Your first pro hockey game?

Orioles1966 · 02-17-2013, 11:30 AM

12-31-74
WHA Phoenix Roadrunners @ Michigan Stags (Cobo Arena) 1-1 OT Tie

Goalies-Phx-Gary Kurt Mich-Gerry Desjardins

Gerry Odrowski had a goal for Phoenix ,don't remember who scored for the Stags.

Attendance-about 3000. Stags moved to Baltimore about 2 1/2 weeks later.

About three months later,seen my first NHL game-Wash. Capitals @ Detroit Red Wings.

Red Wings won 8-3,Danny Grant scored his 50th and Bryan Watson scored his first of the season.

John Adams was in goal for the first year Capitals. Don't remember who played goal for Detroit.

RoPa · 02-17-2013, 12:50 PM

First NHL game:
1970-71
Sun Oct. 18 1970 at Vancouver
Boston 5, Vancouver 3

First WHA game:
1973-74
Wed Oct. 10 1973 at Vancouver
Vancouver Blazers 4, Winnipeg Jets 3 (OT)

Other games of interest I attended:

Canada–USSR Summit Series
Sept. 8, 1972 in Vancouver
USSR 5 - Canada 3

1974 Summit Series
Sept. 23 1974 in Vancouver
Canada 5 - USSR 5

2010 Olympics
21 February 2010 Vancouver
United States 5 - Canada 3

I also was at the last game Jean Ratelle and Brad Park played for the Rangers and the first game they played for the Bruins, both in Vancouver.

Tue Nov 4 1975
NY Rangers 4, Vancouver 2

Sat Nov 8 1975
Vancouver 4, Boston 2

.

RoPa · 02-17-2013, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orioles1966

John Adams was in goal for the first year Capitals.

Another game of interest I attended:

John Adams was in goal for Boston in Vancouver January 1 1973 when Bobby Orr had six assists as the Bruins whipped the Canucks 8 - 2.

I remember Orr coughed up the puck in the Bruins end and they scored on Adams.
Orr skated back to him and gave him a tap on the pads with his stick.

.

tward13 · 02-17-2013, 03:51 PM

Don't remember my first Rangers NHL game. Some time in mid-70s.

Went to one WHA game Indianapolis at New England Whalers - Nov 12 1977

Orioles1966 · 02-17-2013, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tward13

Don't remember my first Rangers NHL game. Some time in mid-70s.

Went to one WHA game Indianapolis at New England Whalers - Nov 12 1977

If Gretzky had remained with Indianapolis,I bet the team would still be here and would have been part of the merger. However,the Edmonton Oilers are glad that never happened.

scuffleball · 02-17-2013, 09:32 PM

First pro game ever attended:

Huntington Blizzard vs. Louisville Icehawks, October 22, 1993. Inaugural home game for the Blizzard in the ECHL. Icehawks won 4-2. I really remember this game because the power went out in the building about halfway through the first period and everyone sit in the dark for about 20 minutes. The crowd cheered literally everything (hockey was a new thing back then to the area). They cheered and applauded any time a Blizzard player would touch the puck.

Game was a sellout, 5,520.

The Blizzard were absolutely terrible in that first year. I attended about 20 games (drive was about 70 miles one way for me then). They went 14-49-2-3, finished dead last, and were blown out in a few games. I remember a 15-0 drubbing at the hands of the Greensboro Monarchs.

But there was one very good game that first year that I remember as well. Against the Hampton Roads Admirals at home. Blizzard won 3-2 with 1 second left in OT. Guy named Brad Anderson scored a great goal. Place went crazy. Big crowd that night. Players stayed on the ice for a long time, interacting with the crowd.

tward13 · 02-17-2013, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orioles1966

If Gretzky had remained with Indianapolis,I bet the team would still be here and would have been part of the merger. However,the Edmonton Oilers are glad that never happened.

Gretzky wasn't on Indy yet when I saw them.

termcl · 02-18-2013, 02:23 AM

1979 - Back in the day when you could show up on game night at Chicago Stadium and get front row second balcony seats. Saw the Blackhawks host the Rangers. Phil Esposito against brother Tony in the goal for the Hawks. Can't remember who won but most likely not the Hawks.

Saw many Hawks-Maple Leafs games back when Toronto was in the Norris Division. Always at least one fight between Al Secord (my all-time favorite Hawk) and Bob McGill. Was there to see Big Al score 4 consecutive goals in the 2nd period. In the same game, a young Ed Olczyk had 3 assists and not one but two fights

. Still have the score sheet from that game.

jerem77 · 02-18-2013, 04:55 AM

I've actually never been to an NHL game. But my dad took me a to USHL game when I was a kid (early 90's) and I saw the Des Moines Buccaneers play. The first time I saw North Dakota play was a much bigger deal. UND vs Denver, Oct 28, 2005.

