Hockeytown0001 7,652 Report post Posted April 25, 2008 (edited) Hockey is the greatest and most exciting sport that there is. Nothing else compares to hockey. Don't get me wrong, I love the Tigers, Pistons, and yes even the Lions. And it was exciting as hell to watch their re-surgences. But I have to say - I almost fell asleep at the last Tigers game I went to; I haven't watched any of the Pistons playoff games until the 4th quarter, and I continue to suffer watching the Lions despite knowing that they can have a 20 point lead in the 4th, only to eff it up and lose somehow. I can't explain what hockey does for me and everyone else that I know. My earliest memory of hockey was when I was 8 years old and watching my dad screaming and jumping up and down in the living room at some amazing thing happening on the tv - the Red Wings winning the 1997 Stanley Cup. That was all it took. The next year, the Wings repeated on June 16 - my birthday - and to date has been the best gift ever. My first Red Wings game was in St. Louis in 1999...during warmups I was in awe, I couldn't believe I was actually standing inches away from the players I idolized seeing on tv. I couldn't believe I was actually seeing Steve Yzerman for real, not on the tv. And all of a sudden, Darren McCarty reached over the glass and handed me a puck - I almost fainted. I still have that puck, it's in a special case on my bookshelf with D-Macs player card. After that, I was 100% fully hooked on hockey, and I decided right there that the Red Wings would be my team for life. Hockey also serves as an escape for me and so many other people. After a crappy day, turing on the Red Wings can somehow make that all go away. I can't believe people would rather watch golf than hockey. They haven't lived yet. And that comment that a basketball player suffering a hockey like injury is true as gospel. I love seeing how they flop over when someone so much as sneezes on them (maybe Floppa's would be good in the paint) and I think, they wouldn't survive 2 minutes on the ice. It takes real men to play hockey. Edited April 25, 2008 by Hockeytown0001 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pavyaz19 1 Report post Posted April 25, 2008 (edited) I hoped by starting this thread that emotion would envelop all of us... remind us why we really watch / play the game. Reading these posts not only brings back fond memories, but also strikes a new chord of realization each time. It's very hard for me not to get the chills reading these. There's not much in the world that brings out this much emotion in me... so I'll be the first guy to admit, it's hard to keep a tear from my eye. Hockey just means so much. Nothing like it. by the way, thanks for the scrawny kid to a God story - perfect... Steve Yzerman was the trigger for me too. Edited April 25, 2008 by pavyaz19 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kira 451 Report post Posted April 25, 2008 (edited) I've loved this game for over 40 years. I grew up watching Howe and Lindsay, Beliveau and Richard, Hull and Mikita...and on into the 70's with Orr and Sanderson in Boston, the Broad Street Bullies, the Montreal steamroller teams. Into the 80's with Stevie Y just coming into the league, the Islanders and their four cups, Edmonton and their run...and into the 90's, and the emergence of my Wings from the depths of despair to the pinnacle of success. Now, I am in my 5th decade of being a hockey lover...my great niece is 10 and loves Pasha almost as much as I do. My nephews play the game. I love this game for the character it has. I love it for its unpredictability. I love it for the passion and the courage of the players. And I love it for its humanity. In all my life, I have never met more down to earth, kind, generous, sincere and warm athletes as the Wings players I've met. They are the most wonderful people...you never see an ego among these guys. They're not the flashy type, who think they have to drive the fancy cars and dress like God knows what. No, these guys drive the same cars we do, and are probably more comfortable in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt than anything. It's that human quality that I love most. It's Evgeni Malkin going to Pasha and asking if he can have one of Pasha's sticks. It's Patrick Kane asking Dominik Hasek if he can get a picture with him. And they do it without hesitation. You don't see that happen in other sports. You can have baseball, football, basketball, and all that other stuff. GIve me a hockey game any night. I'll watch it, I don't care who's playing. Edited April 25, 2008 by Kira Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
