BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??

Subject: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: ToulouseCruise
Date: 07 Jun 04 - 12:09 PM

Come on people! Game 7, Stanley Cup Finals!!!

I am betting on the Calgary Flames, although the best player on the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brad Richards, is from my home province of PEI...

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Blackcatter
Date: 07 Jun 04 - 12:26 PM

I've been watching the games a bit. I think it's funny that a team in a city that hasn't even had snowflurrys in 40 years could possibly hold the Cup.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 07 Jun 04 - 03:12 PM

Time to Bully Off.
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: TS
Date: 07 Jun 04 - 03:16 PM

GO FLAMES GO.....I spent game 3 (3-0 Cgy) partying on the "Red Mile"...good God!..What a time!...lots of "sights" to be seen after the game too!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: GUEST,Blackcatter
Date: 07 Jun 04 - 03:45 PM

Oh no! I just realized this is an non-Brit sports thread!

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Rasener
Date: 07 Jun 04 - 04:30 PM

Anyone from Birmingham UK.
if so dyow remember Trevor Hockey who played for the Blues and Villa. :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 07 Jun 04 - 04:47 PM

I understand that Tampa is only dressing six players tonight. Seems all the rest have learned to dress themselves.

GO FLAMES!

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: GUEST,peedeecee
Date: 07 Jun 04 - 05:00 PM

Go Flames go! And would someone please keep an eye on that thug Simon -- the last thing we need in game 7 is a Tampa Bay power play!!

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Blackcatter
Date: 07 Jun 04 - 10:10 PM

Stanley needs a tan.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: ToulouseCruise
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 11:04 AM

Well, it looks like Stan will get the tan.... great game last night, one player (Dave Andreychuk) has played 22 seasons, and this is his first time making it to the finals, let alone winning it all. Calgary did a great job this season, just ran out of gas at the end...

Hopefully there's hockey next year!

Brian

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: TS
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 11:14 AM

Back to the drawing board...on the plus side of things...I'll always have the pictures I took on the Red Mile after Game 3!...I love the women in Calgary btw!!!!....(most of them good Maritime girls, ofcourse!)

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: ToulouseCruise
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 11:40 AM

[e-mail] in case you have any to spare!

B.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: TS
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 11:55 AM

Good God Man!...first you want the digs on my fiddle player...now you want MY pics of the C of Red...some of them are on flamesgirls.com

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: GUEST,Larry K
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 02:32 PM

It must be painful for Canadians.   It is their game and they haven't won the cup in so long.   (When was the last time- I think Calgary a long time ago) Having lived in New Jersey and now Michigan we certainly have had our share of the cup.   I work in Detroit and enjoyed the parades a lot.

The first Canadian team that wins the cup will all be national heros.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: GUEST,Blackcatter
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 03:25 PM

It's funny to think of the idea that if a Canadian club won the Cup that it's be a "Canadian" victory. I mean, Canadians make up a percentage of all NHL teams, regardless of which city they're in. On top of that, all teams have today playesrs from the U.S., Canada and Eastern Europe.

I understad why a city is happy with a win (Tampa/St. Pete had approx. 5000 fans watching the game OUTSIDE the arena last night) that makes sense, but to me it's odd that Canada wishes a "Canadian" win. Sometimes the teams aren't even owned by a local person (for instance, the owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning also owns the NBA Detroit Pistons.

What say you all?

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 03:46 PM

I say this: GO, FLAMES, GO!

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: GUEST,Blackcatter
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 03:53 PM

That's exactly what happened - they went.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: GUEST,Blind DRunk in Blind River
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 04:01 PM

I was cryin. Now I'm drinkin. And drinkin. And drinkin.

Just wait till NEXT YEAR!

I hate Tampa.

- BDiBR

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: TS
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 04:20 PM

to answer a previous question..last team in Canada was Montreal, in 1993, beating L.A....most of the Tampa players are Canadian...you're right..I am happy for Brad Richards (a fellow Maritimer). Cory Stillman and Martin St.Louis both played for the Flames organization and played for the Flames farmteam in my hometown. In fact, St.Louis helped the Saint John Flames win the American Hockey League Championship....its simply the principle of wanting the Cup to be in a Canadian city. Hockey is OUR game and its simply becoming too Americanized thanks to the likes of one Mr. Gary Bettman.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 04:29 PM

Hey, we gotta keep this thread going for a while. At least it is NOT rugby or soccer. GO, FLAMES, GO!

