The Washington Capitals vs Colorado Rockies circa 1980 in Misc. Thoughts opinions, the whole trash can.

It is cold and the snow is coming down. I am inbound with a coal empty, and I have a chance to make this game. I am a season ticket holder, I have them with me. The Rockies in the late “70’s to early 80’s, were the NHL team in Colorado. They are now known as the New Jersey Devils.

Coal Empty arriving Denver 545 pm:

We call our arrival into South Denver. The old South Denver Rio Grande Interlocking shows a RED over Green over RED. A Diverging Clear, but now into non block un-signaled territory. We are told, if there is one ahead, or if the Kountry job is out there. The instructions are received, through the depot, and change out front at 31st Street. The train stops out front, and the brakeman bails off. The brake valve exhaust is starting to cut-off and the yardmaster says Amtrak is at Prospect, and the crew for this is being taken for another train east of Irondale. “Run in to the east end of Coal two, make sure the caboose clears. Tie two handbrakes on the motors”. I say “Okay send the brakeman back out”. “No time we need you in clear”. “Okay make sure there is a ride FACE-OFF is in 45 minutes and I intend to be there”. The snow is picking up, I call the rear end, saying here’s the release. The crew van calls and says they’ll be on the Coliseum side in the parking lot, under I-70. Great Thanks!! “31st to Coal 2 yer clear, thanks Enjoy yer game’‘. “Roger clear and stopping” I set a full service, wind two handbrakes and jump into the van. I tie up and I am11 times out, and book 10 hours rest. McNichols Arena is about 12 minutes away I should make the game with no problem.

Traffic is light, and there is at least 7 inches of snow. Even the parking lot at the Arena is almost a ghost town. I pay the attendant $5.00 and head for my seat. A beer and an overpriced cheeseburger, and I am settled in. They have just finished resurfacing the ice, and the teams should be coming out soon.

My seats are 8 rows up from the ice in the corner. The Rockies attack this end twice. 10 seats down in Row R there is a portal where the “road” teams come out of the locker rooms. These are really great seats. Two seats cost me $375.00 apiece if I pay by July 1st of each year. This is NHL hockey and those prices are long gone now..LOL.

The game is going along. There is usually between 8500 to 10000 people depending on the opponent. Tonight with the snowstorm, 500 to a 1000 if lucky. The arena announcer, during a stoppage of play states. “Upper levels if you want to come down to the lower part of the arena, please do so. Find an empty seat, and if someone shows up, move to another empty seat. The Ushers have been told that you can pass to the lower levels”. It sort of fills, some stalwarts that like the upper levels remain in place.

The game is odd, because the usual arena din, is not there. You can hear the Referees and Linesman talking. The players on the ice and the bantering. Sometimes the benches.

A Face-Off is on my end of the ice, and in the corner where my seats are. The Centerman are jockeying for position and advantage on the draw. The game, itself, is going by pretty fast as well. It is the third Period, Washington 4 Colorado 4. The Linesman doing the face off, is picky, he’s thrown the original players for the draw, out, and screwing with the next two coming into the draw. Someone in the crowd has had enough!!! “Drop that Goddamned PUCK!!, don’t ya know it’s snowing its ass off outside?’‘ Well the players on the ice spin around or stand and look toward the area of where the sound came from. There is grinning and laughing on the ice. The benches heard it too, they are laughing as well.

The game ended in a tie. We were handed a piece of paper on our way out, when the game ended. Give ‘em a name address and T-shirt size. Our prize. An .. I survived the Colorado-Washington Blizzard game. The date and the score. Cool!!! I wore it till it fell apart.

I get home about 1100 pm, the 30 minute drive turned into an hour. I called the line-up. Still 9 times out, maybe tomorrow afternoon. A good nights sleep, ready for the next one.

A old Colorado Rockies Road(away) Jersey No. 5 Rob Rammage Defenseman

Last updated June 15, 2015