Hockey fans at Sun
Friday Dec 24, 2004
I never knew there were so many hockey fans at Sun. Most folks know Scott is a long-time fan. But now I find that Hal Stern is a fan, too. Unfortunately for him, he roots for the Devil's.
How does an Alabama boy who grows up and moves to Southern California become a hockey fan? There is no real winter in either place. I was born in Huntsville during the space race. My father was in the Army Signal Corps and got stationed in Huntsville at Redstone Arsenal. After World War II that is where many of the German rocket scientists were designing rockets and missiles and dreaming of going to the moon. In 1950 the population of Huntsville was about 15,000 people. It wasn't even the biggest city in north Alabama, and when they designed the interstate highway system, it didn't even warrant a close pass. By 1970 Huntsville had about 130,000 people, most of them attracted by the space race and the US Army Missile Command. The town nickname is Rocket City. Most of the people who came to Huntsville weren't from Alabama originally. Many people came from northern climes and one of the passions they brought with them was ice skating. My parents are from northern Ohio and grew up with the cold and winter sports. Us kids learned to skate at a young age, but during the '70s it got too expensive to keep taking lessons and getting ice time, and I discovered soccer.
When I was in high school I also took courses at the University of Alabama in Huntsville who had a pretty decent soccer program, but a much better hockey team. As a student, I could get into the games for free. This came in very handy as an inexpensive way to go out and have fun without spending too much money. The team was quite good, compared to the competition, and often won.
Later, when I went to Mississippi State University I was somewhat shocked to find that not only did they not have a hockey team, but the nearest rink was over 100 miles away. Meanwhile, UAH went to NCAA division II and won titles in 1996 and 1998. Now the Chargers are in NCAA division I, and often play teams from up north (Wayne State is next, January 7) so they face stiff competition. Occasionally I can catch a game on DirecTV.
Another event that occurred during that time was cable television. Huntsville is about 200 miles from Atanta, and we would get to see some Atlanta Flames games. Prior to cable, the only games we could see were those carried by "big 3" networks, which was and is still quite limited. The Flames weren't very good, and moved to Calgary in 1980, where they have had some success. I still root for them on occasion.
Also in 1980 we were able to see the Miracle on Ice, with the US Hockey team winning the gold at Lake Placid. My friends and I really enjoyed watching that incredible feat.
During the mid-1980s through 1999, I didn't follow hockey much. I wasn't living in Huntsville anymore and Atlanta didn't have a team to follow. In 1999, I moved to Southern California. The Kings and Ducks are nearby, so I can see many of their games on TV. Although neither are dynasties like the Avalanche or Red Wings, they do play some pretty good hockey. The Ducks had a phenomenal season in 2003, very entertaining, with a bittersweet ending.
My wish for Christmas and the New Year is a return to the rink. C'mon guys, get your act together and work out a viable business plan. Although I do like watching the classic games, it is a little bit anticlimactic since I know that the Kings always win the King's Classics games. What do you say? Do it for an ex-pat Alabamian hockey fan!
P.S. Hal, whether they play or not, the Kings and Ducks are still better than those Devils.
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