It seems convenient that I write about hockey, when we are in the middle of another NHL lockout, yes? o_O I recall last season, when during the all-star break, I suddenly stopped updating my hockey blog, and didn't give a reason why. There are a few reasons I wish to tell you:
- Too many suspensions: The subject on everyone's lips last season was the daily controversial hockey hit, and whether such illegal body checks warranted four or six game suspensions depending on the player, and I really did not want my blog to become a jumping off post for rants and ANGRY WORDS SPELT WITH ALL CAPS. In my hometown, there is a daily radio talk show dedicated to hockey, and almost everyday there would be some heated argument over another blown call by a referee, another player injured with a concussion, another suspended player given way less than everyone thought he deserved, another Zapruder-like film study, and another case of psycho-analysis of the aggressor and his "intent". Entering that debate never interested me; yes, I did write about illegal hockey hits and suspensions in prior posts, but I didn't want to regurgitate the same old stuff day after day, so I decided to stop altogether unless something interesting (different) occurred.
- Conspiracy, conspiracy: I always thought teams played for "not to lose" on an annual basis, so when three-point games became the norm I didn't feel like writing about that conspiracy theory of match fixing all over again: Guarantee your one point, don't break your back trying to score in five minutes of overtime, and throw your goalie under the bus because you didn't get the "bonus point". What bonus point? o_O There are two points to win in every game; how does the second point become the bonus point? It's still two points. If a win in regulation time was worth three points, then...great, I did it again! -_- I put half my audience to sleep AGAIN!
- Refs under orders? One NHL team that has no owner, no sustainable market for hockey, and no fan base in a town with no money to support its professional sports teams or stadiums is in the playoffs, while another NHL team plays in the second largest media market in the United States, and always benefited from favourable calls and non-calls since The Gretzky Trade (Yes, Kerry Fraser, I am talking about you). Which teams did I allude to in the previous sentence? Which teams met in last year's Western Conference Final? Which team won that playoff series off of a blown call (again)? Which team won the Stanley Cup last year?
- Stupid, stupid, stupid: Why is Winnipeg still in the Southeast division?!
I have other reasons for not updating this blog, but those are the first four that came to mind. Hockey is a great game, and as a Canadian I will always love it. I might write something about it, now and then, but with other blogs to write, and work I don't have too much time to spend talking about collective bargaining agreements, and referee biases towards struggling NHL teams in the sun-belt. Maybe it is time to move on.
Seriously, it's not that difficult: Winnipeg in the Northwest, Minnesota in the Central, Nashville in the Southeast, HELLO?!
