Secret Red Wings Fan, Secret Red Wings Fan

Hello again!  I am officially off hiatus!  I found a job, and although it's not in my field, I really like the place and the people.  It also means that I am moving on up from a general, scavenger-like existence and can do a bit more exploring.  And my new employer, agreeing that I should get out more and do more blogworthy-type activities, raffled off Bruins vs. Red Wings tickets.  AND I WON!  Now, even though this is a blog about Boston, I have to admit that my heart will always be with Detroit sports teams, which is why I was so excited to win tickets to the preseason game against the Red Wings.  How did the night go?  Who won?  Did I need the bat that a co-worker recommended I bring to fight off angry Bruins fans?  Keep reading to find out...

First, we are going to take a trip down memory lane.  I grew up near Detroit in a family of huge sports fans.  Now, Detroit has its problems, but (ignoring the Lions for a second), it has historically had strong professional teams.  When I was a kid (in the early and mid-1990s), though, every single professional Detroit team was absolutely awful.  My childhood was full of family nights, all of us gathered around the television with a kind of hopeless optimism.  It was the Red Wings that first pulled out of that slump and eventually won the Stanley Cup in 1996-97.  Afterwards, slowly but surely, the Pistons and the Tigers followed (we're still ignoring the Lions) and became contenders.  Because of that (and, likely, because of Michigan's close proximity to Canada), hockey and the Red Wings have always had a special place in the hearts of Michiganders.  We may not have much, but goddammit we have sports (except the Lions).  That's why, even though I am trying hard to assimilate into my adopted city, I wore my Red Wings shirt to a Bruins home game.  And let me tell you, maybe because it was only a preseason game, but I didn't get beat up even a little bit.  So that was good.

TD Gardens was smaller than I had expected, and we had fantastic seats.  We could hear the crack each time a confident pass hit its mark and the rattle of the glass that followed each check.  We were even close enough to warrant unfounded fears of being hit by an errant puck.  My friend bought me a beer to celebrate my new job, which set her back a good $8.50 for a small, which is unfortunately pretty standard in my experience.  I also ordered some spicy cheesy fries, which were reasonably priced (by comparison) at $6.50.  It was a small order, but it really hit the spot.  We held off on buying any other food or drinks because it was just too expensive.

The game itself was great.  It went to a shoot out, and the Wings ended up winning 4-3 (sorry, Bruins fans).  The Bruins fought valiantly, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game and send it into overtime.  For the most part, the experience was very much like going to a Red Wings home game, with a lot of the same cheers and songs.  The Bruins, like all Boston teams, does get to play "I'm Shipping Up to Boston," which is a major advantage because that song is pretty epic.  The best difference in my opinion, however, was the announcer's reaction to every Bruins goal.  After listing who scored and all of the assists, the announcer would give a weird, high-pitched "WooOO!"  And the whole crowd would join in.  It was a little dorky and a lot awesome.  For a good half of the game, I also thought that the crowd was constantly booing their goalie for making saves, which was an odd experience.  Did they hate their goalie?  Do they have such high standards that a puck even making it to the net is cause for derision?  I found out, however, that they were actually cheering "Tuuuuuk!" for the goalie, Tuukka Rask, which makes much more sense.

In conclusion, you should definitely go to a Bruins game.  Hockey doesn't get nearly as much love as it should, but leave it to an Original Six team to do it right.  I've heard tell that fans can get pretty rowdy during the regular season, but I'd like to think that both the Bruin and Red Wings fans can have a healthy, if cautious respect for two cities that truly appreciate the excellent sport that is hockey.  And everyone, Bruin and Red Wing, cheered when the woman celebrating her 100th birthday (in a skybox, no less) was named Fan of the Game.