Let's Go Devils!
There can be few things in sport as satisfying as the thunderous crash of one heavily-padded man slamming another one into the Perspex barrier of a skating rink (apologies for the homo-eroticism there.) But this is just one of the many joys of ice hockey.
I first went to watch ice hockey in Cardiff because tickets for Cardiff City football club were so expensive, and I wanted to see some live sport. So, not sure what to expect, my friends and I headed down to the Cardiff Arena, a large but temporary ice rink in the Bay to see the Cardiff Devils. The atmosphere in there is fantastic, aided by the fact that it is (obviously) an enclosed space, so the cheering and drumming of the crowds really rumble around.
One of the things I really like about ice hockey is the spirit in which it is played and watched. I have not heard any swearing from the crowd before, and during the last game I saw, when the crowd felt that the referee had made a bad decision it did not chant "the referee's a (insert expletive)" but instead "what a load of rubbish." It is also very funny to see a highly-skilled professional lose his balance for no apparent reason and end up on his back, provoking the crowd as one to roar "wheeeeyyy!" even though we all know that we could not even skate backwards. At the end of the game both teams skate around the edge of the rink to applaud the crowd, and vice versa, showing an admirable sportsmanship.
From seeing ice hockey on television it occurred to me that a) I would have no idea where the puck was most of the time, and b) I had no idea what the rules were. Pleasantly surprising is the fact that the action is really easy to follow, easier by far than it is on television because you feel very close to the ice. I still do not really know the rules, but it does not hinder your enjoyment at all - all you need to know is that you have to stick the puck in the goal, and full body contact is perfectly legal. Fighting is not. Fights are fairly commonplace (rarely does a twenty minute period pass without a bit of a scuffle) but they are more comical than aggressive, mainly consisting of two guys shoving at each other’s faces while trying not to fall over. Should anyone get a little too angry the crowd soon defuse it with a loud "ooooOOOOOoooooh" at their handbag antics.
There is also plenty of action in ice hockey, more so than most sports I would suggest. In the most recent game I saw Cardiff beat Braehead Clan 5-3, but it was 4-2 with a matter of minutes to go - at 4-3 the Clan brought off their goalkeeper and threw on another striker, so there was 30 seconds of play with an open goal, and Cardiff managed to take advantage. It made for a thrilling end, with the whole crowd on their feet willing Cardiff to keep their goal safe and then shoot from range.
I wanted to write this to encourage everybody to go and watch a game, see how it grabs you. At fifteen pounds it is very good value, and I promise it is great fun for any age or gender- the crowd is equal parts men, women and kids. You can buy tickets here or call 02920 382001.
Hope to see you at a game soon!
Info Sport & Leisure Winter Sports
1 Comment – Post a comment
Sam Sprout (Editor)
Commented 68 months ago - 1st October 2010 - 07:55am
Sold! Always fancied heading down for a game and I think this year I'll do it. Agree on City too, very expensive.