The Life of a Fan in a Non-Traditional Market

The Nashville Predators are about to launch their sixth campaign in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Yet, many hockey fans are still in the dark when it comes to all things hockey in Nashville. And that's about to change once you read the following guest column from one of the Predators most passionate fans...

by Marie Miesel

As I look out my apartment window, I can see a magnolia tree. Not in bloom but will be in a month or two. I am a Nashville Predators fan and this about what it’s like to live in a non-traditional market.

I actually got into hockey because I had a massive crush on guy who was a Blackhawks fan. This was back in the 80s and ESPN was carrying games. I got to see Wayne Gretzky and company work their magic. I was also friends with guys who were fans of the Bruins, Rangers and North Stars. I got away from hockey when I moved to South Carolina for graduate school and bounced around after that. Fast forward to 2006. I had gotten a day job had a little extra money and decided to rekindle my love of this great game. I ended up going to 20+ games and the playoffs by the time that season was done. The summer of 2007 was gut wrenching with the Balsille affair and all that surrounded it. I got a full season ticket after the team was saved. The standing ovation at our last home game against St. Louis that season was a thing of beauty and power. All the pain, tears, and uncertainty came pouring out in one spontaneous roar.

Fans in Nashville are always getting ragged on because we didn’t grow up with hockey, we don’t get snow or ice (false by the way, we had over 10 inches of snow this winter), and we don’t care like our brethren north of the border do. Bull. We may be small in number but we are big on heart. You see southern hospitality is not just a phrase, we live it. We say hi in the grocery line, we help when there is a need (May floods and We Are Nashville) and we respect people’s privacy.



Many country music stars make their homes here year round. You learn very quickly to treat them with courtesy and let them go about their business. We treat our hockey team the same way. Steve Sullivan, Shea Weber, Ryan Suter etc don’t have to worry about being harassed by an angry fan when they are just trying to have a family dinner. More over, these guys are family. They are our brothers, sons, cousins etc. We take them into our hearts and embrace them as our own. Steve Sullivan plans on retiring here and JP Dumont and his family stay here year round. Retired Predators, Wade Belak and Stu Grimson, also are now full time residents of Music City. We have no state income tax and the guys have plenty of opportunities to work on their golf game because of our mild climate.

The flip side of course is that this is football country and the Predators often get the short shrift in the mainstream media. However, the Predators have been very forward in promoting social media, credentialing bloggers and allowing them access. We grow new fans by breeding them or introducing them to the game by taking them to one. We are building a tradition here. Youth hockey participation has tripled since the predators were founded and we have even been able to draft one of our own, Blake Geoffrion.

On most nights our barn is loud. The Canadian media and fans love to point out all our empty seats, forgetting the empty seats in the United Center and other places when those more traditional teams were not so successful. Opposing fans, however, are amazed at how much our fans really get into the games. No sitting on hands in our house. We have a repertory of chants usually led by Cellblock 303. Woe to an opposing goalie when we score, a ref who makes an egregious error, or just a player who’s universally disliked. And our newest tradition, the standing O during a TV time out. No megatron, no music, just 17k fans screaming, whistling and clapping for their boys.

Amazingly enough this little team that the pundits look down on, has made it to the post season 6 out of the last 7 years. We have yet to win a playoff series but hope springs eternal in the land of dogwoods and azeleas. And I will be there with my fellow citizens of Pred Nation when the puck drops for Game 3 on April 17th.

It's Playoff Time!!!!!

by Jan Snyder

Whew! What a season it’s been for the Pens. Beginning on Opening Night at the Consol Energy Center with Mario pouring water from the Igloo onto the new ice before the game. Then “BOB” and the Flyers ruining the start of the season for the Pens by beating them.

Fleury’s slow start, but Brent Johnson’s timely play. Sidney Crosby on a pace for an incredible season and us with visions of year-end awards dancing in our heads. The tide turning as the fans chanted for Fleury, giving him a confidence boost and how he turned it all around.

The fantastic addition of Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalak, plus the fantastic play of Orpik and Letang.

The lead up to the Winter Classic and hours of the best reality TV ever with HBO’s 24/7. The warm weather and rain that came over Pittsburgh to make the ice bad, but none of that could dampen the enthusiasm of the Pens/Caps fans who made the most of a soggy situation.

The big hit on Sid – none of us realizing at the time how much that impact would impact our whole season.

