With much of the country in the grip of another harsh winter last week and the annual All-Star weekend taking place today in the home of Les Canadiens, it is time to take a look back on highlights and lowlights the first half of the National Hockey League season.
While many people may be surprised to see me write a hockey column, especially after I trashed the sport earlier this year in a separate piece in this paper, I have slowly come around to love the greatest game on ice once again (Seeing that the Boston Bruins are in first place, and I do reside in the Bay State, I thought I might as well try the NHL one more time).
So, with a nod to hockey tradition, here are my three star awards for the first half of the 2008-2009 NHL season.
3. The return of the Boston Bruins. Now, I know that I am going to get some complaints about this choice, with people calling me a hometown fan, but in all honesty, the Bruins are having one of their best seasons in franchise history. They are currently 34-8-5, first in the Eastern Conference and only points away from being tops in the NHL. While they might not have the flash and starpower of an Alexander Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby, they play with the grit and determination not seen in Beantown in many years.
2. Sean Avery. Now, this is going to be my own lowlight on the list for the actual incident but a highlight for league publicity. The actual comments that Avery made were incredibly stupid and insensitive and he should have been suspended. Should he be essentially blacklisted from the NHL? That's up for public debate. However, what was once seen as a blackeye for the league has actually turned into a publicity goldmine. With the motto of "any coverage is good coverage," the NHL should be pleased that they are being talked about on ESPN at all.
1. The Winter Classic. When you combine two of the most historic franchises in sports, let alone the NHL, with the baseball cathedral known as Wrigley Field, you are going to make some sporting magic. The NHL has finally found its signature event, something that can capture the casual sports fan and take him or her away from the college football that dominates the sporting landscape on New Years Eve. In an era of techno music and pyrotechnics going off inside arenas across the country, its nice to finally see hockey the way it is supposed to be played, on a frozen rink in the great outdoors.
So there you go, those are my three stars for the first half of the NHL season. With another few months to go before the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs, things are sure to continue to get better for NHL during the rest of the year. If the second half is as great as the first, it will truly be a special campaign for a sport that deserves some credit in this country.
You can reach this columnist at jhall@theeagleonline.com.
