Sunday, December 21, 1997

Abilene should give hockey a chance -- the city might like it

You want to know what hockey's like? Turn off the television.

You want to know what hockey's like? Go to a game. But don't be surprised it you get hooked.

A writer once described the sport like this, "Hockey, for all its faults, is a breathtaking game, though not especially suited to TV. People don't know what they are missing."

Hockey is made to see in person. Television, for all its bells and whistles, will always fail to convey the speed, intensity and athletic ability required of a professional hockey player.

Announcers often say that hitting a baseball is the hardest feat in professional sports. Once you've seen hockey, you might dispute that.

If you've never skated, try it sometime. Then remember what hockey players face.

One of the best examples of a hockey player's skill can be seen when a teammate passes the puck into a player's skate. A sure turnover? No way. Watch how the player getting the pass will kick the puck onto his stick -- and never break stride. It's an amazing feat.

Abilene would benefit greatly from getting a minor league hockey franchise. Hockey would bring something to Abilene unlike anything the city has seen.

No sport in the area holds an appeal that can reach any taste.

You like speed? No game in the world can sustain a lightning pace like hockey. The speed of shots can reach triple digits, all the while players substitute "on the fly" keeping the game flowing.

Do you crave physical play? Fighting is the one aspect of hockey that just about everyone knows.

Adding a professional hockey team would do nothing to detract from the local sports scene. Abilene is big enough to support three universities and four high schools, plus a hockey team.

A team in Abilene would give city officials another thing to point at and say, "See what the city offers." Abilene is diverse enough to support a sport once thought to have no chance in the Sun Belt.

According to a Western Professional Hockey League official, the league is averaging nearly 4,000 fans per game. That is more than double what the Abilene Prairie Dogs drew last year.

The city made a big push to get the Prairie Dogs when it had the chance. Hockey deserves the same support.

It won't be a bad investment.