I read the article on The Hockey News website, headlined "Well-travelled hockey fan finishes quest just in time," with a combination of anger, envy and self-loathing (okay that's a bit extreme - let's call it moderate jealousy).
Alex Jordan - a Canucks fan no less! - came up with a plan to see an NHL game in each of the 30 rinks in the league before turning 30, and completed his quest just a few days ago. From The Hockey News:
"It’s a dream every hockey fan has had, in one form or another, but one few have the gumption or wherewithal to achieve.
Alex Jordan wanted to do it before he turned 30 and, through diligent planning and Internet flight deals, his fantasy became reality Tuesday night when the Wild and Coyotes clashed at the Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota.
He’d visited the last of each of the NHL’s 30 arenas."
Well la-dee-frickin'-da Alex Jordan, way to pull the rug out from under the feet of another Canucks fan. His name is Mark Norman, and you took his dreams and lived them before he got the chance. Worse, you rubbed salt in the wounds by having your exploits published in The Hockey News. What a jerk!
Yes, it's true, for the past few years I have harboured a pipe dream of watching a game in every arena (ideally a Canucks game in each rink). So far I have seen games in nine NHL cities: Vancouver, San Jose, Calgary, Toronto, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Boston, New York (Madison Square Garden) and Washington. I have seen the Canucks play in a total of four road games in three of those cities: San Jose (two losses), Buffalo (a shoot-out loss) and Washington (a win).
Now that Mr. Jordan has achieved "a dream every hockey fan has had" I am sure there will be a slew of imitators. In fact I'm reasonably certain that there are fans out there who have accomplished this feat far before Alex Jordan got his story written up in The Hockey News. They're the ones who should be angry, really. But it doesn't mean that I can't burn with jealousy at Alex's feat.
Anyway, I will hold on to my pipe-dream, and maybe I will accomplish my goal before I hit 30 as well (I've got five years to go). Or maybe I'll spite that do-gooder Alex Jordan and do it before the age of 29. Suck-ah!
Realistically, though, this won't happen. This little thing called "real life" (family, friends, school, work, money, etc.) will probably prevent me from traipsing around the continent and watching hockey games in various exciting locales (Columbus, St. Paul, Newark, Tampa - y'know, really exotic places).
Okay, enough of the bitter cynicism. I actually feel quite fortunate to have experienced as many NHL games as I have, and while I hope I go to more games and new cities in the future, I certainly can't complain about my experiences thus far.
So good on ya, Alex Jordan. You may have lived my dream, but you haven't crushed it.
2 comments:
If you time it correctly, you might be able to one-up Mr. Jordan and see an NHL game in 31 (or even more) cities! Better get to Nashville/Atlanta/Florida/wherever else that's in trouble as soon as you can!
Considering you've only been to nine NHL arenas, I wouldn't be too worried about someone who has visited all 30. I mean, it's not like you're close, so why be bitter?
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