Royalty is going to Western Canada over the first weekend in March!

Here's the game plan:

The King & I are flying to Calgary, Alberta, Canada on WestJet Airlines. We leave New York LaGuardia Airport on Friday, March 3rd which happens to be my special day at 7:30AM Eastern Time, we have an 2 hours & 11 minute layover in Toronto, Ontario. We're then scheduled to leave there at 11:15AM Eastern Time if we're not delayed for any reason. We're supposed to land in Calgary at 1:34PM Mountain Time if we're on time. Upon arrival, I'm renting a car from Budget Rent A Car for the weekend. I plan to meet some special people who I met on my way to Yankee Stadium a few years ago when they came to visit NYC. I'm referring to Patti & Jim Smart who happen to live in Edmonton, Alberta. They arranged to get us tickets so we can see the Rogers Place, their new downtown arena which opened up in October. By doing so, we'll be for the time being current members of Club 122 once again. Sunday night/Monday morning we leave Calgary, Alberta on a red eye flight that departs at 1:15AM Mountain Time on Delta Airlines & we're scheduled to land in Toronto at 6:58AM Eastern Time where we have a connecting flight that departs Toronto at 9:35AM & is supposed to land at 11:06AM Eastern Time at LaGuardia Airport if all goes according to plan.    
   
Friday March 3rd Red Wings at Flames 7PM Mountain Time

Saturday March 4th Red Wings at Oilers 8PM Mountain Time
                                                       
Sunday March 5th Islanders at Flames 2PM Mountain Time

If you're interested in going on this exclusive getaway royalty style just let me know so I can arrange to have you join us.

It's going to be a blast so why not come along for a "royal" ride.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty continues North through Western Canada for a hockey doubleheader!‏




The King during warmups



The Prince in Oil Country

















After the minor league game we saw in Calgary Friday night we drove to Red Deer to spent the next two nights during the "Faceoff in the Foothills" weekend as it was branded.

We woke up in the morning and we had breakfast at the hotel. They had quite a spread which included eggs, ham, waffles, cereal, fruit and yogurt. We loaded up for the big day ahead.

While we were enjoying our meal we got to see some families with their young kids who were getting ready to go play hockey.

Unlike here in the States, kids learn how to skate and play hockey once they learn how to walk.

We've been to Canada many times over the years and we always love the experience. It's a different culture there.

When you go to a hockey game in Canada you can really appreciate the game and the passion that these people have for it.

This trip was filled with plenty of hockey including a double dosage once we left the hotel.

We drove up to Edmonton aka the City of Champions as the welcome sign said to see the Atlanta Thrashers invade Rexall Place as it's called these days as they were visiting the Oilers in Oil Country.

Back in the day during the 1980's, the Oilers had their dynasty run with a guy named Wayne Gretzky aka "The Great One" leading the way. It was fascinating to see all those championship banners hanging across over one end of the ice.

These days they're a far cry from that as they currently have the worst record in the league.

Although things may be turning around in Edmonton soon since they had the first pick in the 2010 NHL Draft in June and they selected a kid named Taylor Hall who was only 18 at the time. He turned 19 in November.

During the game we saw, Taylor waited for the third period to start to show us what he can do. With the Oilers trailing 3-1 early in the third period, he scored three straight goals which gave him 20 in his rookie season.

As a result, he got his first career hat trick and since he scored three in the same period it was a natural hat trick. It reminded me of "The Great One".

The last goal he scored he was determined to finish in front of the net and he did. The crowd erupted as the Oilers took their first lead of the day. What a great feeling it was to see this young star on the rise.

The Oilers added another goal with just 12 seconds remaining as they went on to win the match, 5-3!

It was really nice to return to that old barn to see another hockey game.

The arena is located out in the northeast suburbs passed downtown which we drove through to get there.

There's been talk of them wanting to build a new arena. If indeed that eventually happens, I look forward to returning to see it someday.

After the game we went back to Red Deer to see our first ever Western Hockey League (WHL). The WHL is a Junior League.

