It's Hurricane Season Again

Although the hockey season has been in full swing for a while, yesterday was our first full family outing.

Being a Canes fan means going all out with your outfit. Charlotte and I didn't have jerseys, so we stuck with the team colors, but Anson and Russell are die-hard fans and sported the appropriate fan wear. Anson's was even signed by everyone on the team, thanks to a good friend who works for the team.

First things first...the zambonis smooth the ice.

At the start of the game, the lights go out and the large spotlights start sweeping the crowd. Then a "hurricane" warning siren goes off, and the team skates out onto the ice to the sounds of "Rock Me Like a Hurricane." (Our team is in red.)

{I took most of these photos before the game started, which is one of the reasons why the seats look so empty. Once the game is in play, those hockey fans get a little sketchy if you try to mess with their viewing space by standing up to take a photo! Also, there was a marathon going on right around the stadium and the roads were closed. NOT good planning for game traffic and getting fans to the game on time.}

We are lucky enough to have seats at center ice, just a few rows behind the team.  See the red jersey on the aisle to the left of the stairs going down? To the right of the lady in the yellow sweater? That's Russell.

The kids, though they love the game, would rather concentrate on which snacks they are getting and whether or not they can get on the Jumbotron (not this time).

There's usually a minor fight or two to keep things interesting, and this game was no exception. A few minutes into the game, some players slammed into the clear wall and broke it, so we even got to see them come out and replace that. What a loud CRACK!

Unfortunately, our team was losing 5-1 when we decided to go home. Terrible, I know, what awful fans we are. But we had made the most of the day and had fun!