The Flyers

The two Flyers games I have been to this season double the amount of Flyers games I had ever been to in my life previously. In fact, the last time I had seen the Flyers play they were being led by Rick Tocchet and Dave Brown and playing the long-since gone Winnipeg Jets (1992, perhaps). My lack of attendance, however, was never because of a distaste in hockey, but most likely because I would have rather gone to see the Sixers of Phillies play. Back then NHL games typically ended with low scores or overtime ties, which understandably are both less exciting for fans than, for example, watching an episode of Fear Factor. I still enjoyed watching the games because I'm a Flyers fan and that's what Flyers fans do, but when the NHL rapidly lost popularity and cancelled its entire 2004-2005 season I could not have been less surprised. There were obvious flaws in the competition level that needed to be fixed, and of course players needed to realize that they aren't going to be paid Alex Rodrigue type figures when nobody comes to their games.

All that is over now. The NHL is back. The rules have been changed and scoring has seemingly doubled. No longer can games end in a tie because tie games are decided by a shootout. Still, though, I don't think people are really starting to care. The games are all exciting, but ESPN gives them maybe one third of the coverage they give NBA highlights. (Which is bullshit because I think watching NBA games is more boring than ice hockey.) The Flyers still seem to sell out most of their games, which proves Philadelphia to be an elite hockey town, but I'm hoping hockey can catch on as much elsewhere. I mean, there are legal fist fights in hockey that you won't see in any other sport. If that doesn't motivate you to turn on a Flyers game every once in a while, then [insert immature "you might be gay" comment here]. So this is my plug to sports fans everywhere. Watch more hockey. Go see a game every once in a while. I guarantee it'll be more fun than watching another episode of Two and a Half Men. Besides, the more popular hockey gets the less time spent in covering the NBA....which will hopefully result in even more Duke basketball coverage, in which case we all win.