I went to watch Leeds Knights play and honestly it was such a fun night.
After spending years watching Darlo (my home town) get battered by teams at the bottom of their football league it was time for me to take up a new sport to follow.
I moved to Leeds one year ago and have failed miserably at being able to attend Elland Road so when an advert popped up on my Facebook feed to watch ice hockey I thought 'hmm this could be fun'.
It was Saturday night, I promised myself I would stay away from Call Lane this weekend and booked two tickets to watch Knights take on Swindon Wildcats, at £17 per ticket it was already looking like a positive weekend for me.
I got to Planet Ice, opposite West Yorkshire Police station in Elland Road, about 30 minutes before the game started. It was really nice to see how many young kids and families there was - its a total different vibe from football and is completely family friendly! I had time for a quick pint of Coors which went down a treat, it cost around £11 for two pints which I didn't think was too bad.
A quick high five to Leo, who is the Leeds Knights Mascot - again these little things added nicely to the family friendly vibe - I went to find my seats. Booking the tickets the night before meant we were on the second from back row, however that isn't something to worry about as you still have a great view of the rink and get a sense of all the atmosphere from up there.
I was excited, anticipating how the night was about to go when the lights went out, the LED laser lights and tunes went on, it was like I hadn't strayed from Call Lane too much at all. The crowd were on their feet cheering and singing along to all the cheesy tunes which we all love - of course Sweet Caroline was played.
The refs, Leeds Knights, followed by Swindon Wildcats made their way onto the rink, ready for the match to start. The atmosphere was insane as the crowd sung and cheered their way through all three rounds and 30 minute intervals in-between.
I had a smile on my face the whole game, in shock that I had ever been to watch ice hockey before, of course it helped that Leeds won 4-2. I couldn't believe how insanely skilled the players were, and how into the game the crowd was, including the young kids - it really is a day out for all the family, with lots of activities and half time entertainment for kids to get involved with too.
It was such a fun night, it was also fun to watch the ref break up a few odd fights on the rink between players who were smashing into the sides like no tomorrow - playing isn't for the faint hearted that's for sure.
On the way out I said "shall we get season tickets," I'm 100% making going to the ice hockey my new thing, gone are the days of me standing in a soaking wet ground watching Darlo get beat.
I can't believe I had waited 24 years to go to an ice hockey game, I would recommend it to anyone. Next time I'm definitely buying a jersey. And to top it off Leeds Knights are the 2022-23 Planet Ice NIHL National Division champions after beating Telford Tigers!
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