The boys had been asking to attend a Red Wings game for quite some time this year (especially Drew, who's interest in hockey continues to grow). Because of the cost of tickets, we couldn't afford to make this a family event. Instead, we decided to do a "Boys Night" and a "Girls Night." Tara took Samantha and Jayden shopping for clothes before coming home to watch a movie and snack on popcorn, while I took the boys to Joe Louis Arena to watch the game.

    I met Tara and the kids at Great Lakes Crossings after work, and after doing a little bit of shopping we ate dinner at Johnny Rockets. Aside from costing far more than we wanted to spend, the meal was pretty good. It was after eating that we headed our separate ways. Since we hadn't told the boys where we were going, they were under the assumption that we were headed home while the girls shopped. It took a good 35-40 minutes heading south on I-75 before they really caught on. Even then, it wasn't until I showed them the tickets in downtown Detroit that it really began to sink in for them. The garage under Cobo was closed, so we ended up parking on the roof. This worked out good, as there was plenty of parking spaces available near the door to the elevator, and the walk to the Joe was pretty short. The ironic thing was that when we stepped out of the elevator we ran into one of our friends, Jason, who is working at Cobo right now. What are the odds that he would be on his way home from work at the same time we were coming down to catch the game?

    We made it to the Joe with plenty of time to spare before the game, in part to give the kids the opportunity to walk around the concourse if they wanted, and also to make sure that we got there in time to get the evening's give away - a Justin Abdelkader mini-Fathead. We scored on the Fathead front - so much so that we were able to come home with not only one each for the three of us, but also three extra for Tara, Samantha, and Jayden too. During our stroll around the concourse we managed to take pictures of Tyler and Drew in front of some of the statues of Detroit's hockey legends. We made our way to our seats in the section 212B, row 6. The seats were pretty good, being in the second row behind the stairs. We had a great view of the opponents goal (for two of the three periods). Our usher was kind enough to inform us of the possibility to go down to rink-side to watch the Wings warm up. The boys were each interested in taking him up on the offer, so we headed downstairs. Tyler and Drew got front row seats and waited for the Red Wings to emerge from their locker room. We watched up close and personal as the team went through their pregame drills for about 5 minutes before the boys decided to head back to our seats.

    As we sat and waited for the game to begin, the boys were beginning to get excited. When the puck was dropped, the boys were cheering as loud as they could. The first goal for the Wings only got them more into the action. They were standing and cheering during stoppages, hoping to make the big screen. During one of the TV timeouts the Wings cheer squad came to our section to throw out Little Caesar's Pizza boxes. Tyler was standing, being as loud as he could hoping to get one to be thrown his way. It didn't, but it did sail over my head. I was able to get my arm up enough to deflect it, and Tyler was able to snag it out of the air from behind Drew. It was a great save, and it was a free mini-pizza for us! Tyler and Drew headed down to the concourse (thank goodness for cell phones!) to claim their prize and purchase two drinks (one for them and one for me). The boys shared the pizza, and it hit the spot for each of them. The rest of the game was just as exciting, as the Wings scored goal after goal after goal. By the time the game was done, it was a 6-0 skunking of the Minnesota Wild. The excitement of the game certainly made the long drive home more enjoyable.

    Oh, and the boys are already asking to go again!

Detroit Red Wings vs. Minnesota Wild - Joe Louis Arena
	Drew and Tyler standing in front of the Alex Delvecchio statue.
	The statue of Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe.
	Tyler and Drew with the Gordie Howe statue.
	Drew and Tyler in front of the Ted Lindsay statue.
	Drew and Tyler watching the Red Wings warm up from the rink-side perch.
	Tara's favorite player, Justin Abdelkader (OK, she really just loves his last name).
	Drew noticed that Jakub Kindl wears the same skates as he does!
	A look at the Abdelkader name plate on the back of his sweater. He was also the Fathead giveaway of the game.
	Jimmy Howard warming up in net before the game.
	Coach Mike Babcock on the bench during pregame warm-ups.
	Johan Franzen shooting at the net during warm-ups.
	A look at the rink from the second level.
	The famed Hockeytown banners - 6 retired numbers and 11 championship banners.
	A closer look at the retired numbers for the Red Wings.
	Drew and Tyler couldn't wait for the game to begin.
	The Toledo Rockets mascot was present at the game!
	A faceoff during the course of the game.
	Light The Lamp! Red Wings score!
	This young man a section over from us was a member of the "Goal Patrol."
	A little scrum in front of the net after a Red Wings goal.
Please click here for page two of the photos