I’m a pretty big hockey fan. I don’t claim to be all that knowledgeable about the game, but I love it. Growing up in Pittsburgh, I’ve been a fan of the Pens since the mid-1980s, when I became aware that the Pens were something to watch and hockey wasn’t limited to the streets in my neighborhood. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun to watch the neighbor kids try to destroy one another (they were brothers, twins, and an older brother, and they were ruthless and insane to each other). I loved it. In fact, I played some form of street hockey quite regularly from about 1984 until the spring of 1993.
Then I stopped. With the exception of a little street hockey on Easter Monday (an old tradition I had with a great friend) I didn’t play at all. I went off to school, and didn’t end up playing after that. A few years ago, probably 2008, I started to watch hockey again. I fell back in love with the game and I did that thing that I tend to do…if I like something, I want to DO it, not just watch it. So, a few years into my rekindled love affair with the game, I started to want to play again. Now, I can’t skate and I don’t have the will, time, or resources to learn, so I started thinking about playing on a street or dek.
It had been about 19 years since I had even picked up a hockey stick, so it was a pretty rough outing! I’m very lucky that my team is so understanding! Since then I’ve played once or twice a week for about 2 years now. I even got into goal a few times. It’s been fantastic!
My interest in hockey has not been satiated and I found myself in possession of the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) extensive documentary, Hockey: A People’s History. The CLP system has the beautiful companion book to the series here.
And we also have this Historical Dictionary of hockey, which is a fantastic thing!
And even though it’s about a Flyer, I offer this to you all to watch. It is amazing.
So, dear Eleventh Stack reader, as we inch closer to hockey season (less than a month now!) check out some the fantastic stuff about hockey that CLP offers! And, of course, GO PENS!
Eric (who is looking for Lord Stanley’s triumphant return to Pittsburgh)
Eleventh Stack 