For someone who loves hockey and has lived in a practically hockey-less state without a home team for 16 years this is about the lovliest sight they could dream up.
The Birmingham Bulls are finally back!!
The new ice/arena isn’t quite ready yet so we (not me) played on the practice rink. It wasn’t perfect – pucks hit the rafters several times – but it was ours and it was the best thing I’d seen all month.
My team (oh, how good that sounds!) hosted an exhibition game against the Pensacola Ice Pilots on October 14th.
I will admit that I almost didn’t go. This is only because I didn’t see the game mentioned on the team site or the main fan site and I didn’t want to be the lone crazy person sitting in the stands. Fortunately when I arrived there were lots of cars in the parking lot! The bleachers were actually full. We even had some fans of the Ice Pilots make the drive up!
With our team being brand new I assume the players are probably still getting used to playing together. The first period the passing was horrible, in all honesty. Fortunately it steadily improved in the 2nd and 3rd periods.
I was surprised to see lots of diving to protect the net. By “lots” I mean three or four dives. That was just our team. I didn’t have it together enough to notice if it was one guy or several doing it. I think the other team did it once too.
In the end the Pensacola Ice Pilots won 3 – 2. A loss is never what you want, but I was so happy to see the team on the ice I barely noticed.
As the players left the ice the fans all stood to clap and cheer them as they left the ice. I’m such a sap, but I know it was like the fans’ way of saying thank you. For the owners, for the team, for the players who are on the team, and for the former players who signed on to coach them.
Our first regular season home game is one week from tomorrow – November 3rd!! I still haven’t ordered season tickets because I procrastinate like I get paid to, but will be ordering before the game.
Can. Not. Wait.
Happy Thursday!!
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