Today I set foot in New Jersey for the first time in my life (I have traveled through the state before but never actually been on ground). It was to see my hometown Buffalo Sabres in town to battle the Devils.
The game was in Newark and when I realized how close this was — just a 22-minute ride from WTC via the PATH train — I thought I should go. Got a great deal on my ticket and had an awesome time. The Sabres won 6-1!
Above, Rob Niedermayer takes the 3rd period faceoff. He’s flanked by Tyler Ennis, who scored a goal tonight, and Mike Grier. Also scoring for Buffalo were Thomas Vanek (two goals), Drew Stafford, Tyler Myers, and Patrick Kaleta. Ryan Miller was solid in net, and we really did look good.
NHL legend Marty Brodeur was in the backup role tonight, but he got some action after Johan Hedberg was pulled when it was 4-0. And Devils’ superstar Ilya Kovalchuk oddly did not play. He was a “healthy scratch.”
Some fun tidbits I posted from the game to Twitter below (and I have more photos posted to Facebook here).
Our first shot = goal. Drewww Stafford. And there is a healthy amount of #Sabres fans here. #Devils down 1-0.
Woman next to me working on a shopping list. Literally. That’s how bored #Devils fans are w/ this game. (3-0 #Sabres!)
Organist just played “Happy When You Know It” to complete silence. So awkward. #Devils #Sabres (NOTE: At that point it was 4-0 Buffalo in the 2nd.)
(Woman mentioned earlier was reading a book in the third period and finally left the game with 10 minutes to play, stating, “I can’t take this anymore.”)
Now that was fun. 6-1 final for #Sabres. Sea of Red leaves in silence; I leave high-fiving strangers in blue + gold. #Buffalo
Leaving arena, a mother asks her little son (decked in #Devils gear) if he had fun. Really?? #BadQuestion He rolled his eyes.
One of the best parts of the experience were all the other Sabres fans there, including in my very own section. Following the game, we got a nice “Let’s go Buffalo” chant going. To which a woman began shouting, “SHUT UP! It’s game 5 of the regular season. Stop acting like you won the Stanley Cup.”
Also, just have to say, I have never been to a place so red before. Red was everywhere.
And finally, my Sabres road record all-time is now 2-1. Saw Buffalo win 2-1 in OT last year at MSG — Pat Kaleta with the game-winner. And witnessed a 5-1 loss at the United Center in Chicago a few years ago.
