He shoots. He scores. Hey goalie, you suck.
Hockey has been around since the early 1900’s. We now formally know the league as the NHL (National Hockey League) but was known as the NHA (National Hockey Association). In the beginning, there were only four teams in the league and you guessed it, they were all in the Canada. By the 1920’s the league had added two more teams, including the first American team, the Boston Bruins. As of 2016, the NHL has 30 teams that are scattered across the United States and Canada. As of March 2, 2017, Las Vegas added the 31st team to the league: Las Vegas Golden Knights.
The chill you feel when you first walk into the arena, the smell of Tim Horton’s coffee as you pass one of their stands, the sound of the skates against the ice and the hockey sticks hitting the side of the bench when a fight breaks out. These are just a few of my favorite things about walking into a hockey arena.
Hockey has only been apart of my life for the past six months. As a kid, I grew up near the Bay Area, so of course I followed all of the Bay Area teams. Hockey though, was not one that I attended and or watched on a regular basis. August 2016, I began my Sports Bureau class where I was assigned the Arizona Coyotes as my beat for the semester. At first I was upset. I knew none of the players, none of the rules and regulations and I really never followed hockey closely.
The first story I reported on was during training camp. September 2016, I drove out to Gila River Arena from my house in Mesa to talk to some of the guys who were participating in Rookie Camp and were hoping to have a spot in training camp with the NHL players. The first day was rough. I was in broadcast and was in need of b-roll of my video. The puck was passed back and forth quickly and I had no idea how I should be following along with a camera. I was frustrated, cold and did not want to be there. After the guys got off of the ice, it was time for me to interview a few of the players. We were placed in the media room while we waited, but a player shortly walked in through the door. (I do not remember exactly which player it was, but he was a rookie) I, and the digital reporter I was working with, began to ask questions and he gave us great answers. He was extremely polite and told us after the interview that if we had any more questions to let him know. I was shocked. A professional athlete didn’t mind talking to the media?
That night I got home and began to educate myself about the sport. I watched youtube videos, games and even footage I had from practice in order to learn. I quickly realized that I actually really enjoyed learning the rules and watching the game. Icing, off sides, tripping, hooking you name it, I learned it. Since then, it has been my passion. I go to as many hockey games as I can. What makes it even more exciting to me, is watching a lot of the players who I have done stories on.
Hockey is now a large part of my life. I always told myself that I was going to be a baseball beat reporter and now my mind has changed. I graduate in May and I know for a fact that I want to cover hockey. I feel that the sport is really underrated in the states and these players deserve the recognition for all of their hard work. It is the perfect mixture of hockey, basketball and the mental/physical toughness of football. And guess what? They are also on skates. It’s such a beautiful sport to watch and I cannot wait to see if the future has me covering on of its teams.
