Loading ...With the exposure of Olympic hockey, and with the Matt Cooke incident provoking headlines, here in New England there has been a lot of hockey talk lately in the media. Unfortunately, that means bandwagon fans and self-proclaimed experts are coming out of the woodwork. If these sorts are driving you mad (as they are me), feel free to direct them here for Savvy’s Rules of Hockey Fandom:
1. Know the sport. This seems like a given, but I’ve actually known of hockey “fans” who don’t know what icing is. There’s no shame in admitting your ignorance. We all had to start somewhere. Learn the game, THEN you can spout off.
2. Know the players. You don’t have to know the entire roster of every team (even the “experts” don’t), but at the very least you should know your own team.
3. Pronounce their names correctly. You may say you are a Bruins fan, but if you can’t pronounce “Lucic,” you are not a Bruins fan. (Hint: it’s not “Loo-shick.”)
4. Don’t wax nostalgic for the “good old days.” Hockey players are bigger, stronger, faster, and, with a few exceptions, better than they were 20, 30, 40 years ago.
5. Don’t whine that you can’t tell who the players are because they wear helmets. If you can’t tell the difference between Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin because of their helmets, you either never watch hockey, or you’re blind.
5a. And don’t opine that the game would be “better” if the players didn’t wear helmets. That is, in a word, insane.
6. Anyone who leaves a game early deserves this:
7. Don’t play the blame game. The other team doesn’t always score because your guy screwed up. Sometimes, the other guy makes a stupendous play. They get paid too.
8. Sometimes, shit happens. The game is played on ice. The puck bounces around. Guys fall down, the puck takes funny bounces. Sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes the other guy gets lucky. It’s part of the game.
9. Don’t ever, ever, EVER call an NHL player a pussy. Because, you know, they aren’t. And this is you:
Great post!!! I especially like the learn the game part. Nobody knows EVERYTHING and we all have to learn. I swear it took me like 2 years to understand offside.
I love the “don’t leave early” too. I will admit though, I left 1 minute early twice this season to catch the train. I DID feel guilty.
Leaving early to catch the train is understandable! I’ve had to do that at Red Sox games, and it’s frustrating. But it’s either that or walk 30 miles!
AWESOME!!!
I love numbers 5 and 6! Absolutely great post. We’ve had a lot of “hockey newbs” sitting in front of us recently. I LOVE seeing new fans come out, but I wish someone would give them a hint that you shouldn’t stand up, swap seats, wander around, etc. while the puck is in play. We have had people turn around and ask us about rules and stats, though, and it’s great to see them getting to know the game.
Amen to No. 5. Seriously. Numbers on jerseys are there for a reason. Plus, if you are real fan, you can tell a guy by the way he skates! (Or in the case of Semin, the way he falls down — ha ha!) :-)
I’m not a Bruins “fan” (I live in TN), but I LOVE the Bruins commercials! I’m sitting here watching these and rolling! Your ad writers are fantastic! And the rules of being a hockey fan are right on!!!
Those ads are so clever, aren’t they? I love them too. :-)
I’m not a Bruins “fan” (I live in TN), but I LOVE the Bruins commercials! I’m sitting here watching these and rolling! Your ad writers are fantastic! And the rules of being a hockey fan are right on!!!