Getting into hockey

[Pulitzer Wannabe]

I know there's a big hockey community here. So with the Blackhawks finally coming to television now, beginning tonight, I'd like to give the sport a shot. I was a fairly big fan back in high school about a decade ago, but the lockout and the Hawks' ineptitude kind of took me away from the game. Now, I'm lost.

I don't know who the good players and good teams are. It's overwhelming.

Hockey people, how about a crash course and some suggestions for someone trying to learn the NHL? When I was young, I learned all this stuff from hockey cards. Maybe a fantasy league's the way to go.

 

[Gutter]

Here's a good place to start gaining knowledge about current players/teams:

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/47506/

 

[zeke12]

Chicago has some good young players. You'll enjoy.

 

[mike311gd]

Mark Messier is really good.

 

[BYH]

The Whalers are gonna win the Adams Division this year.

 

[sportschick]

The Flyers are better this year. That's all I got.

 

[Chi City 81]

The Whalers are gonna win the Adams Division this year.

Was Pat Verbeek gentle when he took your virginity?

 

[mike311gd]

The Whalers are gonna win the Adams Division this year.

Not if the Nordiques have anything to say about it.

 

[hockeybeat]

Mark Messier is really good.

The Whalers are gonna win the Adams Division this year.

Coincidentally, former Whaler Ron Francis and Mark Messier will be inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame tomorrow.

Enjoy watching Chicago. They have a lot of young talent and they're playing an exciting brand of hockey.

 

[hockeybeat]

The Whalers are gonna win the Adams Division this year.

Was Pat Verbeek gentle when he took your virginity?

Greatest nickname in sports history: The Little Ball Of Hate.

 

[GB-Hack]

Remember that Jonathan Toews name is pronouced "Taves".

I remember getting into hockey about 8 years ago when it first started getting shown in England -- I remember a five overtime Flyers-Penguins game that ended after the sun had come up at about 7:30 in the morning.

I found the gamer from that one: http://espn.go.com/nhl/2000/20000504/recap/phipit.html

I even went to a few live British League games.

My first live NHL game was in 2000, and the speed of the game up close and the skills of some of the players up close are just amazing.

 

[Pulitzer Wannabe]

Kane had an awesome-looking goal earlier. I think. It looked sweet to me, the novice.

 

[sportschick]

I remember getting into hockey about 8 years ago when it first started getting shown in England -- I remember a five overtime Flyers-Penguins game that ended after the sun had come up at about 7:30 in the morning. I even went to a few live British League games.

That is the greatest game of my lifetime. I cannot be budged from this belief. It was still going when I left work that night, and I went out drinking, thinking I'd catch the replay on ESPN that started at 2 a.m.

I get home, turn the TV on at 2 a.m., right in time to hear the announcer say "Folks, this is live hockey, not a replay." Stayed up and watched Keith Primeau score the winner for my Flyers and went to bed.

Got up the next morning and watched the entire game on ESPN Classic.

It was beautiful.

 

[Chi City 81]

I remember getting into hockey about 8 years ago when it first started getting shown in England -- I remember a five overtime Flyers-Penguins game that ended after the sun had come up at about 7:30 in the morning. I even went to a few live British League games.

That is the greatest game of my lifetime. I cannot be budged from this belief. It was still going when I left work that night, and I went out drinking, thinking I'd catch the replay on ESPN that started at 2 a.m.

I get home, turn the TV on at 2 a.m., right in time to hear the announcer say "Folks, this is live hockey, not a replay." Stayed up and watched Keith Primeau score the winner for my Flyers and went to bed.

Got up the next morning and watched the entire game on ESPN Classic.

It was beautiful.

LUSH!

 

[Clever username]

Keith Primeau is a cocksucking piece of **** who deserves to have his balls removed, slowly, with a blow torch.

 

[Det. Jimmy McNulty]

the guys broadcasting the game tonight are acting like complete douchebags. "isn't that a pretty logo?" give me a ****ing break. the team is still paying the price for firing pat foley.

nice to see the team actually found a sponsor for it's "five game" home season. what a slap in the face. come up with a respectable amount of games or don't show any. you've already crippled a generation of hockey fans in chicago, why not just get it right and correct the error of $ bill's ways?

if you really want to get into hockey, go to a game. whether it be a college, minor league or pro game, any will work. just don't sit in the last five rows of the arena.

 

[Cape_Fear]

nice to see the team actually found a sponsor for it's "five game" home season. what a slap in the face. come up with a respectable amount of games or don't show any. you've already crippled a generation of hockey fans in chicago, why not just get it right and correct the error of $ bill's ways?

In the Hawks defense, that is all the games they can get on this season because Comcast has other things already lined up.

 

[Claws for Concern]

Know that no matter how many times you see on this board the word "Matteau" or mentions of the 1994 Eastern Conference finals or the Cup final in which the Rangers won it all against the Canucks that the Devils have won three Cups since that magic Rangers season.

Also know that the NHL network is a fine addition to anyone's cable package!

 

[outofplace]

Mark Messier is really good.

The Whalers are gonna win the Adams Division this year.

Coincidentally, former Whaler Ron Francis and Mark Messier will be inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame tomorrow.

Enjoy watching Chicago. They have a lot of young talent and they're playing an exciting brand of hockey.

Good for Ron Francis. Shows how much my interest in hockey has dwindled that I didn't know he was being inducted. One of my favorite players to watch.

I alternate between wondering what the hell the Whalers were thinking and being very happy they were foolish enough to trade him to the Penguins.

 

[TheHacker]

Hey Pulitzer, I got back into hockey in the past year after not paying much attention to it for a while. Sort of the same deal as you. I grew up in Pittsburgh while Lemieux was playing, and my interest declined as the team got bad, but I always liked the game. Have fun following the Blackhawks ... they're starting to build a decent future.

I never quite understood when people would complain about the game being unwatchable on TV. But I did notice the impact of the rule changes when I started watching a lot of games again last year. There's lots more speed and puck movement now than there used to be -- it's more watchable now than it's ever been.

I got into a fantasy league last year ... whatever you think of fantasy, it definitely helps you learn the league. I got hooked. By mid season I was a Center Ice subscriber. I have XM too, and I listen to their hockey channel and pick things up from that. I think their hockey channel is significantly better than their baseball channel. I also really like to watch the CBC and TSN broadcasts ... you can tell the Canadian networks really have a better sense of how to present the game. It's too bad Bill Clement isn't doing games anymore. Versus has him in the studio. He belongs in the booth.