Boston Road Trip
I just rolled in a couple hours ago from my annual road trip to watch a Leafs game. This year’s destination was Boston. Phil Kessel’s homecoming. How could he not be at the top of his game for this tilt? Wait…. What?
In what has become an annual tradition for my friends, we made the fairly long trek down I-90 from Burlington to catch our Leafs in a road game. The past 2 years have been trips to Pittsburgh. This year we decided to see a team that didn’t have players (Malkin, Crosby) who eat us alive by heading to a city that should have been a competitive game.
Duty Free at the Queenston-Lewiston bridge had a great deal: a 40 of Bacardi for $14. This is an integral part of the Leafs road game road trip. As everyone knows, paying for arena alcohol is as painful as playing goal in practice for the Panthers during 3-1 drills with Keith Ballard. An appropriate amount of pre-game drinking is required to maintain a solid, yet controllable level of drunkenness during the entire game that can be sustained by only 1 or 2 beers. It’s a fine line between buzz control and drunken stupor. After 3 years, I finally got it right. And it’s a good thing too, because there wasn’t much to see in this game.
Boston is, by all rights, a very beautiful city. Unlike some other American cities I’ve visited, I’d return to Boston in a heartbeat. It was clean, I don’t remember seeing an abandoned building anywhere (*coughBuffalocough*), it’s subway system makes ours look like slot car racers and it has more than it’s share of gorgeous women scenery. Great food, very reasonably priced and a beautiful skyline all contribute to a great city.
It’s unfortunate that once I sat down in my seats at the TD Bank North Garden, my view became awful. The arena itself is well built and I don’t think there is a bad seat in the house. I couldn’t find any ‘obstructed viewing’ seats as I scanned around through the alcohol haze. Yet, while I sat there in the 300′s behind Tukka Rask and watched the game, what I saw was nothing short of filth.
I was there with my buddies and a bunch of alcohol for a very fun weekend, so I didn’t have my hockey analysis glasses on. I wasn’t able to dissect the game like I do when I see games on television. However, I did spend all three periods watching the game unfold before me, so I’m going to list below what positives I took from it.
- …
That’s all.
I couldn’t find anything redeemable about this game.
Boston was great. The Cheesecake Factory, Beer Works at Fenway, Fenway Park tour (If you go, try and get the old guy, I think his name was Steve. He was worth the price of admission himself, let alone the facility. The 78-year-old Matt Damon and his 2 giant World Series rings will not disappoint), Uno & Anna’s Taqueria were all great venues. I recommend anyone looking to take in a Leafs road game, Boston should be high on your destination list.
As for the game, the best thing I can do is forget it ever happened. The experience was fantastic, the hockey was not.
brad.stowe@mapleleafshotstove.com
Follow me @ www.twitter.com/mlhsbrad
P.S. I’d like to add something I’d like to call “Number 1 on the list of things you shouldn’t say to a Border Guard”. As we were crossing back into Canada, the guard asked all 3 of us in the car individually what we purchased in the states and were bringing back to Canada. I had only purchased a case of Coca-Cola that I didn’t finish. Completely oblivious to how it sounded to him, I told the guard in a very matter of fact manner, “All I bought was a case of Coke”. It was only after he asked me to confirm I meant Coca-Cola that I realized what I had said. I’m very grateful he waived us through instead of forcing me to endure an invasive body cavity search.
December 7th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
@ Potsy:
Exam stress seems to have made me snap sorry about the harshness mate. I disagree but your points as I seem to recall were based on his playoff record/points and thus we will get to see what happens this year.
December 7th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
@ Bob is your uncle:
Winner – Toronto
1st goal – Peverly
score 4-3
December 7th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
@ Johnfergusonjr:
Johnfergusonjr wrote:
If they get there, I mean in his entire career he has made the playoffs once and was sept by the Avery and the Rangers.
What are you studying for?
December 7th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
French exam tomorrow (15 minutes of memorized oral presentation) and political science on Friday (3 essay 3 hours), luckily all my other courses don’t have an exam in the winter.
December 7th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Potsy wrote:
Oh no. Not this again!
You can hardly argue basedo n one season of playoffs. And the fact that his team didn’t make it all the other years even though he was tops in the league in points is not his problem either. Perhaps they need a character guy to inspire them all. One thing is for sure, he far from sucks. I’d take him in a heartbeat.
December 7th, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Bob is your uncle wrote:
He’s playing pretty well.
4-2 Toronto. First goal is gonna be Poni.
December 7th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Johnfergusonjr wrote:
Yay for highschool. I went there once… sorta.
December 7th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Johnfergusonjr wrote:
You’re giving oral in French?!
Jordan, any tips for the guy? (Jordan took a class in oral)
Good luck! I friggin hated school!
December 7th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Hey Guys,
Just got in from cutting down our first Christmas tree..
Do the predictions start tonight?
December 7th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Winner – Toronto
1st goal – Kovalchuk
score 4-3
December 7th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
luke wrote:
wednesday
December 7th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Thanks LeafsRyan
Long day, bad exam. Leafs had better win.
December 7th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
@ 2 Minutes for Looking so Guru: University but w/e. Charlie your wit is appreciated as ever, I am lucky it is only 15 minutes eh?
December 7th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
You still gotta do french in University? That sucks man.
December 7th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Where’s Ed at? I am getting my pre-game toke on and need some like minded people haha
December 7th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Winner: Atlanta
Score: 4 – 3 in Shoot Out
1st Goal: Afinogenov
December 7th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Winner: Atlanta
Score: 5-3 with an empty netter
1st Goal: Wallin (Toronto has made a deal to put targets in the 4 corners of the net tonight to give Wallin something to aim at aside from the posts, crossbar and goalie).
December 7th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
I didnt take a course on oral, oh and because everyone else is starting a fight here…..i am god and better then everyone. You should all love me and everything I say is basically written in stone….EVERYONE LOVE ME!!!!
December 7th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Winner: Atlanta.
Score: 5-4 in 4 on 4 overtime.
1st goal: Stempniak.
December 7th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
THE CONTEST DOESN’T START TILL WEDNESDAY!!!
December 7th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
@ Jordan: MY LIEGE! I live but to serve you, forasmuch as the sun doth shine brightly upon a clear summers day I do adhere and am guided by your omniscient words of truth.
All joking aside the fight ended rather easily with a ceasefire. I really don’t want this to become MLHSBUZZ.
December 7th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
I just read through and had a good laugh. Nothing else to expect after a 7-2 loss though. I personally wanted to smash everyone I seen for a few days lol
December 7th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
barnaby is the biggest cunt on tv
December 7th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
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December 7th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
@ johnferguson
15 minutes…..
Uch, too many directions I can take that. I’m on my blackberry at the game, so too hard to go through them all…
But glad I can humour you!!
December 7th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
@ jordan
Not sure which context you use love in!!
Something tells me that LeafsRyan and myself will have lots of these. But, it’s all good. (Cause I’m always right)
December 8th, 2009 at 7:51 am
This was a nice distraction after a depressing game. Nice writeup Brad. I really want to visit Boston now! Sorry you spent all that time, and money to witness that spectacle, but your experience did make a difference to some of us. After all hockey is not just all about the players, but the people that devote so much time and money to make its existence possible: us, the fans. Without us, it wouldn’t even exist!
December 17th, 2009 at 6:27 am
[...] stupor, the Leafs effort level in Boston was still visible for all to see. MLHS’ Brad Stowe is still trying to recover. From the game that [...]
December 27th, 2009 at 3:29 am
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