The Hockey Thread

[SillyEvee]

I made this thread so anyone who wants to can talk about hockey. NHL, OHL, QMJHL, AHL, WHL, IIHF, college hockey, your own peewee house league team--whatever.

I was born in Ottawa, so I'm a Sens fan by birth, but since both my parents and all my grandparents were born in Mtl, I'm always rooting for the Habs except when they play us. I've played hockey since the fall I turned 10. I've played house league up to high school Div I.

So Canada's boys won the World Junior Hockey Championships! I got to go to a bunch of games since I was in Ottawa visiting family anyway. Did anyone else watch the tournament, either live or on TV? The Russia-Canada semi-final games was nuts, eh?! It was the most exciting game I've ever seen.

Also, a question: does anyone here ref or coach? I'd really like to do both and I know reffing can pay a TON in lots of places in Canada. Has anyone gone through the course? Where?

[Jamie]

I'd love to play Ice Hockey, but no chances in the UK.

The canadiens are going well in the centenary year so far...and just look at the all-star game! All the starters are Penguins or Canadiens....that speaks volumes.

[i_am_me_again]

I would also love to play ice hockey, I love skating & I love watching hockey.
Its one of the better sports - I think anyway.

[Adean]

I am going to be playing intramural hockey and I just started because my roommate decided I should play hockey with her even though I never skated last fall.

I currently like to wear Columbus Blue Jackets because it drives my roommate insane. She likes the Rangers.

I should be nicer to her because she taped up my stick.

I was going to ref for the intramural leagues at my college, but it's not the same. It's in-house training.

[SillyEvee]

Intramural hockey is a blast! I played in my high school's intramural league last year. There were more than a couple roommates being dragged along.

I gotta say, though, even if you're from Columbus, you should be able to get a better team than the Blue Jackets. Not that I can talk much, as a Sens fan.
Anyway, taping your stick's not a hard thing to learn to do. A little practice and you can go back to being as mean as you like to your roomie

[Jas]

I live in Ottawa, therefore I am a Sens fan (failing this, any Canadian team gets my support for a chance at the Stanley).

But I have to admit, the Sens suck this season. It makes me shudder.

[Adean]

Ha, it's a regional thing. I used to be close to Detroit and then I liked the Red Wings.


Me do work? It's easier if she tapes it though...

[Caro]

Of course Jamie found this thread buuuuuuuttttt.
SENS FANS ARE DOMINATING HEREE!! TAKE THAT!
I'm from Ottawa, love the Sens. Currently going to university in Guelph so most of these people are Leaf fans (ew). We went to a sports bar one night and I had no idea the Leafs were playing and we had some drunken middle aged men come talk to us about how "good the leafs are". I just sat and rolled my yes.

If not the Sens, its the Habs. I can't stand Toronto. Rawr.

[Jamie]

Leafs? Oh god, they're pathetic at the moment. We trashed them a couple games ago.

I do know we're out numbered by the Sens. I like their style of play and I don't have the canadian pride thing, so I enjoy them.

(Habs > Sens though. :P)

[somerandomkidmike]

I think we (as a society) should promote hockey more. More people should start getting into hockey. I know a lot of people who would be very good at hockey, but they do not have the money it would take to join, and stay as part of a team for long enough to advance in the sport. I wanted to play hockey as a kid, but I don't think I will be able to play.

[Caro]

My brother used to play hockey but stopped because of certain pressures.
Lots of parents take the sport too seriously for their kids at such a young age, its not really fair to the kids who just want to have fun. When they are older its fine because they can make their own decisions and are less influenced by their parental figures but I don't find it ok for 5 year olds to be yelled at in negative ways during a game.

Also I think one of the turn offs for hockey is the violence that its associated with. Its common to watch an NHL game and see a fist fight which is not part of the sport.

[Jas]

^The fighting is the only reason my mum doesn't like it. Otherwise she can watch a game and be perfectly enthusiastic about it. I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of the fighting either - it seems so pointless to me? Whatever.

And yeah, parents do get over involved and competitive about their children in hockey, but I think that's a pretty common thing in all youth sport.

[SillyEvee]

Re: fighting
Yeah, sometimes it's just two goons going at it, but when Jarome Iginla fought every opposing team's superstar on the Flame's Cup run...that was amazing. Totally a different story. A few years ago, The Hockey News proposed that if a player who averaged less than 5 or 6 minutes of ice time a game got into a fight, it should be an automatic suspension. If he got three such suspensions, there would be more action taken against him. I thought it was a great idea!

Parents:
Yeah, it's not just hockey, but it's really evident in hockey in Canada. Hockey Canada ran a great series of ads "Relax. It's just a game" that I thought were really effective. I wonder if they're on YouTube...
*wanders off to the maze of YouTube, never to be seen again*