So far, 2005 has not been a great year for hockey. Last month, the NHL cancelled its season because of a labor dispute. This week, the Wisconsin hockey team got kicked out of its own home rink, the Kohl Center, by a high school girls' basketball state tournament.
But I've got good news for the hockey faithful. Your messiah has arrived. His name is Matt Decovsky and he's come to save the game.
Don't go scurrying for your UW hockey media guide though, because he's not in there. You won't find this savior skating with any real team. His game has a very raw, And1 Mix Tape quality to it. It's the kind of talent that is beyond actual organized hockey.
The reason you haven't heard of Decovsky, better known as Deek, is because he just started playing hockey last week.
Growing up in New Jersey, Deek didn't have the luxury of frozen ponds and ice rinks that Minnesotans and Manitobans take for granted. Sure, he had frozen swamps, but it's pretty hard to practice hockey when you keep tripping over garbage and body parts. (Don't get me wrong. I love New Jersey. Without it, where would MTV find contestants for Room Raiders?)
Anyway, when Deek arrived in the icy Midwest last year, hockey quickly became his passion. Now, finally after a year-and-a-half of talking about it, he has taken to the ice.
He made his debut last Sunday at an open hockey session at the Shell, but what was supposed to be his glorious unveiling on the hockey scene got off to a rocky start. As he got ready to leave the dressing room, Deek realized he had forgotten to bring a stick.
If you've ever seen how much equipment a hockey player uses, you expect the occasional oversight. It's easy to forget things. Gear like elbow pads or a neck guard is small, so sometimes they get left out. But the sticks, these are essential. In fact, aside from skates, there really isn't anything more important to a hockey player.
Deek still refuses to admit he actually forgot the stick. He thinks that's too harsh. He prefers to say he \conveniently did not remember it."" However you choose to word it though, you have to agree it's ridiculous. Luckily, somebody was nice enough to loan him a stick for the session.
Since then, Deek has played just one more of open hockey and already the plans for the NHL are in motion. Deek admits he has a long way to go before he's ready to pull on an NHL sweater, but he sees the lockout as a blessing. The lockout gives him some time to catch up with his skills. He hopes that when the league resumes play, he'll be ready to join. That is, of course, if he can learn how to turn left on skates first.
Hockey fans, I'm sorry to say it, but your troubles just got a lot worse.
-Joe Hasler is out trying to find new friends to alienate in his upcoming columns. If you'd like to be next, email him at jphasler@wisc.edu.
