Gotta love the Downholers . . .
Love the mixed-league softball reference, too. Classic.
Hockey Fan vs Hockey Player
Most recreational hockey players are hockey fans, too, but . . .
this is a hockey fan:
these are hockey players:
What's the difference? Fundamentally, there's one: hockey players like to watch hockey, but would rather play; hockey fans just watch.
My brother-in-law is Canadian. Grew up in Windsor, but the Leafs and the Wings were so bad, he became a fan of Les Habs. And what self-respecting Canadian isn't? Anyway, he's played shinny a few times in his life, but he knows the NHL. Knows it well. We talk hockey a lot, but the funny thing is we're mostly talking past each other as I know the game, but he knows the league.
Our old goaltender (and frequent sub -- bless him!) is a player. And he proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt this Spring. Our goaltender was going to miss the first two games of the playoffs, so we called our sub. He graciously played game 1, and played brilliantly, as we won 2-1. So on to game two. I give him a call, "hey man, our guy won't be back, can you help us out?"
Problem is, he's a season ticket holder for the Sharks and has playoff tickets to game 2 of their first round series with the Flames. Initially he balks, but he calls me back, "I've talked it over with [his fiance]. If that's the only game we get tickets to, then I probably wouldn't want to see it anyway. I'll skate for you guys." Now that's hard core. He turned down an NHL playoff game on the theory that if that were the only game he got tickets to it was because the Sharks blew their first round series, and who would want to see that, anyway? Turns out he was kind of right. The Sharks lost that game, but won the series. So he got to see another game (a win, I think) before he got to see them tank in round two.
And for all that, we rewarded him . . . by playing no defense in a 6-0 shellacking. "Hey, thanks for helping us out!" [Sigh.]
But he's a hockey player. He didn't mind . . . (I hope).
this is a hockey fan:
these are hockey players:
What's the difference? Fundamentally, there's one: hockey players like to watch hockey, but would rather play; hockey fans just watch.
My brother-in-law is Canadian. Grew up in Windsor, but the Leafs and the Wings were so bad, he became a fan of Les Habs. And what self-respecting Canadian isn't? Anyway, he's played shinny a few times in his life, but he knows the NHL. Knows it well. We talk hockey a lot, but the funny thing is we're mostly talking past each other as I know the game, but he knows the league.
Our old goaltender (and frequent sub -- bless him!) is a player. And he proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt this Spring. Our goaltender was going to miss the first two games of the playoffs, so we called our sub. He graciously played game 1, and played brilliantly, as we won 2-1. So on to game two. I give him a call, "hey man, our guy won't be back, can you help us out?"
Problem is, he's a season ticket holder for the Sharks and has playoff tickets to game 2 of their first round series with the Flames. Initially he balks, but he calls me back, "I've talked it over with [his fiance]. If that's the only game we get tickets to, then I probably wouldn't want to see it anyway. I'll skate for you guys." Now that's hard core. He turned down an NHL playoff game on the theory that if that were the only game he got tickets to it was because the Sharks blew their first round series, and who would want to see that, anyway? Turns out he was kind of right. The Sharks lost that game, but won the series. So he got to see another game (a win, I think) before he got to see them tank in round two.
And for all that, we rewarded him . . . by playing no defense in a 6-0 shellacking. "Hey, thanks for helping us out!" [Sigh.]
But he's a hockey player. He didn't mind . . . (I hope).
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