Reason I Love Hockey #16

Hockey Players

No, no, no. My (imaginary?) male audience can take their fingers out of their ears, because I promise I'm not going to start talking about "chiseled abs," or "luscious lashes." While the eye-candy is certainly, um, enjoyable, it's mainly the persona I appreciate. Swimming in the sea of overblown machismo and male divaship that is pro sports, hockey players manage to keep their heads level and their acts classy. (Well, for the most part. I mean, this is still sports, where the testosterone and adrenaline pumps go to eleven, and there are plenty of dirty players.) Respect and professionalism have always been, and hopefully will always be the hockey player's trademark. This April, while the NBA was wrestling with its young stars to get them to stop showing up for important events in baggy sports wear and cockeyed caps, my mom ran into the Rangers at the Adam's Mark hotel in Buffalo. Every last one of them was dressed in a thousands-dollar suit.

Being a hockey player means checking your ego at the door (until money gets involved). It means following a goal with a series of glove- and helmet-taps with your teammates, instead of a self-satisfied strut and some egotistical muscle-flexing. It means celebrating the goal and not the scorer. It means skating back and thanking your goaltender after every game, win or lose. It means at some point you will be held accountable--at microphone-point--for your actions, so you sure as hell better have something to say for yourself. I'm always happy to note, in post-game interviews, how quick most players are to spread the praise to their teammates, and reserve the criticism for themselves. They are most often found to be humble, earnest and articulate. (Well, in relative sports terms, of course. Usually more articulate than this Berkley grad, that's for sure. Also keep in mind that, for many of them, English is a second language. How much Russian do you know, huh?)

Best of all, being a hockey player means keeping your nose clean. There's enough sports-related action going on in the NHL, and I'm glad I don't have to deal with the anxiety of finding out who's taking what illegal performance enhancer, or who's sleeping with what underage hooker. News about doping and criminal charges is hardly in the foreground of the hockey landscape. Granted, this probably has as much to do with the NHL practice of keeping the players' private lives out of the spotlight (which is just fine by me) as it does anything else, but I can't help but believe that on a basic level, hockey players are just good-natured, down-to-earth guys. Not necessarily guys I'd want to hang out with, but guys I can at least imagine someone wanting to hang out with. And that's more than I can say for my perception of the average basketball player.

In light of this week's events with Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, I'm infinitely glad to be a hockey fan. I mean, dealing with the fact that Chris Drury is a Ranger is bad enough. How could I possibly cope if confronted with the knowledge that he kills dogs in his spare time? I never thought I'd be thankful for guys like Chris Neil and Sean Avery, but if that's as "bad boy" as the NHL gets, we're in pretty good shape. Especially considering that for every insolent puke to be found, there's a handful of laid-back, lovable guys like Marty Biron and Brian Campbell to reset the balance.