Christmas Came Early.

After the perfect Pittsburgh extravaganza I had with her last month, one would think Jenn has done enough for me this holiday season.

...but no. She decided to take me to Raleigh, North Carolina to see my Pens take on the Hurricanes last night. As you can imagine, it was glorious.

We filled Friday with the drive to Charlottesville. On the way, we stopped in Rio Grande, Ohio for lunch at the original Bob Evans.


We also saw a horse tied to a post at a BP...and I briefly forgot what century it was.


Saturday, we woke up early and drove to Raleigh. We stopped for lunch at a BBQ place called The Pit. I'm a complete addict for Man vs. Food, so any time I travel, I stop at Adam Richman's favorite places. The Pit didn't disappoint. The pulled pork sandwich was delicious, but absolutely nothing compared to the pumpkin cornbread.


After lunch, we headed to the RBC Center for some tailgating. There was a ridiculous amount of Penguins fans in the parking lot, so I felt right at home in my Crosby jersey. We went in early to watch the warm-ups. It was the sweetest form of torture to see Crosby and Staal stretching within throwing distance.


The game was exciting to say the least. The Penguins got off to a slow start, looking pretty tired after an extended roadtrip. Fleury had the night off, so Brent Johnson started in his 300th game in the net. The Hurricanes seemed desperate, having recently replaced their coach and hungry for an overdue win. Both squads were scoreless in the first period and, having seen the intensity of the Canes, a feeling of anxiety began to fill my stomach. The anxiety didn't keep me from taking pictures of Sid. Don't worry.



The second period only proved to make the feeling worse. Finally, after Sid outworked two Canes along the boards, he made an incredible pass to Craig Adams, who made the game 1-0. It didn't take long for the rebuttal - Jamie McBain tied the game before intermission.

The third period was one of the most intense sporting experiences I've ever witnessed in person. Arron Asham scored a beautiful goal that was followed up by another from Pascal Dupuis. With the Pens sitting pretty with a 3-1 lead, I let my guard down. Mistake.

The Canes' McBain scored his second goal of the night and all hell broke loose. Suddenly, the Penguins had unlimited players sent to the box. Staal sat there for a bit (helping me envision my ultimate penalty box fantasy even clearer) before leaving the game after taking a puck to the perfect face right in front of me. I shrieked like I saw a raccoon get hit by a car and covered my face as the blood dripped to the ice. His big brother Eric (the captain for the Hurricanes) seemed concerned, too.



In the last three minutes of the game, the Penguins had four players sent to the box. The Hurricanes pulled their goalie with over a minute left, leaving Brent Johnson to defend against a 6-3 situation. Vomit time for Brittany. As much as I wanted to admire the Pens in the penalty box, I couldn't tear my eyes from the game.



Unreal penalty killing ensued and the Pens pulled out a 3-2 win. I lost my mind and embraced the Pens fan next to me. Sweet, sweet victory.

My favorite part of the game? Geno. I am convinced he is a gigantic child. At one point, he tried to eat his jersey. At another, he sat on the wall, swinging his legs. Any time there was a stoppage in play, he looked at the jumbotron. I love that Russian.




...but you know who I love more?! THIS GIRL.