Hot Hockey
The hockey idiot's guide to jumping on the Houston Aeros' Calder Cup bandwagon
When you win Game 7 to avoid the reserve sweep, it's time to party. And getready for the Calder Cup finals.
The Aeros crowds have been growing during this playoff run, but how about asellout?
Yikes! That was more interesting than it should have been.
The Houston Aeros managed to avoid a reverse sweep (losing four games in a row after notching wins in the first three games of a seven game playoff series) when winger Jon DiSalvatore scored the game-winning goal with just over a minute left in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals at the Toyota Center on Tuesday night.
The hotly contested 4-3 victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs sends the Aeros to the Calder Cup Finals for the first time in nearly a decade. It will be a Houston sports team’s first shot at a non-soccer championship since the 2005 World Series.
The Aeros last hoisted the Calder Cup — the American Hockey League’s top prize and second oldest trophy in pro sports behind the NHL’s Stanley Cup — in 2003 by defeating the Hamilton Bulldogs (who were in the AHL’s Eastern Conference at the time) in seven games.
Games 1 and 2 of the Calder Cup Finals between the Aeros and the Eastern Conference Champion Binghamton Senators are scheduled for this Friday and Saturday night at the Toyota Center. The puck drops at 7:35 p.m. each night.
For those of you who are still new to this — and I’m guessing that’s the vast majority of you — here’s a handy dandy guide to hockey bandwagon fandom courtesy of CultureMap:
1. Wear the T-shirt of the band to the concert. No, in this [rare] case, it isn’t lame to deck yourself out in excessive amounts of team apparel. You’ll notice the diehards wearing replica sweaters (hockey jerseys are called “sweaters” by the way), but for the newbies, T-shirts and caps are fine.
At the very least, don the Aeros colors: green, red and beige. It’s not a great combo, but an ugly Christmas sweater and a pair of khakis will do the trick.
2. Learn the opposing goalie’s name. After every Aeros goal, the faithful chant: “One. Two. Three. He Shoots. He Scores. Hey [insert goalie name]. You Suck!”
Like that video of Brett Favre getting pegged in the groin by a football, it’s funny every time. You’ll want to join in.
3. Don’t bother learning anyone else’s. Because A) you need a master’s degree in French to read most hockey rosters; and B) these guys have worked too hard all year to hear phony super fans mangle their names in public. It’s enough that you’re there.
Cheer when the team does something good, and boo when they do something stupid. Don’t overthink it.
4. Lone Star tall boys are $2 at The Maple Leaf Pub. File this away. When the Aeros travel to upstate New York (that’s where Binghamton is — at least according to Google Maps) away games can we viewed at a number of designated locations including The Maple Leaf in Midtown, Nick’s Place in West Houston and at Stats Bar and Grill up in North Houston.
For Internet listening and viewing options, check out this page on the Aeros official site.
5. Sit on the red line, halfway up the stands. Like basketball, football and to a lesser extent baseball, the closer you sit to the action at a hockey game, the less you’re going to actually see. Although it may not seem like it to the casual viewers, hockey — much like basketball — employs scenario-driven formations and plays.
Big hits and dramatic goals are fun. Learning how to anticipate them is even better.
6. Stick around between periods because they might do the human slingshot. Yes, it’s just as dangerous as it sounds.
7. Know the rules of the game. Hockey is an easy sport to follow. It's played over three periods (DON'T call them "quarters"), and there are only a few reasons the refs will stop play (penalties, offsides, puck out of play, icing).
Here’s a cheat sheet. If you utter the phrase “what’s an icing?” a drink will probably be hurled in your direction. Why? Because you deserve it.
8. Go to the games! You’d think a city mired in an embarrassing championship drought would be flocking to the arena, especially since the Texans, Astros and Rockets aren’t going to be competitive anytime soon.
Sorry. It’s the truth. Jim Crane even said so.
“The interest has definitely picked up,” Aeros media relations chief Rich Bocchini says when asked about playoff attendance. “We’ve seen a lot of walk-ups.”
More than 6,000 fans went to Game 7 Tuesday night. Now how about some sellouts?
Read Jeremy Little's three-part series on hockey in Houston:
Want to break out of Houston's Loserville? Jump on the Aeros' winning playoff train
How Gordie Howe built hockey in Houston: Inside the playoff-charging Aeros' legacy
