How We Rocked The Roofless Rink

Photo courtesy of hockey dad Steve Ratliff

We were all in awe of the magnificence of the event that honored the roots and heritage of hockey and the fact we were part of the history-making roaring crowd of 21,508. A big victory for the Syracuse Crunch, but we all scored some incredible memories.

These photos were taken from the stands by hockey mom Dawn Zimmer.... spectacular!

The 2010 Hockey Dad Grillmaster

PRE-GAME WARMUPS

Bill fires up the grill

Next, we saw our team use good strategy to battle the outdoor elements.

How do you conquer a biting breeze?

With a team huddle!

While others had grueling long waits on the road and in lines, we slipped into the Fairgrounds parking lot mid-morning with total ease and set up for our tailgating extravaganza. Marinated chicken, grilled steak, hamburgers, hot dogs, meatball subs, chips & dip, hot drinks galore and portable heaters. 30 degrees? Who even noticed? Well, maybe we noticed when our kids teeth started to chatter and they bit into some frozen chocolate chip cookies?

Hats off to our team manager who has managed to skillfully and flawlessly pull off all of the hectic scheduling for our tournaments/games and is always pulling us all together! Amy is our glue, plus she's a really good cook. That's a big plus for hockey tailgaters.

Great memories for hockey for hockey moms & dads.

Besides the steady, brisk breeze and rooting for our favorite Crunch players and team, there were plenty of other cool aspects of the first outdoor game in American League history. The skydiver who amazed us all by swooping into the stadium to drop (and slip) the ceremonial puck. The super sleek fighter jets racing and roaring above us and the rousing performance of the national anthem by country star Jessie James. It was also a hoot to see the variety of ways hockey fans were keeping warm. From the wool-lined viking caps and fuzzy mohawks to the layered Crunch Jersey's from days gone by. Our boys also remarked how cool it was that everyone they've ever met through hockey, from parents to players to league officials were all together, all under one big roofless rink.

MEET THE MOMS

Or as our photographer, hockey dad Mike Ancillotti refers to us, meet the UHMS (Ultimate Hockey Moms Society)