…well, I’m a day late, but better late than never, right?
Paul Kukla over at Kukla’s Korner declared yesterday Happy Hockey Talk Day. He encouraged fans to write only positive things about the game for the day – to put aside the usual bickering about our favorite teams and the state of the league and instead focus on the things that made us fans in the first place.
Reading some of the posts yesterday and today was a lot of fun, so I decided it was time to join in! Here’s my “Happy Hockey” story:
One of my favorite hockey-related memories is of the Devils’ first Cup win in 1995. I was 9 years old at the time. My entire family (about 90% Devils fans with the exception of two cousins who are Rangers fans) was at my house that night for my uncle’s “bachelor party”. As the game started, we all piled into our living room for the game, the anticipation nearly unbearable. I don’t remember the details of the first two periods all that well – but I do remember my two Ranger-fan cousins looking increasingly unhappy as the third period ticked away. And I will never forget watching Mike Peluso, the biggest guy on the Crash Line, bawling his eyes out before the game had even ended, completely incapable of taking his last few shifts. There was mayhem in my house as the clock ran out, hugs and high fives all around as the team tackled Marty. It was pretty unbelievable.
December 2nd, 2008 at 11:04 pm
I remember this time in December, 2008, where Sean Avery got indefinitely suspended for running his mouth. The entire hockey community banded together in universal condemnation. Mm, I can still taste the spirit of Christmas.