The Stanley Cup and punch
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Although I can't pronounce most of the players' names, nor can I ice skate, Game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final was on my TV Wednesday night.
I used to be a bigger hockey fan than what I am now, but a big reason for my declining interest is that hockey isn't on ESPN anymore. I don't get the Versus Network, so I'm basically stuck with watching the Columbus Blue Jackets all season.
Growing up, I was a fan of Patrick Roy (It's not pronounced "Roy," but "Waaah." It's French.) of the Colorado Avalanche. He's one of, if not the best goalie of all time, but this is 2011, and he's not going to be defending a goal anytime soon.
Right now, I'm a man without a favorite player.
But any time there is a Game 7 in sports, that is a must-watch.
This Game 7 was worth watching because it included two teams who haven't hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup in at least 39 years. The Boston Bruins hadn't won the Cup in 39 years, and the Vancouver Canucks have gone their first 40 years of existence without hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup.
The Bruins won 4-0, so their drought is over. Vancouver, at least you still have free health care.
Though it is hard for me to explain the finer points of hockey (although I have watched all three “Mighty Ducks” movies), I chose to cheer for the Bruins for the simple fact they weren't from Canada. I know that is a lame reason, but I have a self-imposed rule I can only like three things from Canada at once, and right now that list includes the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian version of bacon and the aforementioned Patrick Roy.
Almost making that list were former pro wrestlers Edge and Chris Jericho. (The uniforms the Mounties have are pretty sweet, but I think I'm blinded for the fact there used to be a pro wrestler in the early '90s named the Mountie, and I can't get that image out of my head. Yes, he feuded with a wrestler named the Big Boss Man, who was a "former prison guard." Good times.)
While watching the Bruins show the Canadians how to play hockey for the first two periods, I asked myself, besides the fights, what is my favorite thing about hockey?
My answer came rather quickly: the playoff beards.
How cool is it when a team makes the playoffs, and most of the players grow a beard for the duration of the playoffs? Why? I don't know, I'm guessing for luck. Look at any Stanley Cup celebration and it looks like a team of the cavemen from the insurance commercials skating around, rather than millionaires who can afford the best razor known to man.
The best playoff beard of all time has to go to Mike Commodore in 2006. He had a thick red beard, but he added more when he grew the red Afro to match. Picture Will Ferrell from "Semi-Pro" with the beard he had when milk was a bad choice in "Anchorman." That pretty much sums it up. And if you haven't seen those movies, you should watch them.
And then there's Lord Stanley's Cup itself. Though I love the Vince Lombardi Trophy, there is no trophy that is as cool (or as large) as the Cup.
My Top 3 list of coolest sports championship trophies is: 1. Stanley Cup, 2. Super Bowl, 3. Daytona 500.
The best thing about the Cup is there is only one, although it has a list of rules. Each year, the team who wins gets to have possession of it until there is a new champion. Players on the championship team get their name engraved on it, and each player on the team gets to spend one day with it, taking it anywhere they want.
If I had a day with Lord Stanley's Cup, I'd drink Hawaiian Punch out of it because that would top the punch fountain in "Mr. Deeds," an underrated Adam Sandler movie. (The best Sandler movie is "Happy Gilmore" … remember, he was a hockey player at the start because he holds the record for being the only person to try to stab a guy with his skate.)
In fact, I'd drink the punch while watching Emilio Estevez play a lawyer-turned-hockey coach lead the Mighty Ducks, who used the dreaded "knuckle puck" and "Flying V" to earn their championship.
Though the Bruins kept all of the drama out of Game 7 by shutting out Vancouver, here is my lasting memory from this game: A Vancouver fan held up a sign during "O Canada" that said something like "hockey is Canada's game."
My thoughts: Canada can have the game because Lord Stanley's Cup is going to be spending another year in the United States.
And remember the No. 1 hockey fact of all: hockey players don't wear jerseys, they wear sweaters.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]
I used to be a bigger hockey fan than what I am now, but a big reason for my declining interest is that hockey isn't on ESPN anymore. I don't get the Versus Network, so I'm basically stuck with watching the Columbus Blue Jackets all season.
Growing up, I was a fan of Patrick Roy (It's not pronounced "Roy," but "Waaah." It's French.) of the Colorado Avalanche. He's one of, if not the best goalie of all time, but this is 2011, and he's not going to be defending a goal anytime soon.
Right now, I'm a man without a favorite player.
But any time there is a Game 7 in sports, that is a must-watch.
This Game 7 was worth watching because it included two teams who haven't hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup in at least 39 years. The Boston Bruins hadn't won the Cup in 39 years, and the Vancouver Canucks have gone their first 40 years of existence without hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup.
The Bruins won 4-0, so their drought is over. Vancouver, at least you still have free health care.
Though it is hard for me to explain the finer points of hockey (although I have watched all three “Mighty Ducks” movies), I chose to cheer for the Bruins for the simple fact they weren't from Canada. I know that is a lame reason, but I have a self-imposed rule I can only like three things from Canada at once, and right now that list includes the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian version of bacon and the aforementioned Patrick Roy.
Almost making that list were former pro wrestlers Edge and Chris Jericho. (The uniforms the Mounties have are pretty sweet, but I think I'm blinded for the fact there used to be a pro wrestler in the early '90s named the Mountie, and I can't get that image out of my head. Yes, he feuded with a wrestler named the Big Boss Man, who was a "former prison guard." Good times.)
While watching the Bruins show the Canadians how to play hockey for the first two periods, I asked myself, besides the fights, what is my favorite thing about hockey?
My answer came rather quickly: the playoff beards.
How cool is it when a team makes the playoffs, and most of the players grow a beard for the duration of the playoffs? Why? I don't know, I'm guessing for luck. Look at any Stanley Cup celebration and it looks like a team of the cavemen from the insurance commercials skating around, rather than millionaires who can afford the best razor known to man.
The best playoff beard of all time has to go to Mike Commodore in 2006. He had a thick red beard, but he added more when he grew the red Afro to match. Picture Will Ferrell from "Semi-Pro" with the beard he had when milk was a bad choice in "Anchorman." That pretty much sums it up. And if you haven't seen those movies, you should watch them.
And then there's Lord Stanley's Cup itself. Though I love the Vince Lombardi Trophy, there is no trophy that is as cool (or as large) as the Cup.
My Top 3 list of coolest sports championship trophies is: 1. Stanley Cup, 2. Super Bowl, 3. Daytona 500.
The best thing about the Cup is there is only one, although it has a list of rules. Each year, the team who wins gets to have possession of it until there is a new champion. Players on the championship team get their name engraved on it, and each player on the team gets to spend one day with it, taking it anywhere they want.
If I had a day with Lord Stanley's Cup, I'd drink Hawaiian Punch out of it because that would top the punch fountain in "Mr. Deeds," an underrated Adam Sandler movie. (The best Sandler movie is "Happy Gilmore" … remember, he was a hockey player at the start because he holds the record for being the only person to try to stab a guy with his skate.)
In fact, I'd drink the punch while watching Emilio Estevez play a lawyer-turned-hockey coach lead the Mighty Ducks, who used the dreaded "knuckle puck" and "Flying V" to earn their championship.
Though the Bruins kept all of the drama out of Game 7 by shutting out Vancouver, here is my lasting memory from this game: A Vancouver fan held up a sign during "O Canada" that said something like "hockey is Canada's game."
My thoughts: Canada can have the game because Lord Stanley's Cup is going to be spending another year in the United States.
And remember the No. 1 hockey fact of all: hockey players don't wear jerseys, they wear sweaters.
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press.[[In-content Ad]]