KITC would like to welcome back, guest blogger, Stephen Johnson. Stephen Johnson is an Ottawa writer who loves to write about family travel. During the summer, you will most likely find him and his family at a local fair or festival. During the winter, a beach in Mexico is a likely bet.

Our son, David has been a big Sens fan since they almost defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Conference finals in 2017. We had never been to a game as a family and thought the end of Christmas holidays was the perfect opportunity.

The Sens were playing the Carolina Hurricanes in a matinee match-up; meaning the game started at 1:00 pm and we could be home before anyone was too bleary-eyed. Upon arriving at the stadium, the first thing I noticed was the improved pricing for parking making it affordable before we even set foot inside the Canadian Tire Centre.

For the first time ever, I got a mobile ticket and wanted to hide my technological ineptness. The ticket person was kind enough to assist me into the 21st century. Once inside the arena, I was struck by the historical photos of the team dating back to the 1920’s.I work in a library so I respect any organization that honors its past.

David thought the photos were cool but was excited to see some present day action. Before we took our seats, we checked out where TSN radio and television produce some of their segments. David took multiple photos of the TSN reporter before he started his live broadcast.

It was now time to make our way to our seats. We decided to get 100 level seats near ice level since it was David’s and my wife, Sandy’s, first game ever.

David loved being close to the action and was on a mission to appear on national television. He perfectly positioned himself behind the anthem singer so he appeared on the jumbotron several times. The game was also on Fox Sports so it is possible David’s mug reached a worldwide audience.

Once the game started,we were only about five rows up so every crunching bodycheck and shot that hit the glass almost seemed like it was going to hit us. It was cool to see every smile and grimace of the players.

Carolina jumped out to an early lead and by the end of the first period, it was 2-0 for Carolina. First place intermission meant it was time to go for a walk and load up on snacks. We passed by the media broadcast area again and David got to see a live TSN broadcast. It was fun watching the television screen and the reporter at the same time.

We did not forget our second mission and made a pit stop at Tim Horton’s. Feeling rejuvenated with a diet of Boston cremes and French vanillas, we were ready for second period action.

The teams traded numerous goals and by the end of the second period the score was tied up at 4. David did his best sports photographer imitation and got a few great photos.

For the intermission, we stayed in our seats and enjoyed seeing fans sitting on snow tubes sent down the ice by a catapult. Their goal was to knock over as many bowling pins as they could at the other end of the rink. I thought this was a uniquely Canadian take on bowling. Next was DJ Prosper who got fans up and dancing with classics like Stayin’ Alive.

The third period started and unfortunately, the Sens went down a goal and were unable to come back. The final score did not really matter for our family. The Sens are a young team and play exciting hockey. There was also plenty of in-game and intermission entertainment to keep even the youngest fan entertained. Sandy mentioned she enjoyed that there was not one fight in the game and relatively few penalties.

We will certainly be back to another Senators game before next Christmas. For more info about the Sens and tickets visit www.ottawasenators.com

Disclaimer: The Sens provided assistance with tickets, but all opinions are our own