Five Reasons Why Jim Neveau (THW) Loves Hockey

Yesterday, I posted Five Reasons Why I Love Hockey. Today, PIB (Paint It Blackhawks) is proud to present a guest post on the same subject by my colleague at The Hockey Writers (THW), who is the Blackhawks correspondent there. Here is Neveau’s fantastic five!

1. The Handshake Line

Nothing is more thrilling than a playoff game in spring time, featuring hard hitting, electric goals, and flaring tempers on both sides of the ice. Anyone needing an example of that just needs to look at the classic Detroit-Colorado brawls in the 1997 and 1998 playoffs. Those games featured hundreds of minutes worth of penalties, spectacular goals, and a genuine hatred of each other.

Both of these brawls happened, blood was shed, and at the end of each series, the players engaged in the traditional handshake line. I can’t think of another sport that requires so much physical abuse of an opponent, and then afterwards the players shake hands with the people they have been beating on for two weeks. It is the ultimate display of sportsmanship, and a great piece of evidence of how great athletes should behave.

2. Players Dropping the Gloves Right Off the Face-off

When the Blackhawks skated into Vancouver on February 10th, 2008, it was to play a team that always plays a hard and physical game. To kick off the festivities in the game, Byron Ritchie and Adam Burish were seen jawing at each other before the opening face-off, then as soon as the puck hit the ice, the two engaged in a great fight to kick off the game.

This has happened so many times in the NHL that you would think it would become dated and annoying. It has never lost its appeal with me, however, and I enjoy nothing more than seeing two men start off a play, or better yet, a game, with good ole fashioned fisticuffs.

3. The Trophies

In Major League Baseball, few people know that the MVP award is named after the game’s first commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis. The World Series trophy isn’t named after a significant figure in the game’s history, but is instead referred to merely as the “Commissioner’s Trophy”.

The NFL has things slightly better, with the Vince Lombardi trophy being given to the Super Bowl champions, and the Lamar Hunt and George Halas trophies being awarded to the conference champions. The named hardware, however, ends at the MVP award, which is simply called “AP Player of the Year”.

The NBA has the Larry O’Brien trophy, a man who was commissioner of the league for nine years, after his service as Postmaster General of the United States. Knowing our luck, it will be re-named the David Stern trophy when his Sterniness finally retires into the ether.

The NHL, however, has all of these sports trumped in terms of cool names for trophies. Granted, the conferences and divisions used to be named (a tradition I’m all in favor of restoring), but there is no trophy that is more renowned in sports than the Stanley Cup. Most media types will argue it is the most regal of all sports trophies, and when looking at the 35 pound gleaming behemoth, it is hard to disagree with that assertion.

The awesome trophies don’t end at the Stanley Cup, however. The Frank Selke trophy is a thing of beauty. The Vezina trophy is nearly as big as the Stanley Cup and just as beautiful. The Lester B. Pearson award is quiet and dignified, but still quite a feat of engineering excellence.

I could go on for hours about how beautiful all of the NHL’s trophies are, but for the sake of brevity, I will simply declare them the clear cut winner of the pro sports trophy derby.

4. The Rivalries

Yes, there are great rivalries in any sport. The Red Sox-Yankees, Cardinals-Cubs, Bears-Packers, Lakers-Celtics, and Cowboys-49ers always jump to mind when intense rivalries are brought up in sports conversations.

In the NHL, however, those rivalries are just as violent, competitive, and most of all, entertaining as all of those other sports put together.

During the 90’s, there was no more intense rivalry in all of hockey than that of the Red Wings and Avalanche. You could sense a legitimate hatred between the two squads, much more palpable than the comparatively tame rivalry between the Bears and Packers. They would fight to the death each and every time they would play, regular season or playoff time, and it was a sight to behold.

In the late 80’s and early 90’s, the Blackhawks and Blues also engaged in a tremendous rivalry, replete with bloodbath brawls and showcases of offensive firepower on both sides.

Of course, hockey’s history would not be the same if not for two wonderful Original Six rivalries: Habs-Bruins and Red Wings-Blackhawks. Any time a game between these two teams comes across your TV screen, you can’t help but be reminded (sometimes to the point of ad nauseum) about historical matches between the squads, and the videos of each rivalry don’t lie. When you strap in for one of these games, you’re in for a treat.

5. The Gordie Howe Hat Trick

It is almost a badge of honor for a hockey player to achieve a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. Scoring a goal, notching an assist, and getting into a fight all in one game requires not only superb offensive skill, but also a penchant for dishing out physical punishment.

Linebackers may level a receiver with a hit in football, but the likelihood of him contributing on offense is extremely tiny (unless his name is Mike Vrabel). A receiver can score 15 touchdowns in a season, but the likelihood of him making much more than a “get in the way block” is small as well.

In hockey, a player is expected to contribute both offensively and defensively. It is the quintessential two way sport: make a dazzling defensive stop on one side, and set up a teammate on a breakaway going the other way. If that sounds like basketball, consider the added difficulty of facing down guys going 30 mph on skates and having to keep an eye on a puck the size of a hamburger patty. Oh yeah, and you have to hit said object with a stick AND maintain balance on your own skates.

With all of that in mind, the Howe Hat Trick is a very difficult feat to accomplish, but it is a satisfying one to witness.

Well, there they are; my five things that I love about hockey. Hopefully all five of these things will continue to be a part of this great game that you and I share a love for. Only 28 days ‘til puck drop folks! Enjoy the hockey!

Well in, Jim! You can click here follow Neveau articles at THW.

{Photo above: Gordie Howe Statue at Joe Louis Arena (Behind Enemy Lines!) courtesy Jason Usher – Flickr}

Tags: Gordie Howe, love of hockey