That night I saw Jonathon Toews, TJ Oshie, Travis Zajac, Drew Stafford, Matt Carle and Paul Stastny play.

Edster007 · 02-18-2013, 06:38 AM

November 21, 1971 Rangers 12 Golden Seals 1. It was my 7th birthday, I dont remember much other than being disappointed that Villemure played instead of Giacomin and that the Rangers scored 12 times and Rod Gilbert didn't score one of them. I know Ratelle scored 4 and Pierre Jarry scored two and that the Rangers scored 7 times in the third period. I also remember as we left the Garden my father telling me "enjoy it, it's all down hill from here"

DirkGildun · 02-18-2013, 07:54 AM

Easter Sunday, 1967 -- (pre-NHL expansion) AHL game between Pittsburgh Hornets vs. Buffalo Bisons at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. I was 12 years old, and all I remember was that the Bisons lost, and the Aud had analog (didn't know that term then) time clocks.

shawa666 · 02-18-2013, 08:41 AM

Rendez-Vous '87, game 1

VanillaGorilla · 02-18-2013, 10:23 AM

I grew up a Blackhawks fan and saw my first NHL game on a trip to No Cal. I was sitting 4 rows behind the penalty box, and this clip took place right in front of me.

The Sharks were getting shut out (they DID get shut out) and things got a little chippy and McSorley came over the boards for the face off. Bob Probert was a Blackhawk then, but he was injured. So, when this young kid Simpson got the job of squaring off with the man who was, imo, the baddest enforcer of his generation, I thought I was going to see my boy get his face completely rearranged up close and personal.

I felt a rush of fearful adrenaline as the Tank came alive for their one sure thing of the night...a McSorley win. Sometimes things don't turn out as expected.

10 years later, I find hockeyfights.com. As I watched this clip for the first time, I had the rare experience of realizing that one of the best live sporting moments in my life was actually better than I had remembered.

Cheers, all.

Reid Simpson vs Marty McSorley, Jan 29, 1998 - Hawks vs Sharks - hockeyfights.com

EJ · 02-18-2013, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VanillaGorilla

Reid Simpson vs Marty McSorley, Jan 29, 1998 - Hawks vs Sharks - hockeyfights.com

Wow, great fight. Thanks for posting the link.

My first NHL game was Game 4 of the 1st round playoff game between the Blackhawks and Kings, April 14, 1974. My dad treated me to this game for my 20th birthday. It was his first game as well. I had been watching games on TV for a couple of years, but had started listening to the Kings on radio starting with the '73-'74 season. To finally attend a game live was very cool.

The Hawks led the series 3-0. The Kings went with Gary Edwards in goal instead of Vachon, who had lost the first three, although as was often the case with that Kings team, they didn't score enough to complement excellent outings by Rogie.

The Kings came through for Edwards with five goals, including the hat trick for left wing Tommy Williams, and won 5-1, their only victory in that quarter-final series.

mattski93 · 02-18-2013, 06:52 PM

15th September 1995, Manchester Storm 6-6 Telford Tigers, one of 10,034 fans in the building.

Neasag · 02-18-2013, 06:57 PM

Leafs vs. Jets, 1995.

The Jets have always held a special place in my heart for that reason. I practically jizzed myself when Winnipeg got a team back.

batdad · 02-18-2013, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoPa

First NHL game:
1970-71
Sun Oct. 18 1970 at Vancouver
Boston 5, Vancouver 3

First WHA game:
1973-74
Wed Oct. 10 1973 at Vancouver
Vancouver Blazers 4, Winnipeg Jets 3 (OT)

Other games of interest I attended:

Canada–USSR Summit Series
Sept. 8, 1972 in Vancouver
USSR 5 - Canada 3

1974 Summit Series
Sept. 23 1974 in Vancouver
Canada 5 - USSR 5

2010 Olympics
21 February 2010 Vancouver
United States 5 - Canada 3
.

This list is so close to mine. My first NHL game....Canucks-Bruins the next year. I WAS TWO. My first WHA game was a Blazers game (first and only)-an exhibition game at Kensington Arena in Burnaby.

You got lucky and went to that Canada-Russia game. I watched on TV with my dad. Awesome experience but he was mad. Got my first concussion when he knocked me off the couch when Henderson scored in Game 8.

I think I was at the 8-2 Boston game. But my dad was a Chicago fan, so I mostly saw HAwks games growing up. And then...I kind of became one too.

RoPa · 02-18-2013, 11:41 PM

Two other games that I attended stand out in my mind:

Quote:

March 30, 1974. Three female streakers, wearing only running shoes, plastic glasses and fake noses, take to the ice during a nationally televised Hockey Night in Canada game between the Canucks and Islanders. Greg Douglas: "[NHL president] Clarence Campbell was livid. He demanded to know how such a contemptible thing could happen. As the Canucks p.r. man, I had no explanation. It remains one of the unsolved mysteries of my life."

