Thread: Any Hockey Fans Out There????

I loved going to games back when we had the Aeros. Had all the Howes on the team I think.
Then the NHL politics turned me off.

Here....The WHA days.

That's righteous Tom. It's funny because most of the responses I've gotten have said very similar things. "I used to like hockey but the politics or something else in the NHL turned me off." Maybe I'm just naive because I've only really been following it for a couple of years. I just love to watch hockey. I can't make some kind of blanket statement like I don't let that bother me or some other kind of thing where I claim to rise above it. I'm sure I'll get disgusted with things too. At this point though I just really love watching the games. I'm glad there are 31, soon to be 32 teams. The more the better as far as I'm concerned. 82 games seems like a lot but I wish there were a hundred, hell why not a thousand? That just means there's more of it for me to watch.

I think the jist was the NHL absorbed some of the WHA teams, but not the Aeros who were top-dogs at the time.
I suppose the down-south thing?

Lots are pissed for lots of other reasons.

All pro stick and ball stuff is like that though. Not much of a fan of any of it these days until the playoffs start anyway!

Originally Posted by DZEC

Absolutely!!

I think I mentioned this in a post last year, but the actual last Maple Leaf game I attended was in the Gardens. The Stanley Cup champion Leafs (guess the date) were playing the NHL All Stars. The All Star starting forward line was Hull, Howe and Beliveau and I had seats right beside the goal judge at the Leaf end of the rink. A Hull slapshot hit the glass right in front of me and I was stunned for the rest of the first period.

My only disappointment was that Johnny Bower wasn’t in goal for the Leafs that night. I did get to see Carl Brewer use his palm-less gloves to grab a few sweaters and Bobby Baun line up a few hits. Eddie Shack scored twice - one off his head and another off his rear end. Even though I was just a teen and it was quite a long time ago, I can still picture those scenes. Part of the evolution of a long suffering Maple Leaf fan.

The Leafs have been up and down this year but they had a big win against the Penguins last night, 4-0 shutout which put them back in the playoffs. Don't count them out yet For this year.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Awesome memories! So I see you live in New Jersey now. Are you a Devils fan? I know you mentioned Flyers but I've always wondered about that. Having lived in Florida most of my life and really not having been a hockey fan for very long If I were to move to let's say, Arizona would I become a Coyotes fan even though I've been a Lightning fan all along? I mean, you have to support the local team don't you? Isn't it... unpatriotic not to support the local team? I can't imagine not being a Lightning fan but I'm conflicted about that.
I guess maybe it's not as complicated as that because I already like other teams. The Florida Panthers for instance I support... Except when they're playing the Lightning of course.

I was born and spent the first 30 years in Pennsylvania so I am always rooting for Pa teams, Penn State, all Philly teams (worked there for 12 years) and even if I have to, the Steelers (but never the Penguins). When I was a kid I was a fan of the original 6 teams I would see on TV, especially the Rangers, Habs and the Blackhawks, then the Flyers came along in 1967 and that was it for me. I've never been a Devils fan. BTW, NJ is divided between North Jersey which roots for NY teams and the Devils who play in Newark, and South Jersey which roots for Philly teams. The two parts of the state could not be more different physically either. North is all turnpikes, highways and industry, while south Jersey is mostly agricultural.

Originally Posted by nessmuck

Bruins fan here....been a fan since 1971...Yah know ,when hockey was hockey....no helmets,Donny Brooks, .....Bobby Orr ,Phil Esposito...the Big Bad Bruins....those were the days !

Yes sir! I remember Orr breaking in as 18 or 19 year old kid. I think the early Flyers tried to emulate the Bruins. Remember the great games against the Russians? Remember when they were going to quit after playing a period against the Flyers until they were told they wouldn't get paid if they didn't return to the ice? Glory days.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

I think the jist was the NHL absorbed some of the WHA teams, but not the Aeros who were top-dogs at the time.
I suppose the down-south thing?

Lots are pissed for lots of other reasons.

All pro stick and ball stuff is like that though. Not much of a fan of any of it these days until the playoffs start anyway!

Yeah, this is all new to me. I was.always an anti-fan. Not that I was against it, I just had no interest in team sports except for a short time when I followed Premier league soccer. I don't even know if they called it that then but I followed Manchester United. Just never had time nor interest for it. In a way I guess I AM like a kid being a fan

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Yeah, this is all new to me. I was.always an anti-fan. Not that I was against it, I just had no interest in team sports except for a short time when I followed Premier league soccer. I don't even know if they called it that then but I followed Manchester United. Just never had time nor interest for it. In a way I guess I AM like a kid being a fan

Now you're talking!

My name here comes from me being a Canadian Gooner, i.e. a Canadian supporter of Arsenal FC. Sorry, don't want to hijack the hockey talk, just can't resist when footie comes up...

Originally Posted by Portsecurity

I was born and spent the first 30 years in Pennsylvania so I am always rooting for Pa teams, Penn State, all Philly teams (worked there for 12 years) and even if I have to, the Steelers (but never the Penguins). When I was a kid I was a fan of the original 6 teams I would see on TV, especially the Rangers, Habs and the Blackhawks, then the Flyers came along in 1967 and that was it for me. I've never been a Devils fan. BTW, NJ is divided between North Jersey which roots for NY teams and the Devils who play in Newark, and South Jersey which roots for Philly teams. The two parts of the state could not be more different physically either. North is all turnpikes, highways and industry, while south Jersey is mostly agricultural.

Good tip and good information. I've been through Jersey a couple of times. First time we flew into Newark. Another time we drove through the south up the New Jersey turnpike and I thought , "Wow! This looks nothing like Newark." I had to laugh about what you said about the Penguins. No offense to anyone but I hate the Penguins. It seems like you either hate them or really, really love them.

Originally Posted by Cangooner

Now you're talking!

My name here comes from me being a Canadian Gooner, i.e. a Canadian supporter of Arsenal FC. Sorry, don't want to hijack the hockey talk, just can't resist when footie comes up...

Dig that. I never liked the American soccer. All a bunch of ball hogging legends in their own minds. A friend who played with my older brother in high school played for the Rowdies after Playing for Kent State. My brother could have played professional but he lost interest in senior year.