So, I thought I'd start out my very first post by talking about my history with hockey. I was 7 years old when I started asking questions about the game. I remember asking my pa stuff like, "what does offside mean?", "what does it mean when he says intercepted?", "Who are those guys in the striped shirts?"
My pa and uncles were fans of the Habs. I myself liked the Leafs Borje Salming, probably because of the sound of his name more than anything. At the time, from what I've read, there were very few European players in the NHL. And although I was a wee lass, I liked the way he played.
Salming in the eighties, and my next favorite player was the Great One. I was an Oilers fan for a long time, and when he left us for the green pastures (and better weather) that LA could provide, I followed him. I wasn't yet in high school when he was traded. I don't know how old I was, but in a class photo, I'm wearing an LA Kings sweater. I had enough LA Kings clothes to make it through the entire school week. I loved the Kings, and was devastated when they lost in the Cup final to the Habs in 1993.
During my Gretzky phase, I started to like Pavel Bure. Bure drew my attention to Russian players, I guess. I liked how fast he was, and what a strong skater he was. He could handle the puck at his top speed, which amazed me.
When Bure's career started to go down hill with the knee injuries and such, Peter Forsberg started to look good as a replacement. In about 2000, I started to realize how much fun he was to watch. He was vicious when he wanted to be...he could totally dominate a game when he was in his prime. After 'Foppa' left the Avalanche the first time, I went 'favorite player-less' for a few years. Oh sure, I liked guys like Sergei Fedorov and Jaromir Jagr, but there wasn't anyone I would have considered my favorite.
Enter Alexander Ovechkin. My god, I love this guy. In a post to be written later, I'll try to put in to words my love for the Russian Machine. I might even post photos of the trip I took to Washington a few weeks ago.
So there you have it. My short-list of favorite players. Salming, Gretzky, Pavel Bure, Forsberg and Ovechkin. There were and are a lot of players that I like to watch...but these five stand out in my mind. I'm trying to figure out what, if anything they have in common.
Next post will probably involve my favorite teams....
About Me
- queen of hockey
- I live in Calgary, Alberta CANADA...home of the NHL's Flames and the WHL's Hitmen. I love watching hockey. My favorite player is Alexander Ovechkin, followed closely by Nicklas Bäckström. Then there's my goalies Henrik Lundqvist, and Carey Price. I also like watching the dynamic duo of Toews and Kane. I like watching the Caps, Rangers, Habs, Hawks, and Canucks. But I'll watch anyone play anyone, at any time. I love the game that much. In my limited spare time, I am learning Swedish. I've actually been taking lessons since the NHL lockout in 2004. So, it stands to reason that I pay extra close attention to Swedish players/prospects. Pretty much the only time I'm not thinking hockey is when I'm sleeping, or when I'm at my boxing club.
