The NHL, Better Than Ever - the sushi of sports

[SCSabresFan!]

The NHL, Better Than Ever.

 

Watched the better part of Game 7 between the Canes and Oilers, and it was fantastic theater. The crowd was incredible, and the sounds of a hockey game at full volume are unlike anything in all of sports.

 

There are at least 6 different crowd noises that mix together and bubble over during a game like this. They are?.

 

1. The Goal Explosion: Pure noise, 110 decibels. Mix in train whistle or fog horn. Beautiful.

2. The Near Miss ?Ooooh.? Might even be cooler than the goal explosion.

3. The No Penalty Outrage Cheer. Angry, and piercing.

4. The Big Hit Cheer: Laced with bloodlust, fires up other guys to lay the wood.

5. The 2 on 1 Airplane Takeoff Roar: Throttles up as the puck handler bears down.

6. The ?Holy SH*%! Save? Roar: When a goalie does something unbelieveable.

 

All of these sounds were in full voice all series long, and it was delicious to watch. So what if the TV ratings were dismal, and beaten by softball ? yes, SOFTBALL ? on some nights? The league is healthy, sunbelt teams are now winning the Cup and building fan bases, and even the salary cap is going up.

 

Hockey in America will never be popular in a widespread way. That?s fine. It?s the sushi of sports. If you like it, you probably love it. But nobody eats it all the time, and there?s not a sushi bar on every corner. Still, that doesn?t make it any less of a delicacy.