Hockey Night in Canada!

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The Battle of Alberta

So it finally worked out that on my one-year anniversary weekend in Canada, I got to see some ICE HOCKEY! Canadians are quick to point out that no-one says 'ice' - its implied because apparently its the only 'real' hockey. Dont even try and tell them that Australians are olympic gold medalists in field hockey - its not worth the ridicule.
Anyway, we headed into Calgary (the closest city to Banff about a 1 1/2 hour drive away) We were lucky enough to have some friends with some sweet hook-ups and got discounts on really nice hotel rooms in downtown Calgary, a limo to take us to the game, pick us up and then take us to a downtown bar.

The game was brilliant. The two teams playing were the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames, both teams from the province (or state) of Alberta - pretty much like seeing the Dockers vs the Eagles I guess. I've been watching the hockey a lot since getting here and have got the basic rules down but the puck flies SO fast I missed most of the goals. Like any sport though, the live atmosphere was what made the night - the crowd, the fans, the beer etc

A really fun weekend and a great taste of 'real' hockey.

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Photos

Drinking beer with a straw??
You'd never see that at the footy

After the game...
the gang in the limo after a few beers