Draft Day

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the 2010 NHL Draft day in Los Angeles which was the first to be held in California. Kathy and I headed to Staples center where we checked out some of the activities there before heading inside.

We got great seats to the right of the stage then all of us general admission people got booted out because staff weren't informed of where the reserved seating (draft prospectees and their families) was. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Lots of people and all the teams were well represented by their fans. Let me tell you, those Oiler fans are pretty rowdy. They had their own cheering section and had a group of 4 men dressed all in orange. Like leprechauns, but orange.

our first seats

Sent to the back.

The Stanley Cup was the main attraction for me.

We managed to get some decent seats even though it was at the end of the center. I managed to snag a free T shirt. The first day was just for round one and boy, it took a long time. Of course, the big deal was for pick #1 & 2. The Oilers picked Taylor Hall which wasn't too surprising. Anyway, each team selects a rep to announce their pick then all the bigwigs pose with their draft pick wearing the team jersey and hat. The Kings weren't supposed to go until 19th but then miraculously another team traded their spot for some others and the Kings went 15th. Otherwise, we'd be waiting another 30 minutes.

 After the Kings picked, Kathy and I headed to see the Stanley Cup. There was a line but it wasn't too bad at all and we had about a 15 minute wait.
There were all these trophies that I don't know about but the cool thing with the Stanley Cup is that each player on the winning team gets to spend a day with the Cup. Very unique and cool. There are lots of stories and history behind it. The Cup has a very busy schedule and even has a full time handler. I recognized him from TV and in mind he is a celebrity in his own right. He even agreed to pose with Monster Bear. Yay!!