Hockey Night in the Twin Cities
The last time Minnesota State shut out a team on the road was December 1st, 2001. Anybody remember where they were on December 1st, 2001? I sure don't.
Saturday night brought a new memory though. I was driving home from a different hockey game, racing to make it back home for the Maverick game. I was about halfway home, just reaching the point where I-94 splits off into 494 and 694 on the west side of the Twin Cities. It was already a couple minutes into the game. I turned to 1420 AM hoping that maybe the signal would carry that far north. With the sound cranked, I could barely make out the voice of Mike Sullivan and Paul Allan sprinkled between the crackles and static.
Some people say that hockey was meant to watched on high-definition television. But I think the game was meant for this decidedly low-definition medium. The foundations of this game were built on people tuning in crackling radios to hear Rene Lacavalier call games from The Forum or to hear Foster Hewitt narrate from his gondola above the Garden. It reminded me of my youth, setting a portable radio on my pillow as I went to bed on Friday and Saturday night, and closing my eyes, trying to picture the game. It's what made Saturday night "Hockey Night". There was a beautiful, timeless quality to it that I don't think I'll ever get from booting up my laptop to watch a game on the B2 network. The players seem to skate so much faster on radio. The passes are more crisp. The checks are harder. The drama is heightened that much more.
I eventually made it to 35W-North and the signal dropped out completely, but not before I was able to decipher that the Mavericks had earned a 1-0 lead after a period of play. I finished the game, sweating through the final moments of the shutout, from the comfort of my couch, with the radio broadcast coming in crystal clear on my computer. It was a great win for the Mavericks, and one that I would have loved to have seen. But then again, listening to it wasn't so bad either.
After the game, I had to look up statistic about the last time MSU shut out a team on the road. Next time it happens though, I'm sure I'll remember this game.
Saturday night brought a new memory though. I was driving home from a different hockey game, racing to make it back home for the Maverick game. I was about halfway home, just reaching the point where I-94 splits off into 494 and 694 on the west side of the Twin Cities. It was already a couple minutes into the game. I turned to 1420 AM hoping that maybe the signal would carry that far north. With the sound cranked, I could barely make out the voice of Mike Sullivan and Paul Allan sprinkled between the crackles and static.
Some people say that hockey was meant to watched on high-definition television. But I think the game was meant for this decidedly low-definition medium. The foundations of this game were built on people tuning in crackling radios to hear Rene Lacavalier call games from The Forum or to hear Foster Hewitt narrate from his gondola above the Garden. It reminded me of my youth, setting a portable radio on my pillow as I went to bed on Friday and Saturday night, and closing my eyes, trying to picture the game. It's what made Saturday night "Hockey Night". There was a beautiful, timeless quality to it that I don't think I'll ever get from booting up my laptop to watch a game on the B2 network. The players seem to skate so much faster on radio. The passes are more crisp. The checks are harder. The drama is heightened that much more.
I eventually made it to 35W-North and the signal dropped out completely, but not before I was able to decipher that the Mavericks had earned a 1-0 lead after a period of play. I finished the game, sweating through the final moments of the shutout, from the comfort of my couch, with the radio broadcast coming in crystal clear on my computer. It was a great win for the Mavericks, and one that I would have loved to have seen. But then again, listening to it wasn't so bad either.
After the game, I had to look up statistic about the last time MSU shut out a team on the road. Next time it happens though, I'm sure I'll remember this game.
posted by Chris at 1:46 PM
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