With the NHL, that’s National Hockey League, season well underway now might be an appropriate time to give the league and its’ games a few props. Growing up in central North Carolina in the seventies and eighties with the closest ice rink 90 long miles away, I really did not know much about hockey other than knowing it was played on ice with some sort of stick. Of course for most people my generation that all changed with the now very familiar and publicized performance of Team USA at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics. Still the magnitude, or should I say miracle, of that event did not pay long lasting dividends for future interest in the sport in southern states.
Before proceeding with this argument, full disclosure is necessary; I do have a child that plays hockey so some bias might be detected.
Football, both college and the NFL, is dominant in the south. It always has been and always will be. Football and basketball discussions and highlights dominate the local airwaves now more than ever before and I’m not suggesting that hockey will ever replace football or basketball as a main topic for discussion. However, I do think that sports fans in the south should give hockey a sporting chance. The first outlet and least expensive is obviously television. Television coverage can provide the uneducated fan a basic knowledge of the sport and a somewhat minor explanation of the rules. Of course it took me a few years after my daughter was playing to figure out the difference between icing and off sides. Another problem with television coverage is actually finding NHL games on cable or satellite channels. Currently the NHL is featured on the channel VS (Versus) and is sprinkled amongst other various fox sports channels. The NHL needs to make whatever concessions are required to get the sport back on ESPN so that the league can continue to expand interest in the non hockey regions.
While television can serve its’ purpose to educate and introduce a novice to the sport, admittedly, television does not do hockey justice. Live hockey is much more entertaining than on television which kind of separates the sport from football and basketball. Often the action on the ice envelops the entire playing surface or rink. Also, the speed and skill of the players are much more evident in person than on television. The most attractive aspect of hockey is the potential and likelihood of constant action. This aspect is especially enhanced at the end of a game. Unlike other sports, the teams can not intentionally stop the clock without incurring punishment. There are no intentional fouls, spiking the ball, running out of bounds or calling multiple timeouts to stop the clock and disrupt the flow of the game. Think about this for a moment. Imagine the excitement and/or panic that you would feel seeing your favorite football or basketball team trying to come from behind and win without an opportunity or way to stop the clock. What this game situation presents is a constant chance to lose or win a hockey game. No lead is safe. Just ask the Detroit Redwings. Detroit was leading the Pittsburgh Penguins in game 6 of the 2008 Stanley Cup finals 3 to 1 with about 90 seconds remaining in the game. This probably equates to a 10 point lead in football. Pittsburgh rallies to score one goal and barely misses the net to score another goal in the frantic closing seconds of the game. The excitement generated by that ending is arguably unparalleled in sport.
Now I know what you are going to say, “Going to a NHL game is expensive”. You can reduce the cost by taking advantage of special pricing and packages offered by the teams. Also, resist the temptation to load up on food at the game by filling up before you go. Hey don’t take my word for it, let’s look at some attendance figures. For the 2007-2008 season, (a season in which neither team made the playoffs) the Carolina Hurricanes attendance averaged about 90% of capacity for their home games while the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats filled their arena to just 78% capacity on average. Those numbers show that hockey is well received and enjoyed by sports fans in the middle of basketball country.
So check out a NHL game on the tube, especially during the spring when the playoffs get heated up. Jump at the chance to go to a game. After seeing a NHL game in person, trust me you will be hooked. You’ll see that this game played on ice with some kind of stick is pretty good entertainment.
