Watching Hockey for Dummies- Stanley Cup, Game 7 Edition

As a sports fan, I consider myself to have above average knowledge of basketball, football, and baseball. Therefore I will watch these sports when they are played at even the lowest of levels. I've discovered that when you understand a sport, I mean when you really "get it," then you can appreciate things that happen throughout the game even when it is being played at the lowest of skill levels.

I have a few sports in the middle (soccer, tennis, and golf come to mind) that I enjoy at upper levels of play and I have average knowledge of them.

However, I've also learned that I can watch just about anything I consider a sport (that just eliminated NASCAR) and really enjoy it when the quality of competition is at its peak. That's where hockey falls in my sports rankings and that is the reason I was tuned in to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals last night after only watching pieces of the NHL playoffs to this point. Being a Game 7 in a Championship series, I knew that the intensity level couldn't be higher and this would be the optimal time to tune in.

Pre Game:

As a citizen of the United States, I must say that Canada absolutely slaughtered us last night on the National Anthem. 

I know the game was being played in Vancouver and everything but I turned to my wife after this happened and confessed that for 3 minutes I actually wanted to be a Canadian.

Once the game got started it was easy to see that choosing to bandwagon with Boston was the right move. The game was closer than the final score indicated, but I only have a few thoughts from the actual game due to my lack of hockey knowledge. So here are my "uneducated hockey watching" thoughts from the actual game:

- Tim Thomas is a beast. I understand that everyone who watches hockey regularly already knew this, but I was amazed at how many saves he made last night. Vancouver seemed to have some great chances to score and Thomas smothered every one of them.

- Brad Marchand looked like the best player on the ice much of the night. He made a few moves (they would be crossovers in basketball) with the puck where he was able to leave defenders standing still. I was shocked to find out he was only a rookie.

- At one point in the first period, the announcers mentioned that the last time these two refs officiated a Game 7 "there were no penalties all game." What?!? That is incredible to think about for a fan who is used to watching basketball and football where games are littered with penalties. An entire game being played at an intense level without any penalties is unthinkable. There has been a lot of talk in the NBA about fining players for flopping or penalizing them in some way to lessen the amount of acting that happens on the court.

I suggest we put skates on them and make them play a few line changes in a NHL game. I'm not sure anything would make me happier than seeing Derek Fisher flail his arms as he flopped in an effort to draw a penalty on Zdeno Chara. Don't you think getting hit by this guy a few times would make you think twice about exaggerating the next time someone grazes your arm on a shot?

That's all the thoughts I have from the actual game. For some reason, the festivities surrounding the game intrigued me the most.

Post Game

I loved the reactions following the game. The Boston players were overcome with the moment and seemed genuinely joyful to be celebrating together.

The Vancouver players were absolutely crushed. You could see the pain and the tears as they watched Boston celebrate. Their fans all stayed and cheered wildly as the players saluted them after their loss. You could feel the connection. I don't know how the NBA gets to that point, but I would love to see fans appreciate their teams after they win or lose and players appreciate their fans regardless of the outcome of their game. Very cool moment.

I also loved the post game handshakes where each team lined up and formally gave congratulations and respect to each other. I thought this was a tremendous display of sportsmanship. I've always struggled with the balance between guys being opponents while still being too good of friends (the AAU phenomenon) and guys just being poor sports to each other. I think it dilutes competition to see opponents joking around with each other on the court, talking about hanging out at each others houses, going to parties together during a series, etc. But I also think it hurts the spirit of competition when guys become hateful and carry things off the court to an extent where they are unwilling to show respect to their opponent after a hard fought series is complete.

However, from what I saw last night, I think that hockey has found the right balance. This simple act of sportsmanship and respect following the game in no way took away from the intensity that the players competed with throughout the series and I'm sure it won't take anything away from future competition. They showed respect for each other and I think both teams are better for it.

Of course the Vancouver fans then mercilessly booed Boston as they were presented the trophy, then proceeded to light their own city on fire. At least this made it a little easier for me to get O Canada out of my head.

In all seriousness, it really was unfortunate to see the footage this morning of the riots in Vancouver. The passion that made the game such a spectacle to watch was quickly drowned out by the incidents later that evening. I hope the people of Vancouver can learn from the example set on the ice by their team last night. No one wins with destruction and violence, but everyone wins with respect. For this sports fan, last night was a huge win for the game of hockey. I'm going to choose to remember the game instead of the aftermath; I just hope the rest of the sports world chooses the same.