I just got back from a hockey game with Sam. He really enjoyed it, our team won (he’s got the scarf and all – a true fan) and it was a key game – they’ve got a shot at the league championship. It’s not my favorite way to spend an evening, though.
Actually, it's cheaper than going to the movies
Oh, the game itself is usually all right. I just don’t enjoy the way there, or the way back. Huge crowds. I’m glad we only live two Metro stops away. I must admit, Czech sports fans are better behaved than sports fans in lots of countries. There are plenty of small kids at the games and it’s a totally non-threatening environment. Oh, there may be the occasional vulgarity at an exciting moment, but none of the constant screams of “You suck!” and “Eat shit, ref!” that you hear at American sports events, even at the High School level. There were a couple of tussles on the ice, but fighting isn’t nearly as big a part of European hockey as it is in the NHL.
We couldn’t find our seats right away and had to ask at the information desk. I said, in what I thought was flawless Czech, where is sector 400? The young lady replied “Take that escalator right over there,” in very clear English. She was very nice about it. The other day, I had to pay for something at my son’s school. I handed the piece of paper with all the information on it to the secretary and said (again, in what I thought was pretty clear Czech) “I have to pay for this.” She got on the phone right away, without a word to me, and said “I’ve got some guy here (nejaky pan – quite dismissive) and he doesn’t understand Czech.” Pissed me off.
Anyway, even though the final score was 4-0, it was a pretty exciting game. It was 2-0 at the end of the 2nd period, and Třinec actually scored early in the 3rd, but it was disallowed for some reason I didn’t understand. There are a lot of things about hockey, and about Czech people, that I don’t understand.
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