Day two, game 3, and the Moose is loose...

Rexall Place for the final

Well here we are in day two, game 3 day, and all is well. We have lives to do today and lots of work. Oh yeah, today is also the day of the OCAFW. My charity golf tournament that I help organize for the Edmonton Food Bank. I will not get to attend today because the Oilers were jealous on how popular the OCAFW was and decided to try to bring us down.

First things first...

Me shooting practce from the bench

Practice needed to be shot, press conferences, and a stand up or two. There weren't too many cameras here today because the game is at six so that is right in the middle of their shows so it does not pay to do a story about practice when the game is on right now.


Canes coach holding court


Wayne Coolio waits for his shift

The Toronto sent out mic monkey Steve Kouleas to work the final and he made sure he took a pic of himself sitting on the bench where Gretz used to sit. You can almost see the spirit of Wayne in his eyse. Nah.


More cameras

They added about three new cameras to a space where there was only three before. HD baby, HD.


Game time seats

Game three began with a few of us camera guys going up to the press box to see if we could scavage some seats for the game. There was a list of who could sit where. Around 300 seats. Made me wonder what the actual capacity of the press box was. There were in all about 10-20 seats that were not accounted for. Since we were up there bright and early we accounted for ours. Nice.



As you can see our seats have now gone past the end of the ice and back towards the other side. At least the only way to go now is back towards center ice. To the left of us was the Sportsnet mic monkeys and to the right was the TSN mic monkeys. If you saw the game on NBC, if you even watched the game, we sat almost straight up and just a bit to the left of their panel desk. Which I will go and try to get a pic of on Monday.

Coolio running Kevein Lowe thru the paces

Oh, I almost forgot. We did a live shot before the game with Kevin Lowe. He was very cool and I guess is a fan of Coolio. So, as we are doing the live, MARK MESSIER walks up behind us. The MOOSE. That guy is awesome. He just has this look about him that says "I will kick your ass".

Number 11

He was coming over to talk to Kevin Lowe. It is funny about being in Edmonton, there was so many great hockey players to come out of here that when something big hits like the Stanley Cup Finals they all come out of the woodwork. The put Mark on the screen durning the game and the crowd went nuts. Dave Semenko was sitting next to him. Bill Ranford was also in the crowd. The place was just overflowing with hockey royalty. That is the way they are treated when they get here too. Roll out the red carpet.

Chad realizing Mark Messier was behind him

On a side Mark Messier note...After the game as we were doing our work, I was walking back to the live location and who pops around the corner, the moose. He said, and I might at unsolicited, 'Hi, how ya doin?'. Whoa. I of course I said 'fabulous'. Of course I am doing fine, THE FREAKING MOOSE, MARK MESSIER, JUST SAID HI TO ME. I rule.

Pisani walking the green mile

That is a shot of the Oilers locker room door. They walk out of there thru the crowd to get to the ice. The players call it the Green Mile because of the color of the padded floor and that when they lose walking that seems like a mile because the fans give it to them. Look at all the cellphone cameras. Everyone has a cellphone camera, well, except me.

great seats

Oh by the way, the Oilers won. 2-1. It is now a series. Matt Greene, of tundratalk fame, had a great game. Knocked the snot out of a few guys, yelled at the ref, and made a great block on the penalty kill.