By Bobby Lull:
For years I have made the argument that hockey is the only sport that cannot merit criticism. Football has too little action per game, too many commercials, and the insomnia elixirs that are Jim Nantz and Joe Buck. Baseball has too many games, too slow a pace, and yes, Joe Buck. Basketball has too many fouls, Duke, and yes, Jim Nantz. While soccer has no weaknesses in my biased mind, I’m not foolish enough to attempt to assert its superiority in the land where American Battleball (i.e. football) reigns supreme to the beautiful game.
Yet what’s hockey’s great weakness? Too much fighting? These are sports, the evolutionary descendants of gladiator games. Competition, physical superiority, and displays of dominance are in their DNA; fighting is right there alongside those. Outside of too much fighting, some say they cannot follow the puck on television. This was a reasonable complaint maybe five years ago, but now HDTVs have saturated the market, and almost all sports fans have access to them.
With a large HDTV, following the puck is no worse than following a baseball or tennis ball. With these excuses deemed invalid, perhaps you simply don’t understand the game. After a few games, hockey becomes no more complex than football. So I encourage you to watch a few games, read up on the sport a little, and delve in to the wonderful experience that is being a hockey fan in 2012. These are exciting times to be a hockey fan. Just consider the following points:
