I wrote this two years ago when I first started with Hockeybuzz - doesn't seem that long ago! - and I was thinking about it last night while I sat in Citizen's Bank Park watching the Phillies beat the Houston Astros and clinch the National League East securing their place in the postseason. I had such a great time and very much enjoyed hearing people comment on the different things they loved about the game or what they would remember. It only seems appropriate to revisit why we all love hockey as we enjoy the start of a new season later tonight. A new season filled with hopes and dreams and endless possibilities....
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I LOVE HOCKEY!
I have sweet talked many a bartender into changing the channel so I could catch part of a game or at least see the score, much to my friends’ embarrassment. They don’t quite understand my love for the game and always ask why I love hockey so much. I’ve never been able to come up with a good answer because the truth is…I love everything! They ask if it’s the hitting or the scoring and while all that is great stuff…there’s so much more to it that that…
Having hockey as a part of your life since the day you were born, you develop an appreciation for the little things that make this game what it is. To me, a hockey game is more than a sporting event - it’s a sensory experience…
The anticipation you feel as you pull into the arena’s parking lot…
The vendors yelling “Programs! Get your programs here…” as you walk through the turnstiles…
The smell of freshly popped popcorn calling your name…
The two people in front of you chatting about which player will have a better game that night…
The feeling you get when you know that neither of them has a clue…
The smell of the ice as you take your seats…
The taste of the cheeseburger and fries you spent ten bucks on…
The thumping beat of Metallica that gets your head bobbing and your blood flowing…
The chills you get when you hear the last line of the national anthem…
The video montage that gets you so fired up all you can do is scream “DROP THE PUCK!”…
The sound of skates cutting up a fresh sheet of ice…
The yells from the crowd after a crushing hit along the boards…
The anxious feeling you get when you see a play developing at center ice, knowing in your heart they’re going to score and then watching the opposing goalie’s waterbottle go flying as the goal horn sounds…
The celebration as the players raise their sticks and pump their fists…
The mites-on-ice exhibition during intermission…
The slam of the penalty box door as your team goes on the power play…
The fluid transition as the next line hops over the boards and joins the rush into the offensive zone…
The aggressive skating, the teamwork, the passion you see your team play with…
The clang that rings through the arena as the puck bounces off the pipes…
The crazy people that act like morons just to get on the arena’s fan cam…
The crowd jumping to their feet as two players square off…
The players tapping their sticks on the ice and on the boards in appreciation of their teammates efforts…
The guys that work hard in the corners and never get the credit they deserve…
The history, the tradition, the sense of belonging…
The taste of victory knowing you haven’t done anything to effect the results on the scoreboard except scream your heart out and clap so hard you can’t feel you palms anymore…
The agony of defeat…
The joy you feel after a Game 7 triple overtime win as you sit in two hours of traffic smiling and honking your horn the entire time because there’s no other place you’d rather be…
For all those reasons, I’m getting up…going over to the window…opening it and yelling…
I - LOVE - HOCKEY!
So...why do you love hockey?
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As I said, earlier, this is a season filled with hopes and dreams and endless possibilities. There are many people predicting what will happen, and more often than not it's not the same as what we hope will happen.
Above all, I am always hoping for a great game. I don't care who's playing, what division or conference they're in, whether their struggling with injuries or coaching troubles...I don't really care about any of it as long as the players on the ice bring a level of intensity that demand I pay attention to every single second fearing I'd miss something huge if I turned away for even a second.
More specifically, I'm hoping for another riveting Wourld Junior Championship Tournament, a picture-esq Winter Classic, some stability in Phoenix...and hopefully a competitive team, a heart stopping Olympic Tournament, a shocking playoff participant - wouldn't it be something if the Panthers or Avalanche made the playoffs!? - and as much I love watching the Red Wings and the Penguins battle for the Holy Grail, I'd like to see two different Stanley Cup Finals participants...preferably Vancouver and Boston since I picked them a few weeks ago.
Please share your stories of why you love hockey and what you're hoping for this season besides your favorite team winning the cup...that's a given!!
For now....LET'S PLAY HOCKEY!!!!
Till next time!
Julie
[email protected]
p.s. STILL TIME TO NOMINATE SOMEONE FOR THE PUGNACIOUS PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD!!!
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