Sid’s out, but we still have Geno – oops, down he goes until next year. But Staal was back and that would help. Sid would be back soon, right? Here we are four months later still without him.

Our Baby Pens came to the rescue as we watched more and more injuries occur. The hatchlings turned into full-fledged Penguins right before our eyes! Mark Letestu, Dustin Jeffrey, Eric Tangradi, Chris Conner and the d-men, Deryk Engelland and Ben Lovejoy. Their continued call ups came to be the norm.

A trade brought us James Neal and Matt Niskanen from Dallas. A great signing brought Kovy back to the Burg. As the injured started to return, they became a force again, especially Kunitz and Orpik.

Looking forward to seeing contributions from all of them as we head into the playoffs.

What can I say about the heart and soul players like Max, Dupuis, Rupp, Adams, Kennedy (Kennedy!)? They have all done their thing and the future Jack Adams award winner (I hope) Coach Dan, kept the ship on an even keel, no matter what happened, no matter who got injured. His optimism was contagious.

Even through the ugly game on Long Island, followed shortly by the Cooke incident, the coach navigated everyone through it all. He convinced the players and the fans that everything would be fine.

And so it is! We have home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. We have hope that Sid may return yet before it’s all over this year. We have fans who will do everything but get on the ice and play to help. We have a courageous team who let nothing keep them down or get them off the course they set out on before that first game in October.

The Lightning will be tough. Rooting against Ryan Malone will be tough. I’ve always liked Martin St. Louis, but I can stop that during the playoffs! Lecavalier and Stamkos will keep things very interesting.

I hope to see Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman drop the opening puck! I hope to see good, clean games with no injuries. I hope to see sportsmanship and great hockey – just what we expect each playoff season.

ARE YOU READY???

Gettin' Ready for the Playoffs @ Lisa's Lounge

Hey Hockey Fans! Hope everyone is doing great as the regular season winds down in the most exciting of ways. And for those of you on pins and needles waiting to see if your fave teams can lock up a spot in the post season,  I hope you are thoroughly enjoying the ride.

Right now I am getting ready to cover the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs right here at Lisa's Lounge, just as we have during playoffs past.

You can expect plenty of fun and insight as I follow my home team and beloved Vancouver Canucks, as well as the rest of the action around the league, and any other crazy happenings that may present themselves. Plus H&HH.com's resident Penguins writer, Jan Snyder, should be stopping by to offer her take on the situation in the east and everything that is coated in the Black and Gold.

So until next week, like many Canuck fans, I will be knee deep in the pre-lim: building shrines, debating on whether I should cut my hair, fluffing up my blue playoff feather boa, packing up the Dickie's Canuck playoff briefcase with all of my Playoff game essentials, partaking in bedtime prayers and reciting a lesser known Commandment "Thou Shalt not make a second round exit"....you know that sort of stuff.

So please check back again for more as we approach The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...The Stanley Cup Playoffs!!!

Cheers :o)

-Lisa O

When Hockey Leaves Town...

By Lisa Ovens

It's been some time since my last post. I have a pretty good excuse: my good friend, hockey buddy and creative collaborator, Michelle of Thunderpeep Designs made plans to move back to her homeland, Toronto, this month. And I helped her out through the moving process. We spent some great times together hauling boxes down the stairwell of her three floor walk up, and milling about transport offices like Fedex and Greyhound.

Hockey has moved on. Or rather, hockey has moved back to where she came from. You see, Michelle is a combination Toronto Maple Leafs fan/Calgary Flames fan. We rarely united on the NHL cheering front during her years in Vancouver. But we were as respectful of each others allegiances as we could possibly be. Of course, all of this changed whenever we hit Vancouver Giants games. We had some awesome times rooting for the Giants at the rink on Renfrew, and if we saw them on the road...it always seemed to be Everett, Washington as the road game destination of choice as they battled the Everett Silvertips.

Now, we have a plan...meet in Ottawa next year for the NHL's 2012 All Star Weekend festivities. But for now, it'll be me enjoying the rest of the Canuck's season while Michelle reintergrates herself into Leaf Nation again. And of course, plenty of skype!

Best wishes, Michelle, I miss you already :o(

Public Service Announcement from Mr. Potato Head

Yo, I wanna talk to the players right now, especially those ones that are running other players down. There's only one player out there on the ice that can take your hits, and that player is me. Why? Look at me...I'm a potato! You knock me flyin', I lose an eye or my duster, I just go into the compartment in my ass and get my replacement parts out. It's a no brainer for a potato like me. But if you headhunters out there keep doing what you are doing there'll be too many players with "no brainers", and that just isn't good for this game.


