And with that, after six weeks, I have left Detroit. You know, they say that the best thing to come out of Detroit is I-75 South, and the last time I was there, I would have been hard pressed to disagree. Detroit was a $#!+-hole of epic proportions a few short years ago, but the downtown area has cleaned itself up quite well. I could even walk around at night. If you have never been to Detroit, it was – and to a large part still is – as bad as everyone says. But it’s getting better.

It’s nice to be away from some of the Red Wings fans I encountered, as well. The broad generalization about any rival fan is that they are dumb, loud-mouthed, angry tools that don’t actually care about the sport they say they love. And I ran into a few of those during my stay. For the most part, though, I kept my love of the Avalanche under wraps, and retired my jerseys, hats, and new pullover fleece for a little while. I was like an enemy spy, undercover. And really, I didn’t want to rub my fandom in the noses of those around me. I love the sport of hockey, and I love my team, and while I don’t want to take that same love away from anyone else, I also don’t really care what the average Red Wings fan thinks of the team I support. I just love my hockey, and I will keep that to myself.

I did get to see some great hockey in Michigan, but it wasn’t at the Joe. Yes, I went to see a Wings game, because it was there, and on a night off, and the building I was living in was attached to the arena. So I took what NHL action I could, even if it was colored red and white. But the game I was most enamored with was the Plymouth Whalers game. From only a few rows back, and with two tickets costing a whopping thirty dollars (CHEAP!!!), I got to see a fast, fun, passionate hockey game, full of spills, thrills, and teddy bears. If you ever can go to a teddy bear toss game (where teddy bears are tossed onto the ice for charity), get thee to the rink. You won’t soon forget it.

But now I am in Pittsburgh, for about six weeks. Next week, I am going to the Monday Penguins game, and in another few weeks, will see the Crosby show take on the Ovechkin regulars. And even though it’s the second most crap arena in the league (sorry, Joe Louis, but atmosphere only counts for so much), I can’t wait to go. Last time I was here, we flew into town from Memphis, dropped our bags at the apartment, and busted ass to Mellon, in time to see two periods of the Leafs versus the Pens. And let me tell you, it was awesome. Later in the run, I got to see the Avs play, which was a nice treat, and too rare with the current (and moderately fixed) schedule.

I didn’t get to see any bloggers from Detroit while I was there, but hopefully will change that while here in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are done, there is no NBA, and the city is Pens crazy. I think I’m going to like it here.

Technorati Tags: Hockey, NHL