Our Ottawa Hockey Trip

[Woody]

We enjoy going to a hockey game once a year. Toronto is so ridiculously over priced in terms of everything that we go to either Buffalo and Ottawa to catch a Washington Capital game. Even with a hotel stay we get good seats at a fraction of the price Toronto would cost to sit close.

I have a friend just over the border in Quebec so we stopped by his place and The Kings of Beers to illegally transport beer back over the border. There is an old law on the books about bring beer between provinces. In Quebec its $1.00 a can of beer. In Ontario its $2.15+ for the same can. I brought 300 beers back with me. Probably last me into the summer.



We stayed at a hotel beside the arena. I have a free night which helped. We took an Uber to the game $5.50. Took a cab home. $10.00. Why would Uber be popular?


Here are some shots from the game. Washington score 2 minutes into the game and that was it. A 1-0 win. It was Chris Neil Bobblehead night. My wife gave hers to a little kid beside us that was pretty excited to have it.

[Mr Kleb]

The Kings of Beers is a better name than The Beer Store. We have talked about going to Quebec City sometime.

Great seats! In the next to last photo who is the almost bald guy in the suit sitting in the chair? An official, observer, scout?

[Woody]

In Quebec they sell beers in the corner stores and at Costco. Cheap. The Kings of Beers is just over the bridge from Ottawa.

They guy in the chair is the Goal Judge. He turn the light red for a goal. And it goes green when time expires so he can't turn it red for a goal that happens when he clock runs out. He is just an advisor but the Refs have the final say and now they also use video review.

He had a little plastic cup in his hand the whole game and I asked if he was drinking rum and cokes and he said he wished.

[Scoutpout]

wow you had great seats!

and Mr Kleb, you guys would really appreciate Quebec City. Wonderful food, fantastic architecture, great history. Well worth the visit. VERY different to Montreal.

[Woody]

To be honest we paid $130 a seat which we are fine with to sit close. Same seat in Toronto you have to buy off of a secondary site. Stub Hub has them for the Caps game at the end of the season for $400 US. It's really insane. So we spoil ourselves with a trip to Ottawa and it is way cheaper then a trip into Toronto and we get to visit a friend and bring cheap beer home.

The beer at the Ottawa arena isn't cheap but it is still less than Toronto for either a Leafs or Blue Jays game. We also ate at one of the restaurants at the arena afterwards and had a few drinks and it wasn't too bad price wise either.

You get a different perspective down close from TV. The ice space isn't as big as it seems. The guys skate so fast. The game is incredibly fast. Ovechkin skated in the hash mark and fired one over the goalies shoulder, hit the glass in front of us. What a sound. It startled us. I could not imagine being a goalie or getting his with a puck.

[Mr Kleb]

Woody, I thought he was some kind of official-ish guy.

Scoutpout, all of those aspects of Quebec appeal to us. I've sometimes looked at VIA Rail packages. Perhaps next year, our 2017 dance card has filled up.