Whatagame

Hockey is not the first thing you think of when you think of Texas, probably not even in the top fifty. So what is it that makes hockey such an important part of our lives?

It's the Stars.

Back in the late nineties when the Stars were starting to peak, I became intrigued with the sport. As a native Texan I knew precious little about it. At the time I didn't know of any transplants that could let me in on what it was about. All I could do was watch the games and scour the area resale shops for gear. Slapshot, Elzie Odom, Bedford Boy's Ranch, and of course my local inline rink at Bartlett Park. I chose the goalie position because I was infatuated with Dominic Hasek, and I thought it would be the easiest to learn (see the puck, stop the puck). By the time I had made it to the ice, the Stars had already lost the cup to the Devils.

It was still high times at the rink though, no one was phased by the declining play of our team. That lasted for a couple of years, then times got tough. Fewer teams fewer new faces. And here we are again. The Stars are surging, pushing aside the former champs in the first round, chewing up the Pacific leading Sharks. Who can say just where this will end. It's hard to believe that just last year we had so many questions about our Stars.

Fifteen teams and plenty of fresh blood. Where goest the Stars, So also goes the league. Enjoy this play-off run, every game. And to the new players, I say enjoy this boon at our rink, it could be another ten years before it's like this again. Get out there and play as much as your body will allow. If you break a bone, relish it, suck out the marrow... Yeah! We're Texans and we love hockey.