Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
December 15, 2000, Washington Post

The Puck Stops Here

Okay, it's quiz time.

Okay, it's quiz time.

What major league sport has teams in North Carolina, Nashville, Columbus and
Minnesota? Extra credit if you know the team names.

While you are trying to think of that one, who are Zigmund Palffy, Luc Robitaille, Marian Hossa and Radek Bonk?

Give up? Lots of sports fans would.

But if you know that the Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue
Jackets and Minnesota Wild play in the National Hockey League (NHL), you are a real hockey fan.

And if you know that Zigmund Palffy, Luc Robitaille, Marian Hossa and Radek Bonk are among the NHL's highest point scorers, you are a real live hockey nut.

Not so long ago, hockey was the easiest game for fans to follow. There were only six teams in the NHL.

Almost all the players were from Canada and fans knew them because none of the players--not even the goalies--wore helmets or masks.

And no American kids outside of New England and Minnesota played. But everything about hockey has changed.

Now there are 30--count them, 30--NHL teams! Some are in unlikely hockey hotbeds such as San Jose, California; Tampa Bay, Florida; and Phoenix, Arizona.

The National Hockey League is really an international league. Players come from
Russia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, just about any country with an ice rink.

And the players all wear helmets and masks. They would be crazy to step into the hard-checking, skates-flying action without them.

More NHL players are coming from the United States too. Hockey has gone big time in America. Twelve years ago, the Maryland Scholastic Hockey League had just nine teams at area high schools. Now the league has more than 100 high school hockey teams in Maryland, Northern Virginia and the District, including a dozen all-girl teams.

One thing that has helped fuel the hockey boom in the USA: rollerblades. These days, kids don't have to wait for time at an ice rink to practice their skating and stick-handling skills. Kids on rollerblades can play on just about any flat, paved surface. I have even seen roller-hockey games on Pennsylvania Avenue, right in front of the White House.

Yup. Hockey sure has changed. These days the game has more of everything.

More teams.

More speed.

More action.

And more kids playing.

FRED BOWEN is the author of sports novels for kids. Write to him at KidsPost,
1150 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20071. Or e-mail (with "The Score" in the
subject field): kidspost@washpost.com.

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