We saw the Red Deer Rebels host the Kamloops Blazers at the Enmax Centrium which was a pretty nice size arena considering it was juniors that were playing.

It made for a nice hockey night in Canada as we completed our full day of watching hockey.

As for the game we saw, the Rebels led most of the night but the Blazers scored just past the midway mark of the third period which tied the game at 3 and forced the extra session.

The Rebels wound up winning the game 4-3 in overtime.

I fulfilled the King's need to go to another Casino in downtown Red Deer before we called it a night.

Sunday we got up and headed back to Calgary for the main event, the Heritage Classic.

Stay tuned as I go into further detail regarding that special occasion.

Thank you for reading and following along as I recap our adventurous getaway.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty revisits Western Canada over President's/Family Day Weekend!‏



Saddledome



Hello Calgary













It was a long time since we went to Western Canada.

The King and I were there one other time way back on March 20-23, 1998.

We flew to Calgary that Friday and we saw the Flames play the Islanders that night.

That Saturday we went to Edmonton to see the Oilers play the Blues and Sunday night they played the Islanders.

We flew back from Calgary that Monday.

While we were there we went to the West Edmonton Mall. What an experience that was. It had everything a shopper could dream of. It also had a beach and a casino. It was amazing to say the least.

This time we flew to Calgary again. Upon arrival, we rented a car from Hertz for the weekend so we could go back to Edmonton and Red Deer which is located right in the middle of them.

We arrived in Calgary in the early afternoon. Since we were staying in Red Deer we didn't have the luxury of dropping off our bags at the hotel before the hockey game we were attending in Calgary.

So we decided to go get some early dinner since we were hungry from flying all day. It really wasn't so early because we gained two hours due to the time zone change there. They're on Mountain time.

As for eating, we went to the Husky House restaurant which is part of a gas station but knowing from past experience in Canada it's a good place to eat. As expected, we weren't disappointed.

After we ate we took a ride into Centre Ville which is how they refer to downtown. We drove around for a while to try and see if we could bring back flashbacks of 1998. In matter of fact, we vaguely did. The skyline looked familiar in particular with the Calgary tower standing out.

After doing that we noticed a casino that was within walking distance of the Saddledome. So we found a free parking spot on the street nearby and we were good for the night.

We went into the Stampede Casino which I know for a fact didn't exist back in 1998.

We spent an hour or so in there then we braved the elements as we took the short walk to the game.

It was a unique game because it was a minor league hockey game between the Abbotsford Heat who are the Calgary Flames affiliate and the Oklahoma City Barons who are the Edmonton Oilers farm team.

It was also the first time these two teams played each other. The Barons just came into the league this season. The Heat have been around only a few years as well.

It would have been better if the Flames were home but it still gave us a chance to see the Saddledome again.

As for the Saddledome, it's quite a unique structure. It reminded us of the old Capital Centre in Landover where the Washington Capitals used to play on the outside. It had the same potato chip roof style to it. It looks like the roof is caving in hence the name "Saddle" Dome. It's located right in Stampede Park which includes the old barn, the Corral, where the Flames played their first few years upon moving from Atlanta in 1980. 

When we got inside it was a lot different from most new arenas these days. This venue isn't that old. It opened in 1983. By today's standards it's ancient.

The concourse was rather wide and they had displays of the Flames history including their Stanley Cup Championship in 1989.

The arena has two levels which were open. In addition, there's a third level on one side that stayed closed since they didn't expect a full house.

As a result, we got to get a great view of the action. Speaking of the action, the Abbotsford Heat had taken a early 1-0 lead. Later in the game the Barons scored to tie it up at one.

With overtime looming, Alexandre Giroux of the Barons lit the lamp with just 1:06 left in regulation that proved to be the game winner as the Barons added an empty net goal with 42 seconds left to seal the deal.

The Barons won, 3-1!

After the game, we drove to Red Deer to spent the night as we got ready for a big hockey day on Saturday.

