bobbyjohn Loc: Dallas, TX

The last Hockey Game which I attended was 63 years ago at Madison Square Garden to see the NY Rangers. Went with a friend of mine, same age. I was 12 years old at the time, and that was a time when it was safe for young’uns to ride the subway without adult chaperone.

That was until yesterday. When my son-in-law was out of town on a business trip, my daughter invited me to use that ticket at the Dallas Stars game against Seattle at American Airlines Center in Dallas. And quite a game it was…the Stars were behind most of the game, and had a comeback in period 3. The Stars, behind 4-3 in the final minutes, pulled their goalie, and were pressuring near the Seattle goal … the Stars actually scored the tying goal with 0.7 sec left in the game. Went to overtime, which has 3 skaters by rule, and Seattle won on the sudden death goal.

The attached pictures were all taken with a cell phone.

My daughter and her 2 sons, and yours truly. The green beads (Stars color) were being passed out to the young'uns in the snack area.

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In period 3, the Dallas Stars scored the typing goal with 0.7 seconds remaining.

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chuckrem Loc: Katy, Tx

SnoShuSam Loc: Texas, (ex Virginian)

Since you are a hockey fan you have a redeeming social value. :<) Happy to see all the empty seats, maybe we can get that team moved to a great city, HOUSTON!!! (I live outside of Houston and would get season tickets if they moved. Loved your shots, used to play, coach, referee (up to college club level), and was a Caps season ticket holder. Love the game!

yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey

Wanderer2 Loc: Colorado Rocky Mountains

A cute story. Do you intend to continue watching the sport after that experience, like season tickets next year? Saw my first game in Vancouver at age 14, have a son that played on a Michigan state champion team, and still watch regularly although my current location dictates TV. Go Sharks!

jerryvans

I can definitely relate - lived in NYC about the same time at the same age. Subway down to Madison Square Garden Sunday afternoon to get a ticket for that night's game. That was back in the day when the players didn't have helmets and the goalies didn't have teeth! Thanks for bringing back that memory!

Craig Meyer Loc: Sparks, NV

My family would go to Church, then head over to the Rover's game at the OLD Garden. You got in for free if you had Ranger's tickets for that evening. We'd go to my dad's favorite restaurant where they took care of him returning from the Pacific. We did that several times a year. My mom loved the game.

I was a big kid, so I started short journeys on the Subway at 8. What a wonderful world opening facility for me. From Special Classes at the Metropolitan Museum (of Art), to 2-fers for dates--who needs movies when you can go to Broadway and eat at the Automat. Later had Fencing Lessons with my HS team at Georgio Santelli in the Village, or Coach Castello at NYU Uptown. Both of then Olympic Coaches who opened their studios for us.

Snuck into the Jazz clubs for a Coke and the early shows after a few slices.
Just kids from Queens. What do we know!

Dannj

In my days at the Old Garden, the City gave the kids “GO” cards (I think it stood for General Organization) which allowed us to get discount tickets for events in the City. It brought the price of a Ranger’s ticket down to about 50 or 75 cents. But you had to get there really earl to get a decent seat…they were in the upper deck and if you didn’t get a seat in the first few rows you couldn’t see the whole rink. The subway wasn’t a problem…most of us started riding it when we were 10😳

terryMc Loc: Arizona's White Mountains

Of course the Dallas Stars are the second incarnation of the Minnesota North Stars (Norm Green STILL sucks!) and people in Minnesota (well, in Minneapolis anyway) are still so enamored of those losers that they are forcing changing the colors of the Wild to the old North Stars green, gold and white. I understand that the NHL owns the North Stars name and logo, so I expect that there is a relentless effort from those who let the North Stars go in the first place to rename the team as well. The Minneapolis movers and shakers can't stand the fact that St. Paul has a successful major league sport that they feel belongs to downtown Mpls. by some Divine Right.

bobbyjohn Loc: Dallas, TX

I do watch most sports on TV occasionally....like football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer. But the owners of professional sports teams have priced the average man/family out of the market. Methinks that only corporations (or the millionaires of the world) buy tickets and then distribute to their employees.

For example, at Jerry World (ie. Dallas Cowboys) the average price of a home game ticket is > $500. If you were to take your wife and 2 kids, that's $2,000. Yeah...RIGHT! What a way to blow $2,000 on a Sunday afternoon! Oh yeah...and then there's parking, $125 for up close parking...or $20 to park 1 mile from the stadium. And then there's concession prices...example: a beer for $10. Hot dog for $8. Hope your family isn't hungry or thirsty! Do they let you bring in your own food and drink?....OH NOOOOO. And let's not even get into Super Bowl Prices!

While the other sports may not be as extravagant as Jerry World prices, they still put their sport out of the hands of the average family.

bobbyjohn Loc: Dallas, TX

Yup. I also cannot understand how in the early days of Hockey, goalies didn't wear a mask. How stupid! This is Terry Sawchuk, goalie for 5 different NHL teams, in the pre-goalie-mask era. This picture is all over the internet. Whether it's Photo Shopped or not, I cannot tell...but it gets the point across.

lbrande

Went to the old garden and the new garden. My mothers company had season tickets in row 1 down on the ice by the Rangers goalie. Went many times, free of course.
Went to the Ducks game 4 and paid a whopping $150 for some great seats behind the time keeper about 20 rows up.
Went to many games at Anaheim because my daughter played for the Lady Ducks till she was 18, then on to college hockey. Many memories.