McFarlane was down in the atrium by the stadium, signing autographs and peddling the McFarlane toys sports figures.

The luxury box experience isn't really any better as far as sight lines go (the difference between my actual seat and the box was pretty negligible), but it's a lot more comfortable. Wider seats, more legroom, that sort of thing. (Plus the aforementioned free food and beer.) It also tends to attract the kind of people who are into "networking," so a drunk guy in a hockey jersey and old jeans tends to stand out.

McFarlane wasn't in the box with you, was he? Man, that guy loves himself some hockey. That is a long flight from Canada.

I've never done the luxury box thing, but it seems like watching the game on a different planet, hearing it from those that have gone and told the tale.

The game itself kinda sucked -- it's not just that no one's putting in any effort, but the defensemen have become so big and smart that they can break up a play without much effort.

That was the hidden genius behind the "Vote for Rory" campaign. The chance that at least one replacement-level defender was out there for the other guys to run around.

The hockey one, that is. A friend of a friend had an extra ticket, and later in the evening, a friend of that friend of a friend got us into a luxury suite, which is NOT BAD if you like free beer and free food.

The experience was kind of cool -- it was good to see Atlanta go utterly mad for hockey for a weekend. And it's also good for the ego to see thousands of other hockey fans. Ol' Greg may not be terribly fit or stylish, but most of the other guys there were a good hundred pounds heavier than me.

Famous people seen: Todd McFarlane, Gordie Howe, Stinger the Blue Jackets mascot

The game itself kinda sucked -- it's not just that no one's putting in any effort, but the defensemen have become so big and smart that they can break up a play without much effort. The 8-7 score could've been a lot more, but any time a puck gets anywhere near Chara or Pronger, it gets casually flicked out of the zone.

But, still, fun in that over-the-top pomp sort of way, and the ticket was free. Any free game gets a thumbs up.