WATCH HOCKEY A Baz Luhrman Reworking by Richard Short If I could offer you only one tip for the future, hockey would be it. The long term benefits of hockey have been constantly misunderstood by television producers, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own Saturday night experiences. I will dispense this advice now.. Enjoy the power play and passing of your favourite team. Oh never mind, you will not understand the offside rule until its faded. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look at videos of those games and recall in a way you cannot grasp, how often they scored, and how fabulous it really was. You were not as thick as you imagined. Don't worry about where the next goal is coming from. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to get Vial in the All Star Team. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your hockey mad mind, like the unexpected support of the Steelers when Panthers are in a final. Slag off one player that scares you. Sing badly. Be reckless when buying other people tickets, but don't put up with other people who are reckless when buying yours. Woo !!!! Don't waste your time on the Steelers. Sometimes they're not ahead, sometimes they are behind. The race is long, and in the end its only for an egg cup. Make up trophies you received, forget the finals you lost If you dont suceed in doing this, pretend to be a Giant. Keep your old hockey shirts, throw away your Lightning Jack masks Dance Don't feel guilty if you don't know the Macarena. The Manchester Storm fans I know didnt know at 22 how to do it. Some of the most hip 40 year old Storm fans I know still don't. Score plenty of goals. Don't be to kind on their netminder. You'll hardly ever see him have a mare. Maybe you'll win, maybe you won't Maybe you'll get to the playoffs, maybe you won't Maybe you'll win the 50 - 50, Maybe you'll dress up like the Village People at the finals on your 75th birthday. Whatever you do, congratulate yourself far too much and berate the Devils. You choices are sheep, sheep and sheep. So are everybody elses. Enjoy using somebody elses season ticket. Use it when you can. Don't be afraid of giving it back. Its probably the only time you'll ever be thanked. Chant. Even if you dont know the words. Ignore the tune and just clap. Read hockey magazines, draw false moustaches on Rick Brebants face. Get to know your players. You never know when you'll have to ask them for tickets. Be nice to your forwards. They're your best link to the playoffs, and the the names you are most likely to have on the back of your shirt. Understand that team owners come and go, and with a bit of luck you will still be in business after Christmas. Work hard to bridge the gaps in refereeing, because the older they get, the harder it will be to spot the cross check from behind. Support London once, but leave before they give you a wooden spoon. Manchester once, but leave before your hub caps get stolen. Cry !! Accept certain inalienable truths: Your netminder is blind in one eye. Empty Net Goals are not always scored by Tony Hand. Four trophies to four different teams is NOT a coincidence. And when you do accept these, and fantasise that when your team were good, you could drive out of Sheffield without hearing a single car horn. Respect the Bees. Don't expect anyone else to support them. Maybe you'll love them, maybe you wont. But you never know when you might need their support in a final. Don't mess too much with the Geordies, or by the time you are 25 you will look like Jimmy Nail. Be careful who's players you pinch, but be patient with those players who leave you. The Challenge cup is a rip off. Dispense with it by sending the egg cup back to the Big Breakfast. |
