While the first round schedule was pretty predictable, with most series playing every other night, madness is ready to ensue for fans in the second round. In the Buffalo/Ottawa series, the teams will faceoff in game one tonight, but won't play again until Monday. Why? Dora the Explorer Live! has Scotiabank Place booked up for the weekend. The Sens don't seem to mind, according to SLAM! Sports:
"Daniel Alfredsson will attend one of the five shows booked in the building that will draw a total of 15,000 people Saturday and Sunday, as that is where his son Hugo is having his birthday party.
Chris Phillips' little ones will also likely drag him along to see the favourite TV personality of many a pre-schooler -- and Ray Emery is also threatening to check out the performance, as you might expect Ray Emery would -- but we're pretty sure Jason Spezza was only kidding when he said Brian McGrattan has booked a suite and been looking forward to the show for a long time.
"He can count to six in Spanish now," Alfredsson said of the positive influence Dora has had on Hugo, not McGrattan. "It's a pretty good show." '
I've seen Dora the Explorer a few times on Nickelodeon. It's a good show (for preschoolers). If you're interested, here's a little more information courtesy of scotiabankplace.com:
"For the first time ever, the family-friendly stage show will feature Dora’s cousin, Diego – a nature and science expert. The audience will help them navigate over Music Mountain, through Silly Singing Bridge and help them confront the Pirate Piggies. Along the way, the audience will use their map-reading, counting, musical and Spanish-language skills to successfully help Dora reach the treasure. All ends happily onstage with a “yo-ho-ho!” '
Maybe this will be an advantage for Buffalo. While Alfredsson and Co. are singing en Español, the Sabres will be back in Buffalo practicing hard.
Beyond Dora dominating Scotiabank Place, the series is forced to have back-to-back games midweek (05/10, 05/11) becauce Tim McGraw and Faith Hill are invading HSBC Arena on Friday, May 12. Ugh. The bottom line is that Buffalo will have no weekend home games in the series, which I can only imagine hurts the surrounding bars and nightlife. It also prevents out-of-town fans like me from making a weekend date in Buffalo.
One more note on the screwy scheduling: There is no hockey game this Saturday night, with Carolina and New Jersey taking to the ice for a matinee affair. No Saturday night hockey? No Hockey Night in Canada? In the playoffs, this should never happen.
Jeez. I'm really surprised that the Sens let Dora push them around like that.
Birthday party or no, I'm more than a little surprised.
I remember when Carolina was in the Cup Final in 02, there was a Sesame Street on Ice (or some such crap) booked for five days straight at the RBC Center. The Canes pulled rank and evicted Big Bird.
I realize that the second round is way different than the SCF, but I still think it's a little silly that the powers that be allowed a touring show to take precedent over a permanent tenant.
Posted by: David Lee | 06 May 2006 at 01:55 AM