When I started this blog, my dad had all sorts of ideas for me. Unfortunately, it took him a little while to understand the concept of my project, so not all his suggestions were what I would consider useable. But his intentions were good and he did, eventually, hit on a great idea.
“We should call up Keepers and go to an Admirals game,” he suggested. It was, like I said, a great idea. Keepers, as in Jim Keepers, is a long time friend of the family, a former linesman for the Admirals, and a member of the Wisconsin Hockey Hall of fame. If there is one guy who can help provide the real fandemonium hockey experience, it’s Keepers. So on Wednesday I met up with my dad, Keepers, and a couple of other hockey fans to catch the Milwaukee Admirals take on the Peoria Rivermen at the BC.
I have to admit, I wanted to stay home that night. I was tired. A late night Sunday caused me to slip into a Super Bowl stuper that lasted throughout the week. Throw in a long swim meet on Monday night and a Bucks game on Tuesday, and I was draggin’ by Wednesday. But just a few minutes with Keepers and the gang, and I felt the fanatic engergy flow back into my being.
Keepers has the connections when it comes to the Admirals. Not only did he hook us up with tickets, but he ran into multiple friends and fellow fans before we even found our seats. One such fan was a woman named Dorothy.
“Amy, you should talk to Dorothy. She and her husband have had season tickets for years,” he told me. “You gotta talk to Amy,” he told her, “She’s a writer. She’s doing a glog…or what do you call it? Anyway, she’s gonna write about the game.”
“Actually, you should talk to my daughter,” Dorothy told me, “She’s down there,” she said, pointing towards the seats surrounding the glass on the south end of the rink. “We’ve had ticketes for 36 years, but she’s had tickets for 37. I’ll introduce you at the break.”
So after the first period, I met Debbie. She was just about the sit down to help man the Admirals Crew information table before we approached. She was all smiles in her Hawaiian themed Admirals jersey and ready to talk some hockey.
Debbie, as it turns out, is more than a fan. Debbie was part of the Blueliners, the original team booster club established to help support the Admirals. Some of her favorite memories include visiting players’ apartments, buying them groceries, and just hanging out with the guys back in the day. The group even purchased uniforms for the team at one point. So Debbie is a part of the on-going success of the Admirals organization in Milwaukee.
She admits things are different now than they used to be – mostly due to the AHL’s affiliation with the NHL. I asked her if she follows players who move up to the NHL, but she says she basically sticks to the minor league level. “I like this level ’cause I can afford it,” she said. And this is a great point.
It can be difficult to find affordable family fun in this economy, but the Admirals make it easy. If you’ve never been, you haven’t been in a while, or you haven’t been since this evening, check out the latest great ticket deals at milwaukeeadmirals.com. And if you’re looking for a fun night out with friends, be sure to look for me at the BC on April 1 when a post-game Pat McCurdy concert follows the Admirals/Aeros matchup.
GO ADS!!
