1st annual away game gongshow

[Habsawce]

Hey guys,

Now that I'm done school and have a proper job making actual money I've decided that every year I'm going to plan a trip to see Montreal play an away game in a different city. The plan is to do this till I see a game in all stadiums around the league. So this thread is essentially asking what people think who have been around the league in where I should start to go.

Here is what I'm thinking for the first trip.

December 21 @ Nashville
Jan 1 @ Boston (Winter Classic)
Jan 5 @ Philadelphia
Jan 17 @ Chicago
Jan 25 @ Columbus

I basically want to drive to the first game and since I live in Southwestern Ontario these games would be perfect to start off with. Keep in mind I've already seen multiple games in Montreal, Ottawa, Buffalo and Toronto. I can go to Detroit anytime since they're in the division now so that's not really a trip.

Thoughts on people who have been around?

side note: gongshow because of the alcohol that will be consumed. Don't worry, I'm a nice drunk and won't give our fan base a bad name. Although I don't think it's possible since everyone already hates us so much

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[LG18]

I know this isn't in your trip, but I figured I'd give some praise to another fanbase.

Too bad the Isles aren't playing in the Nassau Coliseum cause I really loved it there. Went last november when they played the Penguins and the atmosphere was insane, not as insane as Montreals that's for sure, but for a place where the tickets were so cheap (50$ and we were in the front row), people in Uniondale really like their hockey.

Don't think Brooklyn will be that cheap though, you could try it. If the fanbase follows the team, you could be in for a great trip.

 

[Brainiac]

side note: gongshow because of the alcohol that will be consumed. Don't worry, I'm a nice drunk and won't give our fan base a bad name. Although I don't think it's possible since everyone already hates us so much

So you should call it your away game bongshow!

 

[donghabs98]

Games in New Jersey sound fun, they are cheap and you can just go sight seeing around New York City.

Things on my bucket list: Go on a trip with a bunch of Habs fans to see road games.

 

[Whalers Fan]

If you want to catch a game at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, plan on doing it in the next two seasons. Ground has been broken on a new arena near Comerica Park and Ford Field, and is scheduled to open for the 2017-18 season.

As a side note, you know you are getting old when arenas you went to when they first opened are being torn down for new arenas.

 

[BatVader]

Personally, I'd love to go see a Habs game in Winnipeg.
The atmosphere in that rink seems electric on TV.
March 5 2016 @Winnipeg

 

[BatVader]

Games in New Jersey sound fun, they are cheap and you can just go sight seeing around New York City.

Things on my bucket list: Go on a trip with a bunch of Habs fans to see road games.

It's on my lottery list.
If I hit it big enough, I'm renting a bus and filling it with Habs fans and following the team for a season.
Every game, home and away.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Go to Columbus, I'll be there

 

[Adriatic]

I know this isn't in your trip, but I figured I'd give some praise to another fanbase.

Too bad the Isles aren't playing in the Nassau Coliseum cause I really loved it there. Went last november when they played the Penguins and the atmosphere was insane, not as insane as Montreals that's for sure, but for a place where the tickets were so cheap (50$ and we were in the front row), people in Uniondale really like their hockey.

Don't think Brooklyn will be that cheap though, you could try it. If the fanbase follows the team, you could be in for a great trip.

That place was a dump dump though. Went there to see the Habs once and didn't find it special really, the place looks like a bigger junior rink. Around the arena was a dump as well. I can't see how the Brooklyn experience won't be better. Apart from the ticket prices being so low I hated pretty much everything about Nassau.

 

[LG18]

That place was a dump dump though. Went there to see the Habs once and didn't find it special really, the place looks like a bigger junior rink. Around the arena was a dump as well. I can't see how the Brooklyn experience won't be better. Apart from the ticket prices being so low I hated pretty much everything about Nassau.

Did you go when the team was awful? Having a good team changed things in Uniondale.

 

[Alex514]

I'll wait patiently until LV gets their team and I will make a vacation out of it.

