Before ‘Black Friday’ I had never been to a hockey game in my life.

For a huge sports fan getting closer to 40 than 30, that seems hard to believe, but it is true. Obviously, growing up without an NHL team in Cleveland was a big reason for that. But there have been professional hockey teams in Cleveland before. I went to college in an area with 2 minor league hockey teams within driving distance. The opportunity has always been there, I’ve just never followed through.

With the NBA lock-out robbing me of my usual week-night Cleveland sports fix, I decided it was time to give hockey a shot.

I’ve considered going to Blue Jackets games in the past couple of years, but to be honest with you, the tickets seem really expensive. Add the travel expense and food, and it just didn’t seem like a wise investment of my entertainment dollar. Especially for someone that isn’t a hockey fan already.

I’ve long heard that live hockey is the only way to watch the sport. That you don’t get a true appreciation for the game from television. I was also told by my contact with the Monsters that once you’ve seen a game in person you’ll be hooked. I decided to go and be the judge of that myself. I also wondered if the Monsters were able to cash in on last year’s run to the playoffs and the lack of any NBA action. [Read more...]