The Good Ole Hockey Game

A lot of Canadians, and a good number of Americans, are feeling the effects of the current NHL owner's lockout. It looks like there won't be any NHL hockey at all this year. Fans are frustrated and the CBC and TSN are scrambling to replace the advertising revenue their game broadcasts produced. Especially difficult for some people is the suspended tradition of watching Hockey Night in Canada on a Saturday night. For me it's not a big deal as I enjoy the game but don't follow it closely at all.

Personally I think that the owners and the players are the authors of their own misfortune. The owners were happy to pay outrageous salaries to ensure they got top talent, and the players got used to the big money and won't let go of it. Perhaps they remember how ruthlessly the owners exploited players until the '70's.

So what am I doing with my Saturday nights? My son plays house league hockey, and this year that's when his division plays their games. I have maintained for several years that it's way more fun watching kids play. You never know what's going to happen. One minute three kids (one of which would definitely be my son) are watching a puck roll in a lazy circle in front of the net, the next minute there are six kids all kicking madly at the puck in the centre of the rink. A completed pass is an astounding delight. Anyone skating backwards has a 50% chance of falling over. You'll never get that kind of unpredictable pleasure watching the pros. And the kids are in it for real. Their determination and passion is right there on the ice. They're just workin' on the skill part...

The title of this post? It's a line from the famous Stompin' Tom Connors song, The Hockey Game. Google tells me that his web site is www.stompintom.com. It rhymes! That's gotta be the best URL ever.