Hockey

[lescygnes]

thanks for the headsup on this site beaussie!

now having been in north america for far too long, and now a convert to the game of Hockey, surely i cant be the only person from Australia that is a fan of the game. there has to be at least one other.

now obviously the game is in trouble with the current lockout in the NHL. im not taking sides here, it is a spat between mega rich players and even mega mega mega rich team owners. but still, the game is entertaining, and unfortunately, my fix will disappear as im sure i wont be able to get any coverage of the AHL or WHL in Australia. (Go Manitoba Moose!!!)

cheers from the Pacific NW
John

[Beaussie]

Hi lescygnes, welcome on board. :D

Yes I don't mind hockey on the ice, much prefer it to our version of hockey that we are accustomed to here in Aus. From what I've seen on TV it's a very exciting game to watch. Would love to one day be a spectator in the States or Canada. Is it hard to get tickets over there?

I was unaware of the problems going on in the NHL atm. Cheers for the news update. Not sure what the line up is on Foxtel here in Aus as I don't have it, but you might be lucky and get to see some hockey action, particularly I'd imagine ESPN.

[lescygnes]

well there wouldnt be a thing on aussie tv with the nhl being, well, not happening.

it was on ESPN when i was back in oz, but unfortunately they showed some strange games, ie-florida panthers v phoenix coyotes type of games. ho hum. no canucks, no habs, not even any leafs!

getting tix can be fun in canadian cities and a few us cities like NY Rangers, Detroit Red Wings, Phillie Flyers, Boston Bruins.........but the rest would be easy peasy. just pricey thats all.

this season is very very close to being called off. i told a mate of mine that if the AFL was on strike for instance, there would be blood on the streets of melbourne.

the province newspaper in vancouver last sunday had a front page editorial begging the players and the league to work something out for the good of the game and for canadians (theyre just obsessed about the game). for instance, the world juniors championships in north dakota was one of the highest rating TV presentations in canadian history......

cheers
john

[EvilGeee.]

I'd love to see a game of ice hockey. If only I could see the bloody puck, but it definitely looks entertaining.

If only I could turn tenpin bowling into a contact sport. Television coverage would be assured.

BTW, welcome Les.

[lescygnes]

ahh, the old seeing the puck routine.

did you know that a few years ago, i think it was fox, but could be wrong, but being a yankee network they decided to have an electronic gizmo inserted into the puck for NHL games and the result was an orange line followed the puck around the rink for coverage of games.

anyhoo, there was an outrage in canada about it. it was soon dropped. cbc has the rights for nhl hockey in canada again, and its back to normal. seriously, when you pick up the rules of the game, and learn how to follow the actions of the players, its dang easy to kinda "know" where the puck is without actually seeing it.

one of my fave aspects of the game is "checking" and of course the punch ups. gloves off, here we go. (and kids dont get me started on the todd bertuzzi incident......ill argue until the next northern summer about that).

but tenpin as a contact sport??? man thats rough!!! maybe give fivepin a go first!!!!

thanks for the welcome. will be home in australia next week, so then i can join in some local discussions. dont get any sporting news here about australian football (any kind) so there really isnt any point.

all the best, and hoping for an end to the nhl lockout and the continuation of the toronto maple leaf jinx!!!!!!

cheers
john

[EvilGeee.]

ahh, the old seeing the puck routine.

And what's wrong with that?

5 pin?

Where are you posting from? Sesame Street?

[lescygnes]

sorry, being a hockey snob. thats the first thing detractors of the game complain about and traditionalists of the game laugh at people when its mentioned. a la Don Cherry. (go to cbc website and check him out-hes a riot)

well not sure where sesame street is, but im an hours drive south of Seattle and 4 hours north of Portland Oregon on the I-5. Olympia is the capitol of Washington State.

and yeah, there is fivepin bowling. smaller bowling ball than tenpin too.

cheers
john

[EvilGeee.]

Well how about that. There IS such a thing as 5 pin bowling. I can see why it never caught on though. It seems confined entirely in Canada. I wouldn't see it as much of a challenge.

I'm not one of hockeys detractors. I don't hate the game. I just haven't taken the time to learn the rules and get use to following the puck. It get's quite frustrating trying to keep up with the fast pace of the sport.

[lescygnes]

yeah, right on about the pace of the game of hockey. blinking aint a good thing. goals can come out of nowhere.

when its back on tv, ill be happy to sit with you and give you a hockey 101. it takes no time. learning about blue lines, red line rules, icing, yada yada.

