I went down to the local arena...
Ok, to start, I have to explain that I was a hockey fan 20 years ago*, ever since DM and I lived on the Range with his parents, and his brother Toby (who controlled the TV in that house) taught me to love the game. Back then, Toby decided that because I have some Finnish ancestry, I must be a fan of Esa Tikkanen**, so I became a Rangers fan. And yes, I own a Rangers Jersey (astute readers will recall a FB pic), although one of the earliest things the T ever told me after we became FB friends was "Don't ever let me see you in that jersey." Actually, the fandom came earlier than that, when Toby brought us to a couple of North Star games, and I learned how much fun the frikken ENERGY is in a game.
But one of the things about sports is that, if you don't have anyone to watch the games with, it gets lonely to even bother. Add that in with those years of dealing with young kids, and I kind of lost track of hockey.
It was pretty cool to discover, almost three years ago, that this awesome guy I'd met on OK Cupid was a hockey fan. It was so much fun to get to know him while his team was on the run to earn their first Cup in 39 years. I remember watching the final game that year, and getting the text from him, all excited, when they won. Granted, it may have been a mass text, I dunno, but it felt like I was right there with him at that final moment of thrill.
Since then, I've followed the team right along with him, and in the process, I've gotten hockey back.
And this year, my birthday gift was DirecTV's Center Ice. Which means I get to watch ALL THE GAMES.
The T and I record and watch every Bruins game together, and we've gotten pretty good at synchronizing times (counting down, and then syncing via listening to the announcers). It's been a great way to spend time "together", long-distance.
Tonight, the T had the Nolinator, so he watched the first period alone, while I watched it with Mongo tonight. Figured it was a good opportunity to explain parts of the game to him, with the opportunity to pause as needed. Which we did. I got to explain icing, offsides, and power plays, and some of the backstory about the Seguin trade (nice attempt at a burn on Torey during the interview, there, Tyler). I might be on the way to creating another fan.
Thanks for giving me hockey back, babe.
Now, I'm off to watch the rest of the game with the T via phone.
*You'd think that as a Minnesota girl, I would have been a fan since I could skate. But Lake Wobegon isn't really a hotbed of hockey fever, and I have weak ankles.
** It shouldn't surprise me that he's retired, but yeah.
But one of the things about sports is that, if you don't have anyone to watch the games with, it gets lonely to even bother. Add that in with those years of dealing with young kids, and I kind of lost track of hockey.
It was pretty cool to discover, almost three years ago, that this awesome guy I'd met on OK Cupid was a hockey fan. It was so much fun to get to know him while his team was on the run to earn their first Cup in 39 years. I remember watching the final game that year, and getting the text from him, all excited, when they won. Granted, it may have been a mass text, I dunno, but it felt like I was right there with him at that final moment of thrill.
Since then, I've followed the team right along with him, and in the process, I've gotten hockey back.
And this year, my birthday gift was DirecTV's Center Ice. Which means I get to watch ALL THE GAMES.
The T and I record and watch every Bruins game together, and we've gotten pretty good at synchronizing times (counting down, and then syncing via listening to the announcers). It's been a great way to spend time "together", long-distance.
Tonight, the T had the Nolinator, so he watched the first period alone, while I watched it with Mongo tonight. Figured it was a good opportunity to explain parts of the game to him, with the opportunity to pause as needed. Which we did. I got to explain icing, offsides, and power plays, and some of the backstory about the Seguin trade (nice attempt at a burn on Torey during the interview, there, Tyler). I might be on the way to creating another fan.
Thanks for giving me hockey back, babe.
Now, I'm off to watch the rest of the game with the T via phone.
*You'd think that as a Minnesota girl, I would have been a fan since I could skate. But Lake Wobegon isn't really a hotbed of hockey fever, and I have weak ankles.
** It shouldn't surprise me that he's retired, but yeah.