Well, it's hockey season again...

[SoupOrMan]

More specifically, it's junior hockey season once more. The North American Hockey League started its season on September 9. My hometown team, the Springfield Jr. Blues, started off their season on September 10 like they did last year: getting trounced by the St. Louis Bandits. We've got a new coach with Division III college hockey experience but some of the things that hurt the team in the first half of last year (and that caused the firing of the previous head coach) are showing up again. There's a good chance the Jr. Blues will make it into the playoffs this year with the major threats in the division being St. Louis and the Janesville (Wis.) Jets. So far, though, I can't wait for the next game. Hope springs eternal, I guess.

[Kommander]

Quick question...

When exactly is it NOT hockey season?

I mean... I swear hockey season must actually be 14 months a year.

The stretching out of sport seasons is getting quite ridiculous. It like how they keep pushing up Christmas every year. I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ABOUT CHRISTMAS WHEN IT"S 110F OUT!

Some fun numbers: The 1950 World series ran from October 4th to the 7th. Since then it had been slowly pushed back to where the 2010 series was from Oct 27 to Nov 1st, about 3 weeks. However this year it's starting on October 19th so they are cranking it back in a bit.

The Super Bowl has been pushed back from early to mid Jan. to early Feb. From what I have been able to gather the start of the Football season has been pushed up. Hockey has gone from finishing in mid April in the 1950's to finishing in mid June today!

[SoupOrMan]

Quick question...

When exactly is it NOT hockey season?

I mean... I swear hockey season must actually be 14 months a year.

There's a week in June and two weeks or so in July, then not counting August, and factoring for leap years...



For those of us whose local junior teams don't make it into the playoffs anymore, it ends officially around March 9. Otherwise it ends some time in late April.

The pro teams, though? Hockey season pretty much runs like soccer season outside North America. And if Major League Baseball gets too crazy with its plans to expand playoffs, we'll be seeing World Series games getting snowed out.

It'd be hockey season year-round for me if I could skate. There aren't a lot of rec leaguers who play street hockey around here.

[SoupOrMan]

Well, my local juniors team is doing about what it did last year (crashing and burning in the first seven games), prompting a hasty exit by the head coach and the promotion of last year's assistant coach (and business manager) to acting head coach again. Subsequently, the team went all caveman on the visiting team last weekend and won two hard-fought games. Now they're up against the dominant team in the division this weekend at said team's home ice in suburban St. Louis. I can't go, because my money's going to the Blues-Flames game on the 10th. This is going to be my dad's first regular-season NHL game ever. I was able to take both my parents to one of the preseason games in St. Louis. If Mom had told me she liked hockey so much I would've bought more tickets to the October and November games I planned for this year.

That's what I do instead of cable: go to live games and listen to them on the radio when I can't be there live. I do the same with baseball.

[HTRN]

I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ABOUT CHRISTMAS WHEN IT"S 110F OUT!

You live in Arizona. When ISN'T it 110F out?

[Langenator]

Sharks vs Coyotes in one hour...

<cue Jaws theme>

[randy]

Sharks vs Coyotes in one hour...

<cue Jaws theme>

Or the Road Runner theme. Watch out for a Zamboni with "Acme" markings.

[SoupOrMan]

I swear, the Cardinals are just trying to ruin the Blues' season openers here... all of these last-second come-from-behind clutch wins...

[Langenator]

Sharks vs Coyotes in one hour...

<cue Jaws theme>

Or the Road Runner theme. Watch out for a Zamboni with "Acme" markings.

6-3 San Jose, with 3 PPGs. Definitely the Jaws theme.

[SoupOrMan]

I took Dad to his first regular-season NHL game yesterday, Calgary vs. St. Louis. The Blues won pretty handily and I get nudged in the ribs when he says "Arnott and Langenbrunner are your age and making all that money playing hockey. What's your excuse?" I nudge him back saying "Someone and his wife said they didn't want to take me to 5am practices, that goalie gear was too expensive, that the rinks were in dangerous parts of town or too far away..."

I don't think I've seen Dad ever have that much fun before, not even at baseball games.