If there's one thing that's fun as a Vegas Golden Knights fan, it's traveling. You can escape the treacherous life of working and enjoy the various sights and sounds. That's especially true if you're traveling as a hockey fan checking out the numerous arenas across North America.
This season, I'm traveling to Detroit and Vancouver to check out more NHL action. The trip to see the Red Wings is all about revisiting my hockey roots as a Red Wings fan. Growing up, Detroit was one of the most successful hockey teams around, with superstars such as Steve Yzerman (whose "Yzer-Plan" is starting to take hold) and Nicklas Lidstrom.
I was also accustomed to seeing the concrete jungle known as Joe Louis Arena. It fitted the character of Detroit perfectly, bringing a blue-collar attitude to the team. But now, there's Little Caesar's Arena, which is supposed to be upscale and represent Detroit's revitalization. Will it invoke memories of the early days of dominance? Stay tuned. A nostalgia wave is coming, my friends.
As for Vancouver? Well, I've never been to Canada before. Not Montreal to see the Canadiens at Bell Centre. Not even Windsor to go gambling. This unexperienced traveler has only been to the Bahamas on a cruise and Romania for seven days. A trip to see the Canucks will be an absolute blast, checking out one of the most relaxing trips around.
So let's look at three trips that'll be perfect for Golden Knights fans like myself. What will be on the bucket list for me as a hockey fan? What are some places that fans should check out as the traveling NHL fan looks to complete every city on its list? Here are three cities to check out for next season.
Dallas
The only time I've ever been to Texas has been via layovers. First was a brief trip to Houston when I was initially moving from Michigan to Las Vegas. There was no sign of Whataburger anywhere, which was a grand disappointment. I did get a compliment on my 49ers sweatshirt, where a fellow passenger was hoping for a big day from Tevin Coleman.
The other was not even an hour in Dallas. I got off the plane from Las Vegas and boarded the plane to Detroit 10 minutes later. It was as quick as the Dallas Cowboys watching their Super Bowl hopes evaporate in smoke.
The next trip should be to Texas to watch the up-and-coming Stars. They have an exciting team with plenty of names formerly of the Vegas Golden Knights. That includes Pete DeBoer and Evgenii Dadonov. It looks like the Mavericks are on the way out after trading Luka Doncic for peanuts. So why not check out the hockey team in the Lone Star State?