I was a just a young man back then and all that jiggling and bouncing on the Pacific Coliseum ice was something to see!

Quote:

Monahan's Freak Injury: Monahan missed the start of the 1975-76 season with severely lacerated leg, an injury suffered 39 seconds into second period of Vancouver's Sept. 23, 1975, preseason game vs. Montreal. Monahan lost his balance in his own zone and went sliding into the Canucks net. As he hit the net, his leg was severely sliced by the pointed center of the goal cage's bottom, which was unfortunately raised three inches off the ice as Monahan dislodged the net from its moorings. The same freak injury would happen years later to Mark Howe of Hartford and prompt a change in how NHL nets were built. In Monahan's case, a six-inch gash was made in his upper left thigh, cutting down into his hamstring muscle. Canucks trainer Pat Dunn told The Hockey News it was the worst cut he had ever seen in hockey, and it required immediate surgery. The injury partly happened because Monahan was wearing an old pair of skates for the game. His newer skates had been punctured in the toe during a previous game, and the only reason he had new skates was because he had been having problems balancing on the older ones. Monahan, who had never before missed an NHL game due to injury, did not make his 1975-76 regular-season debut until Vancouver's Oct. 28, 1975, game vs. Atlanta.

That was just gruesome. A few fans in our section left the game after that.

.

mavericktango · 02-19-2013, 08:53 PM

Oxford City Stars v Nottingham Trojans 2nd Dec 1984

First NHL game New Jersey v Hartford in 1992

Wasserlasser · 02-19-2013, 09:06 PM

No idea what year it was. I think it was in the 80's
It was Schwenninger ERC 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt.
My dad took me and we stood on the open side of the stadium. I had no clue about hockey but I was of course rooting for the home team.
The damn thing was, I was dressed black, grey and red and stood with the Frankfurt Supporters. I figured it out though and changed to Blue and White and went to the other end of the stadium the next time.

Since then I haven't missed a season without seeing at least one game. Not bad since I live about 5000 miles away...

02-17-2013, 11:30 AM	#1
Orioles1966 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 2,869	Your first pro hockey game? 12-31-74 WHA Phoenix Roadrunners @ Michigan Stags (Cobo Arena) 1-1 OT Tie Goalies-Phx-Gary Kurt Mich-Gerry Desjardins Gerry Odrowski had a goal for Phoenix ,don't remember who scored for the Stags. Attendance-about 3000. Stags moved to Baltimore about 2 1/2 weeks later. About three months later,seen my first NHL game-Wash. Capitals @ Detroit Red Wings. Red Wings won 8-3,Danny Grant scored his 50th and Bryan Watson scored his first of the season. John Adams was in goal for the first year Capitals. Don't remember who played goal for Detroit.

02-17-2013, 09:32 PM	#6
scuffleball Major Leagues Join Date: May 2003 Location: USA Posts: 358	First pro game ever attended: Huntington Blizzard vs. Louisville Icehawks, October 22, 1993. Inaugural home game for the Blizzard in the ECHL. Icehawks won 4-2. I really remember this game because the power went out in the building about halfway through the first period and everyone sit in the dark for about 20 minutes. The crowd cheered literally everything (hockey was a new thing back then to the area). They cheered and applauded any time a Blizzard player would touch the puck. Game was a sellout, 5,520. The Blizzard were absolutely terrible in that first year. I attended about 20 games (drive was about 70 miles one way for me then). They went 14-49-2-3, finished dead last, and were blown out in a few games. I remember a 15-0 drubbing at the hands of the Greensboro Monarchs. But there was one very good game that first year that I remember as well. Against the Hampton Roads Admirals at home. Blizzard won 3-2 with 1 second left in OT. Guy named Brad Anderson scored a great goal. Place went crazy. Big crowd that night. Players stayed on the ice for a long time, interacting with the crowd. __________________ I came. I saw. I played OOTP. The Storm Tigers - my book, check it out!

