Battle of the Blades

Last Sunday night I got to go to Battle of the Blades at Maple Leaf Gardens. The minute I saw the print ads for the show I knew I needed to go see it live. And since Insight was the production company I knew I would be able to get in there if I begged. But then Justin got hired on as Dick Buttons assistant and he asked me if i wanted to come to the show with his parents. Well I couldn't have asked for a better date to the show than Justin's dad Brian. Bri, is a hockey fanatic, and has a shrine of Maple Leafs memorabilia in his basement. He's also a devoted rocker so he has seen some amazing moments at the Garden, and he took me on a tour before the show started.

An old Molson ad.

Bri rink side

Dawn, Brian Haley and me.

We ran into Justin before the show.

It was so cool to be at the Garden, it was my first time inside Its hallowed halls. And Bri told me lots of awesome stories about going to games and concerts there . He saw, among others, The Beatles, Queen, and even Led Zeppelin, from the fourth row no less, at the Gardens. And probably a thousand hockey games at least. You used to go to Marlie games in the afternoon and Leaf games at night.

Did you know that Maple Leaf Gardens was dry until the mid 90's? I was shocked by that. Bri showed me where the owner and Gm used to sit, in a little cubby at one end of the rink. And there they would drink their own bottles of CC during the game. There was also a restaurant where wealthy hockey patrons could go after the game and have dinner with the players and coaches.

The arena announcer would climb those stairs up to the top of the Gardens. Can you imagine!?

Just before the show started Ron MacLean and Kurt Browning getting the crowd excited.

There's Ron!

One of my favourite contestants. Tie Domi.

The whole cast.

Justin and me heading to Tim Horton's for dinner after the show, obviously.

Justin loves Shae -Lynn

My boyfriend Tie