The other barns that I'd like to visit are :
Chicago
New York
Boston

 

[Habsawce]

If you want to catch a game at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, plan on doing it in the next two seasons. Ground has been broken on a new arena near Comerica Park and Ford Field, and is scheduled to open for the 2017-18 season.

As a side note, you know you are getting old when arenas you went to when they first opened are being torn down for new arenas.

Yeah I thought I could just burn down to Windsor and hop on the bus from the casino to the Joe. I think that's more of a day thing than a trip. I definitely will get to the Joe before it closes though.

Personally, I'd love to go see a Habs game in Winnipeg.
The atmosphere in that rink seems electric on TV.
March 5 2016 @Winnipeg

Winnipeg would be good for sure. Never thought about it really, but I'll get there eventually.

Go to Columbus, I'll be there

I'm leaning towards Columbus or Nashville. I think Columbus could win out cause it's a quick drive but Nashville is so tempting cause of the city.

 

[Habs10Habs]

You can't go wrong with any of the cities you listed. My choice out of all of them would be Nashville. Great place to watch a game, and there are so many amazing things to do there.

As BatCarp mentioned. I'd definitely consider adding Winnipeg to your list.

 

[Lshap]

Hey guys,

Now that I'm done school and have a proper job making actual money I've decided that every year I'm going to plan a trip to see Montreal play an away game in a different city. The plan is to do this till I see a game in all stadiums around the league. So this thread is essentially asking what people think who have been around the league in where I should start to go.

Here is what I'm thinking for the first trip.

December 21 @ Nashville
Jan 1 @ Boston (Winter Classic)
Jan 5 @ Philadelphia
Jan 17 @ Chicago
Jan 25 @ Columbus

I basically want to drive to the first game and since I live in Southwestern Ontario these games would be perfect to start off with. Keep in mind I've already seen multiple games in Montreal, Ottawa, Buffalo and Toronto. I can go to Detroit anytime since they're in the division now so that's not really a trip.

Thoughts on people who have been around?

side note: gongshow because of the alcohol that will be consumed. Don't worry, I'm a nice drunk and won't give our fan base a bad name. Although I don't think it's possible since everyone already hates us so much

Brilliant idea! I recently started doing the exact same thing with one of my friends. Here's my take:

- Madison Square Garden (NYR):
The game: Went just before they renovated, but it's still a classic location with tons of history, located right in the middle of Manhattan. Fans are loud but fun. Habs got creamed.
The City: See a play or three while you're there, but avoid eating at the overpriced crappy tourist traps in Midtown. Expensive but never boring.

- Verizon Center (Washngton):
The game: Verizon's located in a nice part of downtown, with a few good restaurants within a block or two. Nice clean arena with friendly fans and VERY vigilant ushers (don't act drunk). Tickets are pretty reasonable.
The City: Amazing city for gawking at architecture, museums and site-seeing. Georgetown is a trendy, quaint 'burb right next door for good food. Cabs are really cheap.

- United Center (Chicago):
The game: Awful location, near nothing, kinda scary, but the arena itself rocks. There's nothing like the rich history of an O6 franchise, with actual Cup banners hanging in the rafters (one more since I was there last year) and knowledgable fans to talk with. Cool to have seen the eventual Cup champs in December in their barn. Ticket prices are insanely expensive!
The City: Beautiful, big, a wider and cleaner New York with wildly creative skyscrapers from distinct architectural eras. Great food. And yeah, try the deep-dish pizza. Outside of the arena I barely saw any Hawks merch.

- BB&T Arena (Florida):
The game: The arena's across from huge Sawgrass Mills mall in Lauderdale. Park there and walk across to the arena instead of spending on arena parking. Be warned - Habs play Florida around New Years, when the place is overrun with vacationing Montrealers. Feels like a home game in a bush-league environment. Nothing wrong with the arena, but the announcer really doesn't like us. Tickets are pretty cheap.
The City: Florida in December is a nice break for the climate. Otherwise... boring.

This season I think we're going to Raleigh to see the Habs and 'Canes. Odd choice, I know.

