Hi guys, welcome to a new week. I had a great time last week because I was on holiday. I visited Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada for my sister’s graduation, so expect a few travel posts about my time there. 

I was only in Canada for a week( I know, short right?!) so I tried to make the most of my time. That’s why when my brother found out about an ice hockey game, we decided to go together to experience it. I’ve only ever been to a stadium once “Emirates Stadium” to watch an Arsenal game many years ago and it was fun so I thought this was gonna be fun too.

I’d like to say here that we didn’t know much about ice hockey at all before this game except what we had seen on TV. We went for the thrill of it all and it was worth every penny we spent. The game was between Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers so it was a home game. Ice hockey began in Canada in the late 19th century, and is widely considered Canada’s national pastime with high levels of participation by children, men and women at various levels of competition(source). We were at the mall right before we went to the game so my brother cupped a Winnipeg Jets hat and I mocked him. Good thing he did though because when we got to the Bell MTS Centre Downtown where the match was played, 95% of people were in jerseys, hats or other merch from the teams. 

Of course, we took a couple of pictures before the game but my brother wouldn’t take a photo of me during the breaks after the seats were filled. The first and second period started out fine with Winnipeg Jets scoring 4 goals and Edmonton Oilers scoring only 1. By the third period though, the Oilers scored 3 other goals and the Jets lost all their chances. The game went to extra time and the first goal came from the opposing team. 

It kinda bumped that Winnipeg Jets lost a home game, their first game of the season. It was still fun for us though from the chants, to the drumming, to the games during the breaks, to the audience displays on the screen; my brother really wanted to get on the screen😂. Experiencing this game made me more inclined to learn how to skate. I hope I get to do that soon!

Have you ever been to an ice hockey game?

Did you know that ice hockey has three periods with 17 minutes break after each period?

Did you know that players are substituted simultaneously during the game? 

Thanks for reading. More travel posts to come soon!!!

Mariam Shittu