First of all, I need to say that for my next couple of posts, you really need to make sure that you actually read every word that I am typing, so you don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. Not that it really matters; when have you known me to shy away from expressing the unpopular perspective? But if you knew the kind of comments that I get from some of the Anti-Fan Club members, you’d realize that basic literacy skills are apparently not possessed by everyone. Second of all, I should also mention that I’m writing this as I’m watching the Canada/Russia quarter final game.

I’ve never liked the Olympics. I don’t hide this fact, but I don’t tend to elaborate on my distaste for it either. I’m not an extremist or anything. I’m not going to protest whenever someone switches it on. Instead, I’ll sit and watch quietly, and, hey, the snowboarding is pretty cool to watch, I’ll admit. As for the hockey, I tend to watch it out of habit. The NHL is on hiatus, so I do what I have to do to feed the addiction. However, it’s not must-see TV in my eyes. If someone were to call me up right now, and ask me to go out for ice cream or coffee, I’d be out of here. Actually, that’s a lie. I’m still in my pajamas – I’ve been watching Supernatural all day *blushes.*

Anyway, I know this probably seems odd to you. How could someone like me, who is so involved in professional hockey, not give a rat’s ass about the Olympic Games? Professional leagues like the NHL, NFL, NBA, etc, etc, etc are businesses! There are some fans out there that don’t understand that. They don’t understand that the bottom line comes well before the best interest of the fans. Like this whole Phoenix situation in the summer. Granted, Balsillie getting the team THAT way would have devastated the world of sport as we know it, but Bettman put on his game face and acted as though he was a champion for hockey fans in the desert, and some of them seemed dumb enough to actually buy it. What do you think will happen when the Ice Edge deal falls through? Sure, the Coyotes are bound for the playoffs, but that bandwagon still hasn’t pulled up to Jobing.com Arena. Must be stuck in traffic on that horrible twenty minute commute, or maybe the roads are icy. When potential buyers get put off by the fact that no one is showing up to the rink, well, they aren’t going to put up the cash to save the team, just to watch their millions go down the toilet. The League, being a business, will NOT keep the team (or any team) in a barren market that isn’t attractive to buyers. So much for the fans, eh? I know I’m personally pretty amped to see how Bettman handles the media when they announce that they can’t keep the team in Glendale. My prediction is that the NHL will beg Jim Balsillie to buy the Coyotes to shift the hate from the League to the “greater of two evils.” Whoops, I’m horrible with Phoenix related tangents, aren’t I?

As a hockey fan, understanding the business side of the sport is essential to enjoying the sport. If you just don’t understand that there is a bottom line, then I can’t even imagine the bitterness you might feel with your team or with the NHL. I hear it all the time from fans complaining about how the owners of their teams don’t care about the fans. Well…it happens. I’m not saying it’s right. The fans are the reason the League is as successful as it is, and they do very little in terms of giving thanks. However, it’s that business side of the game that I love. I love to see how these major league organizations are dealing with attendance issues, on ice problems, and even scandal. And I guess that’s one of the things that make the Olympics so unattractive to me. You don’t see much of that business side other than when they make their roster selection over the months leading up to the tournament. But, of course, it’s not just the Olympics that make me sad…All Star Games and things too!

I wish I could end the blog post here, but, unfortunately, there is another aspect of the Olympics that makes me want to rip my eyes out. Talking to my American friend during yet another several hour long phone conversation, he told me that he’s noticed that Canadian hockey fans seem to be giving off this patriotic vibe of entitlement. Basically, because these people are Canadian they are somehow better fans than those in the States, like it’s our birthright, like we were born better. I had told him before that the reason I want to write my new book about Canadian versus American fans is for that very fact. Not because I think Canadian fans are better, in fact, I somewhat theorize that the authentic American fans are the “better” fans. American fans will never understand the culture of the game that we have had shoved down our throat since infancy. I will talk about this more tomorrow when I discuss American puck bunnies. While we may have grown up with hockey, our fellow fans down south have had to seek it out on their own. So, who is the bigger fan? The one who can’t escape hockey, or the one who has to put forth an effort just to keep an eye on what’s going on?

As I said to my friend that night, I hate the Olympics for just that reason. Not so much in hockey but in the sudden interest that the average non-sports fan shows in our athletes. Sometimes I see CTV pan to shots of random people at bars getting excited over some figure skating performance, and the looks on their faces make me want to stab myself in the eyes. It’s so fake. You can see the fake enthusiasm in the very way that they cheer. I’m starting to sound like Holden Caulfield, but fake people are not my cup of tea if you haven’t noticed. Fakeness kind of disgusts me. Don’t worry, I’m not about to go out and shoot John Lennon or anything.

You see, I don’t really see the point. Yeah, I get that the Olympics are a key factor in peace keeping; it’s pretty much the only thing the world does together that isn’t war, but as for the outcome, it doesn’t really matter. Canada won’t have more floor time in next UN meeting because they procured more Olympic medals than another country. A gold medal isn’t going to protect against threats to homeland security. And yet, Olympic super fans act like these athletes are heroes. They treat them like they are the men and women risking their lives and even dying just to keep their country safe. They aren’t. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad thing to acknowledge the achievements of the athletes, but let’s put things in perspective, shall we.

I guess it’s kind of a sore spot for me. I know you were wondering where Puck Bunny Month was going to tie in, so here it is. The interest I took in puck bunny culture came on the heels of my discovery that Canadian society treated hockey players like Gods. Again, for the most part, Americans cannot understand this culture, so all I can do is say what I have to say, and hope that you can make sense of it. I lost a bit of faith in humanity at this time in my life. I couldn’t understand how hockey players could be so glorified when most of them were these monsters that drank too much, smoked too much, and treated women like (swamp) donkeys and (war) pigs. I became very passionate about finding out everything there was to know about this subculture, and I suppose, after all these years, what I really wanted to find was that one hockey player who could validate the glory; the one who was “different” and actually deserved to be up on that pedestal. Instead, I’ve only found more of the same from the players – womanizing alcoholics with excessive lifestyles. And the fans, mostly puck bunnies in denial, continue to disappoint me with their misguided belief system that the hockey player can do no wrong.

Anyway, like I said at the beginning, there wasn’t much point to this blog post other than to rant about various things. Don’t worry, I don’t judge you if you like the Olympics. All I’m saying is that I don’t. I have to say, though, that this Canada/Russia game is pretty crazy. Coming into the tournament, I had Russia winning the gold this year…guess I was wrong. Enjoy the Games everyone, the NHL will be back soon.