Over the years my hockey knowledge was nurtured by my dad, Big Al. I recall long drives with mom, and my wee siblings, to sit in a cold ice rink, avoiding pucks that cleared the glass - when there was glass - and then occasionally a chilly wait in the car, while Dad had a beer with the boys. Looking back Im surprised mom steaming in the front seat didn’t keep us warm!
Then there were out door rinks, with a warm up shack and a small wood stove, hay bales for seating, and games where young athletic farm lads played their hearts out, hoping they'd catch the eye of an NHL scout. Oh, and some did! These guys took hockey seriously, it was their life!
And no child couldn’t sing the theme from Hockey Night in Canada, or Gordy Howe Was The Greatest of them All, Clear the Track Here Comes Shack…..and many more! Why? Because back in the day, that was a prairie girls life! Boys skates with socks in the toe to make em fit, used hockey sticks or even better new ones at Christmas, pushing snow off a dugout if there was no rink - we’d play will either frostbite started or the sun went down.
In my teens hockey continued to rule - my team, Detroit Red Wings, whichever the original great one, number 9, Gordie Howe played for. He was awesome, 25 of his amazing 26 yr career! Left elbow up, he had no equal. Until Guy LaFleur came on the ice. Then, the Canadiens were my number ones. Yes I’m a Habs fan. Much to my father’s disappointment as he was a life long Maple Leafs supporter.
Since there are now no longer The Original Six teams, and places that don’t get snow can have numerous teams, I’ve become disappointed and haven’t watched much hoeckey, not even playoffs. But all that changed when the Edmonton Oilers started to play in the finals against the Florida Flamingos, sorry, the Panthers.
I swore, and maintain I’m no fan of any Edmonton team. They are the Woolerton to my Dog River. But tonight, on the eave of game 7…I confess..i’ve been glued to the TV! Cheered loudly, yelled at the referees (5 minute major? In a pigs patoot!) I’m phoning and texting family and friends near and far (read New Zealand, Kentucky and Michigan) and they are all rooting loud and strong for the Alberta team!
And I love it! All those years of watching the game as a kid, as a teenager - it all came back to me. Ok, todays game is much less physical, no teeth on the ice, bench clearing brawls, heck they don’t even check hard. But good hockey? Amazing. McDavid? A legend! So tomorrow I’ll be watching, heart racing, hands clenched, and hoping the Oilers can do it one more time for a historic comeback and bring the Stanley Cup back to Alberta!!!
Personally, I’ve been bitten hard by the hockey bug. It’s one more game, and next October 6 it will start all over. Maybe a year for the Habs, maybe the Blackhawks.
LETS GO OILERS! OK and now I see the Riders beat the TiCats tonight…hee hee
