What a great "first" game. Laine against Matthews! I went to my first game when I was in university and sat in the nose bleed section. The only reason I went was because I wanted to see Gretzky play. I later went to a game in Ottawa and had much better seats but the game was a blow out.

tinyE I think it is time for your medication.....blood pressure bud blood pressure.

I know. :P I was left an opening for a zinger and I couldn't resist. Sooooorrrrry. :P
Yeah. You're right.

I'll go take a time out. :D

Football = a game where you use feet to control an object which is a ball.

American football = a game where you use hands to control an object which isn't a ball.

Exactly!
I never understood how a game that uses an egg can be considered to be a ball game!

I guess that is directed to people in countries where ice hockey even is a thing... I am not expecting many Brazilians having visited an ice hockey game.

Anyway, I live in an ice hockey country so I can answer. The first time I went to watch an actual (national) ice hockey game was when my workplace offered tickets to some of us. We even had a warm booth behind a glass with something to eat etc. I think I was over 30 already then. I was more interested in the food and beer/wine than the actual match.

I just never had any incentive to go to watch live matches (before or after that), I don't find it that exciting and I don't have any favorite team etc. Same with football, the first time I went to see some football match was in my adulthood, with a couple of my friends who invited me. I think it was a match between Finnish and Portuguese national teams, the Ports won easily IIRC.

Naturally, I've played both hockey and football e.g. at school, as a kid.

EDIT: When I was on a work trip to Canada a long time ago (Montreal), it was implied that our Canadian host would take us to a NHL (ice hockey) match. I must admit I was quite excited about that possibility (it is NHL after all)... but it kinda fizzled out, they didn't take us there after all. I presume someone suddenly understood it could be seen as corruption or something, so better to forget the idea. We were basically customers to that Canadian company, even though we personally were not in charge deciding whether we buy anything from them or not, it was a technical visit discussing some technical issues.

I love hockey! I've played hockey since I was 5, and I'm just finishing up my second year of coaching my sons hockey team. My brother is 7 years older than me, so my first hockey games that I would have gone to would have been his games.

The first big game that I have vivid memories of being at was a Canada-USSR game during the '88 Olympics in Calgary. USSR won 5-0, but it was still just a magical game to be at. I still get chills thinking about, almost 30 years later!

The first NHL game I remember going to was a couple years later when my brother and I caught a Jets-Canucks game in Winnipeg. It was kind of an odd game - the Canucks had already clinched a playoff spot, so they sat half their stars. The Jets were still fighting for the eighth spot, and won 5-2. They managed to make the playoffs that year, only to lose in the first round (typical Jets!).

The last NHL game I went to was in 2015, when the Flames managed to claw their way into the second round of the playoffs, and it happened to coincide with our family vacation to Disneyland. We went to game 2 of the Anaheim-Calgary series in Anaheim. It kind of sucked, Calgary failed to score a goal. Anaheim went on to win that series.

I'm with tinyE - fighting doesn't really belong in the game anymore - and I'm amazed that there were three fights! I've got my share of fighting majors, but the game has moved on, and its better for it.

I would salt you in preparation for it, but it seems you've already got plenty of that.

Jokes aside, it's probably just an outdated stereotype for the older and less-organized games. Kinda like comparing street basketball and the NBA, although this comparison is a little far.

I go to college games all the time, and get so see some of the best teams in the country. They are fun but if you are used to NHL then the drop is speed is AMAZING!

The one thing rookies in the NHL always mention is how much faster it is and at a college game you can see what they mean. In college it looks like zombies compared to pro skaters.

Truth!

I see more WHL games than NHL games these days, so when I do manage to catch an NHL game, I'm always a bit stunned at the speed. I tell the kids I coach that hockey is just like chess played at 30mph.

A few years ago I went to a Red Deer Rebels game when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins still played there. It was amazing how much of a skill level difference there was between him, and everyone else on the ice. It was pretty plain which guy was heading to the NHL. And even then, he hasn't really adapted well to the NHL game.

Ice Hockey- Canada's great gift to the world. Has everything you need in a sport: speed, skill and violence. What more can you ask for?

Alas, never been to Canada or the USA, so no NHL games for me...so the mighty Senators have to manage without me.

But I've seen plenty of Games in Germany, Sweden and Finland. Highlights being the first game at the new Cologne arena, then another game between Die Koelner Haie and Dusseldorf...who have a rather strong rivalry. Since those days, my long time German girlfriend (from Duesseldorf) says all people from Cologne are assholes and I've had to stop supporting the Haie. I think she's only joking about all people from Cologne being assholes, but it does show the rivalry.

Also seen quite a few games in Stockholm and Helsinki when I spent some time in those cities as well.

You can get into a Hockey game for free by claiming disability or being a refugee.

I have seen a recent Syrian refugee family of 6 get into the hockey game for free. While all the Canadians had to pay for the ticket.

Courtesy of our liberal government.

Like with knots:

A real square knot looks like a square.

An American square knot has none of the advantages and depending on how it was made could be a reef knot, thief knot, or a ring loop with two opposing cords.

If I make a post about eating a cheese sandwich tort is going to mold it into an excuse to bitch about the left wing. :P