What's it all about Alfy?
My lovely wife and I went to the new American Airlines Arena to see our Dallas Stars take on the Calgary Flames. The tickets were a Christmas present from my father-in-law and while I enjoyed the game I had mixed emotions while being there. The new arena is impressive in a lot of ways, all the whiz-bang extras are nice I guess and I certainly don't miss the heavily crowded concourse, but despite that I think I liked Reunion better.
I had season tickets for the final two seasons at Reunion and my initial thoughts were that the new place seems too spread out, too big. Not once during the game was there any chanting, no goalie taunting or Go Stars Go, nothing. I liked some of the "special effects", though it seemed that the primary purpose for most of the new screens, including the one that goes all the way around, was to add more space for advertising. I don't begrudge advertisers anything, but it doesn't matter how many Dodge emblems emblazoned on multiple LCD screens I see at one time, it isn't going to persuade me to buy a Dodge and it doesn't add anything to the game experience. There wasn't a puck race, or a chicken dance, instead we had the Starstruck bacehlorette contest and while the more wholesome, non slutty girly won
well
it was still painful to watch. I'm sorry, but I don't want "reality" TV mixed with my hockey
*cringe* *twitch* *shudder*.
We were in the "Priority Terrace" on the last row at center ice and I thought the view of the rink was still good. There was the same problem with "leaners", the people who seem to forget that the seat has a back rest and spend the whole game leaned forward as much as possible, therefore making it necessary for everyone behind them to lean forward as much as possible or spend the game looking at their bald spot...these are loathsome creatures. The seats seemed to have less space than Reunion did, but I guess they had to make up for all the space wasted in the "corporate" terrace section (the not quite luxury boxes).
Overall the spirit of the game seemed less than I remember from Reunion, less rowdy, more chintzy and polished. It reeked to me of big corporate money and stylish plastic people posing in the "place to be". It was less about the hockey and while the new facility is great, and the franchise can make a profit, the soul seems to have been sucked out of the experience
at least to me.
Of course maybe I'm just jealous that I don't have season tickets anymore ;)