Skip to main content

Seven Wonders of the Hockey World

Here's something silly to keep you occupied during this week. As detailed below, there are a new "Seven Wonders of the World", as voted upon in a worldwide internet survey (is there any better way to decide an issue? Of course not, wrote the intrepid blogger).

So here's your challenge - what would be considered the Seven Wonders of the Hockey World? If you had a shortlist of hockey-related trips you could make, which would make the cut? My suggestions are included a little further down, and include either places or specific events. Sound off in the comments, and next week I'll summarize the results.

Update: Greg Wyshynski over at the Fanhouse has chimed in with some hilarious suggestions, including Lanny McDonald's mustache and Don Cherry's closet...





Some items for consideration (some of them obvious, some of them my personal additions):

  1. The Hockey Hall of Fame: duh.

  2. The Stanley Cup Finals: double-duh.

  3. The World Ice Hockey Championships: Held in Europe each spring, they're largely ignored by North American fans focusing on the NHL playoffs.

  4. Madison Square Garden: The "World's Most Famous Arena" has been the stage for some fierce battles over the years, some of which have even taken place on the ice.

  5. Joe Louis Arena: It's not quite 30 years old, but it feels like it belongs to another time in this age of spacious concourses and luxury boxes.

  6. The Minnesota high school hockey tournament: 100,000+ fans each spring can't be wrong.

  7. The Victoria Skating Rink: Sure, it's a parking garage now, but back in 1875 it hosted the first known indoor ice hockey game.

  8. The National Hockey League offices: Because who wouldn't love the opportunity to moon Gary Bettman as he left the building one day?

  9. Yost Ice Arena: Home to the University of Michigan Wolverines (and where I began my adult rec-hockey career almost 20 years ago), it's a cozy little barn that provides by far the most entertaining action on a campus better known for top football programs.


That's enough to get you started, so fire away with your suggestions, from the big-time NHL stadia down to the hallowed rinks of local legend. Besides, it's 92-friggin' degrees down here (that's 33 for you hosers), and I could use something to rekindle memories of ice-cold winters...
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Cheer up, it's the holidays...

Why is it that various media outlets continue trying to put their own spin on the "what's wrong with the NHL" story? Our latest example comes from The Hockey News , in a piece by Jay Greenburg entitled, "Excitement Level On The Decline." Take the opening sentence: Attendance is down and yet still up from before the lockout, leaving it arguable whether buildings in New Jersey and Florida are half-full or half empty. It's no surprise that attendance is down from last season, particularly if you compare the first half of 2005-06 to the first half of this year. Coming out of the lockout, there were legions of fans starved to see the on-ice product, particularly in light of the massive rule changes. This year is more indicative of business as usual, so the fact that the league is above pre-lockout levels is a positive. Toss in the projection that overall revenues are increasing despite a 1% decrease in attendance, and I'd say that paying fans have come back ...
Read more

How I'm Trying To Make Money Sports Blogging

To kick off this series of articles general sports-blogging articles here at OTF Classic, I think it's best to start with a comment that Brad left here last week, after I shared my goals for 2012 , which include specific revenue targets: I considered diving into the world of internet marketing myself, but I felt that my friends would hate me for bugging them about stuff. I mean, it's pretty low-risk high-reward, so it's tempting. I wouldn't mind reading about tips on how to maximize impact of blogging in general to make it a legitimate income source. Trying to make money at sports blogging can be a very touchy subject - for the vast majority of us, this is an activity we pursue to both exercise our creativity and share our love of the game, whether it's hockey, football, badminton, whatever, with fellow fans. Mixing that personal conversation with a commercial message can turn people off, especially if it becomes too intrusive for the reader. It's not unrea...
Read more

Social Media, Internet Marketing, and Real, Paying Customers - it really works!

Applying the basic tenets of internet marketing (SEO best practices and social media network building) have helped me grow the readership and engagement over at On The Forecheck tremendously in recent years, but lately I've been wondering if those same techniques could be applied to small- or medium-sized local businesses, to help them drive real, tangible business results. I'm talking about not just drawing idle hockey fans looking to a blog so they can muse over line combinations, but helping businesses connect with potential customers in ways that otherwise wouldn't occur. Recently, I was able to help make just such a thing happen, and it shows just how great the opportunities are for small, local businesses which may not have the resources or skills available to extend their brand effectively on the internet.
Read more