Usually I don't get excited about exhibition games, in any sport. Most of the time they are about as thrilling as watching paint dry, to borrow a hackneyed phrase that is also by itself dull. Of course, give me a free ticket and I might attend.
But tonight I will be in front of the TV, and I am sure I won't be alone as the Red Wings open their televised season with a preseason game against Colorado. If the Wings have ever played the Avalanche in the exhibition season before, I'm not aware of it, but that's not what is attracting me to the tube, anyway, believe it or not.
If I missed any aspect of the NHL last season -- and I didn't miss it as much as I thought -- it was the sounds of the game, off my television. Kenny Daniels, Mickey Redmond, and the hotshots on Hockey Night In Canada -- those voices I missed. I also missed the actual game coverage, with the replays from inside the net and other cool shots.
There's something about being in the kitchen and hearing Daniels and Redmond in the background, as I fix a snack and grab a beverage, that is titillating, especially when the play-by-play voice cracks and you know something exciting has just happened. And, of course, how can you not love "He SCORRRES!", even if it isn't being said by the best hockey play-by-play guy on the planet, Bruce Martyn?
Speaking of Martyn, he's probably enjoying his retirement in Gaylord right about now, but if the Wings ask and coax him a bit, I bet he might venture down and do a period or two sometime this season. It probably would be the highest-rated period on TV all season if that were to happen. At least it should be.
So have plenty of Labatt's or Molson on hand, wrestle the remote from the wife and kids -- if that applies to you -- and tune in for the return of some of the best sounds you'll ever hear from your tiny TV speakers.
"He SCORRRRES!"
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