hockeyisgd

"Mike's Random Musings about hockey"

West Lafayette, IN • United States • 21 Years Old • Male

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The Great Outdoors and the American Juniors

Happy New Year everyone!

The High Sticking Show on www.wilyradio.com is comming back later this month. Stay tuned for more details, and I will keep you more up to date this time around!

So during New Years I played Rock Band. If you haven't had a chance to play it, and are a big Guitar Hero fan (like myself), you will really enjoy it! The drums are really fun, and the guitar parts are a little easier than Guitar Hero 3. The best part is, this isn't the great game I'm referring to in the title!

<h4>The Great Game in the Great Outdoors</h4>
What a spectacular game yesterday! It was a great day for hockey, and a great day for the 70,000 fans who got to experience it. Being in Ohio for the holidays, and living nowhere close to Buffalo, NY I wasn't able to go to the game, but I could imagine it was an experience. Shawn Levigne on XM's <i>Hockey This Morning</i> mentioned in the Radio pre-game that words could not describe the feeling of being at the game.

<br/>Watching the game was an experience too. It was the first time in a long time, hockey was actually being treated with first-class treatment by American media. Bob Costas, my favorite TV announcer, was on hand at the game, and giving the audience a great perspective on hockey. I hope that people who aren't big fans of hockey who had a chance to see the game, are now at least intrigued. The game itself highlighted Sidney Crosby's skill and appeal in a way I have not seen yet on an NBC broadcast. I know I've been very critical of Crosby's hype, because he has not always shown to live up to this hype on these broadcasts. I think this might have been the first time I can say that I agree with the hype. Crosby is a great hockey player, and his value in fantasy hockey is incredible. He is the real deal, however I still think Crosby is a cry-baby at times. However, I can overlook this for the fantastic game that was played. It was a solid game for both teams, and it was hard to see either team lose.

<h4>Future Outdoor Games?</h4>
While watching the game, my father mentioned: "they need to do this more often", and I can't agree more. The only problem is the cost and specialty of an outdoor game need to be considered. The cost for an outdoor game is great, but comes with a great reward. First off, more fans will be attending, meaning more ticket revenue. So that should be able to outweigh at least a little of the cost, and create a very unique atmosphere for a hockey game. Because an outdoor game is special, it should be done once, at most twice, a season. I also think it should alternate between holding the game in the US and Canada. So let's say this is adopted. For example, next season you could hold an outdoor game in Toronto, and the next season in Boston. So this way, the NHL and hockey can pay homage to its roots. We have seen in the past that it is a very successful, and it seems that the players and fans enjoy it. So I hope we see more of these games in the future!

<h4>Why aren't the World Juniors on TV in the US?</h4>
So here's a question I've been asking myself since the beginning of the tournament. Knowing that the American audience is only interested in international sports when their team is doing well, why aren't the juniors on TV? The only US coverage is on USA Hockey's website, and I still end up using TSN's website to check up on the American team. For those who don't know, the Americans are 4-0-0 in pool play, and have a bye in the bracket round. They may end up playing Canada on Friday and with a win have a shot at the Gold Medal. Amongst the amazing games that have taken place between the US and Canada in hockey, makes this matchup all the more intriguing. As a US hockey fan, I really want to have a chance to see these guys play. From what I hear from some of my friends who watched some the games in Canada, the US team looks spectacular. I wish I could watch these games, and I'm sure family that couldn't make the trip to Europe would like to see them too. Maybe ESPN will make a joke out of this event and that'll be the only American media mention of it, unless they win.

<h4>Conclusion and Resolution</h4>
Since its very early into this year, I want to make a resolution, that I am going to try to hold myself to, and that is to try to blog more often. I truly enjoy blogging, and I'm glad that some people also enjoy reading my blogs. I would really like to try to blog at least once a week, and if I can more. The goal is to try to blog 50 or so times in the next year, and this is the first.

<br/>The NHL should consider more outdoor games in the future. It may be costly, but I think the fans and players really enjoy it. Also if an outdoor game becomes an annual event, make sure the US and Canada can share the game(s) equally. The US Junior team is doing well, yet we don't get much coverage here in the US, and that is a shame. Despite the World Juniors, hockey seems to be alive and well for 2008.