Now is the time, apparently. I've done enough of visiting myspace and blogging snippets about it, throwing it out there in AIM conversations, and even commenting on other blogs about it - I might as well come to realizing that I think I want to get this out there and discuss, discuss, and discuss!
So my ladyfriend and I travelled about seven hours' north to Raleigh, NC to get away for a few days, courtesy of the Thrashers and their divisional game in Carolina. The drive was a bit of a stretch, but it was familiar for me. Originally from New York, my family would drive down to Atlanta to scope out the area before we moved. Needless to say, I'm familiar with the I-85 stretch from outside of Richmond, VA to Atlanta. Thankfully we didn't go as far north as Richmond (and we would've died of road boredom in Virginia, that's for sure - no sensory stimuli what-so-ever!), but the seven hours to Raleigh was just enough for one day.
Arriving in Raleigh on Monday, we passed right by the RBC Center and reality kicked in. Earlier this season, I made my way home and sat in on an Isles game at the Coliseum in scenic Uniondale, NY (ha!) and enjoyed a wonderful Thrashers win at the Islanders' expense. This time was a bit different. The Islanders are not division foes. The Islanders weren't too much of a threat to the Thrashers' playoff positioning (eh, kinda-sorta). Moreso, the Islanders aren't hated by a lot of Atlanta fans (note the first statement). This time, the game was real.
We were about to enter Hurricanes territory.
The 2005-'06 Stanley Cup Champions' house.
In the midst of a tight playoff race and a crucial matchup for divisional positioning.
This game was going to be huge. And upon passing RBC, we realized this, and I actually let a bit of fear creep in. You see, at this point in the season, the Thrashers were coming off an absolutely dismal road trip of the West. Of the eight games before this matchup against the 'Canes, the Thrashers only picked up one win and somehow managed a point against the Sabres at home. Going 1-6-1 in that stretch nearly killed the team's momentum and placement within the division and even the conference. We let not only Tampa back into the race, but Carolina was creeping in as well. So maybe you can get a sense of how hesitant we were about going to this game... at this point in the season... right now.
We did a bit of exploring around Raleigh that evening and found a cool bar called The Borough and enjoyed a decent dinner in a neat atmosphere. Tuesday brought more anxiousness as we tried to figure out more about Raleigh, but we couldn't concentrate because it was gameday. While I didn't have much of an appetite during the trip (probably due to sickness), I can safely say that the stress of the game contributed to that. That's how insane this was.
And I think that there's a possibility that I'm being a bit of a drama queen. But whatever! This game was serious!
Of course, I'm familiar with the RBC Center. I've seen it enough times on TV and I formed a big assumption about the place from all of the times I've seen the Thrashers play there - it's a dump. It looked terrible on the small screen. It never looked like it was filled with fans and it just seemed not that friendly to hockey. When thinking of RBC, though, I never seem to remember the Finals from last season - that's probably because I didn't watch much of them, in all honesty (not by choice, mind you). Even though I was excited about going to an away game (and an important one at that!), I wasn't excited about RBC because it just didn't feel like a hockey arena. This attitude was only prepetuated when I looked at it on Google Maps and saw that it was in the middle of nowhere and next to a major college football stadium. I had zero optimism about RBC.
After the game, I walked away a fan of the venue. Driving there was a snap and we had premium parking. Walking into the arena, it was apparent that it wasn't old at all. It was neither old nor dumpy, which already impressed me. As spoiled fans at Philips (and knowing *our* routine at home games), we wanted to be up close for the Thrashers during their pre-game skate and really rile them up with some Atlanta representation. With Philips, the only restricted area is the club seats, and no one's concerned about those during the pre-game only because the players don't come out from that end of the rink. At RBC, we struggled to find the correct place to position ourselves for the Thrashers' entrance to the ice. But once we did, the skate was a blast and it seemed that we were even closer to the players here than we would be at Philips.
I mean, here's Kari giving a broken stick to a fan, right in front of us:
Pretty close, eh?
Walking around the arena, I was hard-pressed to come up with any kind of negative comment on the place. It was nice, it was clean, and the concessions seemed cheaper than what we're used to in Atlanta. When we found our seats in the 300s, we were amazed that the press boxes were only a few rows above us, but our seats had an excellent view of the rink.
Despite the clear differences in allegiances, we got along with some season ticket holders around us. It was relieving to know that there are other passionate fans around the league who aren't assholes (*cough* Buffalo! *cough*). The 'Canes fans were polite as can be and even saluted and congratulated us after the Thrashers' 3-1 win. Personally, I wouldn't go that far with fans of the opposition (and didn't receive any of that in New York), but it was definitely a nice gesture to remember for future run-ins with the enemy.
The game, well, we've all heard about the game by now. Atlanta started down, but Johan Hedberg kept 'em in it for sure with some reliable-as-hell goaltending and Marian Hossa's remarkable goal charged the team up. I mean, that goal he scored was just unrealistic. It was a shorthanded tally from the red line, in line with the goal. He put the puck on net and Cam Ward apparently had no idea about it or what to do with it. As a result, it took an odd bounce off the skates and somehow found the back of the net. Basically, the goal should've never happened and Carolina probably would've run away with the game, because the game was all Carolina up until that point. Even throughout the duration of the game, Carolina had us beat. We just took some chances and jumped over mistakes and made them worth something.
Losing wouldn't have been nice and would've made for a long wait in the parking lot and a longer ride back to the hotel. Fortunately, the win charged me and the ladyfriend up and we could've waited all nite in the parking lot of the RBC, listening to the post-game show on the local sports radio station. I actually felt bad for Cam Ward after the game because it seemed like he took the Hossa goal (and the loss in general) pretty hard on himself. In all actuality, though, it was his fault. You just hate to hear a great competitor like Ward have nites like that. While the pity did happen, it was shortlived when I heard the 'Canes callers chime in about how Eric Staal has been underperforming this season and how he blew the Hossa coverage that partially led to the first Thrashers goal.
The game itself was just a relief and made me feel pretty damned good and confident in my team. The experience of going to a game outside of your comfort zone is special, too. We'll definitely make a habit to visit other divisional rivals in future seasons, maybe even take a trip to another city and stalk the Thrashers a bit there, as well. It's something that every believer of Blueland should take part in, without a doubt. I had a blast at the game. Win or lose (fortunately, I've yet to experience the latter), it's just neat to be an enemy while wearing your Blueland jersey.
PROOF:
And last, but certainly not least, me and the ladyfriend soaked in red (ugh!):
All pics are linked to the Raleigh 2006 album on my flickr site. For some more game-day pics, check it out. They might give you more of a clearer picture as to how the experience was.
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