Razorback Hockey? Are you pucking crazy?

November 21, 2008 6:34 pm · By Duke McDingo · 8 Comments

Back in the 90’s when I was at the good ol’ University of Arkansas, the basketball team made a run for the national championship about every year. The football team … well, not so much. In the late fall you could often hear the expression, “Thank God it’s basketball season.” In a couple of years you might just hear, “Thank God it’s hockey season.”

Don’t count on it. But it is true, the University of Arkansas has a hockey team. Don’t believe me? Go to razorbackhockey.com then come back. See I told you!

Yes, I wouldn’t have believed it either if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. But I did see it, and I have the T-shirt to prove it. I took my son to the home opener at the Jones Center two weeks ago against – you’re never going to believe this – Mississippi State. And no, the puck was not an empty Skoal can. I liked it so much I came back the following weekend to see our boys on ice play Vanderbilt.

At this point it should be stated I know nada about hockey. But nevertheless, if you deck a team out in cardinal and white and put “Razorbacks” across their chest, I’ll show up and call those Hogs.

Here’s the official report: It is awesome. We are good. You should go.

The score of the first game in Razorback Hockey history was Hogs-14, Dogs-0, the next night, Hogs –21, Dogs-2. It doesn’t take a hockey expert to know that’s a whuppin. That’s like the equivalent of 100 to 0 in football numbers. It was no fluke either. The next weekend the Hockey Hogs beat Vandy 9 to 4 on Friday, and then again 10 to 4 on Saturday.

If you’re a Hog fan looking for a new sports obsession, there’s still plenty of room on the hockey bandwagon. I highly recommend you take in a game at the Jones Center.Tickets are cheap ($5 as compared to $25 basketball tickets and $45 football tickets). Unfortunately they don’t sell or allow beer there, which is a bummer because watching hockey with a cold beer would have really topped off the awesomeness. But it is the Jones Center and a college sports event, so I guess you can’t have everything.

The schedule also includes home games at the Jones Center against Bama and LSU. And our out-of-conference road schedule includes our age-old archrival. You guessed it, the Evil Orange Empire, the Texass Longwhorns (typo completely intentional).

I can’t believe this. I’m a southerner actually getting fired up about hockey played by teams from Arkansas, Alabama and Louisiana. I feel like I’ve slipped into some bizzaro world. Somewhere in Ontario there are Canadians that are getting excited about a college NASCAR team.