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Over the years, there are certain things you notice when watching hockey either on TV or when you're at the game. Some of these things can be noted at any sporting event, while others are only found in hockey. I've compiled a list of things that really bother me while watching hockey and also a list of things that I love to see while watching the sport.
Most of the things aren't necessarily about the sport itself, but more the things that go along with watching the sport from a fan's perspective. I've left out the fairly obvious things that go without saying (sick saves/goals, seeing my team win, bad officiating, seeing my team lose, etc. etc.). Feel free to add your own.
Things I Hate:
- Airhorns...the ones that are supposed to encourage the fans to chant their team's cheer. It seems in Calgary its airhorn is played for literally the entire game. I can't stand it.
- Pink jerseys...they're stupid.
- Unnecessary long goal horns. The one in Pittsburgh always seems to last way too long.
- People banging on the glass. Probably my biggest annoyance. People look like morons when they do it. Are they for real trying to get the player off his game? Do you really think Chris Pronger is going to turn around and say, "Can you please refrain from banging on the glass? It's really bothering me, thanks." The players probably can't even hear it.
- People turning around and standing up to wave at the camera when the play is near their seat. Congratulations, you're on TV.
- That blonde chick from Versus interviewing players/coaches on the bench during play.
- Fans at games who don't know what the hell they are talking about.
- Chanting a goalie's name. I've never been a big fan of it at all. I find it classless. Even when Sabres fans would get all over Emery, I still didn't enjoy it.
- Fans who boo obvious calls against their team. Sometimes it's habitual to boo a call in hockey, but when it's a blatant call, then just deal with it.
- Maple Leafs fans
- The Rangers' goal song.
- Zombie Nation.
- Fans who actually believe they can play better hockey than some of the players on the ice. Yeah, keep telling yourself that. While those "bums" are competiting in the NHL you'll be sitting in your cubicle at your 9-5 job playing armchair GM for your fantasy hockey team.
- The Hockey Night in Canada theme song on TSN. It just doesn't seem right for it to be on TSN now. At least we can still hear it and it's not gone from television forever, but it's still strange.
Things I Love:
- The Hockey Night in Canada theme song played on Hockey Night in Canada.
- The sounds of hockey. The sounds of the puck hitting the stick, the sounds of the players skating, the sounds of a pad save, the sounds of the puck going off the post, the sounds of the buzzer (a real buzzer...like the one at MSG).
- Playoff beards!
- Snarky and sassy post-game interviews.
- The organ...classic.
- The sight of fans trying to get Sabretooth (or any other mascot in a different arena) to launch the free XXL t-shirts in their section.
- Sloppy drunk fans.
- Don Cherry's suits.
- Thick accents and broken English.
- The unique names.
- Picking up on some of the player's superstitions and quirks.
- Goalie fights.
- When players chip pucks over the glass for young fans.
- Players who almost always touch young fans' hands when they are entering/exiting their tunnel.
- Sweet Caroline.
- The Sedin Twins' coordinating facial hair.
***
I'm sure there's more but that's all I can think of at the moment. I don't really want to go in depth about the playoffs, but seriously, how crazy are they right now? It only seems fitting that the Caps-Pens series is going to 7 games, it's just one hell of a match-up. Both Crosby and Ovechkin are showing why they're considered the best players in the league right now. The Canucks-'Hawks game was a doozy. I don't think anyone anticipated the crazy 3rd period. I think a lot of fans are a little surprised and definitely disappointed in Luongo's performance. I understand that many fans are very frustrated and pissed off, that certainly wasn't what they expected out of their franchise goaltender (and captain). But a series does not define a goaltender, and I think once people calm down they will realize the type of goaltender that Luongo really is. And of course I have mention our hometown boy, Pat Kane getting himself a hat trick to seal the win for the 'Hawks. Congratulations to him.
I'm sure everyone is already aware that the Sabres inked defenseman Tyler Myers to a 3-year entry level deal. Awesome. I've been casually keeping track of his play in Kelowna, and he's got a very promising future ahead and it's nice to see him take one step closer to the Sabres by signing this deal. The picture of him standing next to the Sabres Brass on Draft Day reminds me of the time when I saw the tallest guy I've ever seen in person at the Galleria last year. The dude had to be at least 7'6. I'm not exaggerating either.
Today I had a history final early in the morning (by early I mean 7:40 AM...yikes.) and now I am finished with school! Hellooooo, summer. Lookin' good.
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5 comments:
-people who thrown dead sea life on the ice...
Don't discriminate against octopi!!
I always thought much of the glass-banging was to *encourage* the home team on. Could be wrong though.
I agree 150% about the Versus odd habit of interviewing coaches while play is going on. If this were soccer with an unstoppable clock I could maybe see it - but it takes aways from watching the game, it's got to be a distraction for the coach being interviewed, and it reeks of Vs. wanting to make every penny of profit they can - since they could just as easily do it during a stoppage in play.
While we're on the subject of Versus - I'd like to add one more - watching a penalty get called, having a commercial break happen... only to return from the break with absolutely no word about what the call was!
Jill, if you're going to bring up the instigator rule, can we *please* add that stupid delay of game rule? Sure it evens out over the course of a season - but the NHL should be able to somehow include whether the puck was intentionally cleared over the glass or not.
Dave
I think fans bang on the glass when an oppossing player is by their seat, to try to taunt him and/or knock him off his game. Although when there's a fight going on or the team scores, there's lots of glass banging going on...and I guess it's alright in those situations. But I've just always found it irritating because of the obnoxious noise the mics pick up from it to the viewers on TV.
I have noticed that Versus will go to commercial when there's a penalty called and then there's no discussion about it after they return. It's confusing and they should at least show a replay of the infraction.
And I completely agree with your opinion on the delay of game penalty. I think it should be a judgement call on the ref (granted, I'm not sure if an NHL referee's judgement is the best, but that's another issue in itself.) because sometimes it's just obvious that it was simply a mistake with no intent to delay the game. It's a tough call.
I hate pink jerseys as well. It's as if they are trying to have hockey appeal to females, but in reality the females that already enjoy hockey want to wear the team colors and the pink jersey wearers are either Puck Bunnies or just trying to impress a male counterpart.
Yeah...I mean fans wear jerseys to represent their team, and that should include its colors.
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