Otis Driftwood wrote:Scott Hall wrote:
With this big Dallas Mavericks sex scandal do you think the locals might start supporting the Dallas Stars
a bit more?
We have San Jose's ECHL affiliate 40 minutes from here (Allen Americans). A few years ago, I took my grandsons to an Allen game. Next game, I took my grandsons and some of their HS Football teammates. The Breast Cancer support group my wife (5 1/2 year survivor) and I are associated with is a part of Allen's annual Breast Cancer Awareness games (my wife got to ride the Zamboni at one game - pretty cool...) and my grandsons and their buddies all went. We all went to Game 7 in 2015 when they won their third consecutive league championship (2 in the CHL prior to moving to the ECHL). The boys have fallen in love with the game and to a man they all said they would have played hockey were it available to them (which in a town of 600 isn't the case).
That's where the growth will come from in the end. If the Stars get back into the playoffs and have success, those young men will be hooked for life - just like I was after the 1997 season when I sat at the foot of the bed staring at the TV for 30 minutes after Game 7 between the Stars and Oilers. And they will spread the word to their friends and teammates.
It is a great game.
The Oilers vs. Stars series of the late 90's was the best hockey I've EVER seen. I'm not a fan of either team obviously
although I've had affairs with the Oilers as my Western Conference team periodically (lol) but if I was to show a non
Hockey fan a series to get them interested I'd show them the Oilers vs. Stars series. I saw it on ESPN Classics a few
years ago and it still holds up. God I miss 90's hockey and hate how there's next to no checking or fighting in todays game.
That's great that you've passed/shared your interest/passion for the game to others and your family. It must irk you
to hear other Americans say "Nobody cares about hockey here" etc.
The game seems to do well regionally but not nationally and I don't get it... I don't get why the TV ratings are that bad?
I should say I did lose a lot of interest in the 2000's to early 20teens... There was a severe talent shortage after the
Gretzky, Lemieux, Yzerman, Sakic, Modano, Roy, Coffey, Francis, Hawerchuk etc etc era retired, the 2 lockouts,
the changing of the point system, shoot outs, division realignment, home teams wearing dark sweaters at home etc
really bothered me...
But the Stanley Cup Playoffs always sucked me in and they ALWAYS delivered every frigging year. The NHL "may" have the
most boring regular season but man it goes from worst to first every playoffs.
I'm not American so I don't know why the Sport doesn't get more attention and not much media spotlight other then
a lot of hockey players have boring personalities and don't cause much drama but I'm curious to what American hockey
fans think the biggest problems are?
Also Otis I saw you retweeted by Tim Cowlishaw today haha