Visiting an Old Barn

No secret to any of you who read this blog regularly, I love hockey. Loved playing it, whether roller hockey or ice hockey. Fast, fun game, great to play, and great to watch. I first became a fan watching the old Long Island Ducks out at the L.I. Arena in Commack. Rough games, very physical, chances were better than even that you'd see a fight or two (sometimes involving the fans) during a game, but the games were fast, spirited, and great fun. After the Ducks folded, the L.I. Cougars moved in, but only lasted 2 seasons. Of course, our Islanders got started in 1972, and I quickly became a fan of the Isles. And have had loads of fun going to their games through the years, as well as seeing some other NHL teams while I've been on the road.
But my heart has always been with the minor league game, and so to this day, I try to go to games whenever I'm in a city that has a team. Unfortunately, the last couple of years, I've been a bit snakebit when it comes to seeing games. Seems every time I'm in a city with a minor league club, the team is off on a road trip. But, happily, this past weekend, the stars aligned, and I found myself in Syracuse NY for the annual NYS Recreation and Park Society Conference; and on Saturday night, the Syracuse Crunch had their final home game of the season. Yes! Finally, a chance to get to a game!
I went online last week, and being that it was the final home game, there weren't a lot of tickets left. But since I only needed one, I managed to snag a really good seat in the second row, for just $22 - a bargain!
Now, the Crunch play in a great old building, the Onondaga County War Memorial. Built between 1949 and 1951, the building is a great example of a WWI and WWII Aroostock War Memorial. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and has seen some great events through the years. In fact, the 1961 NBA All Star Game was played here, and in 1976, Elvis performed here!
From my hotel window, you can just see the building, about a block away:

You can just make out the arched roof in the distance. Less than a five minute walk from the hotel - how's that for planning? From the street level, the building blends in with the surrounding area, and as you get closer to it, you'd be hard pressed to identify it as a 6,000+ seat hockey arena.

Once you enter, however, you know you're in a great old building. Lovingly preserved, clean as a whistle, and filled with fans there to support the local team, as soon as you hit the lobby you get the feeling of community, at a very grass roots level. This isn't millionaire hockey, slick and 'professional', it's the local kids teams selling baked goods in the lobby. Older folks wearing jerseys of teams that played here decades ago, with their grandkids, who are wearing 'Crunch' jerseys. 
I stop at one of the tiny concession stands, and order a dog and a Molson on draft. Total cost, $10; at Barclay's, the beer alone would be $11.50! The dog is certainly nothing special, a 'Hoffman's' natural casing dog that's been heated up, put in a roll, wrapped in a foil sleeve, and left to sit in a warming drawer until I came along. It's good and hot, the roll is soft, and topped with yellow mustard, it's on the salty side. Don't think I'll be going back for a second. Pass the nice folks handing out Crunch team photos (which the team will be signing for the fans, after the game), and I head into the arena.

Been a lot of changes since the last time I was here, some 20 years ago. First off, they've installed LED lighting - the first professional hockey arena to do so, back in 2012. And the old wood ceiling has been covered up by insulation, while the interior has been cleaned up and given a fresh coat of paint. It really looks sharp inside, while maintaining that great old 'Quonset hut' look of the old arenas (like the L.I. Arena). On the one end of the building, in very cool art deco letters, it says 'In Memory of Our Service Veterans'. Very nice. I show my ticket to the usher, and am led to my seat, right by the face off circle, in the second row. Immediately I realize I should have chosen a seat a little further off the ice, as the row I am in, and the one in front of it, are tiny; they're temporary seats that can be rolled back when the ice is taken up. I'm having a hard time squeezing my 6'5" frame into the seat, but I manage, and am thrilled with the view I have:

Now where are you gonna get a better seat for $22? Just great. I'm sitting next to a Crunch fan, and behind a Rochester Americans fan - they're the opposition tonight - and I'm getting an education about the upcoming game. Seems it's 'rivalry night' in the AHL, with teams from adjoining areas playing each other, so this is fun game. It's a good matchup, as both teams have made the playoffs. The Syracuse fan lets us know that their 'top 6' skaters are not playing tonight, neither is their #1 goalie. The Rochester guy tells us that they're not playing their top goalie either. 
The puck drops and off they go. Good, fast game, I'm impressed with the speed of the skaters, and their effort; nobody's gliding into the puck, they've got their legs moving hard and fast the whole time. Syracuse scores first, on a power play, but Rochester puts two in and after one period it's 2-1 Rochester.
The Syracuse guy tells me it's actually better for the Crunch if they lose tonight, because that would give them an opening round matchup with Rochester, and apparently the Crunch have beaten the Amerks pretty badly all season long. In his reasoning, the Crunch will easily beat the Amerks and go on to the next round.
Lots of fun stuff during the game, and between periods, the puck toss, couple of guys doing a puck slalom, and instead of a T-Shirt toss, they have folks walking around the rink tossing out Hostess Twinkies and Choc-A-Diles (chocolate covered Twinkies)!
Couple of scuffles happen, the p.a. announcer screams needlessly and continually, the crowd chants all kinds of fun stuff at the opposing players and the refs, and the whole night is just a damn fun time. Loads of kids at the game, families, couples on dates, the kind of crowd that makes you glad you showed up.
Syracuse loses, 4-2, but they're in it right to the end, until they let up an empty net goal. I join the nearly sellout crowd in making my way out of the building, feeling good that places like the War Memorial are still around, and that people appreciate these venues and the teams that play in them. Out into the rain I go, making a mental note that I need to get back here a lot more often.