poohpah chalupa:
Are you a Kings fan or an unholy Ducks fan? (or neither)
Tretiak:
(sheepishly) Twenty-five years ago or so, when I first moved to SoCal, I listened to KRLA while I did my homework. I began listening to the Kings when they came on and I was too lazy to get up and change the station. Names like Vachon, Goring, Komadoski, Nevin, Kannegeisser, et al. kept popping up on my speakers. Eventually I fell in love with the game and the hapless Kings, skating around the Forum in their gold pajamas. I even acquired season tix.
Cut to several years later: Bruce McNall brings Wayne Gretzky down from Edmonton, along with a bunch of his cohorts (McSorley, Krushelniski, Huddy, Fuhr, Kurri, et al.), turning the Forum in Northlands South. As much as I admire Gretzky’s offensive talent, I dislike his arrogance (yeah, I know he’s a nice guy in real life) and will never forget the night that Dave Taylor sucker punches him and he crumples to the ice like a sack of potatoes.
Way 'cross town (on the other side of the Orange Curtain actually) Disney buys a expansion team and christens it “The Mighty Ducks.” The county moans. I swear I will never root for a team with such a ridiculous name. Or one backed by Disney, corporate soul-less behemoth.
…except, well…it’s right here in town. Up the street. And the Pond is beautiful and easy to get to.
I decide I will cheer for both. Gretzky’s gone, so life is better. Both teams stumble along in the nineties, but ultimately, it’s Kariya, Selanne, Hebert and the Ducks that eventually win me over. When they meet, I root for the Ducks…but apart, I cheer for both. I don’t believe you have to be a fan for one or the other…I know others who feel the same.
So if you must, bomb the Sharks into oblivion.
I’m happy to see Minnesota get a team again, even if it is an expansion squad.
Well, being an eternal optimist, I’m hoping that my fave team, the Vancouver Canucks, does well…
Did the Canadian Dopers kick around the idea of “Should the Canadian government subsidize NHL teams?” when it was suggested last year?
Very true, but what were they doing in Atlanta in the first place? Hockey should only be played north of a certain latitude, let’s say 35N.