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 05:01 PM

Ah, come on! Jaysus. Hockey is one of my favourite games. You know how hard it is to get a big ball through such a small hoop?

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Blackcatter
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 06:13 PM

Brucie - you do know that hockey doesn't use balls, right? I mean, I'm sure it takes balls . . .

As for Canadian sports - you still got your version of football!

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 06:28 PM

WHAT? No balls in hockey? Dang, I must be getting it confused with quoits. Thanks, Blackcatter. So, what the hell was I watching?

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Blackcatter
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 06:44 PM

Dunno - but my favorite Canadian sport (I have no idea who invented it) is curling.

Now that's a sport that takes some big-assed stones.

So educate us U.S. inhabitants - who, how and why was hockey invented?


And just to conenct it a but with the Mudcat - any good hockey songs?

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 06:58 PM

Hockey was invented by a guy named George Alberstrinski so that Canadians could do something with their goal tenders. It's really that simple. Was a matter of a need being met, and then the breweries developed an interest, and the rest is history.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Blackcatter
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 07:07 PM

It's remarkable how often sticks and beer go together.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Bobert
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 07:12 PM

Wouldn't have been no 7th game if the danged refs were "sighted". The Flames got jipped out of a sure goal in game 6 which would have had them winning the Cup 3-2 in that game...

Boooo!

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 07:16 PM

OK, I lied. Felt guilty, so I came back. The official game of hockey WAS invented in Canada by some kids with sticks and frozen balls of horsesh#t. They used the sticks to swat the horse droppings at Mrs Murphy's cow which then went back to the United States and caused a big fire. That IS the truth.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 09:33 PM

OK again. Look, it's like this. We have lots of ice. When Hans Brinker's skate came to Canada a century before the USA received the Statue of Liberty from France, we copied them. The use of sticks was an accident. People just learning to skate carried one and allowed it to rest on the ice. It helped with their balance. It was at the Ryans' New Years party that some of the guys got outside with the skates, sticks and balloons. They began to bat the balloons amongst themselves with the sticks. When someone finally hit it, they skated to first base. If another member of their team hit it, the skater on first went to second or third if it had been hit far enough. But, because the temperature was minus thirty, anyone who reached third went home. It was warm at home, and that's where the Molson's Canadian was. THAT is the way hockey came about. That REALLY IS the truth.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 09:47 PM

Sorry. I am confusing hockey with golf. There was a big fight at the Ryans' that evening. People were swinging golf clubs. We often refer to it as the Golf War. So, I am getting it mixed up with basketball. I'll have to give this some thought. Later.

(I am quite sure it wasn't water polo which Canadians always play in winter when the water is ice, because when we play it during the summer, lots of horses drown.

I think I have to change my meds. Back later.

Got it now. Whew. It's like this. Hockey comes from . . . and so today we know it as quoits.

I am glad I finally got that straight.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 09:55 PM

So, when's the seventh game between Calgary and Tampa? I think the Flames will take it. That's my prediction anyway.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 11:25 PM

Well, I'll tell ya, I'm not having any trouble gettin' bets down. There are lots of people willing to take Tampa, and all I'm willin' to go is straight odds. Some folks just never learn.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Blackcatter
Date: 09 Jun 04 - 12:21 AM

So brucie - when you're like this is it because of your meds, or despite them?

Might I suggest pasta smothered in oily sauce?

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Blackcatter
Date: 09 Jun 04 - 12:30 AM

A quick look around the 'Net shows that while most people agree that it was invented in canada nobody really knows all that much about it.

So it's sort of the baseball of Canada.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: TS
Date: 09 Jun 04 - 09:29 AM

Where hockey came from...God..thats too broad...thats enough to start a civil war...Kingston Ontario claims the first game played there, and Windsor Nova Scotia takes the same claim...some say Natives played it first, while others say British troops in NS and ON played hurling on frozen fields to instate hockey...definately a great Canadian invention though...and one that makes the dark winters pass by, and gives us an excuse to leave the Missus at home and go get drunk with da b'ys....our chants arent as cool and an average crowd is only give/take 20,000 ppl ..but..its ours...GO FLAMES GO!!

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Blackcatter
Date: 09 Jun 04 - 10:18 AM

From what I've seen, it might have been born out of the Irish sport of Hurling. Just done on frozen lakes. Interestingly enough, the game appears to predate the use of skates - Canada didn't get them for some years after they were popular in Europe.