Stay tuned for the next installment.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty is heading to Western Canada for the Heritage Classic!

It's going to February tomorrow, Royalty will be spending some time North of the Border over President's weekend in Western Canada.

The game plan is as follows:

The King and I are going to fly to Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the first time since March 1998. The primary purpose is to see the 2011 Heritage Classic at McMahon Stadium. It's another outdoor hockey game as the Calgary Flames host the Montreal Canadiens. In addition, we also have a few other games planned while we're there.

Friday, February 18th we have a flight booked on Delta Airlines that departs NY LaGuardia Airport at 7:57AM Eastern Time and it's scheduled to land in Calgary at 1:33PM Mountain Time after we make a stop in Minneapolis first.

Upon arrival, I'll be renting a car and we're going to see a minor league hockey game as the Abbotsford Heat of the AHL play the Oklahoma City Barons at the Saddledome home of  the Flames at 7PM local time.

Saturday, February 19th the Atlanta Thrashers visit the Edmonton Oilers at 1:30PM.. Afterwards, we'll be driving to Red Deer to see a Junior hockey game at 7PM. Red Deer is located right between Edmonton and Calgary which makes for a convenient doubleheader.

Sunday, February 20th, we'll be at the main event, the Heritage Classic at 4PM.

We'll be flying back home on Monday, February 21st. Our flight on Delta Airlines departs Calgary at 8AM Mountain Time and lands at LaGuardia at 4:43PM Eastern Time. Once again we get to lay over in Minneapolis.

Please feel free to check back for all the details of how this adventure turned out.

If you want to join us, please let me know so I can arrange to make it happen.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 11/8 in review

Monday morning upon returning from Detroit on Delta Airlines, I went right into work. After work, I came home to rest up for the busy week ahead.

Tuesday night I went to the Prudential Center to see the Cleveland Cavaliers without LeBron James as they took on the NJ Nets.

The Cavaliers wound up beating the Nets, 93-91. Byron Scott who previously coached the Nets got revenge on his former team. The Cavaliers used a balanced attack to come away with the victory.

J.J. Hickson led the way scoring 18 points and he grabbed 10 rebounds. Antawn Jamison and Ramon Sessions added 15 points each while Daniel Gibson had 14 including a few key 3 pointers to help seal the deal.

The Nets were led by Travis Outlaw who led all scorers with 27 points in the defeat. Devin Harris had 18 and Brook Lopez finished with 16.

Wednesday night I went to Madison Square Garden to see the return of ex-Knick David Lee who traded in the offseason to the Golden State Warriors.

After the first timeout of the game, the Knicks honored David with a video tribute.

After that David continued to be a highlight reel. He scorched the Knicks for 28 points and he pulled down 10 rebounds for a typical D-Lee double-double.

Stephen Curry the second year guard played well and he poured in 25 points. Monta Ellis added 22 points as the Warriors held off the Knicks down the stretch, 122-117.

The Knicks were led by Amaure Stoudemire who led all scorers with 33 points but he missed 2 free throws late in the game that cost the Knicks a chance for a possible comeback in the end. Wilson Chandler had 27 points in the losing effort.

Thursday night I went back to MSG this time to see the Blueshirts play. The Rangers were hosting the Buffalo Sabres.

As for the game, neither starting goaltender played. Hendrik Lundqvist and Ryan Miller were missing. In fact, Miller wasn't even the backup. Despite that I saw a competitive game. The Sabres wound tying the game late in the second period at 2. It stayed that way until overtime when the Rangers Artem Anisimov scored the sudden death game winner with 3:28 left in the extra period.

Friday night I returned to the Prudential Center for NJ Devil hockey. The Devils were still searching for their first home win. They were entertaining the Edmonton Oilers who have the number one draft pick on their team in Taylor Hall.

As for the match, the Devils finally came out victorious at the Rock when Ilya Kovalchuk delivered the game winning goal with 1:33 left in the extra session to win it.

As for the weekend, please stay tuned as I will write a special post with the details of the adventure.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman