Last Friday, we went to our very first Leafs game at the ACC! It’s still incredibly difficult to get (affordable?) Leafs tickets without winning or being given them, but I was able to get a presale password for preseason tickets, and we decided on seeing the 2009 Stanley Cup Finalist Flyers play. Unfortunately, it was nothing like the last Leafs game we went to in Buffalo where we sat rink side. In fact, it was the polar opposite because even though I ended up buying tickets 3 tiers from the cheapest, we were in the highest row in the ACC! How does that work??

As it was a preseason game, the Leafs didn’t start their full lineup (here’s the TML lineup for that game). But we were lucky in that they started their top 2 lines, 4 of their defensemen and their #1 goaltender. I have no idea who Philly started because I don’t recognize their numbers. The Leafs started out strong in the first, and had a 3-1 lead in the third period. Then the Flyers scored two quick goals in the last 10 minutes to tie it up. In OT, Kessel seemed to score the game winner, but it was called back for unknown reasons, so it ended up going to a shoot out. This was a home-and-home against the Flyers, and the first game also went to a SO (an 11 round one in which the Leafs won). No such luck on this night though, as the Leafs ended up losing.

Maybe it was the preseason, but there wasn’t a lot of atmosphere watching the game live at the ACC. It was only exciting when the Leafs scored, there was no tension or anticipation otherwise. I think it’s a better experience watching hockey at home with HD, especially because there is something to do during the TV timeouts. Plus, you’ll be able to watch games in 3D soon!

Posted by Kevin in Blogs Tags: hockey, toronto