 

[Adriatic]

Did you go when the team was awful? Having a good team changed things in Uniondale.

Yes they weren't very good. But apart from the chanting after they score I can't imagine it being a great experience. At least if the arena had some kind of historic look, but even that was bland. The game itself might be more fun with them having a better team, but the area where the arena is located is just painful. It's the type of place you go watch the game and then just GTFO after the game, there is just nothing there. You have no choice but to fight traffic back to Manhattan. At least in Brooklyn you're right there if you need to go to Manhattan.

 

[Habsawce]

Brilliant idea! I recently started doing the exact same thing with one of my friends. Here's my take:

- Madison Square Garden (NYR):
The game: Went just before they renovated, but it's still a classic location with tons of history, located right in the middle of Manhattan. Fans are loud but fun. Habs got creamed.
The City: See a play or three while you're there, but avoid eating at the overpriced crappy tourist traps in Midtown. Expensive but never boring.

- Verizon Center (Washngton):
The game: Verizon's located in a nice part of downtown, with a few good restaurants within a block or two. Nice clean arena with friendly fans and VERY vigilant ushers (don't act drunk). Tickets are pretty reasonable.
The City: Amazing city for gawking at architecture, museums and site-seeing. Georgetown is a trendy, quaint 'burb right next door for good food. Cabs are really cheap.

- United Center (Chicago):
The game: Awful location, near nothing, kinda scary, but the arena itself rocks. There's nothing like the rich history of an O6 franchise, with actual Cup banners hanging in the rafters (one more since I was there last year) and knowledgable fans to talk with. Cool to have seen the eventual Cup champs in December in their barn. Ticket prices are insanely expensive!
The City: Beautiful, big, a wider and cleaner New York with wildly creative skyscrapers from distinct architectural eras. Great food. And yeah, try the deep-dish pizza. Outside of the arena I barely saw any Hawks merch.

- BB&T Arena (Florida):
The game: The arena's across from huge Sawgrass Mills mall in Lauderdale. Park there and walk across to the arena instead of spending on arena parking. Be warned - Habs play Florida around New Years, when the place is overrun with vacationing Montrealers. Feels like a home game in a bush-league environment. Nothing wrong with the arena, but the announcer really doesn't like us. Tickets are pretty cheap.
The City: Florida in December is a nice break for the climate. Otherwise... boring.

This season I think we're going to Raleigh to see the Habs and 'Canes. Odd choice, I know.

Thanks for the advice. I never really thought about DC, although I do want to see every arena eventually. I have a friend in DC for the next couple years, might be worth getting there while he's there since I'll have a ride around and what not.

Are these the rinks you've been to or are there more? Besides the obvious ones within close range.

 

[Lshap]

Thanks for the advice. I never really thought about DC, although I do want to see every arena eventually. I have a friend in DC for the next couple years, might be worth getting there while he's there since I'll have a ride around and what not.

Are these the rinks you've been to or are there more? Besides the obvious ones within close range.

Yeah, those are the rinks I went to, specifically to see Montreal as the visiting team. I've never had an issue with rival fans -- be friendly, joke around, and they're unfailingly polite.

Been to Ottawa back in the 90s, back when it was the Corel Centre. Saw the Habs play the Sens twice, but not much rivalry to speak of back then.

Haven't been inside, but I've seen the Prudential Centre (NJ) and TD Gardens (Boston). Newark is a total ghost town. The area immediately around the Devils' arena is nice, but the surrounding city is a mess. Avoid. We may hate the Bruins, but TD Garden is a nice place and Boston is an awesome city. Definitely worth spending time walking around, seeing the history, enjoying the sights.

 

[Habsawce]

Yeah, those are the rinks I went to, specifically to see Montreal as the visiting team. I've never had an issue with rival fans -- be friendly, joke around, and they're unfailingly polite.

Been to Ottawa back in the 90s, back when it was the Corel Centre. Saw the Habs play the Sens twice, but not much rivalry to speak of back then.

