Her First Hockey Game

At home, she talks like she loves hockey but when it's on TV she loses interest quickly so we suspect that it's more that she wants to be the girl who likes hockey than she is the girl who likes hockey. The moment of truth came tonight when we were given a couple of free tickets to the Predators game. Um, that hockey talk? It seems that it might be the real deal.

Our first dad-daughter outing in a long time, she was positively giddy riding down the interstate in the back seat. I told her what I knew about the game. (Not much.) She asked me if I was sure I was going the right way because we were going to be late for the game if I wasn't.

Once there, we enjoyed a nice walk from the library parking garage to the Sommet Center. Walking among the many Predators jersey-outfitted fans, my girl remarked, "There sure are a lot of lucky people seeing hockey tonight." We entered the arena and it was like she had been there before. Instead of being a shy kid in a crowd in an unfamiliar place, she was focused and in charge. When I'd slow the pace to look around, she'd pull me forward. "It's already starting, dad."

Still, I wondered just how much of the game she'd enjoy. With it being a school night, we'd be exiting after the first period. Would she last even that long? We entered Section 306 for our seats but I decided to go out and around to the other entrance closer to our seats. Holding her up as I walked away, my back to the ice, my daughter kept her head directed to the action, hungry for any glimpse of the real thing. Finally in our seats, there was no question to her intention to take it all in.

She asked me that very basic question first: "When will they fight?" I quickly texted that to my wife, but was scolded by my little hockey fan. The crowd was clapping and I was not. She called me on it. We cheered together and we chanted "Let's go, Predators" along with the rest of the crowd. Imagine if we sat in Section 303. Some of those chants wouldn't play as well at school for her the next day.

We left at the end of the period and she was giddy the whole way home. I'm still not sure if she'll watch any games on TV, but I think it's my duty as her dad to secure tickets for some more Preds games for her. Thanks to my wife's friend who gave us the tickets tonight and thanks to our friend and blogger, Jane Q. Public, for giving her a really cool Predators t-shirt. We had a perfectly awesome time.