I got my Christmas present from Santa a week early. My husband purchased tickets from an online outlet for a Chicago Blackhawks v. my beloved Detroit Red Wings game on Friday, December 17th. We paid way too much (6 times the value of the tickets) because all the games were sold out since the Blackhawks are now the Stanley Cup Champions team.
We started driving from St. Louis around 10:00 a.m. on I-55 North heading to Chicago. We stopped for lunch and a few other breaks (pie and coffee). We were stuck in traffic when approaching Chicago and finally checked into the hotel around 4:40 p.m. We decided to pay $30 for valet parking instead of the $15 for self-parking lot around the corner. The hotel offered complimentary shuttle from the hotel to United Center where the Blackhawks and the Bulls play.
A nice surprise when we learned that it was Chris Chelios Heritage Night. We were among the first 10,000 fans to get a nice hat. I took many photos of the Blackhawks during the warm-up. I hope the Wings guys didn’t mind since we would be seeing them on Thursday, December 23rd in St. Louis.For more photos from the game, visit www.shorthandedgoal.blogspot.com.
The highway was clear of snow from previous week. It was freezing cold but the wind chill was not unbearable. The arena was modern and accommodating. It was a nice trip and great Christmas present. It would have been perfect if the Wings won the game, instead the Hawks got the victory 4-1 over my “worn-out” Red Wings.
I said to my husband that I am the easiest woman/wife to give presents to. On my 45th birthday, we got tickets to the Superbowl XL (2006) in Detroit to see the Pittsburgh Steelers v. the Seattle Seahawks. For our wedding anniversary, we went to game 1 of the 2008 Stanley Cup. I am getting closer to my goal to see all NHL Original Six home games. We went to the Joe in Detroit for a Wings v. Blackhawks game, then Montreal Canadiens v. New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden and now the Wings at Blackhawks in Chicago. There are three more home games on my “bucket list” – the Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens.
We decided to drive back to St. Louis on Saturday instead of staying the whole weekend. The roads were clear and it was a nice sunny day. It was a nice early Christmas present. We had a great time - Life is good!
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