Puck Prose

An interesting scenario is brewing presently known as Project NHL Seattle or similar. We have a team, but no name. The name and concept for the home turf have been announced and already caused a stir, but the arena does not yet exist. It is scheduled to be completed sometime next spring, or summer…maybe closer to early fall depending on the severity of pandemic related delays. Venue construction setbacks and general questions about the future of professional sports notwithstanding, the inaugural 2021-’22 season tickets for the team to be named later are sold out.

Uncertainty aside, I’m excited to have a professional hockey team in Seattle. Having played myself growing up and watched my fair share of games as a fan, hockey is a sport that truly contains multitudes. The combination of speed, precision, finesse, tactics, raw power, and split-second decision-making performed at the highest level is exhilarating. It is also the only professional sport that actively tracks my favorite sports performance metric of all time-the plus minus statistic. A source of ongoing discussion and controversy, officially it’s the player’s goal differential during minutes played.   In reality, many players, coaches and fans know it to be the indicator of an individual player’s overall contribution and impact on the game. Beyond goals, assists, and shots on goal, all in, what happens to the game when a certain player is on the ice?  Hockey celebrates the intangibles, the little things, the team chemistry and the interdependence of individuals working towards a common goal. It’s electrifying, and just so fun to watch, so let’s get it, Seattle!!! We do need to decide on the name for the experience...