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October 2:  Long Island, NY
New Jersey Devils vs New York Islanders
Nassau Memorial Coliseum

Our journey began in the preseason with our first ever visit to Long Island.  I needed to be in Jersey the following Monday for business, so Ben came along and we launched our NHL Tour with a Devils/Islanders grudge match.  This was our first trip out to Long Island and my first time behind the wheel in the New 
York Metropolitan area.  It's not nearly as intimidating is it sounds.  Long Island was beautiful.  Ben and I, being from Seattle, always think of "New York" as a concrete jungle. 

That is certainly true for Manhattan, but not so for Long Island which looks like a nice place to live.

Being preseason, the game wasn't very intense but we had great seats near the ice.  It was my first ever NHL Game live, and man do those guys skate fast!  It's like breathing for those guys, and they make the rink seem so small.  This is an awesome game to watch live, constant action (don't look away or you'll miss something).  What really impacted me was how quickly a team moves from defense to offense.  This is the fastest game you can watch.

Next morning it was up, out for our customary breakfast at the Ihop, and back to New Jersey.  From there we took the Jersey Transit into Penn Station and walked to the lower East Side to see Stomp! at the Orpheum Theater.

The J-Boys NHL Tour Leg 1 ended with an evening in Times Square.  Of course, we had to visit the official Reebok NHL Store on 6th Avenue, where I lightened the wallet.  Ben got his second jersey, selecting the classic Philadephia Flyers colors.

So you know, we have adopted teams for the season.  Ben is backing the Minnesota Wild (coolest logo in the league).  I have chosen the St. Louis Blues (any team named after music gets my support).  The Vegas line has shown us that neither has much of a chance, but that's why they play the games!

Dinner at the Hard Rock, and a train back to EWR for a late night movie. The first two Tour Pucks were procured, and ready to be placed on the mantle.

Odd thing we saw:  A "6-11" Store.

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