We took off from Toronto at about 3pm and got to the hotel around 5pm.  We did not waste anytime once we got to the room to just relax and enjoy the Jacuzzi tub that was in the room.  We did not have much time because we wanted to leave early for the 8pm game and hopefully grab a bite to eat beforehand.

Our friends have always talked about this bar and grill called Chili's, so we thought we would check it out beforehand.  The place was in Amherst and actually was not too hard to find.  But, once we got there, it was packed!  It was 6:30pm now and we wanted to be at the arena for a little after 7pm.  We decided to forget dining out and we would just grab a bite at the arena.

This was Aleen's first away hockey game and actually only her second overall, so I was sure she would enjoy herself as I always find away games to be much better than games at home.  In Buffalo, the arena is almost 50% Leaf fans and there is much more of an atmosphere than at home.

The Leafs have not faired well in Buffalo in the last 12 years.  I think they have only won like 3 or 4 games there over that time span.  Lucky for me, I have been to 3 of those games.  Actually, overall I have been to 12 away games and have never seen the Leafs lose.  But, lately the team has not been playing too well so I was doubtful that my streak was going to continue.

We got to the arena and quickly picked up some food.  A hamburger, pizza and pop for $14 US!  We of course had to follow that up with some beers.  With the choice of Labatt and Bud Light, it was not the best selection, but heck, we were out of town and we were going to have some fun.

The fun with Buffalo is that during the warm-up you can get nice and close to the ice to catch the teams practicing.  There was a huge crowd on the Leafs' side, but we got down there and got some decent pictures.

We then went up top to our seats.  When we got up there we found out that we were the second row from the top but on the aisle which I always like with my long legs.  The rows are very steep, so it felt weird but the view was awesome.  You saw everything perfectly.

The evening started off first with the retirement of Pat Lafontaine's jersey.  That was interesting as I have never really been to one before for a player that I watched growing up.  The ceremony took a bit long, like about 20 minutes, but then the game finally began.

The game started off alright, but the Sabres scored first off a fluke deflection, but the Leafs quickly equalized and the crowd went nuts.  Buffalo is cool in that when they score they play this nice loud horn which actually makes you not mind when the Leafs give up a goal.  It is also cool when the Leafs score because there are so many fans there that the atmosphere is electric.  The period ended though with the Leafs down 2-1.

Because of the beer I drank it made me have to go to the bathroom which I hate doing at sporting events given the long lines.  In Buffalo the lines are insane because of the number of drunk Leaf fans.  I waited nearly the whole intermission until I finally got to go.  In the meantime some guy who was waiting outside in the hallway could not hold it anymore so he decided to release himself into a cup.  That caused quite a commotion indeed.  Inside the bathroom, the sinks had already overflowed with puke and this was only after one period!

Pretty much from this point on the game did not go well from a Leafs perspective.  Indiscipline and some bad luck caused the Leafs to trail 4-1 and pretty much you had that feeling there was no coming back.  Although the poor display by the team, the game was interesting with fast action and some good checks.  At this point I predicted to Aleen it would end 6-2.

Pretty much the third period played out the same as the second.  The Leafs did score one to make it 4-2 and with three power play opportunities midway through the period they had a chance for a comeback.  They squandered them all and then Buffalo scored the fifth to seal the deal.  A final goal with like 2 seconds left just was fun because it made the score 6-2 as I predicted.  A lot of dejected Leafs fans there were.

The funniest part in the game was late when Aleen shouted out that she wanted to see a fight.....I nearly pissed my pants hearing that come from the girl who is such a pacifist and hates violence in sports....I see I am starting to influence her .

After that we just made our way back to the hotel.  After being stuck for almost an hour in the parking lot, it was nice to get back and enjoy what was left of the night.

The following day we headed back over to the US to check out some of the malls and enjoy our favourite Philly Cheesesteak sandwich at Steak Escape.  Following that we made our way home.  We did have a little incident at the border as for the first time ever I had my trunk expected, but finally we were let through.

So, my unbeaten streak comes to an end (I'll just blame it on Aleen ), but overall we had a great time.  Hopefully, we can check out some other away games in other cities in the next few years. -- MR