Hockey fans thrilled to see NHL at Sprint Center

To the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars, Saturday’s preseason game at the Sprint Center was just another game on the way to the regular season.

For the crowd that filled the Sprint Center with all manner of hockey jerseys, it was anything but just another game.

Dallas came away with a 4-2 victory behind two power-play goals and a goal and assist from center Travis Morin. Both teams felt the juice provided by the crowd.

“There was a lot of people out there,” Blues winger T.J. Oshie said. “They were loud. It was fun, it felt like a home game. It was nice, just too bad we didn’t get them the win.

“It’s a little tougher, because typically in the season we’d come here the night before, go out, have dinner, have breakfast and see the city a little more. But here we fly in, bus to the rink and fly right out, so all we really see is the rink. But this is a great facility. It’s definitely first class.”

The first few minutes of the game were a treat for hockey fans old and new. St. Louis scored first, courtesy of left winger Robby Fabbri. Oshie picked up the assist on the goal. Dallas answered less than a minute later with a goal from Branden Troock.

Moments after that, St. Louis’ Steve Ott and Dallas’ Antoine Roussel got into the first fight of the evening.

“It’s a good atmosphere,” Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. “We’ve been in a couple of buildings where it’s been light on fans, but the fans were into the game and I think it helps create energy for both teams. It was nice to see that many people in the building.”

There were plenty of Blues and Stars fans, and plenty of fans of other clubs as well. A pregame stroll of the concourse revealed at least 11 other NHL teams were represented, as well as the Central Hockey League’s Missouri Mavericks, the only professional hockey team to call the Kansas City area home at the moment.

Zach Thompson and Tristin Stauder, co-workers from Bartlesville, Okla., came up with other friends from work to see the game.

“I grew up around the (Dallas) area. My dad was always a fan. We had season tickets when I was a kid. We’ve been to countless games. I’ve always just loved the Dallas Stars,” Thompson said. “I love hockey in general, so the chance to see them live is a good opportunity for me.”

It was Stauder’s first time at a live hockey game.

Kyle and Randi Flinn of Shawnee came to the game wearing Bruins and Devils jerseys, respectively.

“I moved to Boston in 1972, and Phil Esposito and (Gerry) Cheevers and (Bobby) Orr were the team, and I had never seen a hockey game in my life,” Kyle said. “I asked all the kids who were 12 or 13 years old, ‘What do kids do in Boston?’ They said ‘We watch hockey.’ I watched every game that season. They won the Stanley Cup and I’ve been hooked ever since.”

Randi grew up in New York and said she was a fan of the Devils, Rangers and Islanders.

“We don’t take it for granted since we don’t get it very often. We probably travel at least once a year to St. Louis to see the games,” Kyle said. “If we were to get a team here in Kansas City, we’d love it to be an NHL team.”

This story was originally published September 27, 2014 at 9:48 PM with the headline "Hockey fans thrilled to see NHL at Sprint Center."