Fantasy Hockey For New Fans

This is a guest post by Bill Brister of the www.dailydeke.com so go check out his site.

For the new hockey fan, learning the sport can be overwhelming. Where do you start; who do you watch; what on earth are those black round things called again? Hockey is a very complex sport that is filled with passion, emotion and energy – and it’s those factors that usually hook someone until they learn a few aspects of the game. I would recommend that any new hockey fan jump into a Fantasy Hockey league to learn things about the sport you would never see or learn just by watching. At my blog www.dailydeke.com – I run three (sometimes four) fantasy hockey teams during the year. For each team I have a different strategy – and every year, I learn something new. In my leagues I ask other, more experienced players to help the new guys, and they do mostly. If a new Fantasy Hockey manager has a question I encourage the more successful managers explain their thoughts on the subject. Not only will this generate conversations about Fantasy Hockey – it also gives the other managers different ways to think about strategy and players. I know the managers in my league will give you solid advice because we all want to see you come back next season.

That said – I would not suggest you go out and just jump into any Yahoo Group Fantasy Hockey league. General “Open” or “Free” leagues on Yahoo, ESPN, SportingNews, etc will provide the opportunity. All you have to do is sign up to play. As a new manager, I would suggest you look for a league where you have a base of trust with the other managers. Find a friend or “friend of friend” who knows someone running a Fantasy League. Ask around – I am sure one person in your close network of friends knows a few Fantasy Hockey leagues.

To me, Fantasy Hockey for a new fan should be a requirement in order to be a hockey fan. You might have heard the big names … Gretzky, Lemieux, Hull and more recently Crosby, Ovechkin, Malkin. Fantasy Hockey will help you understand why these players are considered great players. It will also help you learn about the other great players around the league, it will introduce you to teams you probably wouldn’t watch and it will teach you (through trial and error) how to build a solid Fantasy Hockey team – depending on the type of league (and that’s for a different post).

When I introduce someone to hockey – I don’t tell them to pick a team or player before they understand the sport a little. This helps them keep their minds open to styles and skills. Some people don’t like Crosby because he drives his play too fast into the offensive zone and ends up wasting time because his wingers cannot get into position quick enough…others love Joe Thornton because he is a work horse with insane puck handling skills along the boards and behind the net. If Big Joe gets behind the net with the puck, watch out, someone is coming in for the one-timer!

The greatest part of getting a new fan into Fantasy Hockey is the fact that it will teach you about players and their abilities, position and skills rather than you just rooting for the team closest to your house. What if you were a new hockey fan in Tampa this year? After this ringer season, you probably won’t be a fan next year. Fantasy Hockey teaches you about the sport starting with the players. Meaning, you learn who scores, who creates scoring opportunities (assists), who the enforcers are (penalty minutes). You learn what is important for a goalie and why a goalie on a great team (Osgood in Detroit) is not doing that well when a goalie on a horrible team (Smith in Tampa) was in the top 10 goalies in the NHL.

Lastly – following hockey through a fantasy league will also open your eyes to the 29 other teams around the NHL and what makes their franchise what it is. Why is Detroit entering their 18th straight playoff season this year? What did the Sharks do to have such a stellar year? What happened to Anaheim over the past couple years and where in the world did the Colorado Avalanche go? Fantasy Hockey is by far the most immersive way to understand and learn about this great sport. Start looking around, ask your friends if they know about Fantasy Hockey and how you could start learning.

www.dailydeke.com is Bill’s site. The Daily Deke was founded in early 2008 as a part of NosebleedRadio.com, the companion blog of the Nosebleed sports netcast.