I'd have to argue that Hockey wasn't really complete until they started using skates.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: TS
Date: 09 Jun 04 - 10:28 AM

Catter you are correct...the troops who played in NS were playing hurling on frozen farmers fields originally...according to one of the claims that is...

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 09 Jun 04 - 08:00 PM

No balls in hockey? What do you call this?

I suppose you mean that variant they play in some part of the world on ice.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Blackcatter
Date: 09 Jun 04 - 08:20 PM

McGrath - what exactly is that soprt? Field Hockey?

Why not play either Hurling or Lacrosse? Or get some friggin' horses and call it Ralph Lauren.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Teresa
Date: 09 Jun 04 - 08:21 PM

Good hockey songs:

"Hit Somebody" by Warrren Zevon
"Flying" by stan Rogers

Teresa

Oh, go Sharks! ;)
Any others? :)

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Teresa
Date: 09 Jun 04 - 09:01 PM

And here are the lyrics for Stan Rogers' song, Flying

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: ToulouseCruise
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 11:14 AM

If you're looking for a Canadian style hockey song, there's always Stompin' Tom Connors with "The Hockey Song".

...Oh the good ol hockey game, is the best game you can name..."

(Glad I started a thread to keep us Canuckians occupied after HNIC* is done -- GO LEAFS!!)

Brian

(*HNIC = Hockey Night in Canada, the weekly broadcast of hockey on Saturday nights)

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: TS
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 11:41 AM

ohh..Brian...I too was proud of you and the creation of such a great thread...but...now...to finish a comment with "Go Leafs"???...sigh...poor mis-guided soul..."Vivent les Canadiens!!"..
Sorry buddy!....Slainte!

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: TS
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 11:44 AM

and furthermore......another great hockey song...is the other "Hockey Song" by Jughead..a great everything band from Ontario..

..."Well I play hockey hockey hockey hockey hockey hockey hockey hockey hockey hockey hockey hockey hockey all the time!"...

Slainte!

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: ToulouseCruise
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 12:11 PM

Reel... tis a shame that you cannot appreciate the Blue and White, and then follow up with that Habs-based cursing... tsk tsk tsk...

so how 'bout that fiddle player?

B.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: TS
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 12:22 PM

the Blue and white...colours of the sacrelige in my home!..haha...Rouge-Blanc-Bleu!!!....the fiddle player is doing well..haha....I'll send greetings to her from a fellow Spud!!

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: ToulouseCruise
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 01:04 PM

Actually I will be doing a driving tour of PEI in a week's time, tell her I will wave as I go through . I wonder if Brad R will have the Stanley Cup in Murray Harbour ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Blackcatter
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 01:22 PM

OK - I forgot that one of my favorite groups have a hockey song. Anyone recognize the team?

DROPKICK MURPHYS

"Time To Go"

[Chorus:]
Go! Go! Black and gold!
Old-time hockey, bar the door
Clear the track it's all-out war
Light the lamp, throw a hit
Black and gold never quit
The barn is full, our team's in town
So put 'em up boys, knock 'em down
Drop the puck, it's time to go

Bust outta work, it's quarter-past five
Time to round up the gang
and take the Red to the Orange line
Head for the street and the Causeway crowd
You can feel it in the air, when the team's in town

[Chorus]

Rancourt's ready, it's time to take to the ice
So tie down the jersey 'cause it could get ugly tonight
Top corner, five hole, off the post and in
On a quest for the cup, and we're ready to win

[Chorus]

Go! Go! Black and gold!
Drop the puck, it's time to go

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: TS
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 01:33 PM

Ah..the Dropkick Murphys and their ever-ending quest to motivate the Boston Ruins to actually win a series..hehe....Brian..my buddy just bought a B&B in Murray Harbour...says Murray's Dad (a fisherman) goes to the docks everyday driving a Hummer...I think a Hummer is nearly 1/2 the size of the Island isnt it?

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 01:41 PM

In most countries "Hockey" means "Field Hockey" rather than "Ice Hockey".

Hence it's the IHF - "International Hockey Federation" as against the IIHF, the International Ice Hockey Federation

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: TS
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 01:47 PM

In most Countries its unheard of on a Sunday night to get pissed drunk, lace up your skates, and sweat your arse off for an hour (and have a fist fight on ice with your best friend); get off the ice, have a cigarette and another beer, take a beer to the shower with you, get out of the shower, have another beer, then drive home and pass out...Hockey is Hockey...Field Hockey is a means for sex-deprived women to release their frustrations...

