Last night we went to the Thunder Hockey game.  We really like going to hockey games. Besides enjoying the actual game, we really enjoy watching the "fans."  I've been to my fair share of professional sporting events and none really compares to a Thunder game.  The crowd is quite entertaining (I've never been to another pro hockey game besides the Thunder so I don't want to speak about the entire Hockey going community).  Fans of every shape and size, literally, cram themselves into these tiny, hard seats that the Kansas Coliseum calls "Prime Seating."  God forbid that the Thunder does well and scores or Ref's make a bad call because then these same stuffed-in-seat people fly out of those seats to either proclaim their joy or utter disgust for the game.  Now I know that football fans are just as fickle as hockey fans, maybe it's because I'm new to the sport, but hockey fans seem to change their mood at the drop of a hat.

We decided that we were going to bring my parents along, which was fun.  My mom had never been to a hockey game and on the phone when I asked her if they wanted to go, said that she has always wanted to go to a hockey game.  Charley on the other hand thought that my mom would be offended by all the violence.  I reassured her and said, "I guess you've never been to a sporting event with my mom."  For those of you who haven't been to a game with my mom, she gets into it.  She says things I would have never thought she would.  We got pretty good seats, right behind the players box and to the right, the only thing between us and the wall was a short space where the Equipment guys stood.  The first time someone got checked into the boards in front of us and that wall and glass moved back about 6 inches, Mom lets out a pretty loud "OH!" followed by a calm "This is violent."

Needless to say we had a good time.  Although a note for the next time we go, don't sit right behind the players box, because when they all stand up and the coaches are standing on the bench, you can't see the other end of the rink to well.  If you live in Wichita and haven't been to a Thunder game yet, I would recommend it.  It's pretty cheap, lasts a couple hours or so, so you get pretty good bang for your puck (pun intended) and it supports a local Wichita team. Plus you really can't beat watching Thunder Dog riding his 4-wheeler and doing donuts on the ice.