Small Town Saturday Night

I have to say, one of the nicest things about being in Duluth is people don’t look at me like I’m a complete freak for loving hockey.

You might find this surprising, since it’s not like I lived in, say, Nairobi before I moved here. I still lived in The State of Hockey, so you’d think it would be normal. But while it’s normal to like hockey in the Twin Cities, it’s not always normal to love hockey.

For example, I have a similar job in Duluth to the job I had when I lived in the Cities. It isn’t exactly a job that attracts jocks or sports fans, and I work with like 99% women, so you wouldn’t expect a lot of sympathetic characters. And, indeed, there wasn’t a single person who could discuss hockey with me, or who even did more than a cursory humoring of me when I yammered on about various Bulldog related topics. However, since I started my new job in Duluth, I have already discovered two people in my near vicinity who are long-time Bulldog season ticket holders. And wanting days off for Bulldogs games? Totally normal and acceptable and accommodated as best as can be. I sat and talked Bulldog and Duluth East hockey with one of my co-workers for a good hour tonight. We were extremely productive.

I’m sure once the season begins I’ll really see the differences between living in a community with hockey allegiances all over the place (or none at all!) and living in a community where there’s one game in town. I hope to get a chance to get to some high school games (which I really should have done before to support my alma mater, the Shjon Podein-coached SLP Orioles) and really become a part of the hockey community I’ve been on the fringes of since I started the blog. I’m excited for the season and we haven’t even gotten around to discussing the team on here! Which I will, once I figure out something to say.