We began counting down in earnest the day the Boss offered his excellent Sabres seats for Saturday night.
A parking pass came with the package, but we grabbed the train outside our front door. We were sipping cocktails in our living room at 7:00 and comfortable seated for the first strains of "Oh Canada" by 7:30.
The game literally flew by. The Sabres have a young, aggressive team and the new rules are the difference between watching the old "pull-and-twist-the-long-metal-rods" table hockey games and Sega.
The second oldest major sports league (1917) took the bad situation of last year's lock-out and retooled itself in a way which makes it exciting and accessible for a much broader audience. I had my doubts, but it worked. We had a great time.
There were hundreds of Rangers jerseys in the stands, which made the 3-1 victory all the sweeter. Amid exiting strains of the "Rangers suck" chant, we caught a train just before it pulled out, packing ourselves in with the other good-natured sardines and getting off just four stops down the line.
Things have changed so much from the pre-train, pre-Jumbotron games at the old Memorial Auditorium, and while there is some nostalgia for the teams and the good times there. The game, the facilities and the overall experience are superior today.
I give you this extended preamble to demonstrate I am neither a Luddite or change-adverse schoolmarm.
But I was feeling more than a little "marmy" when I spotted "Candyland, the DVD edition" on the toy shelves of a local department store.
Anyone who has ever raised a toddler, babysat a toddler or been a toddler knows the brightly colored, ridiculously simplistic game -- the defintive "starter game" which does not require counting or strategy. Anyone can win.
I played it with the neighborhood babysitter, then countless times with my brother. It was the first game I purchased for Jessica and we played for hours without end.
The sugary characters on the board may not be nutritionally or politically correct, but the whole idea of the game is sharing the structured time together and with it the experience of winning and losing. It's an introduction to big kid games and the concepts of cooperation , waiting your turn and sharing in an outcome. I would not trade one precious minute of the absurdly repetitive time invested in Candyland with my brother or daughter. They felt like they were accomplishing something and they were.
Yet the box on the DVD edition announces the your child can even play alone.
I got home and looked up parent reviews on Amazon.com and found the following.
"Teaches good listening skills, following directions, and just playing for fun. All I had to do was sit on the couch and hit the remote button as needed, after getting the mats layed out."
Score one for the ease of the remote parent and welcome another child into the remote world.
My online search produced a hand-held video game version too, more isolation for an age that needs socialization like no other.
It's not hard to imagine the empty arenas of NHL 2040 as fans sit in their home pods crafting their own teams, games and outcomes through virtual players.
And no one there to start the "Rangers suck" chant.

Copyright 2005 Judi Griggs