Saturday I had the awesome opportunity to attend my first every ice hockey game. My uncle came over to Nashville for the weekend and we went to the Nashville Predators game against the Montreal Canadiens. We had seats four rows up from the glass pretty close to the net. I compared it to a basketball game, only a bit quicker, still 5 guys (if you don’t count the goalies), there’s a bit more contact, on ice instead of hardwood, and they’re chasing a frozen oreo instead of a leather ball.

Ok, so maybe that connection was a stretch, but that’s how it made sense in my mind. The Preds were a bit unorganized (according to the veteran fans), let the Canadiens control the puck too much, couldn’t complete good passes to set up their plays, and failed to score a goal despite several tassels right in front of the net. However, I did get to see Tootoomouth off quite a bit and he eventually got thrown to the ice by a punch at the end of the 2nd period. And there was another player that decided it would be a good idea to speed toward the net and straddle the goal post. He didn’t move for a few seconds. I wouldn’t have either.

I wanted to drive the Zamboni (or as my uncle pointed out, the tractor of the ice field)

The Preds lost 2-1 in an OT where Montreal was the first to score. But it was an awesome experience for my first NHL game, and I’ll have to admit to already looking up ticket prices for another game this season!

Anyways, I was my normal #Agnerd self, and before the game ever started I had to ask the question “What’s a connection between hockey and farming???” Here’s what a few twitter friends had to say:

@CuttinUpRadio – Most hockey players come from farming families and they enrich the importance of the support

@mcdeieio – Took advantage of natural conditions (cold/ice) that otherwise prevent sports activity to create perfect conditions & thrive.

@ranchersdotter – neither is for the faint of heart. Wimps need not apply!

@ALLN2WIN – as a whole, most don’t get paid enough to do either. Gotta love the lifestyle.

Pretty good replies. But I found one more. Hockey has “farm teams.”

After a good search on Wikipedia, I found that many major league sports have what they call “farm teams” to train up prospective professional players for the major teams. Some of the most familiar would be minor league baseball teams or the Nationwide Racing Series in NASCAR.

Also, the hockey “Sweater” used to be made primarily of wool, though modern day advances in polyester materials have changed the make of the jerseys. Actually, I found that the Canadiens are pretty well known in that their team sweaters look much the same today as they have for several decades.

What connections can you make between hockey and agriculture? Do you enjoy attending hockey games? What teams do you follow?

We attended the Predator's 1,000th game!

Published by Ryan Goodman

Ryan Goodman works in grassroots advocacy as a communications consultant with beef cattle farmers and ranchers across the United States. He is a proud alumnus of Oklahoma State University, with studies focusing on cattle reproduction and nutrition. Ryan's experience in the beef industry range from family farms and ranches in several states to large feedlots and non-profit policy organizations. Ryan is an avid trail and ultrarunner, proudly showing how beef can be an important part of a healthy diet and active lifestyle. Find Ryan on social media as @BeefRunner.