Thursday night, the Los Angeles Kings hosted Dodgers Pride Night at Staples Center. Dodgers' Manager Don Mattingly dropped the ceremonial first puck before the game and former Dodger Billy Ashley was on hand signing autographs.
This was a special night for me because I got to take my wife and sons to their first hockey game. The Kings played the St. Louis Blues. When we arrived at Staples, we could feel the Dodger vibe. Fans were walking around wearing Dodger blue and Kings purple and black.
The first thing we did when we got there was look for Billy Ashley. He was tough to find. We were told he would be signing in the main concourse. So we walked over there, but he wasn't there. So we just kept walking, and eventually we ran into his signing table. We walked straight up to him and asked him if he was signing yet, and he said yes. I asked him how he was doing and he told us he was trying to stay awake. He was very nice, he signed a card, a hat and a ball for us.
After we met Ashley, we went and watched the Kings and Blues warm up. We were able to go right up to the ice, and I think that's when my wife and kids fell in love with hockey.
After watching the two teams warm up, we went up to our seats. We got there just in time to hear the National Anthem. Then it was time for the dropping of the ceremonial puck. Don Mattingly came out wearing a Kings jersey. The Dodger fans gave him a nice round of applause.
Then it was game time. My wife and kids really got into it. Hockey is one of those sports that you have to see live to really appreciate.They told me they wanted to come back to catch a few more games this year. I can't wait to come back to Staples with my family to see the Kings, but what I'm really anxious for is that first Dodger game.
