So Friday, I attended the Bruins vs. Sabres game by myself. I sat down close to the glass and only brought my 16-35mm lens. I couldn't have gotten any good telephoto shots up that close. It was so much fun, I didn't really take that many pics. I talked to some locals about how long it had been since I had been there and they told me about how the Bills might be sold away from Buffalo.
Sunday night, before returning to Richmond on Monday, I took my dad to see the Panthers vs. Sabres. We were in the Club section; seats I was told by my neighbors on Friday were far better than down behind the glass. I agree with that now. We had our own bar/restaraunt, local bathroom, and waitstaff taking orders for food and drink during the game. Well worth the extra $15 a seat.
With these seats, I hauled both cameras in (I didn't feel like swapping lenses and missing the action). There was a short delay at the ticket taker. The 70-200mm looks like a 3rd arm. But soon I was inside - once they determined it didn't shoot video...
I went wild with the shutter. Having gotten the initial excitement of being there quelled by Friday's game, I didn't mind looking at the game through a viewfinder. But I only did it when the whistle blew or it looked like a scoring opportunity was afoot. What really helps a sports photographer is having actually played the sport you are shooting. You don't waste many shots with non-action.
Of course, if you are a sports fan, and have watched ESPN in the last 3 days, you know what happened on Sunday's game against the Panthers. Richard Zednik, #20 of Florida, got hit in the neck by Olli Jokinen's skate - narrowly avoiding a fatal injury. I was following the action through the lens to see if anyone would get a shot off when I saw sudden gush of blood. Stunned, I lowered the camera saying "Oh my god" over and over. I took several photos after I realized what happened, but initially I was frozen in horror. A wave of chills swept over me as Zednik skated to the bench. It was sickening knowing (having bashed my own head open) what that kind of blood loss meant. Everyone in the HSBC Arena was relieved to hear he had been stablized and was on the way to the hospital, but the continuation of the game was kind of numbing. I imagined what it must be like - do you just skate around and let the clock run out? I guess that's why they are professionals; they can still keep it together to do their job. But no one would have blamed them for calling it a night.
