Walk around town–scratch that… lack of sidewalks, instead sit in restaurants, churches, the benches at the mall and listen. No doubt you’ll hear the complaint: There’s nothing to do around here. Just as likely in the next breath, “a hockey rink, what the hell?, who cares about hockey. An Events Arena, what’s it gonna cost us? Who’s going to support it.” We, and those from the places nearby, can and will.

In a recent article I read that hockey in the South, or on a broader scale, the U.S., is a fringe sport. More or less a bastard third-cousin in the high society of other sports: football, baseball, basketball, golf, racing. I believe that viewpoint stems from the less than healthy practice of contempt prior to investigation. Stop practicing and you might learn to love it. I did.

I challenge anyone to attend a hockey game, even if they don’t know much about it, and experience the sheer raw electric energy. Compare its finesse to baseball or golf; its excitement and unpredictability to football, basketball or racing. Feel the true love and camaraderie during and after the game. You can never predict what will happen on the ice, but you can count on real, solid hugs team hugs all around–not the chest bumps of baseball, the butt pats of football, the pats on the back of golf, but true warm hugs after a hockey game.

If hockey is fringe, it deserves to become a full blown outfit.

Let’s give the Events Arena the chance to bring in dollars and stop lack from driving money out of our town. C’mon, let’s play hockey.