INSIDE HOCKEY

I love the smell of fresh ice. Watching the Zamboni slide across the pure white sheet in a hockey arena gives me a shiver from my chilled scalp to my pedicured toes.

Even if it’s rival ice.

My most recent hockey buddy story of note is one of me and a group of three others - a friend of mine, his girlfriend, and a coworker of hers (a hardcore Kings fan). Since the Ducks were playing the Kings at the Staples Center, Kings territory, I was more than slightly outnumbered at the sold out game. There were over 18,000 other hockey fans in the arena. Sometimes I forget that there are people in L.A. who even watch hockey, considering my hockey buddy search woes. Even though they were mostly Kings fans, it was still a comforting feeling to be surrounded by fellow hockey lovers.

Since the Ducks also hail from southern California, I had some company, including an older couple behind me. “Are you from OC (Orange County)?” They asked me, all bright-eyed and excited.

“No, but I used to live in San Diego,” I answered, not wanting to tell them my entire Ducks fanatic story that started with my obsession with Paul Kariya and included the luckiest moment of my life when I won Jean-Sebastien Giguere’s jersey from the first year the Ducks went to the cup.

I saw loads of other people in Ducks gear so I felt even more confident standing up and cheering loudly throughout the night. I proudly sported my old school Ducks visor and shouted for my team.

I’ll admit that I enjoyed seeing Rob Blake on the ice. I used to love him when he played for the Avalanche and I still like seeing him out there, even though he plays for the bad guys. The hardcore Kings fan in my group kept pointing out when Blake was on the ice exclaiming that he’s one of the old guys. I rolled my eyes and drank my large beer.

I pointed out George Parros to my friend’s girlfriend early in the game. Every time he skated by, she said, “Hey, there’s your man!” I replied, “No, that’s my moustache.” And then added that I’d love to trim the hair on his head for him. It’s getting a little unruly. I was tempted to make a Parros moustache poster for the night, but I decided against it. Although our seats were fairly close to the ice, I wasn’t sure if he’d be able to see it. What would be the point if he didn’t catch a glimpse and appreciate my hard work?

Regarding the game, the beginning was a little slow for Anaheim, but they soon got into it and overpowered the Kings 6-3. The game marked the Ducks first time they were over .500 in the season. They made me proud and proved they were the royalty that night. Corey Perry was on fire, scoring the first two goals for Anaheim. And when the Kings pulled their goalie in the third as a last attempt of catching up, the only thing they accomplished was leaving the net open for Rob Niedermayer to put one in. Ryan Getzlaf, Brad May, and Samuel Pahlsson scored the other goals. I’m glad that rosy-cheeked Pahlsson didn’t let me down. I've been a fan since he joined the team.

On the way home, I had an interesting exchange with a Kings fan in a jersey with a half smoked cigar in his mouth. He thought he’d try to be sassy and said, “You’re a Ducks fan? Name five players on the team.” I looked at him like he was the most idiotic person in the world and spouted off five players. Maybe he was under the impression I watch hockey simply just to look at the handsome men on the ice. Then I told him he should smoke the rest of his cigar to celebrate my team’s win.

It was a good night for the Ducks and me, but I’m still on the hunt for a hockey partner. It’s getting more than a little depressing that in this massive city (the second largest in the United States to be exact) there’s not a single hockey lover that wants to kick it with me this season. I’d go so far as to say it’s borderline ridiculous. Can anyone out there help me?