The trip down:
left az at 6:30, flight delayed so hopped into a airport bar, though well at least i will get there sometime late and its not a thursday morning flight delayed had a beer on the flight and watched entourage on DVD season 2....oh yeah, read half of the book the average american male, pretty bad language but i recommend it for sure!!
Arriving in St. Louis:
got off the plane at 12:30 am, ready to go in shorts and t-shirt, said oh crap its 30 degrees here, sweatpants and sweatshirt in less than a minute, greeted by 10 or so crazy sioux fans that arrived from other cities at same time. always a nice greeting. hopped in a cab with a big gopher fan who owns a bar on 1st avenue in minneaplolis, cant remember his name, im very bad with names.have to work on that for sure..nice guy bottom line, he was cheering for the wcha. got to the drury inn at 1 am or so. ordered a big azz pizza, man it was good. waited for my 3 friends driving from grand forks, 1 from bemidji. they arrived at 2 am, pizza took friken forever and they frogot my damn cheesebread so they enjoyed some hot pizza since it took 1 and 20 minutes to get the thing. threw a few beers back and called it a night.
The metrolink:
didnt use, just hoofed it and cabbed it
Thursday games:
ate by the drury inn at maggie o briens at 10 am, good place, nice bar, many hockey fans. cabbed it to al harboskys for pre game. met a few here that i have not met before. siouxnami who i know and others, tons of fun. drank mini pitchers and it was damn cold outside, hey, trust me your blood thins out in the first month you move here and its been 16 years so i can be a wussy if need be stayed for a about 3 hours, gettin tipsy. then jumped on the bus that took us to the game, maine vs state...well sat for a hout then went outside for my buddy to have a smoke, then saw a big sign that said WELCOME HOCKEY FANS and it was a huge beer tent. hang out there the whole rest of the 1st game and throw a few back. run into the gopher fan i shared a taxi with the night before so that was cool. take some pictures and then its game time. yeah, i will make this part short...oh yeah, we lost...dammmm, great seats.got beat, sh$% happens, great turnout by sioux fans.moving on..........went right back to hotel, yeah pretty bummed but im on a trip so need to go out. hit up maggie o briens again then came back and got my 2nd pizza from the same place and they screw up the stupid cheesebread order AGAIN....whatever i was so frken hungry, didnt care....
Friday:
wake up and say to myself im gona fly back to az today, screw this, then think about it and remember the hobey baker ceremony so change my sunday flight to saturday instead of late friday to see duncs win the damn thing. sell our title game tickets hang at the fanfest all day, take pics with the hanson brothers for the movie slapshot ate at houlihans twice, dont ask why, just did it. got to the hilton, see duncs geting out of a car and get a quick photo before he has to go to the hobey trio autograph signing. make our way to the hobey ceremony, great time watching duncs win it. end up at the team hotel across the street of the hotel, chill with many sioux fans and many sioux player parents, mr kozek was a friken riot and fun as hell, porters family very very nice. millers as well. about 6 red bull vodkas deep, stumble in to the hotel lounge and run into some friends from bemidji and coach hakstol and company. hang and have a beer and then duncs come strolling in sitting wiht his dad. signs many more autographs and is nice as hell and says sorry for th 3rd time that day to us for not winning thursday vs bc. made it back to my hotel by 2 30 am after a nightcap at maggie o briens and ordered another pizza from the same place thats screwed me twice on cheesebread, this time i say screw the cheesebread, just give me the bigegst damn pizza you can make damn it was great again...passed out because i had to be in a taxi at 6:15 am to the airport.
Saturday:
tried to read the rest of my book but passed out on the plane, woke up landing in az, great time as always, sucks losing thursday for sure but you have to make the best always, learned that last season...
i have been to 5 frozen 4's in the last 8 years and 3 in row which seems unreal, my first ever was 2000, damn lucky to have a team that can get there this often, yeah we want number 8 for sure, im with everyone on that but when you step back and think about this tradition and team we get to watch every year, you go man this is sweet and we will have many more to come. its a great weekend and for anyone out there who hasnt been able to make one you have to do it next time the sioux make it, the fans are unbelievable and they are from anywhere in the country, COLLEGE HOCKEY is the theme EVERYWHERE and you cant top that for us that love sioux hockey. cant wait for DENVER next year..FIGHT ON SIOUXXXXXXXXXXXXX
