Thunderstruck: Hot Steel On Cold Ice And Awesome Hockey

“I was caught

In the middle of a railroad track (Thunder)

I looked 'round,

And I knew there was no turning back (Thunder)

My mind raced

And I thought what could I do? (Thunder)

And I knew

There was no help, no help from you (Thunder)

Sound of the drums

Beatin' in my heart

The thunder of guns!

Tore me apart

You've been - thunderstruck!

Thunderstruck--yeah, yeah, yeah!

Said yeah, it's alright

We're! Doing fine

Yeah, it's alright

We're! Doing fine

So fine

Thunderstruck, yeah, yeah, yeah,

Thunderstruck, thunderstruck, thunderstruck!”

--Angus Young of the band AC/DC from the song “Thunderstruck” from the album Razor's Edge, 1985.

Hey, let’s face it: The Chicago BEARS Suck!

All my prognosticating has led to a futile effort on my part of hoping against hope and dreaming the impossible dream.

Sigh…

So I have turned some of my attention to my second favorite sport, HOCKEY! This year, thanks to the Dish Network, I will see quite a few Blackhawk Games. I love to watch hockey and no, for the ignorant masses who do not understand the game; it has nothing to do with fights.

Hockey athletes are like soccer athletes and physically in good shape. There are no Orlando Paces out there on the ice (as it might crack and the players have to move). There is a grace and a skill involved. There is enough slamming and violence to keep me entertained (OK, maybe a fight once in a while is fun to watch). Finally, I just understand it and many others out there do not.

Jen enjoys the games as well. This is a sport we can cheaply enjoy together.

Our local hockey team is the Bloomington Prairie Thunder. Our mascot is a Buffalo named Chip (Buffalo Chip, get it?) which I think is funny. We are affiliated with the IHL and we have players who are starting their careers and some who are in the twilight of their careers, but it matters not to me. They put a good product on the ice and we are entertained. I like the action, Jen enjoys it to a degree, but she really likes the Music they play in between breaks in the action. Every game we hear AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” full blast echoing off the rafters.

After three years of mediocre play, The Thunder have a much-improved team. We had a run at seven straight wins this season, a bit earlier and now we have drifted down to third place. Still, having gone to my fair share of games, they are a much-improved team. They have an offensive strategy and two goalies that are incredible.

So while some go for the music, the contests, the promotions, such as: if the Thunder score four times, the local McDonalds gives the audience a free Big Mac the next day when a fan brings in a ticket stub or every game a row in a section will be given a scoop of the local Carl’s Ice Cream, and some go for the “kiss cam” or to see themselves on the jumbo-tron screen. I made the screen last night, but never have Jen and I made the kiss cam. Since we are never on it, she just kisses me and says “we don’t need no stinkin’ kiss cam.”

Jen dragged me to the “festival of Trees” a local Bloomington/ Normal benefit event; and next door to it they had the Sports-tacular with the college teams in town, the arena football team members, and representatives of the Thunder. I met Defensemen Armando Scarlato at the event and was taking shots on goal. From about forty-five back, I hit seven of eight shots. They gave Jen an autographed shirt for my efforts, as I talked to the player about the team. He was at the Thunder game last evening, and posed for a photo with me in his autograph booth. Nice guy and he says he enjoys playing on the team.

Tickets are twelve dollars each and the Thunder has tons of promotions as well.

I think I just may have to keep going, as I am never really too worked up if they lose, because I think the intention of the team (to provide good efforts and entertainment for the family) is honest, sincere, and legit.

Now, about those lazy Bears…