This is a brief introduction to the hockey section of this site. Here is where I’ll discuss the NHL, the playoffs, the Olympics, and mostly, the Sabres. 

Of all sports, hockey is by far my favorite. No other sport even compares. The rush you get when you first step onto a clean sheet of ice is unmatched. All sports provide a brief  reprieve from the problems we have in the real world, but hockey more so than others. Whether it’s girl problems, money problems, or family problems that you’re dealing with, the ice makes it all go away. Sometimes the glass is there to keep pucks in, and other times, it’s there to keep everything else out. 

Whether you’re at the rink for 6:00 a.m. practice before school or 11:30 p.m. when ice is the cheapest, it matters not; hockey is always there for you. It’s the smell of the locker room, the way tightly tied skates feel on your feet, and the way the tape wraps onto the blade of your stick. The feeling is unmatched. There’s not one comfortable place to sleep on the bus, but going on roadies with the boys beats any good night of sleep in your own bed. 

The Sabres' Brian Campbell levels R.J. Umberger in the first round of the playoffs, 4/22/06

 

There is honestly no better feeling in the world than lining someone up ringing their bell. No matter what kind of issues you have at home, a solid body check is always a good way to get the anger out. It’s the toe drag, the glove save, and clink of a puck hitting the post that put the game of hockey in a class of its own. 

It doesn’t matter if you’re playing in your local house league, for the state championship with your high school, or a game of pickup with your friends– there’s just something magic about hockey. To my future wife, I’m sorry, but I have a love affair with hockey.