Stanley Cup runneth over

By Chad Smart

@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter
Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin 

Long-term readers (who read all the blogs) know that I got into hockey two seasons ago when my friend Mike suggested seeing games in all 30 NHL arenas. Over the past three seasons, we’ve managed to see 22 teams play in their home arenas. There’s nothing extraordinary about that number. Somehow though, there’s one interesting fact to go along with the Quest for All 30. The Stanley Cup Finals have come down to two teams I saw at home during the active season. In 2014, the Los Angeles Kings defeated the New York Rangers. 2015 saw the dreaded Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning for  the Cup.

During this current season, we made the now traditional Thanksgiving trip a double header of seeing the Penguins face the St. Louis Blues in Pittsburgh the night before Thanksgiving and then the Pens were the visiting team in Columbus the night after Thanksgiving. In February, as part of the side quest to see all five California AHL teams, sandwiched between San Jose Barracuda and Stockton Heat games, we made a return trip to the SAP Center to watch the Sharks defeat the Arizona Coyotes. As I type this, the Sharks and Penguins are getting ready for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Monday, May 30.

I have yet to determine if this year’s match up is my dream final or nightmare final. Before I became a more die-hard hockey fan, if someone asked what team I supported, I would have said the Penguins. This was more due the success they were having when I got more invested in sports than actually knowing anything about the team. Due to being a “fan” and because the Penguins social media manager was the only one to comment on my blog about searching for an official team, I was ready to pledge my allegiance to the Pens. Then something happened to make me question everything.

The second stop on the All 30 quest was San Jose. That night, my hockey life was changed forever. As I recounted in the previous blog about the trip, that night in San Jose was like a religious experience. I had seen the hockey gods and they wore black, teal and orange. From the moment the team took the ice through the giant shark head, I was in awe. With this newfound fandom, what was I to do about my original Penguin fandom? After some serious debate and consulting with Mike, I came to the conclusion that it only made sense to have an East team and a West team.

During the regular season, I would cheer for both teams then during the playoffs, I would have better odds of having a favorite team reach the finals. With the playoffs consisting of 16 teams, what were the odds that both of MY teams would make it the finals in the same year? Being a Miami Dolphins fan for 30 years, I was more prepared to be disappointed during the playoffs. Never would I have expected my two teams to battle each other for The Cup.

Now we’re on the cusp of the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals and I find myself torn on actively rooting for one team or simply enjoying the games and hoping for a competitive series. Part of me says to cheer on the Sharks as this is their first trip to the Finals and it’s easier to potentially travel to San Jose for a game than to fly across the country to a game in Pittsburgh. On the other hand, having been a Penguin “fan” for 25 years, is it right to toss them to the side just because they happen to be playing the Sharks?

Then comes the factor of the Penguins’ newly celebrated HBK line. The trio of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel, became a trio to be reckoned with during the series against Tampa Bay. They became such a sensation fans got the original HBK, “Heartbreak Kid,” Shawn Michaels to become a fan and the Penguins invited Michaels to attend game 5. Naturally, the wrestling fan in me sees this as a logical reason to throw support to the Penguins. Naturally then, I think if the Sharks wanted to secure their own section of wrestling fans, it would only make sense to bring Sharkboy to the Shark Tank as a wrestler liaison.

I will wrestle with my decision until the puck drops at the start of game 1. Maybe I should simply be pleased two teams I have chosen to support are playing for the richest prize in hockey. No matter the outcome, I finally have a championship series that won’t let me down. Although, if either team seriously wants my undying support, providing tickets to a game would help. Just being honest.

Lets go Sharks! I mean, lets go Pens!…uh, Sharks, Pens…um, Shens? Parks? This is going to be a soul wrenching series.

NHL Quest for 30: Pittsburgh

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter
Listen to the podcast

Follow my blog with Bloglovin 

It’s been awhile since I last wrote. I had planned on writing more this year but then life came along and decided that wouldn’t be the case. Hopefully, over the next few weeks I can get back on track. 

Anyway.

Long time readers with good memories may remember how two seasons ago, I  started a descent into hockey fandom after a friend proposed the idea of going to all 30 NHL arenas.  If you need to refresh your memory or missed it the first time, you can catch up here.  After a season of traveling coast to coast getting baptized into the church of hockey, I tried to determine which team I should pledge my fandom. The team I was leaning towards due to having been an unofficial fan already was the Pittsburgh Penguins. Much to their credit, the Pens twitter operator responded and encouraged me to make my fandom official.  

