Libertarian Librarian

Whether or not hockey is a sport, the UW Men's and Women's hockey teams are NCAA champions! Well done ladies and gentlemen. Personally, I vote hockey is a sport-- that whole ball thing is a bit overrated, and really isn't a puck just a ball with it's top and bottom cut off? There are large sticks, dangerous foot gear, high-speed collisions-- what more could you want?

Well, scoring actually. John H. was DOBA about that-- it's the major issue I have with soccer, too. Not that I can't enjoy a low scoring, defensive struggle now and then-- a pitchers' duel that winds up 1-0 can be riveting, as can tough, grind it out football games (though the Chicago Bears/Washington Redskins 9-7 slugfest last year was brutal. But those types of games only happen now and again-- interspersed with 11-8 run fests and 35-31 aerial shows.

Which is why I only watch soccer and hockey when the games are really important-- World Cup games, NCAA tournament games and the like. I remember one World Cup Final (1994) when Italy and Brazil ended regulation in a 0-0 tie. Part of me was thinking, "Wow, how lame-- the championship of the entire world on the line and nobody scored in the entire game." But another part of me was riveted as I watched the shootout, trying to imagine the pressure that had to be on the goalies and the guys trying to get the ball past them. It was, after all, for the World Championship. But it was only because it was the biggest game of them all-- one that only comes around every fourth year-- that a 0-0 tie was exciting. Normally, I probably would've fallen asleep after the first half hour or so.

But I digress. For 2006, there is no doubt that UW is the number one hockey school in America. An honor they can rank right up there with being the number one party school in the country!

Labels: Sports