Mitch's Musings

No, please tell me I didn’t just enjoy that. Not that sport, anything but that sport. It’s fun live, but on TV, really? There is no way I just enjoyed a televised hockey game. Or is there?

I have always been a strong opponent to hockey. I have never enjoyed it. In fact, I have loathed its existence, taking valuable ESPN time away from sports that matter like football and basketball.

I’m not saying that hockey can’t be interesting because live, with a beer in hand, hockey can be quite enjoyable. However, the other night I somehow got sucked into a hockey game on the Versus channel.

It wasn’t because stars like Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin were playing. It wasn’t because the game was a barnburner; I just found it interesting; weird, I know.

The hockey season started recently and, just like most years, I was praying another lockout, one like the NHL had in 2004-2005, would halt the season and allow me to forget about the sport once again.

No such luck this year, as hockey is slowly working its way back into relevance since that lockout five years ago. This year something seems different. My interest has been sparked, and I am slowly being converted.

More than once, I have tried to talk myself out of this new feeling. I found myself wondering, “What will my friends think? They are going to hate me. They don’t like hockey. Will they ostracize me?”

I feel like I have been committing a crime, sneaking around checking out hockey scores and catching a few minutes of a game here and there. Well, I say no more. I am crossing enemy lines; I am announcing my allegiance, I LIKE HOCKEY! There…I said it, it’s out.

I hope I’m not alone in my hockey enjoyment and for my personal sake, I hope a few others join me in my newly found quest to help make hockey relevant once more.

Now that my secret is out, I vow to try to convert a few others to the hockey world, especially those like most of my friends who are devout football fans.

Hockey is violent, too. The NHL has hockey rock stars, the season is exciting so why can’t we enjoy the sport just as much? I think we can!