It didn’t take much twisting of my arm for me to go with the Penguins, though I still consider myself a fan of hockey in general and simply want to see a good game no matter which arena I happen to be visiting. The second season of the QUEST FOR 30 saw trips to Dallas, Florida, Tampa Bay, Edmonton and Chicago. With the 2015/16 NHL season a little over six weeks old, there’s already been a trip to Vancouver that would rank in the Top 5 experiences so far. But this week is the moment I’ve been looking forward to since I fully immersed myself in the idea of the Quest. I finally get to step foot into Consol Energy Center and watch the Penguins battle the St. Louis Blues. Then two days later, it’s a trip to the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio to see the Penguins tussle with the Blue Jackets. 

Iceburgh

While I’m excited to make my second trip to Pittsburgh, the first was back in 1998  when I really could have used a GPS unit to navigate all the one way streets, I have some concerns about the game against the Blues. Over the past two seasons, I have seen the Blues play three games. In those three games the Blues are undefeated. Not only have they not lost, in the first game against the Minnesota Wild, I witnessed TJ Oshie record his first hat trick. In the second game against the Dallas Stars, Vladimir Tarasneko scored thrice to get a hat trick of his own.  A month ago in Vancouver, there were no hat tricks just a solid win for the Blues. On one hand, I am rooting for a Penguins home win. On the other, if the Blues remain unbeaten in my presence,  this could boost my negotiating role when I offer my services to attend all Blues games during the Playoffs. 

The Penguins haven’t gotten off to a great start this season. However there is still plenty of season left. Nevertheless, being in the home arena surrounded by Black and Gold will make the game exciting enough. Add in a quest to get a photo with Iceburgh to keep the streak of mascot photos alive and you’ve got the 
makings for a good night. 

I have heard only good things about the Blue Jackets arena so I’m looking forward to seeing if it lives up to the hype. Whatever the scoreboard says after the games, I’m just hoping my expectations aren’t too high and both experiences will rank high on the list when I get around to compiling my “Best” lists when 
recapping the Quest. Now, where’s Iceburgh?

Drop the Puck

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter

Tonight is the official kick off to the 2014-2015 NHL season. Tonight will set in motion several stories to follow over the next eight months. Will the Los Angeles Kings be the first team since the 1998 Detroit Red Wings to win back-to-back Stanley Cups? Will the Chicago Blackhawks live up to preseason hype? Will a name change help the Arizona Coyotes gain a bigger fan base? Will I learn enough about hockey to actually write sensible, informative hockey blogs? 

The plan for tonight is to watch the Montreal Canadians vs. Toronto Maple Leafs game followed by the LA Kings banner raising game against the team who came in 2nd in my “which team do I cheer for” decision, the San Jose Sharks. While I won’t be there in person, it should still be a good game and I’m hoping the Sharks get some revenge on the Kings’ for their improbable playoff series victory. 

Right now the first live game on the calendar looks to be a trip to Anaheim to watch the Ducks battle the St. Louis Blues on October 19. Last year when I saw the Blues play, TJ Oshie scored the first hat trick of his career. Will Oshie turn in a similar outstanding performance? Will new Defense addition, Clayton Stoner add depth to the Ducks roster? Is it obvious with that last sentence, I shouldn’t actually talk about the specifics of hockey? 

2014 Stanley Cup

In addition to some Kings and Ducks game, I’ll once again hit the road with @mikedekalb to visit potentially 10 different venues this season. From Florida to Canada and states in between, hopefully my frequent flier club membership becomes beneficial. Also hoping to work in a handful of minor league hockey games as well.

People following the blog over the past few weeks should be aware that before the season started, I was in search of an official team to cheer for this season. I laid out my top ten choices and have come to a decision. I thought the decision would be tough but really there was very little doubt. I’m naming the San Jose Sharks as my west coast team. With time zones being what they are, I figured why not have a team that I can watch live given my work schedule. Out of the teams in the Pacific Division, the Sharks are my favorite. Not to mention, the Sharks play the Kings in an outdoor game at Levi’s Stadium. Since Kevin and I won’t be going to Wrestlemania next year, this would be a good excuse to see the stadium outside of football season. 

Iceburgh

While the Sharks are my “mistress” team as my friend calls it, my full support will go to the Pittsburgh Penguins. I’ve liked the Penguins since the early ‘90s so it makes sense to stick with them. Plus, the Penguins actually responded to my blog regarding choosing a team. I figure if they’ll reach out to me then they may be a team that actually cares about their fans. 

Right now, if I have my date correct, the plan is be in Pittsburgh on January 18 for a game against the Rangers. If anyone from the Penguin organization is reading this and wants to be awesome and offer a tour of the arena or a guaranteed photo op with Iceburgh, or any other gifts that would be awesome. I will most likely also try to attend the Penguins games against the Sharks, Kings and Ducks in March. That would be a good hat trick road trip. 

