Quote:
Originally Posted by esquire
OK, I'm putting this out there because I'm wondering if anyone else is in the same boat.
Up until a few years ago I was a very casual hockey fan. I'd go to a couple of Jets/Moose games a year mainly as a social outing, and watch a period of hockey on TV here and there but never much. I was certainly not paying close attention or holding strong opinions about who should be on which line, etc.
Then as my son got older and took a huge interest in hockey as a player and a fan I started getting into it, and it was around that time my number came up on Jets season ticket waiting list. So I went to more games, started watching the odd game on TV, and all of that.
But now with the NHL season happening during COVID, it is everything. I'm watching every Jets game on TV, reading the papers and Jets twitter, etc. It has become a bit of a family bonding exercise, especially between my son and I, which is great in a time when there are so few other "normal" things for us to engage in. I am probably as into it now as I was since I was at my peak hockey fandom when I was around 11 or 12. It's kind of a relief on evenings where there's a game... I can just sit on the couch and enjoy it.
Anyone else finding themselves doing the same thing and watching a hell of a lot more sports in this environment?
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Dude since like December 15 it's all I've done.
I started getting into hockey about a decade ago. I got really really into soccer during the 2010 world cup. I played a good bit of indoor at the time and messed up my ankle. When I gave up on soccer I'd watch a habs game here and there just out of curiosity.
Living in St.John's the habs had a bit of hipster cred and that was 98 percent of it. If I was at a bar drinking it was always a fun task of trying to follow something while too drunk to read the score.
Beyond that Hockey wasn't on my radar, never had cable and never had a way of watching it online. Not to mention the time zone issues in newfoundland/being someone that gets up between 5 am and 6 am.
I moved to London in 2017, was drenched in Leaf nation/London Knights hype. By 2018 I got super into the playoffs because I figured out that they were on CBC/guys at work were going ape shit for the leafs.
Spent the 2018-2019 season sleeping away games, checking stats daily, but couldn't justify loosing sleep.
2019-2020 I start skipping sleep trying to watch games, develop a begruding interest in the Leafs, went to a sens game, watched daily highlights, etc.
After Xmas I lost interest due to being busy, realized highlights weren't showing me anything about the game etc.
Last years playoffs came I was busy with summer shit.
This year I took the plunge and invested in a nhl.tv streaming service.
It's been a non stop hype train since the red white junior's games.
Netflix-Hbo etc has gone to crap. There's been few good movies in a number of years, I hate politics, and I'm obviously not going out.
My life is hockey 24/7.
My hope is 1 of 2 things. Either A canadian team gets a cup or I get a vaccine in my arms. (preferably Jets>Habs>Leafs>Oilers>Flames>Sens>Canucks)
I really don't give a rats ass which it is.
The big thing for me this year, is that I'll watch virtually every matchup that isn't vancouver-calgary. I have zero interest in any western team other than the jets. I now watch oilers/flames games because they are the most obvious threat to the jets.
I watch the leafs because they're fun to hate, but also because it'd make my dad-uncles super happy if they win a cup.
Finally the sens are my goto Eastern team and it's nice to catch a team, that I've seen in person to start turning a corner from their rebuild.
I just wish a Canadian division with 3-5 more teams was possible.
I really don't give two fluffs about what anyone in nashville thinks about anything. I have no interest in a league with 31 teams. It's far too many teams/games/players etc.
There's just something so unappealing about a 32 team league. There's almost nothing I like about it. If I were lucky enough to have the jets in the east a 16 team division would be very tolerable but that really realy isn't in the cards.
An all Canadian division is beyond unrealistic, but I'd be beyond happy if something like a rebooted norris division came about.
I'm hoping the NHL appreciates that the central division doesn't make sense from a television perspective.
Chicago-Detroit-Leafs should be in a division with Habs and Bruins.
If I had magical powers I'd thrown a team in quebec and have 3 conferences, pacific, midwestern and southern/metropolitan.