Haven't been inside, but I've seen the Prudential Centre (NJ) and TD Gardens (Boston). Newark is a total ghost town. The area immediately around the Devils' arena is nice, but the surrounding city is a mess. Avoid. We may hate the Bruins, but TD Garden is a nice place and Boston is an awesome city. Definitely worth spending time walking around, seeing the history, enjoying the sights.

Well I've been to Toronto 3 times (would be more but it's hard to get tickets or afford them) and Ottawa like 5 or 6 (I lived there for 3 years) and have never had any issue either with opposing fans. Although I don't mouth off or get overly drunk, might have something to do with it.

I look forward to the year where I do a California trip and see them play in all 3 of LA, San Jose and Anaheim. That will be great I think!

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Yeah I thought I could just burn down to Windsor and hop on the bus from the casino to the Joe. I think that's more of a day thing than a trip. I definitely will get to the Joe before it closes though.



Winnipeg would be good for sure. Never thought about it really, but I'll get there eventually.



I'm leaning towards Columbus or Nashville. I think Columbus could win out cause it's a quick drive but Nashville is so tempting cause of the city.

to be honest I've only been to Columbus so maybe I'm not the best to give comparisons, but it's a pretty good place to see a game. For 75$ you can sit like 8 rows up from the glass at center ice, some decent food and a pretty good home crowd. The only annoying thing though is they insist on firing off a mother****ing cannon before the start of the game and every time the Blue Jackets score . You can't go wrong with Nashville though, I think those are two good teams to choose from because they are both pretty likeable teams, so if the Habs lose you aren't that pissed haha.

I'm planning to get tickets for me and my girlfriend in Buffalo on Feb 12th, sort of a Valentine's day thing. Only thing I'm worried about is how ****** the weather will be then

 

[M.C.G. 31]

I plan on doing exactly what you're doing with this when I'm done school.

Honestly... I think starting something like this with the Winter Classic would be awesome. How many more times do we expect to see Montreal in the Winter Classic with NBC wanting mostly American teams in there? Since the Habs are one of the bigger markets, their odds are better, but down the road, I wouldn't expect to see us in one for another 5-8 years. I'd definitely start with them.

 

[29dryden29]

Hey guys,

Now that I'm done school and have a proper job making actual money I've decided that every year I'm going to plan a trip to see Montreal play an away game in a different city. The plan is to do this till I see a game in all stadiums around the league. So this thread is essentially asking what people think who have been around the league in where I should start to go.

Here is what I'm thinking for the first trip.

December 21 @ Nashville
Jan 1 @ Boston (Winter Classic)
Jan 5 @ Philadelphia
Jan 17 @ Chicago
Jan 25 @ Columbus

I basically want to drive to the first game and since I live in Southwestern Ontario these games would be perfect to start off with. Keep in mind I've already seen multiple games in Montreal, Ottawa, Buffalo and Toronto. I can go to Detroit anytime since they're in the division now so that's not really a trip.

Thoughts on people who have been around?

side note: gongshow because of the alcohol that will be consumed. Don't worry, I'm a nice drunk and won't give our fan base a bad name. Although I don't think it's possible since everyone already hates us so much

I will be at the Nashville game on the 21st.

 

[Habsawce]

I will be at the Nashville game on the 21st.

I'm really leaning there because I want to see the city and the home crowd is supposed to be really good. Plus, getting to see a Price v. Rinne battle live would be nice.

 

[Lshap]

Damn - Nashville would've been my first choice too. Unfortunately, the 21st falls too close to a family trip I'm taking. Would've been a blast to meet you guys.

 

[Lshap]

Actually, Dallas strikes me as a great location. Great escape from the winter, a cool city, an exciting team, plus the jumbotron guy is famous for having fun with visiting fans.

 

[Habsawce]

Actually, Dallas strikes me as a great location. Great escape from the winter, a cool city, an exciting team, plus the jumbotron guy is famous for having fun with visiting fans.

Would be cool to plan it around a Cowboys game and see both. Can't be hard to get a ticket when the stadium seats 100,000.