By Anna Corbett, Opinion Editor
The National Hockey League is heading into the playoff season, and I feel like now is a great time to express my thoughts on my favorite sport.
Hockey has been a huge part of my life since I was born. I grew up in Wichita in a family of hockey fans, and our main team was the Wichita Thunder. I started going to games almost as soon as I was born and have continued to go throughout my 21 years on earth.
My love for the sport runs deep and is heavily inspired by my relatives, especially my dad, grandpa and brothers. I can recall countless conversations on hockey statistics, who the next up-and-coming player from the league would be, and why a player should've made a different play. And this was all despite the fact that we shared an extreme lack of experience playing the sport.
Still, our love runs deeper than just conversations. I remember a period when my grandpa had cancer; he would show up to every single Thunder game despite the radiation, chemo treatments and impending surgeries that would replace his jaw. His love never faltered because hockey was an escape from his daily challenges. It was like that for my whole family.
Growing up in an athletic family, my life has always been sports-centered, but none of the sports I did or watched compared to the love I had for hockey. The amount of skill, patience and coordination it takes to be one of hockey’s best is quite intriguing to me, and from the get-go, so were the fights. There’s just something about a fight during a hockey game that brings fans together. Fights aren't the only thing to love about hockey, but they do seem to bring in a lot of new fans, which I find fascinating.
Although the fights are fun, there is so much more to be excited about when it comes to hockey. I recently went to my first in-season hockey game in St. Louis with my parents, brother, and fiancé, and I found the atmosphere to be euphoric. Watching my favorite Canadian team, the Vancouver Canucks, and my American team, the St. Louis Blues, go head to head was something I had always dreamed of. This might seem like a very insignificant dream to some, but years ago, I could never have imagined I would have the ability to see the two teams I love the most in person.
This NHL season has been a very interesting and engaging one. I grew up watching an ECHL team and more recently started following NHL teams as well. This sport has so much spirit and some of the best fans, who take pride in and support their teams, no matter their playoff standing. My favorite team, The Vancouver Canucks, missed the playoffs by a few spots, but I still have other teams I can’t wait to support during the tournament.
Recently, I’ve become a bit obsessed with hockey statistics and have found that I crave constant information about the sport, which is why I find myself scrolling stat sheets and team social media pages to get as much information on players and the teams as possible.
I hope that hockey gains more popularity in the United States because it is truly one of the purest sports when it comes to emotion, and it shows more diverse backgrounds than some people realize.
I desire to inspire new fans everywhere I go. For those interested, the Playoffs start Saturday and continue until late June. You can find most games on ESPN+ or Max.
PHOTO: Courtesy Anna Corbett, Opinion Editor
