Escaping the National Pastime

My nightmare that lasts from the first day of fall until the first day of summer has started - Hockey!

As one of the few sports fans in Canada that does not enjoy the national pastime of the Great White North, it is a difficult existence. All year round I deal with the threat of hockey highlights, from free agents signing in the middle of August to the lead story every night on the sports shows from October to April.

Here are my five survival tips for avoiding all things hockey...

1. Skip the first 15 minutes of SportsCentre and the last 5 minutes. That gives you a good full 5 minutes in the second half of the show to find out all the news you need to know about the NFL, NCAA, the NBA and soccer.

2. Do not listen to sports radio in any major Canadian market. Most of these talk show hosts will try to get fans of the home town team fired up by making ridiculous claims. If you do need a sports fix, try ESPN radio online or available through XM. Much more variety and because hockey isn't all that popular in the States, they almost NEVER talk hockey.

3. Avoid the cover of the Toronto Sun. The tabloid rag that is well known because of its sunshine girls (a lesser version of the page 3 girls in the UK), will no doubt have a Maple Leaf/Hockey related cover 5 out of 7 days of the week.

4. Find a good bar on Saturday night. Not just any bar though, you have to make sure this is a classy place without tv's (because any tv, in any bar will show the hockey game). Plus, being at the bar let's you interact with the opposite sex who aren't that interested in sports.

5. Immerse yourself in the sport that should control your winter - the NBA. The NBA is going through a great time. There are marquee players all over the league. Guys that create awesome highlights, can single handily take over games and a rabid fan base. Not saying hockey doesn't have some of these great players and there are 6 cities that have good fans, but when 75% of your goals are scored by deflected shots and on power plays something is wrong. Learn to enjoy the NBA, it is as fast-paced, just like hockey, played in the same arena's and the players are all over twitter! I love this game!