It is a Beautiful Day in Winnipeg
by Dave GrothAs Boston and Vancouver fight it out for Lord Stanley, this will be my last chance for a few months to write on hockey. Getting over another summer without my Flyers parading the Cup down Broad Street will not be easy, but knowing the game will return when the air gets crisp and cold helps ease the pain of disappointment. So I say so long with two recent stories as well as my prediction for who should drink from the Cup.
The most feel good story of the Spring is the return of the Jets to Winnipeg: Winnipeg gets the Jets back. After sweltering in the heat of Atlanta, a good team will return to Manitoba to rabid fans. The fans are hungry after the Coyotes abandoned them for the desert. For us hockey card collectors of the late 80’s, some surprisingly great names come out of Winnipeg, including my all time favorite hockey name Top Ten Best Jets. He is number six on the list.
The NHL is a 3 Billion dollar industry with the wealthiest fan base of the four top sports in America. As the Canadian dollar grows in strength, it becomes more viable for teams to move from struggling markets and head back north. Canadian teams make sense for the game and rather than NHL supporting a team on life support like in Phoenix, they should use that same funding to create a team in Quebec, St. Catherine’s, or Anchorage. The game is well balanced in talent, hard hitting, and has plenty of stars for young athletes to emulate. The best part of the game is the history of the aging organizations that have embedded themselves in American soil. Major League Baseball can only match the history and support of the game. For a great summer trip, head to Toronto for the National Hockey Hall of Fame.
The best hockey story this month is when U2’s Bono was given a ride in a rainstorm by a NHL player. Hitchhiking Bono I still would not pick up a hitchhiker, but maybe things are different in Canada. The whole story seems to represent the Canadian culture well with its hospitality, openness, and it storied landscape. What hitchhiker would you pick up? The game and its character are displayed in this ultimate Stanley Cup promo. Yet, I still do not think people even know about it.
Finally, I am pulling for Vancouver, and it is not the obvious reasons. I think Boston is strong and quick with an excellent defense to win the Cup in a worthy manner. However, I always pull for the Canadian teams when the Flyers are out. America highjacked the game for so long, leaving Canadian roots for money and sensationalism as a hybrid NBA. Yet with the return of the Winnipeg Jets, Canada is on a roll and should sip from the Cup on its own soil. And maybe Bono, the newest Edmonton Oiler’s fan, can serenade their fans. Just not in Winnipeg when they are playing the Oilers. As for me, I will be walking down Broad Street alone again this year.
Bono, Boston, Bruins, Canada, NHL, Stanley Cup, U2, Vancouver, Winnipeg Jets 
Reader Comments (1)
Nice post. After reading the linked article about the hitchhiking Bono, I suspect that the dog in the car needed to be restrained from attacking the pop sensation. My dogs have always had a knack for sensing someone's true nature. Canines of mine have always been agitated by pompousness. Obviously this part of the story would be omitted in order to maintain its feel good quality.