Area 53 - Photo of the Week: Area 53 - Week 11

This past week I went up onto the WFCU Centre's catwalk, located high above the ice and fans during a Windsor Spitfires game. I've been up there before but not all the way to the middle, and not to take photos.

It's pretty crazy to be up there, but it's also pretty cool.

Once you get your footing, and find a good spot to shoot from, you still need to cross your fingers to find yourself in the right spot for the right photo opportunity.

Those players zoom by so fast, and before you can even position yourself for a rush moving up ice you lose them behind one of the insane amount of bars and cables between you and the rink's surface.
You get used to it, however, I found myself getting quick moments of dizzyness and having to regain my centre of gravity a few times.

Honestly, I was hoping to get a good shot of Taylor Hall, as well as maybe Ryan Ellis and Cam Fowler. But I was hoping to catch a good shot of anything really.

I got lucky with a few while trying not to fall over the rail, but I really like the one with the light in the tressing with the goalie slightly out of focus down below.

My photo of the week however, is entitled, 'High Above The Rest' for two reasons.

1. Taylor Hall hit the 100 point mark for the season that night putting him 'high above' the OHL's scoring leader race.

2. The #18 in the ice behind the net is in honour of former Spitfires captain Mickey Renaud, the team's 'Captain Forever', who watches the games from 'high above', in heaven. Mickey was a 5th round draft pick of the Calgary Flames before his sudden death on February 18, 2008, of the rare heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He was only 19 years old. His number 18 was retired with a banner raising on September 25, 2008.

I hope you like them.