I've always thought that hockey was a violent sport, nasty,a sport only about hitting and bumping and hurting members of the other team. It IS physical for certain, and the bumping or 'checking' as I found out from my friend Cal, is a vital part of the game. Players even deliberately throw themselves against the boards at times. In this game the major fist fights came in the last 20 minutes of play when the pressure was on. [I'm told that its against the rules to fight in the Olympics]
My goal watching the Philly Flyers and the Atlanta Thrashers (what kind of name is that for a sports team. It sounds like a horror movie) was to learn as much as I could about the sport from Cal the Calgary hockey buff, who played hockey as a kid (He also took a turn for the heat and sea when he lived in Hawaii part of his life.) The other missions were 1)to have a good time, 2)to scream when the Flyers got goals, 3)to marvel at some of the intricate plays, 4)to eat really bad food, and 5)smile when the folks behind me yelled "The refs suck, the refs suck". I wonder how you say, "The refs suck" in Latvian, or Ukranian. I could tell from the Flyers gear that the folks around me were clearly fans, as they constantly commented on all the mistakes that the refs made. And as can be imagined, they disagreed with most of the decisions unless they were favorable to our side.
Okay, there WAS violence towards the end. A player from each side ended up on the ground pummeling each other. The refs seemed to lose control of the situation, but did send them packing to the penalty box for 5 minutes. The fighting,though, wasn't as distressing as the fans reactions. During the fight, the whole crowd stood up and cheered. Loudly. Alot. Modern gladiators?
Cal's comment about the game: We ouplayed them but we didn't outscore them. 'nough said.
During the game, I was daydreaming about being in a stadium with people talking other languages, cheering on a national team. I won't know who will be competing, because the game is the best of a playoff. But I know that whoever wins, if the game is half as entertaining and exciting as the one last night, I'll have fun.
