The Rink Of Dreams 2008

01/07/2008 – A meager $100 provided me an amazing opportunity to spend a day looking into the world of Professional Hockey in the Dallas Market, and it was one of the best days of my life.

I took half of a work day off, packed up my hockey gear, cameras and wife, and braved the notorious Dallas/Ft. Worth traffic to experience what the Dallas Stars and the American Airlines Center calls “The Rink of Dreams”.

Our itinerary entailed playing an Ice Hockey game against other amateur Puck Heads in our group, an early dinne

r in the American Airlines Center’s own Number 7 Club, with a talk from a guest speaker, and then luxury club seating with our group for a Dallas Stars game vs. the Minnesota Wild.

We arrived just before 3pm and, after a painfully long inspection of our equipment by the anti-terrorism squad, we were guided to a couple of rooms where the white and black teams split up to change into our gear. I was approached by a reporter from the Dallas Morning News who was writing a story on the events of the day, and I regaled him in the details of how the Dallas Stars organization promoted youth and adult hockey throughout the Metroplex, and about our team, the Komets.  A reporter and photographer made their rounds as well as we dressed.  We were told the story would be in the Tuesday Morning edition (01/08/2008), but I forgot to buy a paper, so don’t know how it turned out.

The ice was, in normal fashion, crisp and smooth… Anyone who attempted a pass around the boards found out that the quality of the ice is in direct proportion to the speed and distance in which the puck travels. My reflection in the glass-like surface looked AWESOME!

Each side split off into lines and we began play with three 15 minute periods ending with a 9 person per team shootout battle which ended favorably for my White team when ringer Chris Gallagher brushed the puck past Jon Ellis for a 5-4 victory celebration.  We settled in for a team photo and made our way back to the showers.

Our afternoon continued as we hungrily made our way to the Jack Daniels Number 7 club, where we were treated to an awesome buffet and a guest speaker… none other than Daryl “Razor” Reaugh, a former NHL Net Minder and a veteran Color Analyst for the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars. He was very gracious, engaging and approachable. He took questions from our group and returned classic Razorisms and insights into the NHL League and the Stars. When asked about his relationship with his Play-by-Play Announcer Ralph Strangis, we reported it was “Terrific”… He expounded on the subject by saying “If I weren’t married…”  We laughed! He covered up by with “What I was going to finish with were I allowed to was, ‘If I weren’t married, I would be single”.

Hear more from Razor at the Dallas Stars Blog “Razor with an Edge” (http://blog.dallasstars.com)

Four of us were asked if we wanted to participate in the 2^nd intermission antics called The Bud Bottle Race.  It was the Black team’s goalie (and part-time Komets goalie), Jon Ellis, Komets Defensemen Ryan Smith and Alex Atkins, and myself.  I was SO excited… I have been to perhaps 12 Dallas Stars games in the past, and the Bud Bottle Races are a staple of the Intermission Entertainment.  I had been actively seeking a way to get involved in the carnage, so whoever it was who volunteered me to be the 4^th man, THANK YOU! I owe ya!

We were placed in fairly nice seats in the upper portion of the lower bowl, and our group proved to rival the Havoc Fanatics (the crazies who get free nose-bleed seats for being loud and obnoxious) in energy and appreciation for the game.  My wife gave in finally to my begging and let me buy an authentic black Stars jersey (costing more than my first car), so I was in hockey HEAVEN! I could scarcely pay attention to the game. At the 14:00 mark of the second period, we who were to participate in the Bud Bottle Race were to follow our hostess Alana to the basement changing room. We were advised to stay sober for the race, and as we changed, Alana gave us our route and game rules…

Rule 1: Don’t run over or strike the Planet Tan Ice Girls.

Rule 2: Don’t run over or damage the props.

Rule 3: Don’t throw the sticks (damaged Dallas Stars game sticks).

Rule 4: Don’t wear jerseys or anything that can be broken.

Rule 5: Feel free to kill one another.

