Family Friendly Hockey with the Ottawa 67's!
/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.
The playoffs are always my favourite time to watch hockey. The Ottawa 67’s have had a record breaking year and it looks like they could go deep into the playoffs. Sandy, David and I decided to check out a game between the Ottawa 67’s and Hamilton Bulldogs.
One aspect I like about attending a 67’s game are all the activities taking place inside and outside the arena. We arrived early and had time to check out the Ottawa Farmers Market. We also wandered around the restaurants and shops enjoying the colour and passion of the Ottawa 67’s fans.
Once inside the arena, we still had a few minutes before game time started. The 67’s have done a great job at creating a family-friendly atmosphere. There was a bouncy castle, face-painting and Jenga blocks to keep the young ones entertained. At ten years old, David felt he was too old to partake in those activities but was excited to watch the hockey game.
The first period started and the 67’s quickly jumped out to an early lead with a short-handed goal. The Bulldogs responded by playing aggressively but the 67’s answered with another goal. By the end of the first period, it was 2-0 for the good guys.
In keeping with the family-friendly entertainment theme, the first period intermission featured a contest between uncle and nephew to see who could get the most pucks in the net. I am not sure if the uncle was just being nice but the nephew won by a wide margin.
The second period started with physical play on both sides. Hamilton started with a power play goal but the 67’s came storming back with two quick goals before the second period ended.
The second period intermission featured a game of musical chairs on the ice. The highlight was seeing a young participant out-jumping the 67’s mascot to grab one of the remaining chairs. I think that kid might have a future in sports!
For the third period, the 67’s held on to their lead earning a 5-2 win. The atmosphere for the entire game was great with most of the crowd only looking at their phones to take photos of the 67’s goals.
How to get there
Planning to leave your car at home, the 67’s have got you covered. A pre-purchased game ticket gives you access to OC Transpo three hours before and after the game. There is also a free park and ride shuttle from Carleton University to and from the game. All transit options can be found here http://ottawa67s.com/transportation. If you do take your car, I would recommend to buy a game-day parking pass ahead of time. It is for the underground garage at Lansdowne and is eight dollars which is quite affordable for a sporting event nowadays.
What you should know
Of course, one of the attractions of seeing a game at TD Place are all the restaurants open before and after the game. There are also numerous food options available inside the arena. I have found them to be fairly priced when you consider all arena food has a mark-up. One policy I also like is that you are allowed to bring empty water bottles into the arena. There are two refillable water fountain stations so you are not left thirsty. No outside food or drink is allowed inside the arena.
If all goes according to plan, there will be many playoff games in the 67’s immediate future. For all the details and schedule, www.ottawa67s.com
Disclaimer: Stephen and his family received free tickets for this Ottawa 67s game but all views and excitement are his own.
