Verizon Center - Washington, D.C.

What a great way to start. I had forgotten how long it had been since I saw a live hockey game. After watching on TV (especially non-HD TV), this is the only way I want to watch my favorite sport. This first trip was a unique experience as I was accompanied by my friend Adam. (I expect to be attending most of these games alone.) We both had a blast and it really made me look forward to the rest of the project.

Washington Capitals vs. New Jersey Devils: October 18, 2008. Here's how it was.

THE EXPERIENCE
Prior to this game, the only NHL arena in which I had seen a game had been the Civic/Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, which is the oldest and smallest building in the League. Compared to the home of the Penguins, walking into the 11-year-old Verizon Center was like walking into a space station -- it was surprisingly clean, modern, and absolutely humming with Caps and Devils fans. I was amazed to see a huge HD scoreboard that televised the action in real-time. (This was a great tribute to the modern technology of the facility, but watching the game on the ice in front of you is the only way to go.)

Our seats were located in section 401 of the upper concourse. These were very close to the top of the arena; however, midway through the game I realized that the view and overall experience from our seats was fantastic and I couldn't imagine it being better if we had been directly behind the glass. The seats themselves were a bit small and cramped -- this is something you notice when you're 6'4 -- but the crowd was great and it turned out to be a pretty cozy arrangement.

One of the things I'll likely be writing about for each game is the music in the arena. I've been a pretty big music fan my whole life and I've been playing in bands since I was 15, so the music at games is something I take note of. The music at the Verizon Center was all over the place, from decade-old B-list rock hits ("Fuel" by Metallica) to even older tracks that probably no one anywhere wants to hear ("Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch). The unquestionable high point in the music was after the Capitals tied the game in the third period, when the unmistakable intro to "Welcome to the Jungle" nearly knocked the building down. Other than that, the best music heard came from an old-fashioned organ played live in the rafters of the arena. This was a great nod to tradition -- it made me long for the days of playing NHL 95 on the Sega Genesis -- but one that was unfortunately underused.


THE GAME
The contest itself was excellent and much more exciting than I expected. (Read the recap on nhl.com.) There were several lead changes and the anticipated Ovechkin/Brodeur matchup closed the game, which ended in a shootout and a 4-3 win for the Devils. These two teams don't seem to have much bad blood or rivalry between them, so we saw a very fast, finesse game instead of one filled with hard hits, skirmishes, and bad penalties.

For some unknown reason, I've seen New Jersey on TV more this season than any other team. They seem to have a simple system -- superb goaltending, tight defense, and putting as many shots on goal as possible -- that proved to make them appear the better team in this one. The Capitals looked far from terrible, but they weren't able to -- sorry -- capitalize on their power-play chances, and that came back to bite them in the end.


OVERALL
The best part of this game for us is that neither Adam nor I had any real interest in the outcome. Adam is a Stars fan and my loyalties lie with the Penguins, so we just wanted to see a good game. We ended up seeing a great one. We let ourselves fall in with the home crowd, cheering on the Caps when they scored or made a big play, and exiting quietly after Brodeur stoned Ovechkin in the shootout. It was a great way to begin this adventure, and definitely not my last time to visit the Verizon Center.

Hello!

Welcome to my NHL Cheap Seats blog. I'll be using this space to write about my experiences at games in NHL arenas across the U.S. and Canada. The adventure starts in two weeks when my friend Adam and I go to the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., to see the Capitals host the Devils. Ovechkin vs. Brodeur. We're excited.

Thanks for stopping by.