Tag Sports Apparel

It’s a Hockey Night

Michael Leave a comment

The National Hockey League season began last week and I got for the second time to see the Stanley Cup and watch a championship banner being raised on an opening night. I’ve been watching hockey in my home town since before there was a NHL team in my home town. I saw a pro AHL hockey game before I saw a MLB baseball or NHL football game. And I even understand most of the rules.

Hockey is the perfect sport. It has the grace of skating, the power of football, the strategy of soccer, and the speed of Formula One racing. Hockey fans are engaged with the play on the ice. The pace of the game means most minutes are spent watching the action. Without stoppages between each play and possession change there are few opportunities for bad behavior. I defy anybody to go to a hockey game and not have a good time. In the words of hockey Hall of Famer “Badger” Bob Johnson, every day is “a great day for hockey!”

greatdayforhockeyIt’s been great days for hockey since the 1920s when the NHL fielded ten teams. Because of the Great Depression and World War II, several of the original teams folded or suspended operation. By 1942 only six teams remained and are today considered the NHL’s Original Six – Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs, all still playing. In 1967 the NHL undertook a major expansion and added six more franchises, the Next Six or Second Six – California Seals, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota North Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues. The Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis teams continue to play in the NHL. The California Seals originally out of Oakland, California moved to Cleveland in 1976 and played as the Barons until they ceased operations in 1978. The Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas and changed their name to the Stars. Today the NHL consists of thirty teams across the United States and Canada.

Just because the action stays on the ice doesn’t mean that hockey fans don’t bring their own fanaticisms to the rink and don’t have just as many of them outside of the games. For years there was an enthusiast who sat somewhere behind me who began early in the game and continued throughout the 60 minutes of play exhorting the home team to “bury the biscuit!” So persistent was he in his chanting that we dubbed him Barry the Biscuit. I didn’t hear his cry last week at the opener. Perhaps he has given up his song.  Or perhaps because I changed my seats I just wasn’t within hearing range although my daughter claims she even heard him on a televised gamed.

Over the weekend I got one of what seems a weekly hockey catalog in the mail. Each one can be counted on to display replica game jerseys (or sweaters as hockey aficionado prefer), shirts, caps, jackets, cards, pucks, and sticks. Over the year more – um relaxed apparel has been featured including tank-tops, pajamas, robes, even swimwear. Perhaps they’ve always been available and I just missed them but this year, in quite a prominent spot just opposite the order form, was a full page of intimate apparel including women and men (yes, men) thongs. Hmm. I suppose somewhere for someone it’s a great night for hockey.

That’s what I think. Really. How ‘bout you?

 

‘Tis the Season – Summer 2014 Edition

Michael 1 Comment

Most fans concentrate on one sport but the truly fanatic fan doesn’t let something as trivial as a season stop him or her.  We are at another one of those moments when all the stars align – the sports stars – and sports season overlap is lapping all over the place.  NFL Football is starting training camps, women’s football just finished up their championship games (both leagues), arena football begins its playoffs this weekend, hockey wrapped up their development camps for minor league players a week ago, American pro soccer is in the meat of the season, and baseball is in the swing of it all (no pun intended).  And although there is no official NBA activity going on right now, the Sterling Saga more than likely will keep basketball in the papers until next season begins. What’s a fan supposed to do?

A sighting at the local mega-mart has confirmed that fanatic fans can favor them all while still making a summer fashion statement.  It was at the meat department.  The sighting that is.  And what a sight.  With the local pro baseball team ball cap, women’s football t-shirt, football team logo emblazoned shorts, and flip-flops with the hockey team logo repeated across the straps, this fan was making certain that all within sight of her knew she was an equal opportunity athletic supporter.  This one sighting with four major sports team’s apparel on center stage was curiosity piquing.  Was the foursome chosen specifically for that day’s daily wear or was it a coincidence that this lady selected four different teams’ articles?  We’re also owners of sports what-nots so the questions come back to us after going out to everyone else.  And the first question is: Why do we do that?

We’ve all seen enough films of games from the 60’s and earlier to see that people wore suits and dresses to those games.  The 70’s saw team logos and names starting to appear on hats and jackets.  It must have been in the 80’s that replica jerseys started popping up in the stadiums and became standard daily wear in the 90’s.  The new millennium brought the placement of team IDs on sweatpants, t-shirts, sweaters, hoodies, accessories like hair ribbons, sunglasses, backpacks and watches, and even flip-flops so that now every day can be a commemorative to the local sports teams.

Again, why do we do that?  Is it to impart confidence to the players?  Is it to entice others to come and cheer with us?  Is it to ridicule rivals with more bountiful selections?  Is it to feel a part of something bigger than the average fan can normally be a part of?  Whatever the reason, people seem to get their own confidence up, are usually more cheerful (particularly after a win), never let the enemy see them back down, and are happy being part of something big.  Even four times over.

We did notice on the lady fan in the supermarket that there was no attention given to the local soccer team.  Could it be that even after the World Cup and a new foothold in the US, most Americans still don’t understand soccer?  Or is it that maybe the local team isn’t particularly good yet?  We love to support our teams but we go wild supporting our winning teams!  Hmm.  Perhaps with time.

Now that’s what we think. Really. How ‘bout you.