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When they said that they were leaving, I brushed it off as an idle threat. They weren't going anywhere. I mean, who did they think they were anyway? I'd invested thousands of my hard-earned dollars in them. They were my obsession. I poured myself into them, lavishing attention and support upon them. I'd proudly worn their names embroidered across my breast and above my forehead. At least three times a week, for seven blissful months out of every year, I had planned my life around their schedules. They couldn't, they wouldn't desert me. I mean, I knew that they were stubborn, that was part of their rousing charm. Strength, grace and agility all wrapped up in the sweet smell of icy sweat. How I adored them! They would not forsake me, would they?
I love the game of hockey. I love the NHL. There, I said it. Short-handed goals whip me into a lathered frenzy and calls against my favorite teams transform my otherwise civilized tongue into a Turrets Syndrome trumpeter. But after all of the love that I have generously given to the game, the NHL has abandoned me and my fellow puck junkies this season. I miss watching the game more than any sane person should and am desperately longing for the triumphant return of the NHL season.
Alas, as of press time, it would appear that no such return is to be expected this year. Eighty-three days of the season have already been lost, and 548 regular season games including the 2005 All Star game have been missed. So what is a hopelessly lovelorn hockey addict to do? Well, if you long for the heart-pounding action of the NHL, even half as much as I do, or if you have yet to catch the fever and just want to see what the game is all about, I strongly suggest that you go to the Chapman Hill rink on Saturday, Jan. 8, and check out the Durango Fury vs. the Telluride Box Canyon Beavers. These local female players will bring us the action that so many fanatics like myself are desperately jonesin' for. The puck drops at 8:15 p.m. with a second match at 9:45 p.m.
- Lainie Lowndes
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