I was reading an article from ESPN.com by John Buccigross were he decides to blog on a game between the Leafs and the Red Wings from 1971. At the end of his blog he said the following:

“I was 5 when this game was played, I can understand why, even then, I felt that hockey was a great sport on television. The game was fast, up and down. The players had a ghostly mystique in black-and-white as most of them were stone-faced and expressionless. You had no idea what they were thinking or what they were like. You just knew they were doing something very difficult and dangerous, and the talent and courage they showed was mesmerizing”.

Yes how times change. It’s not black and white anymore, they aren’t so expressionless and we probably know too much about what they are thinking and what they are like, but the later part of the quote most definitely still stands. They are still doing something very difficult and dangerous, and the talent and courage they show is still mesmerizing.

Thinking about it, in a way the entire quote (except for the reference to the age) sums up what got me into hockey in the first place - Watching an NHL game on TV in the late 90’s and for British Hockey watching the Giants second ever home game against Bracknell back in December 2000. I can see - even now - why hockey was a great sport on television and in person. The game was indeed fast, up and down and like something I had never seen before, be it the top NHL game or the relatively lowly (in world hockey terms) ISL game. I didn’t know a single player so they did indeed have a ghostly mystique, even in colour, and they all looked the same to me under their helmets. I had no idea what they were like - who was tough who was skilled? But even at first glance on TV or in the Odyssey I knew they were doing something very difficult and dangerous, and the talent and courage they showed was mesmerizing.

As Buccigross finished up:

“The game grabbed you by the arm and never let you go.”

I love hockey.

I haven’t blogged in a while, I guess there has been little inspiration to do so considering how the team has been playing but if truth be told the real reason has been the trip over to London sample a different type of hockey - NHL hockey.

Below is a little taster of what we got in terms of the physical side of the game.

The Giants had been on a 6 game losing streak and were rooted to the foot of the Elite League table upon leaving for the trip the morning after the Giants went down 4-3 to Nottingham in a game that promised so much in terms of physical play but delivered so little. We had one fight between Lewis and Shmyr with the later very reluctant to fight thoughout the bout.

Heading to London for the opening two games of the new regular season we were a little more hopeful of some fast paced slick hockey with even a bout or two of fisty cuffs.

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