At the tender age of just nine years old, I was treated to two weeks in sunny Florida during the summer with my family, and I was understandably excited, not least because I'd finally have the chance to experience a warm climate for once. During our stay, we did the traditional touristy things - we visited the theme parks, we found out it was only possible to avoid the queues at waterparks by staying in a hotel right across from said park, we had some teething problems with traffic lights and aggressive drivers who seem to care little for the lives of the innocent pedestrians - but I also remember my dad taking me and my brother to a couple of games. The first was a Tampa Bay Devil Rays game, and my brother still has the ball I caught somewhere in his possession (I believe he promised to trade me a video game for it and never paid up; the lesson learnt was obviously don't trust your siblings. Ever), and the second was a Florida Panthers hockey game.
Who the Panthers were playing, I don't remember. What the score was, I equally don't remember. For that matter, I barely remember anything about the game, as it didn't seem to make a big impression on me. Nonetheless, I returned home having experienced what it was like to be in the crowd at a hockey game; I later discovered it wasn't dissimilar to being in the crowd for a football game, when my prize for passing the 11+ exam with a ridiculously high score was a pair of season tickets waiting on my bedside table the following weekend.
Fast forward to two years ago. Having recently acquired a broadband connection and being a certified internet geek with not enough to do, I stumbled upon a particular message board that I've remained a part of to that day. Despite being based in England, it had a sizable contingent of American and Canadian members, a number of who were hockey fans, such that they had a thread of their very own. I wandered in once, but had the misfortune to be in the middle of a sizable argument regarding the Battle of Ontario and was effectively scared away. I think it may have been this sort of gung-ho "our team > your team forever and ever and a year after that" mentality that first endeared me to the sport, and so I found myself leaving GAME the next day with a copy of NHL 2004. I'd wager I'm one of the small minority of people who became a hockey fan as a result of Microsoft, and this is a very small minority.
But what does all this have to do with warnings? Or ponds and the wrong sides of them? It's simple - I'm an English hockey fan, and that puts me at a disadvantage from a hockey perspective, as I sadly don't have much depth knowledge on the subject. Most of my viewpoints and opinions will probably be torn apart by fans much older and/or wiser than I, and here is your warning, this is not likely to be a place for quality discussion and thought-inspiring topics. All this is going to be is a place for me to vent my spleen about whatever topic gets on my nerves within the sport; as a Maple Leafs fan, the early indications show this might happen a lot. However, I welcome any and all comments - if I've got something by the wrong end of the goaltender's paddle, tell me so. Preferably without too much profanity, but if I've committed some form of heresy feel free to just let rip.
Anything else to say? No, I don't think so. OK then, kick ass.
Erik.
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