After a great couple of days celebrating Christmas with the families in Ontario, Adam and I headed west on Boxing Day to the awesome province of Alberta for a couple of rinks and some fun.
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
I’m not a big shopper and generally do all I can to avoid shopping malls so it was very strange that the first stop on our Alberta tour was going to be West Edmonton Mall on Boxing Day. Yes, the biggest mall in North America (over 800 stores) on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. We were staying at the Fantasyland Hotel, which is located literally in the mall, so once we found our way to the hotel entrance we were able to hand off our car keys to the valet and let him deal with finding a spot in the jammed parking lot. The hotel has differently themed floors and rooms (Space, Igloo, Luxury, Car etc) and we were staying in the Polynesian themed room.
The mall itself is amazing as it combines an incredible amount of stores with some great attractions and entertainment such as a full-sized ice rink, a water park, 2 mini-golf courses, an amusement park and even a shooting range!
Inside the amusement park. 
Adam in front of the ice rink. The next day it was a car show! 
One of the two mini-golf courses. 
Pirates Cove. They have seal shows twice a day. 
Boxing Day is pretty busy…
There is an entire section of the mall that is called Brbn St. and is full of restaurants. Lots to choose from and we ended up at 1st Round, a great sports bar with tons of TVs. After getting the menus we knew right away what we had to order as an appetizer.
It was fate…we had to order them. 
Adam digging into the Tater Totchos.
After a busy day of flying and shopping, we decided to head to bed and get ready for an even busier rest of the week.
Thursday, December 27, 2018
We spent a few more hours in the mall Thursday morning and then packed up and headed to a new hotel right down by the Edmonton Oilers home rink, Rogers Place. Our hotel was the Delta Marriott Downtown and was a really nice hotel only a block or so from the arena. The arena itself is one of the newer ones in the league having opened in 2016. It seats roughly 18,500 for hockey and also is the premier concert destination in Alberta. As you approach the arena there are quite a few hockey-related displays to check out.
Game night! 
A few cups! 
The Great Ones. 
Couple of banners.
We had booked a couple of seats at Studio 99, a newly opened Gretzky themed restaurant located in the arena. It was a “Great” way to start our Rogers Place experience. The restaurant was really impressive with an awesome buffet set up with fan favourites as well as Gretzky related items such as “Grandma’s Meatloaf”. There is a wide variety of Gretzky memorabilia displayed throughout Studio 99 so take a wander around when you are there… it’s worth it!
There is a great view overlooking the concourse. 
Getting ready to take down plate #1. 
Sliders held together by little hockey sticks…awesome! 
A little Wayne Gretzky No. 99 whiskey. 
A view from our table. 
The line-up to get in as seen from our table.
Our table was also right beside a broadcast booth for the local radio station doing pre-game interviews and discussions. It was fun to watch as they brought in new guests and argued over the issues of the day. After we were done dinner we headed to our seats. We were just behind the goalie in the second row so we had a good view of everything and got to get up close to Conner McDavid and the crew. I knew McDavid was a big deal but was still shocked at how his image and likeness was EVERYWHERE. He must spend as much time doing PR as he does on the ice!
The next Great One. 
Tough loss for the home team.
The game was pretty good with Vancouver winning 4 – 2 but Edmonton outplayed and outshot them, just couldn’t get enough pucks in the net.
We headed back to the hotel for a good nights sleep before a big day of driving to Calgary…the long way!
Friday, December 28, 2018
The trip from Edmonton usually takes just over 3 hours and is a pretty easy drive. Just a straight shot south and no problem on a good day. We decided to make it a little more interesting by heading west into the mountains just before Red Deer. It adds more hours to the trip but the mountains are amazing and we don’t have any in Ontario (my apologies to Blue Mountain but…not even close) so we wanted to spend as much time in them as we could. The trip took us through Rocky Mountain House and into Lake Louise and Banff on the way to our final destination of my cousin Scott and Kims house in Calgary. The scenery was spectacular and we had a great weather day so the trip was smooth and well worth the 5 extra hours.
