Hockey in San Diego

Saturday night saw the return of professional hockey to San Diego with the San Diego Gulls taking on the Grand Rapids Griffins at the Valley View Casino Center. The San Diego Gulls are part of the American Hockey League (AHL) and are affiliated with the National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks. This is the fifth hockey team in San Diego to use the Gulls name

The opening night saw a sold out crowd pack the Valley View Casino Center and cheer the Gulls on to a 4-2 victory. It was also my first time shooting a hockey game and there were a lot of challenges…

My gear for the night was the Nikon D4 and D750 camera bodies, along with the 70-200mm f/2.8 and the 24-70mm f/2.8 and the 20-35mm f/2.8 lens to get a little wider view. The cameras and lenses worked great even but shooting through the glass was TOUGH, and while most hockey photographers shoot through holes in the glass, we did not have that option. And as you can see from the photo below, I am pretty glad that there was glass between us as that puck flies really fast. Shot at ISO 4000, f/2.8 and 1/1000 second with the D4 and 20-35mm f/2.8

Here are some of my favorite shots from the night. Shot at ISO 4000, f/2.8 and 1/1000 second with the D750 and 70-200mm f/2.8

Waiting for the team introduction. Shot at ISO 1600, f/2.8 and 1/40 second with the D4 and 20-35mm f/2.8

Out on the ice after the team introductions before the national anthem. Shot at ISO 1600, f/2.8 and 1/80 second with the D4 and 20-35mm f/2.8

GOAL! This was a very lucky shot. I had just moved to the concourse level and raised my camera up to my eye and took these two shots. Then I realized that I had captured the puck in the air as it crossed the goal line. Shot at ISO 4000, f/2.8 and 1/1000 second with the D750 and 70-200mm f/2.8