It's hockey season again

Hockey season can only mean one thing — time to find a watering hole without a TV.

I know I am letting the side down by even suggesting I don’t want to watch hockey, but I don’t want to be forced to watch hockey.

My favourite point to start watching is about 15 minutes into the third period. That is where all the action is after all. 

I find TV’s distracting if I am trying to have a conversation. The specific thing that annoys me with hockey is it starts now and seems to finish somewhere around next summer.

It is a flippin’ long season. 

Aside from simply enjoying the food and drinks at your favourite dining location, one alternative catching on is board games. The analog version of the ever-so-popular video games.

I didn’t realize that board gaming was such big thing. But apparently it is huge. 

The forecast for the board games market is to continue increasing to $12 billion by 2023. While gaming is forecast to continue to increase in popularity so are places to go “board gaming.”

In the U.S., 5,000 board game cafe’s were opened in 2016.

So what is the big deal? We are complaining that people spend too much time looking at a screen and so obviously getting away from the screen requires an equally compelling distraction, hence the upswing of board-game locations. 

In Kelowna, we have a few to choose from but one of the most popular is still Muninn’s Post. With a Google rating of 4.6/5, Muninn’s or “The Post” as it is referred to locally, offers a diverse and often changed selection of craft beers from around the province and a selection of freshly prepared meals.

At 4.9/5 on Facebook, the restaurant is again ranked as one of the top places to enjoy some fun in the Okanagan. 

As you soon as you walk in the door, you immediately notice the Norse theme with the Viking Ship bar and  memorabilia on the walls. If you are a local and frequent board gamer, you may even drink from your own Viking horn.

What you will see is groups of people sitting at various tables usually talking to each other and playing one of several hundred board games that are available.

The location has also become a prime location for live music with jazz and metal typically the flavour of any given live music night. 

So next time you wonder what to do rather than watch hockey, check out their Facebook page and head on over. 

Oh, and you typically won’t see the one TV in the place turned on.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.