We had to stop here as it looked like a big ice rink. 
Always fun to be driving towards the mountains. 
Sun trying to peek around a peak. 
Lots of photo ops along the way. 
Being the navigator can get tiring.
Lake Louise is a small hamlet of roughly 700 year-round residents but gets many thousands of tourists each year due to the incredible scenery and the turquoise coloured lake. We stopped because we had heard there was a very cool outdoor rink. Sure enough, it was incredible!
Welcome to Lake Louise. 
Beauty everywhere you look. 
Cool ice palace in front of the hotel. 
Walking bridge with ice rink in the background. 
Adam drinking some real ice water.
We pulled into cousin Scott’s in Calgary around 6:30 pm…pretty much a 10-hour drive as we took the long way and stopped a few times to check out the mountains. Scott is legendary as the greatest host ever so I highly recommend trying to stay at his place when in town. Book early though as there is limited availability and spaces fill up fast!. He had some fantastic smoked chicken wings and various other meats ready and waiting for us and we sat around and got caught up with Scott and his wife Kim. They have 2 cats and 2 dogs (we just missed the 8 puppies) so there is always lots going on. Among his various other talents, Scott is also a Scotch aficionado and treated us to a lesson and sampling session for the ages!
Look this one up just for fun…worth more than my first car! 
The selection. 
The boys, getting our Scotch on!
After a 10 hour driving day and a few Scotch samples, it was time for bed as Saturday was going to be jam-packed.
Saturday, December 29, 2018
This was a game day so, as usual, we tried to figure out as many cool things to do as we could before it’s time to get to the rink. One of the fun things about Calgary is there is always lots to do!
We started by heading to Canada Olympic Park which is about 15 minutes from Scott’s place. When the Olympics were last in Calgary (1988) they built multiple venues and some are still in operation today. At Canada Olympic Park they still have the bobsleigh and luge tracks operational so Adam decided he should try the luge. It’s only around 30 dollars and you get to go down the track by yourself on a one-man luge sled. There is minimal training but they do give you a helmet so…what could go wrong??
At the top. 
Launch time…a little close to the edge. 
Yes, that is exactly how the pros do it!
After the excitement of the luge track, we decided to get some culture and headed downtown to the Studio Bell, a gorgeous building that is home to the National Music Centre. It has five floors of exhibitions that tell the story of music in Canada. Lots of displays but also some fun interactive exhibits and a temporary exhibition on one of our favourite groups, the Barenaked Ladies. It is well worth the visit when you are in Calgary!
The front entrance. 
Spectacular design. 
Lots of video screens. 
As JCM said, learn how to play guitar! 
Interactive display. 
We are on a hockey trip so… 
Adam in front of the RUSH HNIC drumset. 
What would a Music Museum be without a reference to one of the great Cdn duos…RO$$I and Big Tasty?
Just to keep the “culture” part of our trip going, we left the Music Museum and headed over to the new Calgary library, just a short walk away. It is not your normal library but boasts such amenities as kids play area, a coffee shop that allows you to carry your food and snacks around the library and impressive, modern design with an abundance of wood. Really well done!
Sign on the outside. 
Adam checking out the view. 
Busy place.
After getting our culture fill at the museum and library it was time for some dinner. Scott took us to a place called the Smugglers Inn. It was established in 1978 and is still going strong. The decor is rustic and you can almost feel the history when you walk through the doors. We had a great booth and ordered what they are known for…meat. The other fun thing is they have a salad bar that is included with the entrees. Lots of choices and a great addition to the meal.
My steak. Complete with Cajun Rub…yummy! Not sure it needed the green stuff. 
Enjoying the meal.
