And the First Star…
The three stars of a hockey game. A tradition of the game that is generations old. It’s a part of what makes hockey unique to other sports. And was once taken very seriously.
There’s the legendary tale of Rocket Richard. He so dominated a game that he was actually named the first, second, and third star of the game. Each time being announced by the PA announcer as if each was a different person.
But even though this happened long before my time, I saw the three star selection as a sacred part of the game. You’d stay to the end of the game to see who was selected. TV would stay to the ice and keep their commentators quiet so that we, at home, could share in the moment with those people in the stadium. Listening to the in arena announcer call out each name… and seeing each player come out of his gate and do a quick circle of the ice nearby.
All took part in this. If the visiting team won the game, visiting players were selected as the stars… and they’d skate out. And even though they just played key roles in defeating the home team, home fans would stay and applaud their efforts. Respect for the skill, and the game, trumped home team bias.
In those days, it was usually the local sports writers that decided the stars of the game. In my growing up with the game, I saw this as a part of a sports writers job. He’d watch the game, analyze the play, and, before writing his story for the local paper, select the stars of the match.
In my family, it would be tradition to stay for the stars. To guess who should be selected. And see how good our analysis was in comparison to the professional.
When I was young and unable to stay up for an entire Montreal game, my sister would, during the playoffs, leave me a note on my bedside table. It would give the final score of the game… and the three stars of the contest. Steve Penney was the saviour of that playoff run… and I’d squirm in my bed with delight to see Montreal had won the match… and Penney’s name would be underlined in exclamation… as he was the games first star.
Back then, each Canadian team had a Molson Cup. And the winner of the trophy would be the player on the team with most three star selections. The stats for the awards used to be found within the pages of the Hockey News. And you’d look at it as a meaningful thing. Seeing how your favourite player has moved up from fifth to third in the team ranks this month. He must have had a good month for that to happen. It was another something to root for.
In later years, my father and I would go to AHL games in St. John’s. Cheering on the local Maple Leafs each winter. Partaking in anywhere from a dozen to twenty-five games a year (depending on the length of the playoff run). After the final whistle we’d sit and quickly give our guesses for the stars. And we’d stand and applaud those that were announced… both friend and foe… as they’d skate out and raise a stick to the crowd.
On our way out of the game, we’d chat about what we just watched. And walking in the night air, making our way to the car on the other side of the lake, we’d agree on how superior so-and-so played. Or how this other fellow should have been one of the stars of the night.
Today, the three stars of a hockey game have become meaningless. All seriousness of the responsibility in selected said stars has vanished. Members of the public are just as likely to make the decision of stars as anyone. In fact, for some, you don’t even need to be in the city (let alone game) to help select the stars.
A few seasons ago, Montreal, owned by Bell and home of that immortal Richard three star sweep of generations ago, handed the star selection duties to… Bell cell phone clients. All you need is to be a Bell customer and you can text your selection of the three stars each game.
In most American hockey markets, the three stars will always come from the home team. That’s right, the visitors could win a game 5-0 but it will be three members of the losing squad that get called out as stars.
Networks now ignore in stadium selections. They select their own stars of the game and post them within graphics upon our screens. We don’t see anyone skate out to wave to the fans. We don’t hear the public address announcer make the call. It’s decided in studio and thrown up on screen on their way to commercial.
Network three stars are predictable as well. In a tight game that was low scoring, the three stars will always be the two goaltenders plus the man who scored the winning goal. In a 1-0 or 2-1 game, the goalies will be first and second while the goal scorer third. If the scorer got the goal in overtime of a playoff game, he is almost assured vaulting up to become the first star. The only time he’ll lose the honour is if one of the goalies made fifty saves or so.
The goal scorer may have sat on the bench for three quarters of the game. The winning goal may have bounced off his back when he wasn’t looking. He’ll still be a star of the game. The fine details of what makes a player great are ignored. It’s only about the stat sheet.
This week I saw a first in three star selection. Yet this doesn’t feel as legendary as the Richard three star sweep. In the game when Winnipeg was eliminated from the playoffs… losing to Anaheim by a 5-2 score, the third star was… the fans. There it was plastered upon my screen… a graphic of generic fans and the games attendance next to it. The image burned into my memory as the screen fads to black… quickly replaced by a commercial for some bank or whiskey.
I know it shouldn’t matter. The three stars don’t mean anything to the game itself. But I can’t help feeling something is lost. A tradition of hockey. The story of Richard’s sweep will never be repeated… not in any meaningful way anyway. Generations from now, the story of the Winnipeg fans will be forgotten.
FRIDAY…
--- Feeling kind of run down at work. Tired, headaches, a bit light headed from time to time. Maybe I’m fighting something.
SATURDAY…
--- Quiet day in the office. I’m still not feeling super.
--- Sleep on the sofa for more than an hour in the evening. Night shift may be hard this block.
SUNDAY…
--- Not very busy with work and that’s good. I’m not very productive. Hazy in the head and that bit of a headache lingers.
MONDAY…
--- Get through work… feeling a bit better than before. It almost seems like I’m not eating enough (despite no change in my eating habits). I find when I’m tired I feel worse, but then if I grab a snack, it perks things up again.
TUESDAY…
--- Lazy block off coming up. Trying to get more sleep and rest to get out of the funk of this bug, or whatever it is.
WEDNESDAY…
--- Do a bit of a walk with my cameras. Feel better when out in the fresh air. But still don’t have much stamina through the day, and by early evening, I’m feeling more of a headache and light headed.
THURSDAY…
--- Pretty much same as yesterday. Small walk and rest around the house. BBQ some turkey sausages for supper. Like having the BBQ back in business but it’s cold out there… only a few degrees above zero. Where did Spring go?