BTW, there is a new "Gretsky" on the horizon. his name is Sidney Crosby. id heard about the press he was getting before seeing him play and thought it was just media crapping on, but watching him in the world juniors was like, WOW! this kid has got the goods. comes from Cole Harbour Nova Scotia and plays for Rimouski Oceanic in the QMJHL (Québec junior league), and will be the #1 pick in the next NHL draft (when it eventually happens). Gilbert Brulé of the Vancouver Giants is another to watch. bad thing about it is that some crap hockey club in the states will get them.

canadian teams deserve them more IMHO.

and the best part of bowling here in north america is the ability to have a beer whilst playing. i think AMF would still be doing great business in australia if this was the case.

cheers from rainy old Olympia
John

[Beaussie]

and the best part of bowling here in north america is the ability to have a beer whilst playing. i think AMF would still be doing great business in australia if this was the case.

AMF and Manhattan Superbowl in Sydney now allow drinks whilst you're bowling. With Manhattan however, it is BYO. That's cool though, because there is a bottlo right next door to the Manhattan Superbowl at Roseberry.

Great fun getting drunk and having a bowl, especially disco bowling. :P

Have you tried disco bowling lescygnes and EG?

[EvilGeee.]

They've been allowing alcohol consumption in bowling centres for about 15 years now. Some have their own bars, others are like Manhattan are BYO.

Since the introduction of the reactive resin bowling ball in 1991, the sport has enjoyed an increase in popularity. Geesus, you can even watch the PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) via PPV these days.

If anything is going to kill the sport in Australia is the cost. They are going to price themselves right out of business. A decent ball will cost you between $300 - $500. And you need them if you want to compete with the big boys. And you need more than one. I use to carry 5 around until I changed my shot.

Disco bowling is good fun Bea. Or moonlight bowling. Different centres call it different things. My problem was, I can never take the game as fun. It always turns into a practice session regardless of the conditions or the situation.

I miss the days when you put $100 on the counter and got 100 games to bowl within a month. I went through them in a week.

[EvilGeee.]

yeah, right on about the pace of the game of hockey. blinking aint a good thing. goals can come out of nowhere.

when its back on tv, ill be happy to sit with you and give you a hockey 101. it takes no time. learning about blue lines, red line rules, icing, yada yada.

OK Les. You're on mate.

[lescygnes]

sheesh

finally got back in!!!!!

OK EvilGeee, if youre game to hang around me, then ill be glad to be a hockey guide.

now the reactive resin bowling ball sounds like something grown in British Columbia!!!! he he he different type of resin, eh?!?!

when you mention that there were bars in bowling alleys, it all comes back to me. i was an avid bowler as a kid so hence, not knowing alot about that then. when i moved to Sydney as a 19yo, we had the alley down on Bayswater Road in the Cross, but the developers had their merry way with that. and the Manhattan was just a bit of a travel to get to.

never tried disco bowling though. am up for it though. a mate of mine in Vancouver BC wanted to go bowling with me (Commodore Lanes in Granville Street) but looks like time and moolah are against us.

i had a 150 avg at one stage, but id be well below that now.

cheers
john

[EvilGeee.]

Don't know if I want to hang around with you yet John. I don't even know you.

However, I'll definitely listen to what you have to say about ice hockey.

The reactive resin bowling ball was predominately designed for the lower average bowler. It finds the pocket easier and has a greater impact on the pins as opposed to plastic or urathane balls.

The year they came out 300 games went up by 24,000 in the USA. The down side to reactive gear is their endurance. They're really only good for one season of tournament bowling before they lose their impact permanently. It might get 4 or 5 resurfaces in that time, but replacement gear really is a must to remain competitive.

I've been a scratch bowler for many years now. The sport has taken me around the planet. From the World Cup in Helsinki to the PBA in the USA. Now that was tough. In the WC I finished the highest ranked Aussie out of 344 competitors from around the world, 11th, but the 4 weeks I spent on the PBA was amazing. I met my all time hero in the sport, Earl Anthony. He also gave me some coaching along with other pros like Norm Duke and Pete Weber. In those 4 weeks I bowled over 500 games and averaged 217. And I never won a cent. I still see Dave Davis and Purvis Granger when they come down under for tournaments.

[Beaussie]

Wow EG, I didn't realise how serious you took your bowling. Congrats on the fantastic effort at the WC representing AUS. =D> =D> =D>