The Dallas Stars are a Bunch of Hookers!

That's right! And I was there to see them do it!
Now before you get your Vickies in a twist... I don't mean the kind of hooker who trades sexual favors for financial favors. I'm also not referring to the nickmame for Chinook drivers. I am talking about the enormous amount of penalties called against Stars players last night for "hooking". If you're not familiar with hockey and don't know what that is...Google hockey + hooking and you will get an explanation.

I'm going to back waaaaay up an give y'all some background, so that my adventure will be in the proper context.
I was raised in a family of sports ... enthusiasts. They participated in sports, they attended sporting events, they watched every sporting event that was ever on television. I think that's one of the reasons I love reading so much today. Reading was how I escaped the tedium of televised sports that so entranced the men of my family. And there were a LOT of men in my fam. My Daddy, my grandfathers, my uncles, my 4 bros, my numerous male cousins, and all the friends who could fit in the house. And I'm not just talkin' Football, or Baseball. No, No, No. Basketball, Tennis, even GOLF [quite possibly the most boring 'sport' known to humankind] were events never to missed on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon in our house.

Hockey, though, hockey was not televised when I was growing up. Not even on cable. So I didn't have an ingrained enmity towards hockey. And to be honest, I don't HATE sports. Just televised sports.
I LIKE going to an actual, real, live game. Except golf. I STILL hate golf. I've said it before and I'll say it again, a golf couse is a waste of land that could be a parfectly nice shooting range.

Now, I need to explain why I have abandoned my usual Texas bias in favor of the Phoenix Coyotes.
Being a Native Texan, I will back a Texas team, no matter how bad they may be, against a non-Texas team any day, and twice on Sundays. That's just the way I am. I think it's in my DNA.
And normally I'm a Stars fan, except when they play the Coyotes.
Those of you who are regular readers know "Boo", my sweet little dog. Those of you who are new readers can search the index or archives and read about her. Well, my Dearly Beloved has a very bad habit. He calls her a Coyote hybrid. We'll be out with the dogs and someone will ask what breed she is and before I can answer, DB will say, "She's a coyote hybrid."
It just ticked me off soooo much, I thought, "I'll show him! Boo and I will become Coyote fans." And we did. I signed up for their their updates and news by e-mail. I kept track of their game schedule. Before every game, Boo and I would get our "MOJO" going. We have powerful mojo, too! They started winning more, and when they would lose, they were scoring more points...meaning they would lose, but it would be 4-3 instead of 4-0 or 4-1.
So... when my Angel Baby Girl asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I said I wanted tickets to a Coyotes - Stars game. And that's what she gave me. I was horrified when I saw the price on the face of the tickets... but she said, "Don't worry, Mom, I got a sweet deal on 'em."
I picked her up y'day. We went to dinner and then to the game. Our seats were in a PRIMO spot. Those of you who know the AA center will know where we were: section 102, row S. Close enough to see really well, but high enough to not have out vision blocked.
Whenever the Coyotes would make a good play, or I thought they needed some encouragement, I'd cup my hands around my mouth and give a good howl. From a seated position. When they scored their first goal, I stood up and howled and stomped my feet and clapped. BTW, I was wearing a red sweater. In honor of their team colors being Red, doncha know?
My ABG, should have KNOWN I was gonna do this! From the time she was 8, her brother and I would drive around town, with Zevon's "Werewolves of London" blaring from the speakers, howling at the top of our lungs. She knows I know how to howl, she knows I back the Coyotes, and she knows I'm not averse to making a spectacle of myself or embarrasing her in public. Why was she surprised?
The men to our left, our right, and the teenaged boys behind us were somewhat taken aback, but then they didn't know me. After the first couple of howls, they thought it was funny, the crazy, silver-haired lady, howling for the opposing team.

And, for those of you who don't listen to the sports news, or read the Hockey part of the sports page... I got to stand up and HOWL 5 times last night. Count them, F-I-V-E !!!!! times. Poor ABG only got to stand up and yell for her beleagured stars twice.
The last goal by my Coyotes, well that was just a gift from the Stars coach. Dallas had a guy in the penalty box, a minute left on the clock, score was 4-2, no way they could win, and they call Turco[the Stars goalie] away from the goal to play defense! Guess WHAT? The Coyotes slam one home and that Heavenly red light starts glowing and spinning again!

I called one of my sports fan bros from the game. He's actually employed in a sports-related capacity. Bear with me as I indulge in some "Big Sister Pride". My youngest Bro is at Texas A&M. He teaches Kinesology and is a Rehab Coordinator. I gave him a heads-up about this blog. Now I have to call the Bro who is a UT fan [I swear it's a sib rivalry thang] and tell him to come read it, too.

BTW, Coach Gretzky, that was my first pro hockey game in 30 years. I realize that was your 7th in a row, you were on a RED-hot streak. Not to take anything away from your excellent skills as a coach, or the guys great skills as players, which were on display last night, but I AM available the next time you're in town to act as a good-luck charm. The same seats would be fine, BUT, just a thought, I might be able to be even MORE powerful, if I could be CLOSER to the team, shake a few hands, maybe get a jersey, and bring Boo. She could be your official Dallas Mascot. She's really cute! A LOT cuter than Howler!