Journal bellus quies's Journal: Hockey, observations from a non-sports fan 4

Hockey games are so much better live. My friend has season tickets to see the LA Kings, with a couple other friends of his. One friend cancelled and there was an extra ticket to I jumped at a chance to see my first pro-hockey game. (I did see a college game last winter). It was really interesting. We got there plenty early, so that we sat down by the ice and watched the players practice beforehand. Sitting just behind the goal that the Flyers were shooting into, the pucks resounded with a thwack each time they hit the plastic. But the thing I most enjoyed was studying the players, seeing their different playing styles and intensity. I was sitting close enough that I could clearly see their faces, and was intrigues and the variety of concentration and focus. Some seemed angry, some were smiling like they were having the best time in the world. Others were so focused that you could see that they didn't see the crowd and the ice was all that existed for them. In particular I watched the goalies. There were two that night during practice for the Flyers. One was always in constant motion. Waiting for the next shot he would pace back and forth. Waiting for his turn at the net he would still be doing drills. I think that it was Hackett, the goalie that played the entire game, but I'm not sure. The other goalie was more calm in his approach. While waiting for his turn at the net he would be crouched down into a ready stance, completely focused at a point on the ice. When at the net he was deliberate in his movements, nothing extraneous. I really wanted to see him play in the game, but I guess that a goalie has to let more than 4 scores by him to get pulled out.

Another thing that I enjoyed was the interesting outside view that I had of the game. I had no attachment whatsoever to who won, and was just enjoying the display of pure skill from the athletes on the ice. There was a guy heckling the other team two rows down, and the arena smelled of ice, beer and pickles. It all led to an interesting ambiance, seeing how different people watched the game. How people would boo whenever someone had on any NY baseball paraphernalia, or how children's faces lit up when they found themselves on the giant screen (except one girl, who was quite young, 5-6, but old enough to be embarrassed by the involuntary public display)