Memories From My Youth
When I was a kid, well maybe not a kid but much younger than I am now, I was a Quebec Nordiques fan.
As if admitting to being a Hawks fan is bad enough, should I be ashamed to admit this too?
The Nordiques were like the NHL team that everybody forgets existed. This includes the time they were an active team. Maybe that's why I like them. Who can understand the mind of a kid? Certainly not an adult, of which I am now.
They joined the NHL during the merger with the WHA in the early 80's. As a young kid just getting interested in hockey, I think I felt like I could jump on at the beginning so to speak. AND, the damned Canadians (who are like the Yankees of the NHL) complained that the Nords would be infringing up their territory. Wah! Wah! Wah!
They had a cool name. Nordiques. Named because the franchise was the northernmost team at the time.
They had a pretty stupid logo though. It was like a lower case 'n' that almost looked like an igloo holding a hockey stick. It was pretty bad. They did have a kick ass looking thing on their sleeves though. I know it now to be a fleur de lis.
I guess it's supposed to representative of a flower, I prefer to think of it as a really badass spear or pike tip.
They had some good players too.
Peter Stastny, only the 2nd most prolific scorer behind #99 in the 80's.
Peter's brothers Anton and Marian also played with him, and they weren't half bad either.
Michel Goulet, another great scorer.
Dale Hunter - solid 80's star.
Guy LaFleur - if only for a short time on the tail end of his career. Mainly he signed with the Nords as a slap in the face to the Canadians who felt him too old to contribute.
Joe (ball) Sakic started with the Nordiques, as did Peter Forsberg.
Mats Sundin, Ron Hextall, Mike Ricci.
Sadly, the Nordiques are no more. They were turned into the Colorado Avalanche. The sad thing about this, besides the fact that Canada loses yet another hockey team to it's big brother down south, was that people are only gonna remember the Nordiques for the negative things.
They never won anything in the NHL.
Eric Lindros refuses to play for them and sits out a year after being drafted and forcing a trade with Philly or the Rangers. It was so confusing an arbitrator had to rule on it and the Flyers won.
The almost bankruptcy of the team that forced it owners to actually borrow money to make payroll.
Goalie Clint Malarchuk getting his neck run over by a skate and pressurized projective bleeding all over the ice. (thank God he lived, the skate punctured his jugular.)
And my friends, the biggest indignity of them all.
The first year they were in Colorado, they won the damn cup.
As if admitting to being a Hawks fan is bad enough, should I be ashamed to admit this too?
The Nordiques were like the NHL team that everybody forgets existed. This includes the time they were an active team. Maybe that's why I like them. Who can understand the mind of a kid? Certainly not an adult, of which I am now.
They joined the NHL during the merger with the WHA in the early 80's. As a young kid just getting interested in hockey, I think I felt like I could jump on at the beginning so to speak. AND, the damned Canadians (who are like the Yankees of the NHL) complained that the Nords would be infringing up their territory. Wah! Wah! Wah!
They had a cool name. Nordiques. Named because the franchise was the northernmost team at the time.
They had a pretty stupid logo though. It was like a lower case 'n' that almost looked like an igloo holding a hockey stick. It was pretty bad. They did have a kick ass looking thing on their sleeves though. I know it now to be a fleur de lis.
I guess it's supposed to representative of a flower, I prefer to think of it as a really badass spear or pike tip.
They had some good players too.
Peter Stastny, only the 2nd most prolific scorer behind #99 in the 80's.
Peter's brothers Anton and Marian also played with him, and they weren't half bad either.
Michel Goulet, another great scorer.
Dale Hunter - solid 80's star.
Guy LaFleur - if only for a short time on the tail end of his career. Mainly he signed with the Nords as a slap in the face to the Canadians who felt him too old to contribute.
Joe (ball) Sakic started with the Nordiques, as did Peter Forsberg.
Mats Sundin, Ron Hextall, Mike Ricci.
Sadly, the Nordiques are no more. They were turned into the Colorado Avalanche. The sad thing about this, besides the fact that Canada loses yet another hockey team to it's big brother down south, was that people are only gonna remember the Nordiques for the negative things.
They never won anything in the NHL.
Eric Lindros refuses to play for them and sits out a year after being drafted and forcing a trade with Philly or the Rangers. It was so confusing an arbitrator had to rule on it and the Flyers won.
The almost bankruptcy of the team that forced it owners to actually borrow money to make payroll.
Goalie Clint Malarchuk getting his neck run over by a skate and pressurized projective bleeding all over the ice. (thank God he lived, the skate punctured his jugular.)
And my friends, the biggest indignity of them all.
The first year they were in Colorado, they won the damn cup.
posted by Future Grump at 10:37 AM
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