The Road to The Heritage Classic - with Amanda Stein

by Amanda Stein

For someone who spends their days talking a lot, turning to paper—or a keyboard in this case—has proven to be more difficult than I thought!

I guess these things tend to start with an introduction so for those not familiar, I’m Amanda Stein and I currently live a dream.

I work at the TEAM 990 (AM 990) as a reporter—mainly NHL—and a radio co-host. At age 24, I wake up at 4:30am on Saturdays and Sundays to bring you the very latest on Montreal sports on a program called The Franchise, hosted by Gary Whittaker and Nicky Murdocco.

Aside from waking up early on the weekend, I also get to hang out at NHL morning skates, tip-toe around the locker room getting sweaty hockey players to answer my questions, and on the occasion develop arm muscle cramps when a scrum starts to run a little long.

Most importantly however, I’ve learned the art of not standing on official NHL logo carpets. I swear, they yell at me if even the tip of my boots comes anywhere close to their carpet logo!

When I’m working, I spend my day communicating with all kinds of different people. There’s a lot of banter, and I’m used to asking the questions and listening to answers.

Writing, however, is wildly different!

I’ve had the pleasure to chat with greats like Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Martin Brodeur. I once sat next to and conversed with Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland during a Team Canada game.

I truly am a lucky woman!

I spend my days conversing with and firing ideas back and forth with others. Normally I have co-hosts that can fill in when I have nothing more to say. But here it’s just the keyboard, and me and I’ve never been very good at monologues.

I’ll give this a go though.

I vaguely remember when the Hertiage Classic was announced, tweeting about how crazy someone would be to sit outside on a cold February afternoon in Calgary just to watch a hockey game. Even if it is your your beloved bleu, blanc et rouge.

Turns out, I’m that crazy.

It’s kind of wild how quickly the Heritage Classic has snuck up on me. About a month ago a friend came to me with tickets, asking if I wanted to join in on the party and, well, it definitely didn’t take much convincing. My first reaction was to check my Aeroplan miles since I’d been saving them for a quick getaway like this.

To attend the game is going to be special for me, this might actually be my first time sitting out in the cold for hours on end to watch a hockey game. Attending the game is going to be great, but I wanted to make this part of a greater opportunity.

I knew I had the opportunity to take part in this event in a way that I know many others only dream of!

It was with that in mind that I approached my boss with the idea of getting a press pass for the event. I’ll attend the practices, I told him, and the morning skate and be able to report back with sound bites and other information. I also contemplated the fact that the media might even get to sit somewhere warm, allowing me to duck out of the cold if need be!

Without hesitation my boss jumped at the idea! I was already going to be there, so why not?

Now, with a press pass, I’ll get to be a part of the Hertiage Classic in a way only few can and, quite honestly, I’m humbled to be part of the Montreal media contingent. Sometimes I have to pinch myself as a reminder that it’s all happening and that I'm not dreaming.

So, ticket and press pass in hand, I will not only be covering my first major NHL event, but there will be a lot of first on this journey for me:

1. My first trip out to Western Canada.
2. My first tail-gating experience—I saw Darren Dreger and the guys at TSN do it for the All-Star game and I’m taking that to mean that media "can tailgate”.
3. My first time on an outdoor rink—I swear, its true!
4. My first time on the road with the Canadiens.
5. My first time renting a car.

I’m sure there will be more that I haven't even though of yet!

So, it is with all of this in mind that as I embark on my first trip out to Western Canada, I’ll be documenting the experience right here on HabsAddict.com. Feel free to offer suggestions on what you’d like to hear about, and more importantly maybe some tips on how to stay warm while sitting for hours in the seats of McMahon Stadium!

And because I’m better at asking rather than answering, I leave you with this:

What one item would you not be without at the Heritage Classic?

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Amanda is a reporter, producer and on-air contributor for the Team 990 (AM 990) in Montreal. Amanda covers the Montreal Canadiens and visiting NHL teams, usually from inside the dressing room. She can be reached on Twitter (@amandacstein) and email amanda@team990.com.

Posted in: amanda stein,calgary flames,habs,montreal canadiens,the heritage classic,the team 990