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: ToulouseCruise
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 01:59 PM

Reel... a Hummer isn't bigger than the Island, though it is bigger than most of the roads there...

and AMEN! to your last posting!

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: GUEST,Blackcatter
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 02:43 PM

I still say that if you're going to run around on a field with sticks and a ball-thingy - why not play one of the oldest games around - Lacrosse or Hurling?

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: TS
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 02:50 PM

Lacrosse..Canada's official National Summer Sport...hurling never really caught on once they found out the fields freeze..

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 03:32 PM

Lotsa people hurl after the Stanley Cup and Grey Cup.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: GUEST,Blackcatter
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 03:41 PM

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: GUEST,Blackcatter
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 03:42 PM

OK, I'm here to learn - what's the Grey Cup?

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: ToulouseCruise
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 03:48 PM

The Grey Cup... when all the old geezers get protection from being kicked in the gonads...

... but seriously folks... it is the championship trophy for the Canadian Football League (American style football, not soccer). The CFL is much smaller in stature than the American NFL with very slight variations in rules. Actually, the players are generally smaller in stature too.... but we like it anyways.

Brian

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: TS
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 04:28 PM

GOOOO GREEEEEN!!!!....hehe...and ole Brian forgot to mention the fac that the Saskatcewan Rough Riders will be the 2004 Grey Cup Champions!

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Blackcatter
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 05:13 PM

Ah!

I knew about the CFL - just didn't know what the trophy was called. Heck, it took me a minute to remember that the NFL thingie is the Lombardi Trophy.

Any one know the the NBA & MLB trohpies are called? I'm a fan of baseball, but I don't know if I've ever heard what the trophy is called. - it's typically just winning the "World" Series.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 07:41 PM

ReelBrew: We BOTH know it will be Edmonton. Get a grip, lad.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Blackcatter
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 08:13 PM

Do a lot of black Canadians play in the CFL?

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 10 Jun 04 - 08:20 PM

Very few. Most black players in the CFL are from the US.

The Canadian field is wider and 10 yards longer. We have three downs as opposed to four. It changes the game significantly. It is still football, but IMO, the US has developed a better running game, but Canada a better passing game.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: TS
Date: 11 Jun 04 - 09:01 AM

Bruce...I was in the stands at Taylor Field for the 2003 Grey Cup and I'll admit that the Eskies did great...but..sorry...its all bout the colour Green this year buddy!!..hehe

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: GUEST,Steve Latimer
Date: 11 Jun 04 - 04:02 PM

Here's my favourite Hockey song.


Hockey
Jane Sibbery

winter time and the frozen river
sunday afternoon
they're playing hockey on the river
rosy...
he'll have that scar on his chin forever someday his girlfriend will say hey
where...
he might look out the window...or not
you skate as fast as you can 'til you hit the snowbank(that's how you stop)
and you get your sweater from the catalogue
you use your rubber boots for goal posts
ah...walkin' home
don't let those sunday afternoons
get away get away get away get away
break away break away break away break away
this stick was signed by jean belliveau so don't f#@king tell me where
to f#@king go...
on sunday afternoon
someone's dog just took the puck-he buried it it's in the snowbank...your turn
they rioted in the streets of montreal when they benched rocket richard it's
true...
don't let those sunday afternoons
get away get away get away get away
break away break away break away break away
the sun is fading on the frozen river
the wind is dying down
someone else just got called for dinner
rosy
hmm...sunday afternoon

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 12 Jun 04 - 02:12 PM

ReelBrew,

I am at a loss for words.

Bruce M

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: ToulouseCruise
Date: 14 Jun 04 - 11:00 AM

Another brand new song which is quite good is by Great Big Sea, called "HelmetHead"... heard it for the first time last night, very cool, very funny...


Continuing with the CFL thread drift now...

Reel, sorry I didn't mention about the RR's winning anything this year... I guess important things like that slip my mind occasionally. Did you hear they are trying to get a CFL team for Moncton or Halifax? Dunno if it will go or not...

Brian

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Blackcatter
Date: 14 Jun 04 - 11:26 AM

see, this is the difference from the Brits and Cricket/football (soccer), and Canadian/U.S. sport threads - we're comfortable to drift from sport to sport.

So,

Go Angels!

