The Five Reasons I love Hockey

1. 7,777 fans
    For me when I think hockey I always think back to my very first game. It was October 15th,1998 and the Topeka Scarecrows of the Central Hockey League were playing their very first home game. Landon Arena in Topeka, KS holds 7,777 fans and that game was a complete sellout. I can still remember the noise of the crowd and just the atmosphere of that building.
2. The Mighty Ducks
    My first exposure to hockey was the Mighty Ducks movies, I know that they were cheesy as heck but they are still special. I still remember the first time I watched it quacking along and then cheering Charlie, Charlie, Charlie as he skates out to take the penalty shot. I knew what was going to happen but I still couldn’t stop myself. I remember D2 and hating Iceland and loving when the Bash Brothers kicked ice. I cried during D3 when Hans died but laughed when Bombay had the Eden Hall Ducks banner drop. I remember being excited when I found out that there was going to be a real Mighty Ducks team and still have t-shirts from that inaugural season.
3. Hockey History
    One of my favorite things to do is sit down and read a book on a certain team or player and find a little tidbit of knowledge that I didn’t have before. It is so interesting to pick a team and find out why they picked their name or how a certain player or trade impacted them. I am planning on one day writing a book on the history of hockey in my hometown which although it is short, it already has many honors and achievements and tons of variety due to the fact that we have had four different teams.
4. Olympic Hockey
    There is nothing more pure than watching guys play for the pride and honor of their nations. Even though I don’t agree with the major teams being mostly NHL players I still can’t help but get excited and feel chills go down my spine when I see that USA across the chest of a jersey ready to battle for Lady Liberty. This past Olympics was really special because of the throwback jersey. That jersey was the same as the 1960 team, who went undefeated in Olympic competition. It was really special because one of the guys on the 1960 team was Edwyn “Bob” Owen who lived in Topeka in his later years and was one of the greatest people and hockey fans I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.
5. Goaltending    Ever since I was little I have been a fan of goaltenders (and not just because Greg Goldberg gave me hope that a big guy could be a goalie). There is nothing more awesome than watching the athleticism involved in stopping a guy from burying a piece of vulcanized rubber into the net. I love when you see a goaltender go from one side of the goal to the other in less than a second and being able to just snatch that puck straight out of the air or when a goalie gets knocked to his back and manages to get a beautiful stick save.