Went up to Glendale tonight to watch Dale from church play hockey. You wouldn't imagine Dale to be the hockey type, but he definitely gets into it on the ice. His team won and I think he got an assist. This is the first time I've seen hockey played live in a long time [and I was the only spectator tonight], so let me throw out some observations for you. 1) Hockey has got to be one of the most difficult sports to play. I can't even skate, so the thought of wielding a stick and skating at the same time takes a certain level of coordination that I just don't have.
2) Hockey has to be seen live to fully enjoy it. Even at this amateur level, it's so impressive in person. I think that's why NHL television rating still struggle. That and canceling last season really didn't help. And the rules can be confusing. And it's tough to see the puck on TV. And this is America and not Canada. But beyond that, I can't think of any reasons why hockey ratings are poor.
3) In every pick-up league, regardless what the sport, there's that one guy who's freaking awesome. This guy on Dale's team was all over the place, playing like it was a NHL try-out. With 20 seconds left in the game he took it down the ice, was tripped up by a defender and still managed to get a shot off while lying on the ice. And he scored. And I said, "Holy crap!"
4) Wearing shorts to watch the game was a bad idea. For some reason I didn't think that it might be cold at the rink. I had to go get some coffee to avoid freezing.
4) The goalie in the next game was sporting a jersey with number 69. The whole wearing "69" thing is really played out. Did anyone really wear that number before Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure? That was so last decade.
5) To close out, one confession: the whole time I was sitting there, I desperately wanted to call out, "Flying V!"
That's all about that. Rangers back in the playoffs. Long live Messier!