GO Devils!

I am a hockey fan, as of yesterday afternoon. I went to the Devils game with my mom and her soon-to-be fiancee.

The game was great. Played in three, 20-minute periods with short breaks in between: the pace is ideal for the non-sports fan, quick yet slow enough to keep up. Also the rink setup maximizes spectator pleasure--even in the nose bleed section the game (players) can be enjoyed sans binoculars.

Z100's John Bell was on-site with Hilary Duff-autographed jersey give-aways and general backgroud muzak to rev up energy whilst the mascot pranced amidst the fans.

My mom's constant cheers of "Go, baby, go baby, GO!" and "Shoot it!" took me by surprise; guess hockey love runs in the family. My favorite boo was "Ref, what game are YOU watching?" A question I took to spitting furiously at every anti-Devils call.

The Devils won in a shoot-out after the 5-minute overtime period. I was hoping it would go to a sudden death round, sadly no such luck. But the bonus of overtime was entertaining enough. Nothing stirs a crowd like an encore at concerts or overtime at sporting events--it's more bang for your buck--you feel like you're getting more than you deserve (at least more than you paid for!). Maybe it's just the unexpected surprise of it--makes you feel special.