If the heading did not cause you to focus your attention on a different article, I implore you consider the following words with an open mind. That's what I did when I attended my first-ever professional Boston sporting event on Tuesday night: Game 4 of the Montreal Canadiens against the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Unbeknown to many in a city dominated by the Celtics, Red Sox, and Tom Brady, the Bruins are in the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
A friend randomly asked me if I wanted to go with him a few hours before game time. I hadn't watched more than 10 minutes of an NHL game all year, I had no allegiance to any of the 30 teams in the league, and admittedly, I only caught the final period of Boston College's national championship victory over Notre Dame. But as I agreed to spend a few hours and $50 to watch some playoff hockey, I remembered something Mike Greenberg said in the latest issue of ESPN the Magazine: "If you start to talk about [hockey] on a radio show, people will turn the dial … The NHL has a loyal group of fans who love the sport. What it doesn't have is casual fans."
Consider me the league's first casual fan.
There must be something about watching grown men slam opponents into the boards and tirelessly chase a frozen puck in order to keep playoff hopes alive that brings out the gladiatorial adrenaline rush in me. Being surrounded by thousands of screaming (and drunk) fans - Boston and Montreal alike - makes it easier, as well.
This was unlike any atmosphere I had ever experienced since coming to BC, putting the student section turnout in Conte or Alumni to shame; this was a close second to my one and only trip to Lambeau Field when it was a balmy 11 degrees. In both environments, a fan never looked at his watch, text messaged a friend, or thought about anything other than the contest. The sport completely engulfed the entire crowd, leaving them craving more when it finally ended.
Ever since the NHL lockout three years ago, I, like many others, considered hockey to be finished. Once part of the big four (football, basketball, baseball, and hockey), it undeservedly was left for dead by everyone except its diehard loyalists. After experiencing the spectacle at the Garden, I am forced to happily admit that I was wrong. When I thought of the amount of "true" NHL fans, it did not come close to filling a 20,000-seat arena; however, supporters of just two teams managed to do that, all the while maintaining a deafening level of intensity for three periods. The changes made to the game make it fast-paced, uninterrupted, and unbelievably entertaining. Playoff hockey deserves to be regarded in the same light as the NFL and NBA playoffs, even if the media networks disagree.
It took me three minutes, until the first "USA! USA!" chant to drown out some Canadian nonsense, to suddenly become an avid Bruins supporter. Sure, I couldn't name more than the goalkeeper for either team, but every missed shot, every botched pass, every blown call was agonizing. I could hear echoes of Gary Thorne - still the best play-by-play commentator in any sport - in my head as the players raced up and down the ice. And when the Bruins failed to tie the game in the closing seconds, I hung my head with the rest of the jersey-clad fans, mourning the 1-0 loss to the hated Habs.
Did it matter that prior to Tuesday night I had no intention of ever attending an NHL game? No, because that is before I gave the forgotten sport a chance.
Does it matter that I do not plan to pledge my devotion to any team after rediscovering the NHL? No, because I will still remain exactly what the league needs - a casual fan.
So to the casual fan who took my advice and read this entire column, I ask you to take one more bit of advice: Give the NHL another chance. You won't regret it.
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