02-18-2013, 10:23 AM	#13
VanillaGorilla All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 1,371	My first NHL Game I grew up a Blackhawks fan and saw my first NHL game on a trip to No Cal. I was sitting 4 rows behind the penalty box, and this clip took place right in front of me. The Sharks were getting shut out (they DID get shut out) and things got a little chippy and McSorley came over the boards for the face off. Bob Probert was a Blackhawk then, but he was injured. So, when this young kid Simpson got the job of squaring off with the man who was, imo, the baddest enforcer of his generation, I thought I was going to see my boy get his face completely rearranged up close and personal. I felt a rush of fearful adrenaline as the Tank came alive for their one sure thing of the night...a McSorley win. Sometimes things don't turn out as expected. 10 years later, I find hockeyfights.com. As I watched this clip for the first time, I had the rare experience of realizing that one of the best live sporting moments in my life was actually better than I had remembered. Cheers, all. Reid Simpson vs Marty McSorley, Jan 29, 1998 - Hawks vs Sharks - hockeyfights.com

02-19-2013, 08:53 PM	#19
mavericktango Major Leagues Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: UK, Europe Posts: 386	Oxford City Stars v Nottingham Trojans 2nd Dec 1984 First NHL game New Jersey v Hartford in 1992 __________________ A Lost Soul

02-17-2013, 12:50 PM	#2
RoPa All Star Reserve Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: B.C. Canada Posts: 565	First NHL game: 1970-71 Sun Oct. 18 1970 at Vancouver Boston 5, Vancouver 3 First WHA game: 1973-74 Wed Oct. 10 1973 at Vancouver Vancouver Blazers 4, Winnipeg Jets 3 (OT) Other games of interest I attended: Canada–USSR Summit Series Sept. 8, 1972 in Vancouver USSR 5 - Canada 3 1974 Summit Series Sept. 23 1974 in Vancouver Canada 5 - USSR 5 2010 Olympics 21 February 2010 Vancouver United States 5 - Canada 3 I also was at the last game Jean Ratelle and Brad Park played for the Rangers and the first game they played for the Bruins, both in Vancouver. Tue Nov 4 1975 NY Rangers 4, Vancouver 2 Sat Nov 8 1975 Vancouver 4, Boston 2 .

02-17-2013, 03:51 PM	#4
tward13 All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 1,965	Don't remember my first Rangers NHL game. Some time in mid-70s. Went to one WHA game Indianapolis at New England Whalers - Nov 12 1977

02-18-2013, 02:23 AM	#8
termcl Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 121	1979 - Back in the day when you could show up on game night at Chicago Stadium and get front row second balcony seats. Saw the Blackhawks host the Rangers. Phil Esposito against brother Tony in the goal for the Hawks. Can't remember who won but most likely not the Hawks. Saw many Hawks-Maple Leafs games back when Toronto was in the Norris Division. Always at least one fight between Al Secord (my all-time favorite Hawk) and Bob McGill. Was there to see Big Al score 4 consecutive goals in the 2nd period. In the same game, a young Ed Olczyk had 3 assists and not one but two fights . Still have the score sheet from that game.

02-18-2013, 04:55 AM	#9
jerem77 Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 48	I've actually never been to an NHL game. But my dad took me a to USHL game when I was a kid (early 90's) and I saw the Des Moines Buccaneers play. The first time I saw North Dakota play was a much bigger deal. UND vs Denver, Oct 28, 2005. That night I saw Jonathon Toews, TJ Oshie, Travis Zajac, Drew Stafford, Matt Carle and Paul Stastny play.

02-18-2013, 06:38 AM	#10
Edster007 All Star Starter Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: New York, NY Posts: 1,804	November 21, 1971 Rangers 12 Golden Seals 1. It was my 7th birthday, I dont remember much other than being disappointed that Villemure played instead of Giacomin and that the Rangers scored 12 times and Rod Gilbert didn't score one of them. I know Ratelle scored 4 and Pierre Jarry scored two and that the Rangers scored 7 times in the third period. I also remember as we left the Garden my father telling me "enjoy it, it's all down hill from here"

02-18-2013, 07:54 AM	#11
DirkGildun Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 77	Easter Sunday, 1967 -- (pre-NHL expansion) AHL game between Pittsburgh Hornets vs. Buffalo Bisons at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. I was 12 years old, and all I remember was that the Bisons lost, and the Aud had analog (didn't know that term then) time clocks.

02-18-2013, 08:41 AM	#12
shawa666 All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 601 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	Rendez-Vous '87, game 1

02-18-2013, 06:52 PM	#15
mattski93 Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 33	15th September 1995, Manchester Storm 6-6 Telford Tigers, one of 10,034 fans in the building.

02-18-2013, 06:57 PM	#16
Neasag Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 136	Leafs vs. Jets, 1995. The Jets have always held a special place in my heart for that reason. I practically jizzed myself when Winnipeg got a team back.

02-19-2013, 09:06 PM	#20
Wasserlasser Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 24	No idea what year it was. I think it was in the 80's It was Schwenninger ERC 04 against Eintracht Frankfurt. My dad took me and we stood on the open side of the stadium. I had no clue about hockey but I was of course rooting for the home team. The damn thing was, I was dressed black, grey and red and stood with the Frankfurt Supporters. I figured it out though and changed to Blue and White and went to the other end of the stadium the next time. Since then I haven't missed a season without seeing at least one game. Not bad since I live about 5000 miles away...