Well, it was a fun weekend.

So, the Play-Offs 2008-2009 are done with. And, hockey aside, it was bloody good fun.

Yes, I said hockey aside. The 3 games I saw (2 semis and the final) were shite, to be honest. Seriously boring.

All the fun was had up in the stands, with various chants going on which seeme dto cause a little bit of consternation, and laughter, from fans either side of us (Giants and Panthers), such as 'we hate you both', 'hockey over money', and the one that pissed off Simmsy, thanks to the Vipers fans really letting rip with it: 'Six team League, You're having a laugh!'.

Some Giants fans chose to respond in kind, with the chant 'Show us your trophies', which got either a 'hockey over money' or a 'show us your wage bill'. The latter of which caused one Giants fan to shout accross at me 'if you can't afford to play with us, sod off!', a bait to which I sadly rose, causing a few minutes of tension between myself and the idiotic gentlemen, wherein I lost my temper. D'oh, stoopid me. I felt like a right twat after that I can tell you. But, it is done with, so c'est la vie. Next time I will simply rise above it (or just simply ignore it). Take note kiddies, lots of booze, plus minimum sleep equals frayed tempers. Sorry to anyone who witnessed it. As I said, I was behaving like a twat.

Anyways, outside of the hockey, there was much merriment to be had, from the second myself and my intrepid fellow fans (Caz, Ange, Russ, and Nathan) stepped onto the 8.45am train to Nottingham. First order of business was to crack open a few beers and have a good natter about the weeks 'revelations'. Upon arriving in Nottingham, we then had to find the hotels, which we did thanks to Russ 'getting his Google out' (ooh-err). Me and Russ couldn't check in til later, so we dumped our stuff with the ladies, and did the only sensible thing whilst waiting for the games to start... We hit the pub.

Truth be told, we spent most of the weekend in various pubs (special mention goes to the Pit & Pendullum, possibly the best pub ever) drinking beer, cider, and cocktails (by the pitcher). Hic. Bunkers was a hoot on Saturday night with various mascot performers doing incredibly silly things to each other whilst getting progressively more drunk. Wetherspoons was hit by a wave of Phoenix fans Sunday morning for brekkie, beer, and the GP. Somehow I eneded up modelling a skirt/tutu. Don' ask.

Then sadly, after the final, and just as the party was getting into full swing, Russ and myself had to return home. The girls and Nathan stayed to carry on the party.

Roll on next year.

PS, the league is going with 9 teams and an ammended format! More on this soon.