Randy Smith
Since the Nashville Predators appearance in the world of big-time pro sports this month, I've actually watched a few hockey games. In watching these games I have learned a bit more about the game itself. Today, I thought I would let everyone know what I've learned.
I've learned that nothing should be taken literally. Such as, icing the puck. I'm still not sure what it means but it doesn't mean taking the puck and placing it in a freezer. I'll keep working on that one.
I've learned that the event itself is at least as big as the game.
Why else would 50,000 fans who couldn't get a ticket to the game gather outside Bridgestone Arena while the game goes on inside? Like watching football, I would rather be in the confines of my "man cave" with a rest room a mere 10 feet away, watching on a big screen TV.
I've learned that a power play is an important time in the game. That's when one team has a player in the penalty box, while the other team has more players on the ice. That's important because if you can't score with an extra player on the ice, you're likely not going to win many hockey games.
I've learned that hockey coaches are as calm during their games as baseball managers are. Cutaway shots of a team's bench always show a hockey coach in full coat and tie. Unlike basketball coaches, you rarely ever see a hockey coach take his coat off. I imagine that since the game is played on ice, he probably needs to keep his coat on to stay warm.
Goalies are gifted athletes. If you don't have a great goalie, you won't advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Predators' Pekka Rinne has been the team MVP so far. I'm a bit impressed because he uses the biggest first baseman's mit I've ever seen.
I've never understood why hockey has three halves of play. Three periods that last twenty minutes each. Sixty minutes of play is the same as football, only in football you have the game divided into four fifteen minute quarters, with just one halftime. In hockey you have a halftime between all three periods, or should it be called a "thirdtime" This has been really hard for me since I failed math in three states.
I've also learned that the hockey puck can be really dangerous. That's why fans who are down close to the ice, have a huge plexi-glass screen in front of them, separating them from the ice. And why is it called a puck? You couldn't really use a ball of any type to play with, because on ice, it would never stay still. Think about it.
I've also learned that it's okay to throw dead animals on the ice. It seems a bit bizarre though. I've heard that up north a team's fan base will throw a dead octopus on the ice. Nashville fans have been known to toss dead catfish on the ice at Bridgestone Arena. In fact, in game one of the series in Pittsburgh a Nashville fan was arrested for sneaking a dead, compressed catfish in his shorts into the arena and then throwing it on the ice. All charges were dropped but I certainly hope the man threw away those shorts. Having a dead catfish inside your pants for more than an hour makes for a smelly situation.
Right now, the series is tied at 2-2. It started out as a best of seven series, but now it's a best two out of three. I imagine we'll just throw those first four games out the window. Game five will be Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
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Randy Smith has been covering sports on radio, television and print for the past 45 years. After leaving WRCB-TV in 2009, he has written two books, and has continued to free-lance as a play-by-play announcer. His career has included a 17-year stretch as host of the Kickoff Call In Show on the University of Tennessee’s prestigious Vol Network. He has been a member of the Vol Network staff for 30 years. He has done play-by-play on ESPN, ESPN II, CSS, and Fox SportSouth, totaling more than 500 games, and served as a well-known sports anchor on Chattanooga television for more than a quarter-century. In 2003, he became the first television broadcaster to be inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Area Sports Hall of Fame. Randy and his wife Shelia reside in Hixson. They have two married children, Christi and Chris Perry; Davey and Alison Smith. They have five grandchildren, Coleman, Boone, Mattingly, DellaMae, and CoraLee.