FROZEN FURY RECAP: HooverDam + Stratosphere = Greatest Vegas Trip Ever
Can I be honest with you guys a moment? Yeah, close the door, I don’t want anyone else to hear. Good? Okay. This past weekend was my first trip to Frozen Fury and my first trip to Las Vegas.
Look, I was surprised too. But Frozen Fury was a great opportunity to get the Vegas experience and dammit was it fun! I got to hang out with a few members of Team Hashtag, go to a Kings game, drink excessively, gamble…you know, many of the things Colorado Avalanche center Nate MacKinnon can’t do for another few years.
During this trip, my buddy Single Preseason Game Ticket Buyer Buddy and myself decided to go off the beaten path of the rest of #SplitSquadTRH in order to see the real Las Vegas.
Despite what you’ve been told, this is not the real Las Vegas.
That meant searching for hidden gems in the city of flashing neon lights, endless poker tables, and hot and cold running women only ten digits away. What follows is Flubber’s Fantastic Vegas Travelogue*, the only source you will need to plan that next great Vegas vacation and trip to the 2014 Frozen Fury games.
The first thing you will need to do is find a good hotel in the city. We sure did! Despite what some people might say, the Stratosphere is the best hotel + casino on The Strip. Just look how big and phallic it is. Just like Dan Carcillo.
The similarities are amazing.
Semi-clean rooms, intrusive cleaning ladies, and an ample supply of hard-to-get soap give this hotel a Yelp rating in the stratosphere! And don’t forget about the IHOP and Denny’s within walking distance of the hotel. Plus, like 50% of the hotel’s guests speak French for some reason, so it’s almost like you are at a Stephane Fiset family reunion!
With a casino and Chicago Hot Dog Construction Company just floors below your room why would you ever want to leave? You wouldn’t, and easily the best place to spend a Saturday night is the world famous Stratosphere Hotel and Casino sports book! It’s a never ending party!
Please make it end.
If you’re feeling frisky, place a bet or two. Remember to place your bets quickly, though, because odds can change in a hurry. Stratosphere’s sports book spares no expense to have all of the latest technology to make your sports betting experience memorable.
If you must venture outside of the Stratosphere (you shouldn’t), your first visit should be to one of the biggest attractions in the area with a beautiful water display. The Hoover Dam!
Nothing screams Las Vegas like concrete and American ingenuity.
If slabs of concrete isn’t your favorite attraction, maybe you can check out all of the great shows within the city. Penn and Teller, world class boxing title bouts, David Copperfield, or any number of the touring comedy acts all make for a great night and vibrant nightlife.
(*Low-hanging fruit joke about not knowing Louie Anderson is still alive*)
Despite missing out on all of the great shows in the city, one of the perks of going to Las Vegas is the possibility of hanging out with celebrities. I wasn’t lucky enough to grab a drink with the Blue Man Group or play Blackjack with Meatloaf, but I did snap a photo at MGM of Anze Kopitar walking away.
“Come to Las Vegas and see Anze Kopitar’s ass!”
(the tagline for Frozen Fury XVI)
Of course Anze Kopitar was in Las Vegas for Frozen Fury, the two preseason hockey games for the Kings at the MGM Grand Arena. If you have a chance to visit the MGM Grand despite the Kings being there, do it. It lives up to its name, even though they may need to invest in spellchecking software.
The CO Avalanche are predicted to finish fourth in the Central,
while the Colorado Avalanche are still predicted to finish seventh.
The Kings beat the Rangers on Friday night, and lost Saturday night to the Avalanche. Who would have thought a team with Keaton Ellerby and Mathieu Garon playing at the same time would give up a lead?!
I was able to attend Friday’s game and, despite a different time zone snafu, sat in the best seat of the house.
Not quite.
There we go.
By the way, it helps to know the right people when you’re in Vegas. They can get you better seats at events, free admission and drink tokens to clubs, free limo rides to and from strip…oh no, I’ve said too much.
Frozen Fury dominated the weekend’s events, and, as a result, everyone’s liver as well. Though the weekend was much too short, I will corroborate the experience of the rest of TeamTRH and say that it was some of the most fun I have had in a long time. Between the Hoover Dam, the Walmart on Sunset Road, the IHOP down the street from the Stratosphere, and hanging out at Frozen Fury with the hashtaggers, I can definitely say I’ll be back for more next year. I’ve already booked a room at Circus Circus!
Just remember, no matter what you do or how you spend your time in Vegas, you will always wonder why you can’t stay and have more fun. And that’s okay.
* – rated the “best show in Vegas” by TeamTRH Magazine
