God help me
I've always loved hockey but it is a double edged sword, mostly because I can be a bit obsessive when I get intereted in something. Which probably explains my embracing fandom so fast once I found it on the internet.
I don't do well when my team loses so I've found over time it's best to stay away. I think I've gotten better over the years but it's simmering under the surface.
I'm dating myself but I first got hooked during Super Series 76 when the Russians came over. And yes I was the weird Canadian kid who cried whenever the Russians lost. I felt for them, coming over here and being gooned by those rough Canadians. I liked the way they played better. They skated circles around the North Americans.
Forward a couple years to the Montreal Canadiens dynasty of the seventies, my next favorite team. They were classy and they skated. Guy Lafleur was at the top and they beat the Flyers who I HATED. My family shook their heads when I'd cry again when my team lost. I was a teenager. A string of loses warranted a suicide watch they figured. Fortunately it was a good time to be a fan because they didn't lose much. But when they were eliminated from the playoffs after winning five stanley cups I stopped watching for years.
Granted, I'd graduated from highschool and was going to university. I was too busy to watch hockey.....until I set eyes on the Edmonton Oilers and Mark Messier. And bang, I was right back on the bandwagon. They were young and cocky and fast and they looked like they were having so damn much fun out there. And sure as hell they started to win, and win and win. And again it was a good time to be a fan.
But nothing lasts forever and superstars like Gretsky get traded and things change. I hung on for the Oilers winning another one with Mark Messier as captain (I thought he should have been captain the whole time) and then I was done. Again.
I was happy when the Rangers one the cup over Vancouver (probably the only BC native who was) but it was a passing fancy. It was short lived and Mark Messier has gone on to other things. And I've been barely intersted in hockey for years.
Don't get me wrong. I LOVE hockey. It's my favorite sport. I can watch big games and discuss the game knowledgeably. I watch the Olympics. And sometimes the playoff. But I don't care. Really. Well, I was happy that Sidney Crosby scored so we beat the Americans but I would have been just as happy if the Russians had won. It's no big deal.
But now I want to care again. But for who? I'm not sure I can be a Canucks fan. The Sedins do nothing for me. And the Canucks are the team that always manage to disappoint. I don't know if I have the heart to care. They are the local team but still.....
And then there's Alex Ovechkin who apparently plays with "reckless abandon" the same thing said about by fav Mark Messier? Only problem is I'm a few years too late. He's not doing much this year and his team has an abysmal record. Too hard. But who? Who should I follow? Who has the combination of charismatic players, end to end skating style, and probability of success that will make it worth my while to watch.
Anyone? Bueller?