bet365 Travel Diaries: We made it to L.A. for Game 3

One of the most exciting days of the year for me is when we get the green light to hit the road for the away games during the first round of Edmonton’s Cup chase. For the past two years, Tyler, Jay, and I have come down to Los Angeles to cover the boys and soak up the sights, and thanks to our friends at bet365, we’re lucky enough to do it again.

After a long day of travel — we left Edmonton in the early afternoon with a layover in Vancouver or Calgary — we actually arrived in LA at two separate times. Because the price of flights was moving as quickly as it did leading up to the series, Jay flew through Calgary while the three of us went through Van. Needless to say, it wasn’t the ideal, but we made it.

Upon our arrival at LAX and navigating the labyrinth required to get out of there, the three of us jumped in an Uber and made our way to the Residence Inn, where we checked into our room and started setting things up for today’s live shows/podcasts. With some of the prep out of the way, we wandered over to L.A. Live to grab a bite to eat and get an early look at this year’s setup.

This morning, everyone was all business. Tyler was up early booking guests for his show, and Liam was tracking down audio clips for Oilersnation Everyday and Pre-Gaming with Bordzy. It’s always interesting to watch the boys do their thing because of how much actually goes into making the content around here. Now that I’m thinking about it, we should almost have a behind-the-scenes show about how things get done because it really is interesting to watch.

Once the first live show was over, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and made our way to First Draft Taproom & Kitchen for the live pre-game show. Not knowing what to expect or how many people would show up, we set up for the pre-game show with a spring in our step and hope in our hearts. As we got closer to show time, the bar started fill with Oilers fans and it really was a beautiful sight. In the picture above, we saw a tweet from David that his airline had lost his luggage, including his jersey. Thankfully, Jay had a spare and was able and willing to save the day.

With the shows wrapped for the day, it was time to get ready for puck drop and get in the mix around L.A. Live. Jerseys on and ready to roll, we wandered around the rink and met so many amazing fans dressed in blue and orange that it was truly incredible to witness. Edmonton fans travel so incredibly well that it almost felt like we were meeting a bunch of friends down here, and that’s always an incredible feeling to share a joint experience like a playoff game. We were excited, they were excited, and it felt like time was crawling until puck drop.

Once we got inside the rink, we spent a solid 30 minutes cruising the concourse and engaging with every Oilers fan we could find. If I were to guess, I’d say I probably high fived 100 people, sometimes more than once as we made the rounds. What was clear was that we were not alone in there. As always, there were Oilers fans everywhere and it really was a beautiful sight to see.

Of course, as we know, the Game 3 was total domination by the Edmonton Oilers and it was arguably one of the greatest nights I can remember. From the moment ZMH opened the scoring until the final buzzer sounded, that hockey game was so much fun in every possible way. Not only did the boys win by five goals, but my betting account is also flush as a result.

After the game ended, we, along with about 50 other Oilers fans, made our way to the JW Marriott to hang out in the lobby and grab ourselves a snack. The vibes in that room were fantastic, and it was a blast to engage with other fans about their experience at the game and how we all hope the team’s success will roll into Sunday.

As for today, we’re off to Manhattan beach to get a little sun before making our way to the Windrift Hotel to hit up their par three course that we fell in love with last year. All-in-all, the first day in Los Angeles was a massive success, and all four of us are brimming with excitement and anticipation that tomorrow’s game day will be more of the same.