My newfound love for NHL hockey

I've been a lover of sports since I can remember. Basketball was always my thing as a youngster. I was addicted to the NBA and the world champion Chicago Bulls dynasty which captivated the hearts and minds of millions of people not only in America but around the globe during the 90's. Back then, professional basketball was a competitive, heart stopping, and classy game graced by the likes of superstars like Micheal Jordan, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Oh what drastic changes we've seen in the past 10 to 12 years. Times certainly change. And so do people. Today's NBA is much different, full of whiners, thugs, and prissy schoolgirls. I've seen 14 year old kids with more guts than some of these NBA players. You know what really makes me sick? When one of these "men", usually covered from head to toe in tattoos, gets lightly bumped, flails his arms like he's trying to fly while nosediving to the floor, then writhing like a fish out of water on the court like his entrails are hanging out, all the while waiting for someone to come pick him up off the floor. Seriously, grow a pair of nuts. Another aspect of today's game that causes me to cringe every time are the Los Angeles Lakers. What a disgusting sports franchise. Don't get me wrong. The Lakers of old were a great team, and many greats of the game wore a Lakers uniform, whom I have all the respect in the world for: Jerry West, Magic, Kareem. But now we have this turd named Kobe Bryant who thinks he is just the greatest thing since sliced bread. What a disgusting piece of humanity. The guy makes a shot and runs down the court with his mandible jutted out, teeth clenched, forming a "tough guy" scowl that just does not work. It's like the bully on the playground who always tries to act tough, but really isn't. He does everything he can to look like a badass, but it just doesn't work. That's what I think of when I see Kobe Bryant. *sigh* Enough of the National Babies Association. I could write an entire blog on my hatred for the NBA, but alas I must get to the topic of my post.

NHL Hockey. I really didn't pay it much interest in years past. I have always been a Chicago Blackhawks fan. I'm a fan of every Chicago team, except the White Sox. Two things have reignited my love for the sport. One, the legendary USA vs. Canada gold medal game in Vancouver earlier this year. Talk about a thriller. Those guys played their hearts out, and for no money at all. Simply for the love of the game, and love of country. Imagine the Olympic basketball team, complete with thuggery of all shapes and sizes, doing that. I sure can't. And two, the resurgent Blackhawks, who on Sunday cemented their spot in the Stanley Cup finals. I watched game 4 between the Hawks and Sharks and it made me think. I saw guys getting laid out and getting right back up. I saw a player take a puck straight to the mouth. He continued to play, bloody and toothless. I saw vicious competitive fire from both sides. Hockey players love their game, and they play harder and hustle more than pro baseball, basketball, or football players in my opinion. And simply because of that, I love to watch it. The games are intense. The crowds are wild. And who can not like the sound of a deafening train horn after a hard fought and well deserved goal? You know what else I saw? After seeing these guys fight for 60 minutes straight, when all was said and done, they went to center ice and shook hands with each other one by one, sincerity in each man's eyes. When do you see that in any other sport? That, my friends is the definition of class. I guess it all boils down to this. The hockey player represents the every day man. The bearded blue collar worker. The real man.  And that's something you don't see in other sports.

I look forward to seeing a great series between the Hawks and Flyers. Hopefully the Hawks can do what the Cubs cannot! Oh and to the NBA. You won't get a dime of my money, or time.