After a great meal, it was time to head to the Scotiabank Saddledome where the Calgary Flames were hosting the Vancouver Canucks. The Saddledome was built in 1983 and that makes it the second oldest rink in the NHL. Only Madison Square Garden is older but it has undergone a number of renovations over the years. The Saddledome is pretty basic, particularly when compared to Rogers Place in Edmonton that we had been at a couple of nights before. The Flames had been on a bit of a roll and the crowd was in fine form. The game was close with the Flames ultimately losing in overtime 3 – 2 to the Canucks.
“C” of red. 
#23 was about to become one of our favourite players! 
Beer is $5.00 each until a 1/2 hour before game time…OK> 
Waiting in the friends and family area after the game. 
When the Flames score actual flames come out of the scoreboard. 
And also out of a box that appears to be hanging there just to shoot fire.
Nephew David had played some hockey with Sean Monahan of the Flames (#23 and Assistant Captain). Sean was having a really great year and was in second in points on the team. He had recently signed a 6.4 million/year contract so things are looking good. David texted him about maybe meeting up with us after the game to say hi and he agreed. We went under the stands to the “Family and Friends” waiting area and got to see a few of the Flames come out as well as the jerseys and equipment bags arrive for the Flames next opponents, the San Jose Sharks. After a bit, Sean came out and was carrying a hat and a stick. Unbelievably he gave both to Adam. Then he stayed and chatted with us for a bit until he had to go meet his family. I cannot stress enough what a great guy he was!!! He didn’t have to do anything for us but he took time out of his day to bring us some swag and hang around…definitely a highlight of all the Barn Tours!
Waiting under the stands. 
Former Pens player James Neal. 
“Johnny Hockey” Gaudreau signing some autographs. 
San Jose Sharks gear showing up for the game tomorrow. 
A mystery…Sean writes these initials on his sticks. 
Sean Monahan with the signed stick and hat he gave Adam. He was a GREAT guy!
unday, December 30, 2018
It was our final day in Alberta as we had a flight out Monday morning. The only challenge with deciding what to do is that there are so many options. We finally decided that being so close to the mountains in winter, we were going skiing. I borrowed some of Scott’s gear and Adam and I headed to Kananaskis Country. The Nikiska Mountain was used for some of the Alpine Events in the 1988 Olympics and offers 64 runs with a variety of skill levels. The longest run is 2.1 kms long and starts at 7408 ft up the mountain. The views were spectacular and we had a great time. On our way to the mountain, we had our best nature sighting of the trip as a herd of Big Horn sheep walked along the road mere feet from the car. It is awe-inspiring to see them in their natural habitat.
Adam took this with his phone. They were right beside the car.
Nikiska is a great ski area. We hadn’t been on skis for a while so took it slow until Adam decided we should head to the “very top”. Turns out that is pretty high!
Home of the downhill events for the 1988 Olympics. 
View from the top. 
View from higher than the top. 
Masked men. 
View as we were leaving. we were at the top.
Once we were done on the slopes we headed to Canmore where my Aunt Lesley lives and my cousin Jessica runs a great pub. We met up with a bunch of family members and watched Scott and Kim’s son Graeme host a very fun night of music trivia and music bingo at Tavern 1883. If you are ever in Canmore, I highly recommend you stop in for a drink or a meal. The food was fantastic and the atmosphere is warm and friendly. It is a “must visit” in Canmore!
Great place to go for food and drink in Canmore! 
Wearing the squid hat during music trivia. 
Ultimate burger…yes, I ate it!
After a country music filled drive back to Scott’s we all hit the sack early. Lots of fresh air and exercise will wear you out!
Monday, December 31, 2018
Adam and I woke up, packed up and headed to Calgary Airport for the flight home. Before the flight, we hung out in the Chinook Lounge, one of the better ones we have been in on these trips, and talked about what a crazy fun week it had been.
The flight was good and we (and the Monahan stick) made it home in time for Adam to get to a New Year’s Eve party. I was in bed by eleven…
