Ultimate Hockey Road Trip, Part 1

From Wisconsin to Buffalo, a trip to see three games in three nights

For my wife’s birthday in November of 2021, we decided to try something different. The COVID-19 pandemic had kept us at home for over a year, making our previous birthdays small, hockey-less affairs. Considering what a big part hockey has played in our relationship (more on that later) and our not-insignificant bout of cabin fever, we decided to take what we felt to be the ultimate hockey road trip. 

After a whole lot of research, planning, and coordination, we settled on our route. We traveled from our home in Verona, Wisconsin (just outside of Madison), through Toronto, Rochester, NY, and Buffalo, NY. We attended three hockey games in three nights on this trip. First, we spent a night in Toronto to see the Maple Leafs play the two-time Stanley Cup champ Tampa Bay Lightning. Second, we returned stateside to catch the Rochester Americans play the Toronto Marlies in some AHL action in Rochester. Third and finally, we made the short trip west to Buffalo to see the Sabres take on the Detroit Red Wings.

I thought it might be fun to chronicle this undertaking. Some might find it interesting what traveling to Canada and attending a hockey game during Covid times might look like (though obviously with the emergence of the Omicron variant, so much has changed again). I will be outlining the entire process, as well as the experience, of crossing the border since so much change has taken place in the world. Also, I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast the in-arena experiences of a hockey institution like the Maple Leafs to a minor-league set-up in Rochester, to the smaller yet passionate fan base in Buffalo. Some might be curious what being at an NHL game is like during the time of Covid (I know I was). Finally, I’ll include my takes on the games themselves.

So settle in, grab a Labatt (or a Molson), and come with me on the ultimate hockey road trip!

Background 

To truly understand the reason for this trip (other than it’s awesome), it might help to understand a bit about my marriage and my wonderful wife.

My wife, Sara, and I met playing hockey in the small town of Oregon, Wisconsin, also just outside Madison. Our first interactions were in a locker room whilst tying skates and consuming some pre and post-game brews. We bonded over, among other things, the shared misery of the disappointing NHL teams we chose to follow. Sara has been a Maple Leafs fan since falling in love with the game in college. I was born in Rochester, NY, and thus have followed the Buffalo Sabres for as long as I can remember.

We moved in together just before the COVID-19 pandemic truly turned the world upside down. About a year later we were married. And naturally, we had our wedding pictures taken at the ice rink we both now work at. 

Hockey is what brought us together.

Hockey Birthdays

For my birthday, we made it all hockey. From the Wednesday before my birthday to the Sunday after (my birthday fell on a Saturday this year), we attended three hockey games and played three times. The games were all local. Two University of Wisconsin Women’s games (including their home opener where they celebrated their National Championship), and one Madison Capitols (USHL) game. We had planned on doing a fourth, but the timing didn’t quite work out.

My wife’s birthday is almost exactly a month after mine. She wanted to do another hockey weekend for hers as well. So we started looking at the schedules for the local teams again. There were plenty of games around, but I had a bit of a thought. I took a look and found that Toronto’s AHL team, the Marlies, were going to be in Rochester. What’s more, there was a Sabres home game the next day. Sara was in. 

Just for kicks, we checked the Leafs’ schedule. Sure enough, they had a home game on Sara’s birthday against Tampa Bay. It was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Planning And Preparing

As you may have guessed, it’s a little harder to get into Canada than it used to be. Canada started allowing fully-vaccinated people to enter the country back in August. On top of being fully vaccinated, a negative Covid test within 72 hours of entering the country is also required. My wife, being one of the most thorough researchers I’ve ever met, was able to find all of the accepted types of Covid tests we could take (on top of everything else that we could possibly need to know. Like I said, thorough!). A PCR test takes up to 72 hours to get back, which would make things tough. However, one of the accepted tests is the Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT). These were offered free at several drug stores, and results can be had within 24 hours. Perfect!

Canada also requires visitors to download an app called ArriveCan. In this app, visitors upload pictures of their passports, as well as proof of vaccination against Covid-19. The idea is to streamline entry at the border with all information required for entry in one place. Relatively simple. Sara and I added all of our info into the app the Monday before we left, which took all of 5 minutes. 

While travel into Canada was open to International visitors, non-essential travel had yet to be allowed into the United States. Fortunately, US citizens returning to the country is considered essential. So getting home should not be an issue.

Continued in Part 2, coming soon(ish)!