Hockey Has Made A Comeback

Back in the day, I LOVED hockey.  Spending some time just north of Detroit as a kid during a time when I was old enough to start forming my own favorite teams and given the fact that the Red Wings were awesome naturally they were my favorite team.  I can remember watching the greats of the day during games and cheering on Sergei Fedorov and Steve Yzerman.  I followed hockey loyally until the strike of 2004-2005 and then I lost interest.  Part of the reason can be attributed to the fact that I no longer lived near Detroit so I didn't have the every day coverage that I was used to and part of the reason can be attributed to the fact that I was playing college football at that time as well so my time was committed more to watching game film rather than TV.  But I think the main reason was I was just over it.

Now I am not going to pretend that I know all the ins and outs of their negotiations but the fact is they all make millions of dollars and they should have been able to come to an agreement that was fair and equitable for everyone without losing a season.  I understand that everyone needs to be paid and those players in the NHL are able to do things that most humans cannot and deserve to be compensated for that and the team owners deserve to capitalize on that as well.  However, you cannot tell me that it takes almost a full year to reach an agreement when both sides are looking at it with an unselfish view that is fair and realistic for everyone.  It's one of the reasons that I hate Major League Baseball, but that is a different post.

The details of the lockout are in the past and not what this post is about.  As most of you know the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs are happening now and one day I decided to give hockey another try and I was hooked almost immediately.  I am hooked into every game and love the non-stop action that hockey provides, watching these playoff games has reminded me of why I loved hockey in the first place.  I am really excited for next season to get back into following hockey and this season isn't even over yet!  But that leaves me with one major issue.  What team do I follow?  Do I have to go back to the Red Wings from my youth just because they were my team once upon a time or do I have the unique opportunity of choosing a new favorite team without being considered a band-wagoner?

Option 1:  Go back to the Red Wings.  I admittedly have not followed them recently so I don't know any of the players or if they are even that good of a team any more but they were my team once-upon-a-time so now that I have decided to get back into hockey do I have to take them back as well?

Option 2:  The Pittsburgh Penguins.  For those of you that know me, the reasoning for this team is obvious.  I love penguins.  So why not choose the team that has a penguin as a mascot?  Sidney Crosby isn't a bad reason either.

Option 3:  The New York Islanders.  Much like when I originally chose the Red Wings the Islanders are my true hometown team.  I grew up in New York so it would be logical to choose a team from New York to cheer for.  Now, I know what you are thinking, "what about the New York Rangers?".  Well, to understand that, you have to understand the generalities of New York fans.  Generally, if you like the JETS you also like the Mets and the Islanders and if you like the Giants you also like the Yankees and the Rangers.  If I hate anything in this world it is the a-typical New York Yankees fan.  I cannot stand to even be around the Yankee fans that are "die hard" and so proud of their world championships but cannot even name their starting center fielder.  If you don't know the players on your team, you are not a fan.  That's getting off point, back to the Islanders, they are a solid option and one to certainly be considered.

So, what is a guy to do that wants to rejoin his long-lost friend in iced excitement once again?  The one thing I know for sure is hockey, at least in my mind, has made a comeback and I cannot wait... Now, just what team to call my own.

I have lots of opinions.  You may not agree with them, or may want to argue with me about them, and that is perfectly fine!  Even encouraged.  These are thoughts that are "just in my mind" that I have decided to put down in words as well.  Feel free to comment on any post or take it to twitter and follow @JustinRolfes.