How I Feel About The Return Of Hockey

About a year ago, I purchased tickets to a game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Vegas Golden Knights. I was really elated. I actually planned what I wanted to wear: my Nathan MacKinnon jersey, a Colorado Avalanche Stadium Series beanie, blue jeans, and my beloved pair of burgundy boots. Words cannot describe how excited I felt to attend.

The pandemic changed all that. The season was postponed for multiple months and I was ultimately notified that I would be refunded for the game I never got to attend. It was definitely a bummer, and, although this sounds quite silly, I blamed myself for ultimate fate of the season. I knew that the new season would be postponed because the Stanley Cup Finals were played in August and September. Waiting was tricky.

I will give you five guesses as to how I felt when I learned that the season would resume today, Wednesday, January 13, 2021, one week before my 24^th birthday. If you guessed I was excruciatingly excited, you’re right! It was the best birthday month gift I could have ever requested. This makes my Avalanche-adoring, half-Russian heart happy.

Hockey is tied for baseball as my absolute favorite sport to watch. My Russian maternal grandmother is a huge hockey fan, which is one major reason I love the sport. Hockey is a very popular sport amongst my fellow Russians, at least from my experience. In addition, I did a two-part project on cultural discrimination in professional hockey for a sports studies class my final semester of college. I had a lot of fun completing the project, and I was fascinated by the different cultural representations in the sport.

I am really looking forward to seeing some of Samuel Girard’s spin moves. He just seems like a really happy, loving person. Sam also seems like he has a lot of fun when he does spins, to me it seems like he really loves his job and is having a blast playing the sport. I would be very starstruck if I crossed paths with him in real life one day. I hope the Avalanche post Sammy Spins on Instagram and YouTube throughout the season!

Seeing Pavel Francouz do some amazing goaltender work is another thing I’m really looking forward to! Based on his wonderful performance from February 21, 2020, there is nowhere to go but up for him. I’ve seen photos of and interviews with Pavel, also known as Frankie. He is absolutely adorable, inside and out. Hopefully the Avs will do a “Frankie Fest” YouTube playlist. I would love to watch Frankie highlights.

I know for a fact that Nathan MacKinnon will make me a proud wife-in-spirits. He’s probably the most talented player on the Avalanche roster. I made my first Avalanche jersey a Nathan jersey for a reason. I cannot wait to see Nathan be amazing. I really hope he becomes the National Hockey League MVP. I would love to see that happen. In addition to following along to as many of the games as possible, I also plan on watching as many Nathan highlights on YouTube as I can.

There is nothing in my heart except room for love and admiration for King Cale Makar. I am beyond happy for him and his achievements ever since he joined the team. I also think he should be the chief of happiness for the Avalanche, considering the happy-go-lucky, positivity-filled, and fun-loving demeanor I’ve seen Cale display in photos and interviews. I would love to have someone like him around me.

The friendship between J.T. “Jimothy Timothy” Compher and Tyson “Roasty Toasty Josty” Jost is something that I know will be a magical part of the season. I recall the Avalanche putting together a series of Tweets to greet new fans and let them know what to expect as a supporter of the Burgundy Boys. One person said they adored the friendship between J.T. and Tyson. I totally agree with and understand them. I love hockey friendships, period. They are absolutely adorable and heart-warming. It’s the kind of good workplace relationships that really makes me smile.

I seriously cannot wait to see what amazing projects the social media team has for this season. They are absolutely amazing, literally the best social media team in hockey, at least from my perspective. They are so interactive, so fun, so creative, so bubbly. They’re just too awesome for their own good. I have to wonder which projects they will be planning. A Bernie the Saint Bernard appreciation thread? A Pierre-Edouard Bellemare GIF party? Perhaps a player trivia contest?

Speaking of Bernie, I know he will be a very good doggy. All it took for me was to see him spending time at Colorado Eagles games for me to know that he is a very good boy. He has some silly tendencies based on testimonies from fellow Avalanche fans, but he’s a good boy. He’s a very spirited doggy.

I’m very excited to see some prospects be called up. I know for a fact that the prospects will add some fresh talent to the team, and I know that for a fact because I would listen to Colorado Eagles games while I sold concessions. The team did absolutely amazingly. As a result, I knew the Avs were in for a treat whenever they called up an Eagles player.

All in all, I am excited for hockey to return. I look forward to amazing things, on and off the ice. I can’t wait to see some of my favorite players do some amazing things. While I am extremely unsure if fans will be allowed to watch the games in person this season, and if I will feel safe enough to do so if fans are allowed in the arena, I know for a fact I will love my Sugar Sweet Burgundy Boys no matter what!

Do you like hockey? Who are your favorite teams and players and why? Let me know in the comments below.

*Updated 11/22/2021 for a grammatical error*