersey Devils and the LA Kings.

Are you familar with North American hockey?

as familar as an australian can get! we dont get the games over here so its late night news or the net. as a kid i backed the bruins but ive never seen a game, im keen for it!.

You might actually have luck getting tickets to see the Colorado Avalanche in Denver at the Pepsi Center. The Avs haven't been selling out all their games like they used to, so I think your chances will be pretty good to walk up to the window even the night of the game and get your seats (although if you know when you'll be in town and find a game you want to see, buying ahead of time wouldn't be a bad thing either!)

You'll love a live hockey game - you see so much more than what they focus on on TV. And being a Boston native, I applaud your excellent taste in being a Bruins fan!

Forgot the link to the Avs schedule:

http://avalanche.nhl.com/team/app?se...seasonSchedule

I've never seen a game at the Pepsi Center, but I do have season tickets for the San Jose Sharks. I just wanted to assure you that no matter where your seats are in most arenas, pro ice hockey can't be beat. If you're close to the ice, you get to "feel" the action. On the other hand, if you're seated high up, you get to see the play develop. Have fun!

thanks heaps guys. now im amped! im glad that all seats in the arena are all good. for a first time though should i try and get near the ice? or up in the stands better to try and explain the game to my wife! just kidding.

try to get close but remember to duck during plays if you have to leave your seat or fans will yell at you. it's great!

I did not know where you from.

If you are unfamilar with hockey, I understand why you are a Bruin fan. (I am Ranger fan for almost 50 years and played when I was a much younger man.)

It is a great game. The major complaint that people have with watching a hockey game is following the puck. If you do know the game you can anticipate where the puck is going. Otherwise watch the flow of the play.

The rules are arcane. so just enjoy. Boo when the people next to you boo, and cheer when they cheer. That is always safer.

If you wind up going to a Ranger game. I can fill you in the "traditions" and "customs" of the fans.

Maybe you and your wife could watch a game on the internet (?) before you go? There are free games on Yahoo sports, but I don't know if you have access to that. Forget the rules -- you'd need years. Just know that noone on the offensive team can enter the offensive zone before the puck (that's "offsides") and if the puck goes all the way down to the other end without being touched, it's icing and comes back to the other end for a face-off. Of course, there's more to it than that, but that's all you need to know!

Kaaui_aka, in SJ, noone leaves their seats during play (it just isn't "done"), and the ushers keep people returning to their seats on the steps until play stops (same thing at AT&T Park)

dm - We are Sharks 10-pack ticket holders, but we aspire to be season ticket holders :) For now the 10-pack is a nice compromise since we can't afford season tickets at this point. That is one of our goals though :)

dml, rules must've changed during the gretzky-era at forum, now at staples. that's good.

J Correa, I "own" season tickets, but we actually share them with a group - we go to 7 or 8 regular season games plus playoffs. As much of a fanatic as I am (and believe me, I AM!), 41 games would be a lot! My next game is Nov. 30th, when's your's?

Our next game is this saturday - woohoo!!!

Let's hope they can win for you. We were at the only home game they've won this season. (camrowe, sorry for the hijack).

CAm-the NHL all star game is Jan 27, so there wont be games just b4 and after that. Go Sabres!

I know - their performance has been bad so far this season. And the really sad part is that they are doing good compared to the rest of our bay area sports teams - LOL.

May I suggest that you look into going to a college game instead of profesional? I think they are more exciting and fun.

I haven't been to a game in Colorado, but Denver is having a good season - ranked #3 in the country this week. Colorado College is ranked #8.

Keith

The Anaheim Ducks were the NHL champs last season. The duck pond where they play is in the L.A. area, very near to Disneyland.

College and minor league hockey are fun to watch, but for pure athleticism it is nothing like the pros. Similarly I do not watch pro basketball but watch college, because the kids bust their gut while the pros seemingly do not. The same is not so in hockey.

Since there are a lot of hockey fans here I must tell you my story about the first NHL game I went to. Since I was a young kid (giving away my age here) my Dad and brother listened to the hockey games on the radio and then of course watched them on TV. I love hockey as well and had seasons tickets for years to the Canucks. Anyway the most striking thing to me when I started watching the game in the Coluseum was how quiet it was. I had been so used to the announcers calling the plays and raising their voices in excitement. I guess I didn't think about the fact that there are no play by plays in the arena. It was fun hearing the players calling to one another or whistling at one another to let them know if they were open etc. The couple that had seats next to ours had their earphones in listening to it on their radios. But I do have to say I enjoy Junior A hockey much more now but it is a must to see a NHL game live.

J Correa, you brought good luck, thank you!!

dm - that was amazing - to see Roenick get #500. We have been to the 2 home games that the Sharks have won, and to the season home opener when the lights went out. My husband says it is his jersey that brings them wins - he wore his old jersey to the games they won, I think he bought it in 1995 or 1996. To the season home opener, he wore a jersey he bought last season and they didn't win. He also says that the orange is a cursed color and that is why the Sharks aren't doing to hot this season. LOL.

Hey [and I know we're so OT here, sorry :) ], I was at the other home win, too. Where are your seats?

Rangers fan for 50 years? Ouch. The only tradition at MSG is watching the Rangers lose for 50 years....sans 1994's bought cup of course. :)

Our seats are in section 217.