The champs

Last season was an exciting season for a hockey fan. After a wild playoff series and exciting Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals, I’m hoping there’s no hockey hangover for my second season of fandom. Now, drop the puck and start the season.

Which Hockey Team to Cheer?

Minnesota Wild

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter

NHL preseason has started and the regular season is a mere three weeks away.  Last season I became a full on hockey supporter after seeing games in 10 hockey arenas and a wild post season which saw me regret caving in to common sense and not spending $700 to witness the final game of the Stanley Cup finals. That was last season though. Now is time for the new season. Already on the docket are trips to Dallas, Miami and Tampa with possible trips to Calgary, Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Buffalo, Quebec, Ottawa and Boston in the planning stages. With the excitement of the new season in the air, I still have one major issue to contend with before October 8 rolls around. Which team do I cheer for this season? 

See, when I became a fan of hockey, I became a fan of the sport and not a specific team. Last season was about the thrill of experiencing hockey as a sport with no emotional attachment to any particular team or player. This season, I would like to change that and have a team to get behind and be devastated when they don’t win the Cup. The problem is how do I choose a team? What qualities do I look for in a team and why am I putting more of an effort into picking a team than I put into finding a job or a potential romantic partner? 

Sharks!

In realty, the main selling point is location, location, location. If that were the same with choosing a sports team, then the two logical choices would be either the Los Angeles Kings or Anaheim Ducks. I will most likely go to a few home games for both teams however I don’t know if they are the perfect fit for me. First off, the Kings won the Stanley Cup last season. If I were to become a Kings fan now, I would have the stigma of becoming a bandwagon fan and I don’t want that. Maybe that’s really not a big deal, but I’d rather watch a team become good rather than start at the top and have nowhere to go but down. 

More sharks!

After attending four Ducks games last season, I do enjoy the team. As an LA KISS season ticket holder, I am very familiar with the confines of the Honda Center and it would make a little bit of sense to pair up two teams in the same location for my fandom. Again though, the Ducks have been really good the last few seasons. I think I want more of an underdog team. 

Not an underdog team by any stretch of the imagination is the Pittsburgh Penguins. I’ve unofficially been a Penguins fans for 20-years so logically if I’m getting serious about hockey fandom this is the team I should root for, right? I mean the Penguins are the only NHL team of which I own a jersey. So why not root for them? I don’t have a good reason. Before we jump the gun and just go with the Penguins, lets keep looking at other teams. 

The Blues

While I currently live in Los Angeles, I am originally from Illinois. Going back to location as a determining factor, either the Chicago Blackhawks or St. Louis Blues deserve consideration for my support. Well, I am a fan of nothing Chicago related so that eliminates the Blackhawks. Most of my friends who are hockey fans and don’t cheer the Blackhawks cheer for the Blues. It would make some sense to cheer along for the Blues so we can bond over wins and share in the agony of defeats. Lets put the Blues in for possible consideration. 

Out of the ten arenas I visited last season, the two that really stood out as great atmosphere, great fans and good teams were San Jose and Minnesota. As I mentioned in my initial blog about becoming a hockey fan, the game in San Jose was like a religious experience. Plus, SJ Sharkie is one of the greatest mascots. San Jose is technically close enough to hit up a game or two during the regular season so that makes them a strong contender. 

Snoopy is Wild!

Minnesota on the other hand is the team I saw play the most times last season.  Pretty sure that’s a correct stat. Minnesota had the best pregame introduction of all the playoff games I saw in person. The fans were loyal and friendly, welcoming a newbie or couldn’t name one player on the team. So I’ll give them points for that. 

As far as players go, after witnessing his treatment by the hometown New York Rangers fans, I declared Brian Boyle to be the best player in the league. Now that Boyle has moved south to the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team I’ll see in person in November, I would be remised if I didn’t toss them into consideration. 

Since I didn’t have an official NHL team to cheer for last season, I started a collection of minor league hockey jerseys. I chose the jersey primarily because of the logo. Using this logic for NHL teams, this adds, Ottawa, Florida, Winnipeg and Nashville to the list of potential teams. 

After what I’ve just written and talked through, there are nine teams up for consideration. I’ll throw in one random team to make it an even ten teams. 

Pittsburgh Penguins
St. Louis Blues
San Jose Sharks
Minnesota Wild
Tampa Bay Lightning
Ottawa Senators
Florida Panthers
Winnipeg Jets
Nashville Predators
Carolina Hurricanes

Okay, this is where you come in to play. I’ve listed ten teams. I will let the readers decide which team shall become my team. Either leave comments on our Facebook page or tweet responses to either @my123cents or @chadsmart. I will announce the winner on October 1.