Our changing room had four sets of beer bottle suits, helmets, elbow and knee pads, and two AAC employees watching the LSU / Ohio State game. We struggled into our suits and marched to the Zamboni entrance where we watched the game from behind the glass.  I was amazed at how many employees seemed to know Alex and Ryan. They must really get around.

MC Celina Rae approached and asked if we knew the rules. She told us we were to broadcast a ‘teaser’ over the video screens to the masses, but the broadcast was preempted by a Dallas Stars Power Play a couple of minutes before the 2^nd intermission was to begin, so we spent the next few minutes posing for the fans lining the entrance and granting the Ice Girls their dreams by posing with them for photos.

At intermission time, we took to the ice and were introduced by Celina in order of our costumes. Our group in the crowd jumped to their feet and could be heard above the rest, and so we began our shenanigans by shoving and roughing one another for our friends and teammates. Finally, after a couple of minutes, the race began!

Ever try running in ice? It seemed that it took me three strides to propel me a single yard, and every turn was disaster unless there was a wall to bounce off of.  I in my dress shoes, and the others in their sneakers began at the best run we could manage. The first turn found Jon Ellis in the lead followed by me, Ryan (who fell) and Alex in 4^th climbing over the prone form of Ryan. It was then that the officials realized that the rules meant nothing to us, as Ryan attempted to climb back to his feet by using the prop, which swiftly collapsed under his efforts.

I took a nasty spill on the second turn, having no wall to use, and Alex and Ryan quickly passed me by. The next (3^rd) turn was going to be at another wall so I pushed Ryan wide of the route to get me where I was going, and as he was already now far off course, he continued on to the 4th turn (cheater).  Alex was slowing for the 3rd turn, so I shoved him roughly from behind into the boards, which knocked him down and allowed me to slow my progress and set me on target for the 4^th open ice turn.

Having learned my lesson, however slowly, I eased into the 4^th turn with Alex close on my tail; no doubt considering a boarding hit to rival the pros. By this time Ellis was well on his way around the net at one end of the rink, and Ryan was approaching the net. I needed to turn on some speed to catch up, but as I did, I realized how tired I was getting. The crowd was really roaring by this time, so I decided to clown around a bit by leaning way back, hanging my tongue out and exaggerating my strides. I got my laughs, but found the turn at the net wasn’t going to be any easier than any of the others… there was a staffer holding tight to the net for us in the event that we might grab onto it during our turn.  I opted to instead use the wall having seen how slow Ryan’s turn was by using neither wall nor net. Alex was gaining on me, and I could feel his evil malice aimed at my back, so after slamming into the glass I turned to see Alex spill onto the ice at the side of the net… this was my opportunity to catch up to Ryan before he got to the hockey sticks arraigned at the far end of the rink.  I shoved off of the wall and closed the distance between Ryan and I.

I caught up to Ryan at the blue line, and preceded to Horse Collar Tackle him to the ice, assuring that I would be the second to the sticks and pucks.  Ellis, having nothing to do with the violence ensuing behind him, had already picked up a stick and was making his way to the net for the win. I finished my sprint to the sticks and grab one. DOH!!! It was a right-handed stick, and being a right-hander with a left-handed shot, I didn’t bother to switch hands since Ellis was already preparing to put the puck in the net, so I did my best slapshot with the convex surface of the blade (less than accurate), but it did no good… Ellis was already throwing his stick across the ice (breaking yet another rule) in celebration as the horn sounded throughout the arena. Alex had also gotten off a shot, and Ryan had finally picked himself up off of the ice and was grabbing a stick.

Ellis, for his efforts, won a black jersey, but we all won in that we finally got a chance to do something incredibly fun and rare, and we had lots of fun and NHL hockey left ahead of us.  The Stars won this evening breaking a 4 game losing streak, and we made our way home as happy as we could be.

I would like to thank the Hicks SportsGroup, the Dallas Stars, the American Airlines Center, and Samantha Arthur, the former Euless Komet who arraigned the trip to the AAC (i.e. the money gathering, ticket purchases and roster organization) to make this day happen for us.