Sports Then and Now

Sports have always been an integral part of Michigan’s culture. From the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings to the University of Michigan Wolverines, it seems like everyone in the state is a diehard fan of some team or another.

But lately, there has been a surge in interest from sports fans all over Michigan — and not just for one particular team. The state has become increasingly passionate about its teams, with more people cheering for their favorite athletes than ever before.

From professional franchises to college athletics, Michiganders are showing their love for these teams by attending games, wearing apparel, and sharing stories on social media; all signs that indicate that sports in Michigan are more popular than they’ve ever been before.

Rise In Interest From Sports Fans All Over Michigan

Sports in Michigan have been on the rise lately, with a surge of interest from sports fans all over the state. From Detroit Tigers and Red Wings games to University of Michigan Wolverines matches, it feels like everyone in the state is a diehard fan of some team or another. It’s as if Michiganders are determined to outshine even their most intense rivals when it comes to cheering for their favorite teams.

The popularity of Michigan sports franchises is further evident in the number of people attending games and wearing apparel. The stands are packed with loyal fans from all over the state who are eagerly rooting for their beloved teams and showing support for players no matter what the outcome may be.

If you are new to playing ice hockey, you need to know some safety measures to avoid injury. The first step to start is purchasing the right kind of gear that supports your game and secures you. 

Ice hockey gear for safety

Check out all that you need and how to use:

Helmet 

When talking about preventing injuries, the first thing you need is a good helmet. Make sure the helmet you buy is certified for security. The helmets must come with a full facemask and protective chin strap and cup. Also, tighten the product to make sure it is fastened properly.

Skates 

Buy the perfect pair of skates from a hockey shop that fits into your size. Lace them tightly and check if they fit comfortably. Hockey skates must offer ankle support. The toe cup should be made of hard plastic or steel. If you already have old skates, sharpen them to perform better. Not following this step can make your skates get stuck in the ice.

Pads for shoulders, elbows, shin, and knee 

Your uniform for playing ice hockey must include padding for elbows, shin, knee, and shoulders. It is similar to playing soccer, as you need ample protection. The shin and knee pads should be made of rigid plastic and reach the top of your skate’s area.

Now that the elongated 2019-2020 NHL season has ended, attention is turning to the upcoming season. Originally expected to begin in December, it is now looking like the season will start in early January.

With longtime franchises the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, the state of Pennsylvania has long been an NHL hotbed, especially for PA NHL betting.

Though their records were very similar in the pre-pandemic regular season, the two squads had very different results when the NHL returned for the postseason.

The Philadelphia Flyers were playing their best hockey of the season when the pandemic stopped the season. They posted nine straight victories before losing what would turn out to be their final game before the pandemic to the Boston Bruins.

Their 41-21-7 record and 89 points put them a single point behind the Washington Capitals and three points ahead of the Penguins in the Metropolitan Division.

Once hockey returned, they remained hot as they won all three of their tune-up games, including an impressive 4-1 victory over the eventual champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

In their first playoff series, the Flyers defeated the Montreal Canadiens four games to two.

Facing the New York Islanders in the second round, the Flyers dropped three of the first four games, with their only win coming in overtime. Just one loss from elimination, the Flyers won a pair of overtime games to send the series to a deciding seventh game. However, they seemed to have used all their energy to draw even as the Islanders easily won the seventh game 4-0.

For anyone who remembers the U.S. Hockey team’s shocking victory over the seemingly unbeatable Russians on February 22, 1980, the fact that it has now been forty years since that amazing night likely does little to dim your memory of what has become known in sports lexicon as “The Miracle on Ice.”

I was a 12-year-old growing up in Southern Virginia, a place no one would ever confuse for being a hockey mecca. However, we were big fans of the Winter Olympics, most especially because they were being held in the United States in Lake Placid, New York.

Unlike today where we have hundreds of television stations, not to mention the internet, and you can watch coverage seemingly all day and all night, in 1980 most of the coverage occurred during the evening hours and often events were shown on tape delay. However, because we didn’t have a news network on our phone, it was easy to not know the results when watching the show each night.

By the time the U.S. was going to play Russia in the hockey semifinals, the two week run of the Olympics was nearing conclusion.

American Eric Heiden had already won four speed skating gold medals in record time and the next day would claim his fifth in the men’s 10,000 meters.

The popular event of figure skating had produced heartbreak and disappointment for the Americans. Linda Fratianne had just missed out on a gold medal in the women’s figure skating and Charles Tickner claimed bronze in the men’s figure skating, but the biggest heartbreak came in the pair skating. The five-time U.S. Champion duo of Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner were forced to withdraw from the competition because Gardner had a serious thigh injury.

Like football, Hockey is also a sport where men these days dreamt of playing. Some would die to be a professional hockey player and be able to play in the coveted Stanley Cup Finals. That dream has become the life of these two hockey goalies who brought Boston Bruins to its limelight, Tom Thomas and Tuukka Rask made everything possible for this team. Winning awards and being the best goalies proved their audience how great these two are. Boston Bruins became the dream team and hurdled there way to every tournament making them undefeated for seven straight games and lead the league in GAA. It has been a fantasy football advice that led these two goalies to work smarter and play harder.

In the sport of pure strength and muscle, a fantasy football advice would work out as an inspiration to aspiring goalies either hockey or football. As a goalie, you need to be able to work smarter and be able to read your opponent’s mind. In those four corners of the goal, you need to study where, when and how they would attack and set score because if you don’t, they can easily outsmart you. Now the real game is playing harder, once you play harder you become the beast in that field, eating your opponents and protecting your territory like your the king of the pride. Every game is important as your last, don’t be slacking off because you know your opponent is mediocre, remember even the turtle outsmarted the rabbit because of pure hard work. Skills will never get you on top, hard work does, so stop relying on those skills because the smarter you are (partnered with hard work), the better you become. 

Every single Canadian who was at least five years old in back in 1972 can tell you exactly where they were on Sept 28^th 1972. That’s the day Paul Henderson scored the most dramatic and famous goal in hockey history with just 34 seconds to go in the final contest of the eight-game Summit Series between Canada and the USSR.

The two nations went to to toe with the first four contests being held in Canada and the last four in  the Soviet Union.

Canada stood still that September afternoon with classes canceled across the country while television sets were wheeled into school auditoriums for students to witness the most important hockey game ever.

To many, it was a lot more than just a sporting event. There were many political overtones to the series as it was seen as the capitalist way of life in North America against the Communism of the Eastern Bloc. In 1972 the Olympic Games were purely for amateur athletes which the Soviet hockey players were classified as. Many players on the squad were recruited from the famous Central Red Army while the Canadian team consisted entirely of professional NHL players.

After getting a first glimpse at the Soviets, many who had holes in their socks and sweaters, most Canadians believed their country would have no problem sweeping all eight games.