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Originally Posted by Sunder  I don't think you understand the level of retardation I have to deal with when it comes to the average Stars fan (not Braen). When I say they are a disgrace to the NHL, I mean it. They are the fairest of fairweather fans. They know shit-all about the game, and they know shit-all about the league and it's history. If you were to mention the Hartford Whalers to this kind of fan, you would get a blank stare. These people are pure hockey idiots. And I hate them.  |
While I appreciate the compliment you have understand, hockey is still "new" here. It wasn't a sport you could play as a kid around here, it wasn't offered in school and it was barely on the TV before the Stars arrived. So, in a sense, most Stars fans are just that, Stars fans and not true hockey fans. I know many around here would stop down for a Stars game, but if a Nashville/Columbus game was on VS., the average Stars/Dallas fan probably would pass it over for the World Series of Poker replay.
Me? I love hockey even when it involves teams I personally can't stand or have a complete lack of connection too. To me, hockey is the perfect sport. When two teams are going back and forth, coast to coast, trading shots and great saves, trading great scoring chances, trading big hits, that to me is sports perfection. If you want an example of what great hockey can look like, check out game 6 of the Stars/Sharks series. Even in OT they were taking big chances, making for incredible hockey. I spend lots of time teaching hockey to those around me during games and I hope one day to have a son so i can get him into hockey, instead of just baseball or football. Hell, maybe even my daughter (who is being born Saturday) can play women's hockey. I would love to coach it.
This is a bold statement but I hold it to be true. Hockey players consistantly lay more out on their particular field of play than any other sport out there. They play 82+ games a year, playing a rough, hard hitting, fast reacting sport when people are looking to hit you. Now i won't say it is as rough as football, but it is damn close and they play games on back to back days, moving much faster... and on fucking ICE! There are stories from the Stanley Cup playoffs of players playing through injuries that would turn your stomach, because that is what a hockey player does, they play through the pain because there is something about that Cup.
Anyway, it is true that many/most Dallas fans are casual hockey fans, not all of us are and many of us are learning as fast as we can. Some of us have 20 years of "No hockey in Texas" to overcome and unlike L.A., we didn't get the greatest player of hockey ever to get the town into it and give us a head start.