Interest in hockey in the United States is increasing with the league's most popular teams having some success. I may be slightly biased based on my location, but an example of this occurs in Washington, where the Capitals have been the league's best team for over a month. Just look at American University's campus and see the sea of red jerseys that only multiply every weekend. Even national sports sites and forums are noticing the dominant performances of the Caps.
Since we are in the area of the Washington Capitals and you are probably following their success, this slideshow from www.nbcolympics.com will introduce you to some other players in the NHL to look at out for.
The slideshow displays players in action for audiences, while giving an intimate look with a description of a particular nickname given to the player in the photo.
Nicknames have always been an important aspect of hockey, especially to serious fans and players. Gordie "Mr. Hockey" Howe, Gordon "Ace" Bailey, Hector "Toe" Blake, and most famously Wayne "The Great One" Gretsky have been names synonymous with hockey fans for years. In order to truly know hockey, you must be familiar with at least a few nicknames and who these players are.
In a time where hockey has a chance to grow in the United States, the NHL can capitalize (no pun intended) on interest by being promoter friendly with audiences and show a bit of the big names in hockey.
It's unfortunate that this gallery hides the info in the captions, which are off by default. Makes it hard to "get to know" the players.
ReplyDeleteToo bad that gallery uses Silverlight. Ugh!
How did you get so into hockey, anyway?