I attended my first professional league hockey game last night. In Germany. And I was scared. Very scared. I suppose I was being a little overactive; after all sports of any kind are international, and can overcome any language barrier through the camaraderie of the love of a particular sport. Ice hockey is an international game; there are many countries that support this sport, and Germany has a particularly large support base. So what could possibly cause me to worry. Uh, yeah.
I should tell you now, that my husband is a big Ice hockey fan. He loves him a good game; whether it is a local semi-professional -(Go Spokane Chiefs!)- or a professional team -( Go Colorado Avalanches!)- so, finding tickets for a game in Germany was an easy choice....for him. I, however, was a little apprehensive about going, but I also wanted to see a game. I love me some hockey too.
Well, we drove down to Mannheim, and found the arena pretty easily. We parked and followed the crowds. We had trouble getting in because the tickets were bought online, and they needed to be exchanged at the arena for tickets that could be read by the scanners that open and close the gate entrances. Funny when you speak very little German. But me fumbled through, and got in. ~ The full body search by a stern-looking German security officer should have be my first clue to the nights fun! ~
Let me summarize the game for you ~
~ We are supporting Mannheim because they are the local team. I bought a Mannheim team Scarf! WE, however, are seating in the only section reserved for the OPPOSING TEAM - BERLIN! Oh. goody. Fucking TicketMaster!!!
~ Hockey + Beer + Berlin Fan Club = Bad situation. - Yes, we were lucky enough to be sitting in the middle of the Berlin Ice Bears traveling fan club - You know the ones. The fanatical fan bases that follows a team EVERYWHERE - and they bring there chants, and drums and scream their way through any game in which their team plays. Yeah, that one. And they are shit-faced. This can't end well.
~ Our team is up by 2 goals to nothing. My husband decides he is going to step out into the stairwells to have a smoke ( in Germany you can smoke in the stairwells that lead to each level) - I make the terrible mistake of staying put. DRUNKEN Berliners decided to ask me why I'm not wearing a scarf for THEIR team, and try to take said scarf....I'm going to kill my man. I am rescued by a German women who tells the guys to back off, and I stupidly said Asshole under my breath ( I know Asshole in German)
NOT HELPFUL! But my husband gets back before the guys gets to me. :) LOL.
~ The second half sees our team up by 3 and Berlin at 1 - and that;s when the beercups start being thrown, beer sprays down on us, and people start pushing ans shoving each other. And we gradually start drawing more and more attention.
Time to go.
And we did.
Despite the craziness - we are going back.
Next time though - we are going to have our German friend order our tickets and make sure we are in the Mannheim section. All the local supporters were calm, quiet, and stayed seated.
Next time....watch this space!
