Anyways, both Blake and I have gotten very interested and excited about hockey, primarily the Anaheim Ducks team.
It all started with a great opportunity that my grade level at my school got this year to learn how to play hockey . This is a program sponsored by the Ducks. They do all of the training, and provide all the gear for the kids to use, and it is just really a great chance for the kids to learn a new sport that they might never have had a chance to try without the Ducks intervention.
After their first skating lessons, they also gave our school enough free tickets for every child in my grade level to go with a parent to a Ducks game at the Honda Center, as well as enough for the teachers to go with a guest too. At first, Blake really didn't feel like going, but I eventually convinced him to try for a night. So, on January 22nd, we went to the Ducks game against Colorado Avalanche. It was amazing! It helped that it was an exciting game, where it got tied, but then the Ducks pulled out the win, but it wasn't just that, it was the game itself.
I had no idea that hockey was such an interesting sport to watch! Of course, at this first game, I had no clue about anything except for the simple basic idea of the game- score goals. Even as we watched, we started looking online to find out more information about plays and rules that we weren't sure about.
By the time the game ended, we knew that we wanted to go to another one before the season ended. We bought tickets for just one more game... but until the time of that game arrived, we found ourselves reading about the players, about their chance at the playoffs, where the other teams were in reference to our team, etc. It wasn't just Blake interested, it was me too, and when the Ducks were playing, we were checking regularly to see what the score was, including during dinners out.
I started regretting that we were only going to one game, and mentioned it to Blake on numerous occasions... so for Valentine's Day, he bought us tickets to two more games! At this point, we have gone to two of the three games that we bought tickets for above, but somehow, the more we watch hockey, the more we want to watch hockey. So, after our Friday game last week, we started watching hockey games on TV, because it was no longer enough to just find out the scores. Not only that, we aren't content with just Ducks games anymore, but now we are watching the games that affect the Ducks chance at playoffs too... or just hockey games just to watch another game. Also, even though we still had one game left... we decided to get ticket to go to another one. :-D
The primary draw of hockey as compared to other sports is the constant action. At least for me, you can't take your eyes off a hockey game for a second, because it could be a game changing moment. Also, it is so easy to believe that there is a chance to win until the bitter end because it only takes seconds to score, and if your team can at least tie, they can win it in over time. Friday's game had a beautiful moment like this, where a Ducks' player got the goal that got them the win instead of overtime in the last minute of the game. So exciting!
I think we appreciate the challenge of the game too, and the fact that unlike some other sports, the end scores are typically very low, with higher than six points being rare.
Also, I might be crazy, but I think there is a certain grace and beauty to the game, and especially to the best moves. The skating, the puck handling, and that amazing moment that in spite of how many opposing team members try to block it, the puck still goes in, all come together in a way that I truly think is aesthetically appealing.
In any case, it has been fun to have a new passion, a new thing to be excited about and spend time doing with Blake. My big regret right now is that we came into this so late in the season, and the last games are in April, and then it is the playoffs and we will have to wait until October again to start following games again.
Go Ducks!
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