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: ToulouseCruise
Date: 14 Jun 04 - 12:17 PM

Oh we're comfortable with it too... the big difference is that we are able to tell the difference between the different sports ;)

okay, gotta ask... what IS hurling?

Brian.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 14 Jun 04 - 08:49 PM

Hurling is another term for vomiting. However, I think the context in which it is used may somewhat change the meaning. Other than a certain New Year's party I went to, vomiting has never actually been a sport.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Blackcatter
Date: 14 Jun 04 - 10:21 PM

Now, now, let's not pick on the national sport of Ireland.

Ancient sport of Hurling

Rules of Hurling
The following list covers the basic rules in hurling:

   1. A player can run a maximum of four steps with the sliotar (ball) in his/her hand.
   2. A player may take as many steps as he/she wishes while carrying the sliotar on the boss (head) of the hurley (stick).
   3. A player may take the sliotar into his/her hand up to two times while travelling in possesion.
   4. The sliotar may not be thrown; the correct hand-pass technique must be used.
   5. The sliotar may not be picked directly from the ground; the roll-lift or the jab-lift must be used (with the hurley).
   6. A player who is in possesion may not score with his/her hand.
   7. If the sliotar is in flight, a player may score by striking the ball with his/her hand.
   8. Three defenders may stand on the goal-line when a penalty is being taken.
   9. A free-puc is awarded when a defender strikes the ball over his/her own endline.
10. Three points are equal to one goal.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: ToulouseCruise
Date: 15 Jun 04 - 02:12 PM

okay... gives me a bit of an idea on the rules... but I truly have/had no idea on the type of sport... found some pics on Google that at least let me know it is a field sport (aka soccer or baseball) as opposed to an indoor or arena sport (aka hockey, curling, tennis).... it looks like it has a strong connection to what is known as field hockey here....

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 15 Jun 04 - 02:33 PM

Hurling - fastest field sport there is. Allowing for the size of the pitch, it's probably even faster than ice hockey. What's stopped it being played much outside Ireland is that the level of skills involved is such that, if a player hasn't played it since early childhood, they'll never pick it up.

It looks like war, a succession of individual combats with war clubs, but in fact it's highly disciplined. If it wasn't people would be killed - there's none of that protective armour, apart from headgear to stop ears being destroyed.

Gaelic Football is essentially the same game, but with a (round) football, and no sticks.

There's a women's version of hurling called camogie - every bit as exciting to watch.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: GUEST,Blackcatter
Date: 15 Jun 04 - 02:37 PM

Field Hockey is similar, but maybe lacrosse is a bit closer too. It is a very skilled sport and remarkable to watch.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: ToulouseCruise
Date: 15 Jun 04 - 02:45 PM

Thanks for the info folks.... anything Canuckian you need information on?

Brian

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Peace
Date: 15 Jun 04 - 02:47 PM

Brian,

We get lots of ice here. We have two seasons: Winter and July.

Bruce M

Anything specific?

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: GUEST,Blackcatter
Date: 15 Jun 04 - 02:50 PM

Of course if you're looking for the game with the fastest ball, here's the one I grew up playing in South Florida:

The Game of Jai-Alai (Hi - Li)

The origins of the sport are obscure, but it is believed that Jai-alai began in the Basque region of Spain and France more than three centuries ago. The first permanent Jai-alai fronton in the United States was built in Miami in 1926. Jai Alai was introduced in America by L. Stanley ("Buddy") Berensen as a spectator sport. Pari-mutuel wagering on the game began in 1928. Translated, Jai-alai means "Merry Festival" in the Basque language.

The wicker basket, cesta (ses'tah), is tailor-made to each player's specifications. Frontcourt players usually play with smaller cestas designed for speed and quick delivery of the pelota. Backcourt cestas are larger and are designed for throwing from longer distances. The length, curve and ribbing of the cesta give the pelota extraordinary speed and spin.

The hand is inserted flat into a leather glove sewn to the outside area of the cesta. A long tape (cinta) is wound around the glove to prevent the secure the cesta to the player's hand.

The most lethal ball of any sport, the pelota (pay-lo'-tah) is about 3/4 the size of a baseball, harder than a golf ball, and has been clocked at speeds of up to 188 m.p.h. The Guinness Book of World Records calls it "the world's fastest projectile."

The pelota is constructed of hand-woven virgin de Para rubber from Brazil with a layer of nylon thread and two coats of specially hardened goat skin.

