There's nothing better than playoff hockey. At least, that's what I liked to constantly tell people as a longtime hockey fan. I bought into the NHL playoffs as being 100% more exciting than any of the other major sports, which in my current situation is unfathomable and unforgivable. I've watched more of the NBA playoffs than the NHL playoffs.
For hockey fans, it was always a case of us-against-them, as it seemed that hockey was little more than punch-line to the rest of the country. The lockout made things even tougher on hockey fans, but we knew we had to band together to support the sport and keep it in the limelight. We finally hit the first playoffs after the lockout, the great reward for staying true to hockey — and I'm spending it watching LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
This isn't supposed to happen, ever. As a kid, I grew up watching minor league hockey in Cincinnati. Not only was I a hockey fan, I was a hockey player. In the early part of my illustrious childhood sports career, I was a decent soccer player, a formidable bench presence in basketball, and a superb T-ball pitcher. But hockey, I discovered, was the sport I played best, and I had a rewarding nine-year career. As both player and fan, I had a special place in my heart for hockey.
My career in sports media began as a color analyst for a minor league hockey team, a spot I reached after serving a few years as an off-ice official. I worked in, played, and watched hockey. Early in my writing days, I was one of hockey's biggest defenders, telling the haters to screw off and assuming they were just too ignorant to understand the game. The first column I wrote was about how cowardice was the cancer that was ruining hockey, and I got my start in sports talk radio doing a segment called "The Stanley Cupdate," which was a running playoff segment.
I was a hockey guy through and through ... so what the hell happened to me?
It's one thing not to watch the first round. It's early, things still need to settle, and there's plenty of hockey left to play. To watch the NBA playoffs instead, though, makes me feel like I walked past a burning Wayne Gretzky with a fire extinguisher, but then used the extinguisher as an impromptu stool as I watched him burn. It's the NBA — the league is full of thugs who travel all the time and share groupies more than the ball.
I could hide behind plenty of excuses. I could blame the lockout and claim to be one of those hurt, bitter, jaded fans that turn a cold shoulder to the game forever, but those people suck. I could whine about how shootouts messed with the game, but I've never really been against shootouts. I have been busier than ever, even too busy to play video games, but I've made time to watch the NBA. The pathetic job OLN has done with hockey this year is a legitimate reason for not being as in to the playoffs as I should be. Of course, the 2004 me would've found other ways to follow the action.
I overdosed on college basketball during the lockout to fill the hockey void, but I still feel guilty about this whole NBA thing. It's even been the best first round in the history of the NBA (say I, the well-celebrated NBA historian), but I can't shake the feeling that I've deserted hockey. The NHL will have somewhat better second-round matchups, whereas the NBA's second round should be wholly unentertaining, so there may be hope left for me to return from the dark side.
I shudder when I think of life without hockey and even can't entertain the thought that I'm no longer a hockey guy. My friends in hockey haven't given up on me yet, but if the NHL can't keep fans like me, how are they supposed to attract new fans? How is the sport going to grow when the hardcore fans lose interest?
Hopefully, I'm putting too much into this, and it's just a brief scare. I have to admit, seeing something like Daniel Briere suffering an "upper-body ailment" makes the elimination of my Flames a little easier to take. I'll make it a point to give hockey another shot. But if the games don't deliver, it's back to watching Gretzky burn. And that's a no-win for everyone involved.
The Sports Gospel According to Mark is sponsored by BetOnSports.com. All readers get a 10% signup bonus at BetOnSports by entering "Sports Gospel Promo" as the promo code. Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on SC. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].
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