To Red Hot Hockey and Back

by Kevin Edelson
WTBU Men's Hockey Color Commentator

I figured that my first time in New York City would be a memorable time, and it was. Both for the experience of traveling there and for the fantastic hockey game I got to see between Terriers and the Cornell Big Red. Allow me to take you through my journey.

8:30 AM - I’m awake much earlier than I would like to be on a Saturday morning, but it’s for a good reason, so I’m not terribly upset.

9:25 AM - I’m in line for a breakfast sandwich at Dunkin Donuts in my hometown of Braintree, MA, and I’m clearly overdressed in my suit. Everyone there is either in sweatpants, or clothes from the night before. I feel very awkward, but it’s for a good cause.

10:00 AM - My dad offered to drive me to South Station to catch my bus, saving me a trip on the dreaded MBTA. This day is already going well.

10:25 AM - I arrive at South Station and proceed to have no clue where I’m supposed to go. I’m directed to Gate 3, which has a line of many. I have a ticket for the noon bus, but the pessimist in me fears that I’ll be catching a later bus.

11:00 AM - The line moves quickly and I have an opportunity to get on the 11 o’clock bus, but I choose to stay behind, which really perplexed the ticket taker. I don’t need to sit at Port Authority for an extra hour, since I have to wait for Justin’s bus to arrive at 4:45 anyways.

11:30 AM - Another bus comes, and it’s an express one. Express is a favorite word of mine, so I jump at the opportunity and board the bus.

12:00 Noon - Apparently express service doesn’t start until a stop in Framingham, where more people board and I lose my own personal space. Not that I mind, but this will come into play later on in the trip.

1:00 PM - An attempt to get some reading done for school went by the wayside, as I fell asleep and never got motivated again.

2:30 PM - Here’s where being on the inside seat came to be an issue. I had to use the bathroom, and the gentleman to my immediate left was doing some work. I felt really awkward asking him to get up, because I don’t want to interrupt him. After twenty minutes of deliberation in my head and waiting for the right moment, I make the move, much to that man’s chagrin.

4:00 PM - The bus is finally in the city.

4:10 PM - I’m trying to pick out spots in the city that were on Seinfeld. The Papaya King hot dog shop where Kramer went to once jumped out at me, and we drove by Jerry’s street, W 81st Street.

4:30 PM - We’re finally here after a long, traffic-filled trip. Justin is due in about 15 minutes, but we’ll see if that happens.

5:15 PM - A half hour later, Justin arrives and we both begin to make our trek to Madison Square Garden. It’s only a couple of blocks away, so the walk won’t be too bad.

5:30 PM - About a block from the Port Authority we spot a White Castle. We had both never been there before, so we decided to give it a shot. The burgers were ok, but we only had two a piece. I suppose to get the real experience we need to have ten at a time.

6:00 PM - We arrive at the arena and get our bags checked and our passes squared away. Security is expectedly tight here, and we’re searched just to make sure.

6:15 PM - The press room is located on a main concourse level, and there are still game notes and stats from the Knicks game held that afternoon. It’s pretty cool to be in the same press room as Knicks writers, no matter how bad their team is.

6:45 PM - We find our way to the press box, which is practically among the fans. This should make for an interesting time.

7:15 PM - The fans start piling in, and it’s tough to tell who likes who on first glance. As I walk through the concourse level, I try spotting BU fans but since the jerseys look the same, I give up and just keep walking.

7:30 PM - The teams come out for warm-ups and the crowd starts getting into it. The Garden gets incredibly loud, and this was just at half-capacity.

7:45 PM - Just before we go on for our announcers’ preview, the crowd noise picks up. It’s amazing to hear the intensity of everyone in the arena at that moment.

8:00 PM - The national anthem is performed by Mark Pender, the trumpet player for the Max Weinberg 7 on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. He did a great job, but it was awesome to hear the whole arena sing along, ever so softly. Unreal.

The timeline during the game is hazy, but it was a great game, and for the Terriers, their first complete game of the season. Three early goals silenced the pro-Cornell majority, and the BU band and student section got louder and louder.

During the first intermission Cornell has players from two of its national title teams on the ice, and then proceeded with what seemed like a 10 minute infomercial for the school on the jumbotron. The second intermission featured Mike Eruzione, Dave Silk, and Jack O’Callahan from Boston University and more notably the 1980 Gold Medal winning USA Hockey team. They got a great ovation from everyone in the arena, showing that they mean the most not just to BU fans but to USA Hockey as a whole.

The third period was a fantastic, back and forth period that saw some intense moments when BU had to kill off a 5 on 3. They gave up one, but killed off the 5 on 4 in dramatic fashion and preserved the well-deserved victory. The Terriers played well in front of the huge crowd, and the crowd got a great hockey game. I hope they continue this tradition for years to come.

11:00 PM - We get outside and try to find a friend and figure out what we’re doing after the game. After hanging around and figuring out a game plan, we head to Grand Central Station to catch a train out to Courtland, where we’ll be staying for the night. We walked towards Times Square, and that site was breathtaking. It was unbelievably bright, and it was impossible to notice everything while we were on the move. I will definitely make a return trip to that spot at the same time of night to capture the moment in full.

12:05 AM - We run into the station and catch our 12:10 train out to our friend’s place about 45 minutes from the city. It was a close call, but we made it.

1:00 AM - 24-hour McDonald's are an amazing concept that should be everywhere. We were starving, and after my Big Mac, I felt like a champ. Well done, McDonalds.

2:00 AM - We probably should have slept, but the Fresh Prince of Bel Air was on. We couldn’t resist.

2:30 AM - After a spectacular episode, we head to sleep only to wake up 5 hours later.

7:40 AM - We’re at the station for our train, and realize we had the wrong schedule. Our train will be 15 minutes later, making for a real close call at the Port Authority.

9:10 AM - We get off the train and get into the cab towards the Port Authority. The cabbie was a talker and told us how he picked up Cindy Crawford and how Tom Hanks looks really old in person. He also sped down the streets of NYC and got us there at 9:27.

9:30 AM - I catch an early bus back to Boston, and Justin makes a later bus back to Providence. Disaster, for the most part, is averted.

The trip as a whole was a success, and one I would make again in a heartbeat. Many thanks go to BU Athletics for helping make all of this possible. I hope to be back for another Red Hot Hockey in the future.