I confess that I am a bit of a hockey newb. I've dabbled in the sport a bit in the past, but I had a hard time grabbing the nuances of the game. However, that all changed in the past year and a half, when I made a new hockey watching buddy. Chris really took the time to explain what I was missing, both in terms of actual play and in strategy.
As a consequence, I really came to appreciate the play of the Bruins. Chris is a huge Bruins fan, and consequently most of the NHL games I saw this year were Boston games. I grew to appreciate and love the play of Tim Thomas, who was everything in the finals that Luongo wasn't: determined, fierce, and a brick wall.
I loved the feistiness of Marchand, and all the more when he started scoring. I respected Chara, Bergeron, Horton, Lucic and so many others. I started noticing how in so many other sporting events (NBA finals, MLB games) how fans in the stands wore Boston Bruin caps.
I just really appreciate the intensity of playoff hockey. There's really nothing like it in sports. I hope that I can parlay this into a second great season of watching NHL next year.
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