Take it from a potato...an NHL career is already too short for most, let's help make it last as long as it can for you and your brothers. Thanks for listenin'!


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Chocolate Hockey Goodness

By Lisa Ovens

Before I get into the chocolate, I have to say its still winter in Vancouver…and it’s already March! I am looking forward to changing out of my winter photo there on the left. Come on, Spring…spring already!!



Anyway, the other day writer, Jan Snyder submitted her column titled March Madness (it’s just below this delicious column). I decided to use a “hockey advent calendar” photo to accompany the article. I then emailed Jan to let her know the column had been posted, along with a photo I shot.

Well, she replied saying the photo was cute, “But what is that exactly?” Then I realized she might not know what an NHL Countdown to the Holidays Christmas Advent Calendar is because she lives in Houston, Texas, and these chocolate calendars probably don’t get that far down south. This is a little sad for any hockey fan living in a non traditional hockey market: they don’t get the treats!

Not long ago I used this photo for a story…it’s the NHL version of a Kinder Surprise. I gave it to my friend, Michelle for Christmas and asked her to take a shot of what hockey surprise was nestled inside…A Montreal Canadien’s goalie mask…tiny and adorable…just like the team ;o)

Now, Easter is around the corner, the NHL has a much bigger egg on the market…

 Unfortunately, most of the surprise has already been revealed on the packaging and display box. However, what's inside of the NHL Super Egg is way better than a Lady Gaga. There is a small Zamboni cradled in that egg, you just don’t know which team you’re going to get.

And finally, a photo of a hockey themed Easter treat I received last year from cousin, Jen and her man, Gervasio…





Check out the expression on the player’s face.

The chocolate mold artist captured one of the most popular random hockey player expressions ever! The slightly surprised, either waiting for a pass or just finished passing the puck sort of expression we see all of the time.

Don’t believe me? Here’s a shot of Vincent Lecavalier doing it…

So…hockey fans in non traditional markets, I do feel for you, especially when it comes to the little things like hockey themed chocolate treats at Christmas and Easter.

Wish I could give you all a big ol’ hug. Dang!

Enjoy the stretch drive to the Playoffs and Easter...don't eat too much chocolate, eh!

March Madness

okay...we know March has only 31 days :o)

by Jan Snyder


I enjoy SportsCenter on ESPN, but not in March. I dislike basketball and during March, SportsCenter doesn’t know any other sports exist – except when they discuss the upcoming work stoppage in the NFL. I grew up watching plenty of sports, but basketball was not one of them. In addition, as a child in my little parochial school, I was forced to play basketball, even though I was very short. My memories of playing the game revolve around all the inadvertent elbows to the head I took from taller girls (except for one that was shorter than me, that included everyone). Pittsburgh doesn’t have an NBA team to follow and I never got into college basketball, so I guess I just don’t have the b-ball gene.

But I do love hockey and the NHL’s version of March Madness is every bit as entertaining to me. I watched a bunch of games this past weekend and felt like playoff time had come early. The race in the East to make the cut for the playoffs is fierce, and in the West, it’s even worse. Each day the standings change with each game that’s played.

The Penguin/Bruin game on Saturday night was a case in point. The hitting was intense, the game was played cleanly, and every player on both teams was into it! After Boston tied the game very late in regulation, the game went into overtime. When Dustin Jeffrey scored shortly into the extra period, I jumped, threw my arms in the air, and screamed, “YES!” Even without the big guys, the little “Baby Pens” are helping to keep the Pens right in the thick of things in the East.

The only team that didn’t seem that into it this weekend was the Flyers, who played two games and lost two games. On Sunday, the Rangers destroyed them, 7-0. With all the other teams licking at their heels, the Flyers picked a bad time to have a letdown. But they’ll be back and both division races will go down to the wire – the only way they should go down!

The fruits of trades are starting to be seen. Arnott in Washington will be a big help, while Kovalev, Neal and Niskanen are already paying dividends in Pittsburgh. This is the kind of madness I love! Who will be the hero each game? Which team wants it more? Who gets more breaks? Pucks in nets beat basketballs in nets, in my humble opinion.

 But then again, I may be mad – it is March, after all.