The court or "cancha" measures 176 feet long. The 60-foot wide playing surface is divided into two sections: A 40-foot concrete floor and a 20-foot wood apron. The "ceiling" of the court is in reality a overhead screen. The screen is out of bounds.

The rock-hard front wall is composed of 12-inch thick slabs of granite block backed by 12 inches of concrete block. When the pelota strikes the granite surface at the incredible speeds generated by the action of the cesta, the results are lightening fast and unpredictable.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: GUEST,Steve Latimer
Date: 15 Jun 04 - 02:57 PM

My father played Hurling as a boy in Ireland. Years ago Wide World of Sports broadcast the All Ireland final. I watched it with my dad. The craziest game I have ever seen and I grew up playing hockey and lacrosse.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: ToulouseCruise
Date: 16 Jun 04 - 01:11 PM

here in Canada we have four seasons... the two longest are Winter and Construction, separated by seasons of Bad Snowmobiling....

Brian

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Blackcatter
Date: 16 Jun 04 - 01:26 PM

We have four seasons in Florida: Summer, summer, summer, and fall.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 16 Jun 04 - 02:13 PM

Here's a site with some video clips of hurling.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Cluin
Date: 10 Dec 04 - 12:36 PM

(Got this in the e-mail today... I edited it slightly)

Government of Canada to Take Over NHL

Prime Minister Martin today announced that the federal government will take over the National Hockey League and run it as a "sacred trust, just like health care." The announcement came as pressure mounted for the government to do something to end the current NHL shutdown. "No Canadian should be deprived of NHL hockey during the hockey season," Martin said. "We will take over the NHL and run it in the public interest, just like we run the government of Canada."

In an hour-long news conference, the Prime Minister outlined reforms to the national game that his government will present to an emergency session of Parliament next week.

"To protect the NHL from further Americanization, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman will be fired and replaced immediately by Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson," Martin said. Asked whether the Governor-General knew anything about hockey, Martin replied "Not much", but that Clarkson and 200 of her closest friends would be leaving immediately on a fact-finding tour to investigate hockey-government relations in Hawaii, Fiji and Monaco.

To address long standing concerns about escalating violence in hockey, Martin said the government will increase the number of linesmen and referees to 12 per game, one official for each player on the ice. In addition, Canada's Gun Registry legislation will be amended to require all hockey sticks to be registered.

Once nationalized, all NHL teams will be subject to federal government guidelines for gender equality, affirmative action, and non-discrimination in hiring. "Inability to skate, shoot, or pass," Martin said, "will no longer be a sufficient reason for denying any Canadian an opportunity to play in the new government-controlled NHL."

Prime Minister Martin added that in future all NHL teams will also be required to abolish the position of "Right Wing" from their rosters. This will replaced by a new position called "Neocon". Asked why, Martin said it was necessary to increase support for hockey among union members, and to secure NDP backing for the NHL nationalization bill in Parliament. "Blame the minority government Canadians saddled us with," said the Prime Minister with a shrug.

The PM affirmed that "The great Canadian principle of equalization will be fully applied to our national game. The current distribution of NHL teams in Canada is unacceptable to this government," he said. "It violates the principle of regional equality for Alberta and Ontario to have two NHL teams each, while some provinces have none. Commencing next season, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be moved to Fredericton and the Edmonton Oilers to Charlottetown."

Prime Minister Martin declared the seating arrangements at NHL hockey rinks "unacceptable" as well. "We do not accept two-tier medicine in this country and we cannot accept multi-tier seating at hockey arenas. It's un-Canadian." Martin explained that former Public Works Minister Alfonso Gagliano will be put in charge of a program to flatten the seating arrangements in all NHL arenas.

Asked how spectators in the back rows would be able to see the game, Martin said the government is devising a plan for rotating spectators from back seats to front seats between periods. "It is our intention, in the interests of fairness, to ensure that any inability to see the game is fully equalized among all spectators, Martin said. "It's the Canadian way."

In recognition of the principle of "asymmetric federalism," and to secure the support of the Bloc Québecois for the nationalization measure, Martin also confirmed that the Montréal Canadiens will be exempted from all proposed reforms.

Finally, to pay for the nationalization program, the government's next budget will include several new items: a Fan Tax, an Ice Tax, a Puck Tax, a Stick Registration Fee and a new 115% income tax bracket for any hockey player making more money than the PM.

Subject: RE: BS: Do we have any hockey fans out there??
From: Mooh
Date: 10 Dec 04 - 01:15 PM

Go Leafs GO!