Herkie the Dog's World Musings
Why Hockey Is Better
Normally, I would sit here and tell you how great it is that former Michigan QB Tom Brady won his second Super Bowl and MVP award. And I would also tell you how I thought that back in the 1999 season, Lloyd Carr was a numnutz for continuing to rotate Brady and Drew Henson instead of just giving Brady the job outright. Instead, I got to see why it's so much better to win a Stanley Cup than it is a Super Bowl.
Now, living in Detroit, I have no idea what it's like to have a team in the Super Bowl. I do know how awesome it is to win a Cup. But that's not exactly the point. It's not actually about winning the championship, but rather how the trophy is awarded. And I can say with all certainty, the Stanley Cup ceremony is a hell of a lot more fun.
First of all, let's take who the trophy is awarded to. Last night, the Lombardi trophy was first awarded to Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots. Upon receiving the trophy, we all got treated to a cliche ridden speech about the heart of the team and the greatest fans in football.
Big....whoop.
While I do agree that without his wallet, this collection of football players would not exist to win the Super Bowl, I didn't exactly see Kraft leading his team back from a late deficit, catching the ball in the end zone, or making a vicious hit. Judging from the looks of the man, the most physical activity he undertook in the last few weeks was making his way down from the press box to the field. And yet, he is the first to touch the trophy and, more alarmingly, allowed to talk about the achievement that he just had the fortune to watch.
In hockey, the Stanley Cup is first awarded to the team captain-a guy who is out there leading his team with blood, sweat and tears. A guy who has experienced the brutalness of the battles it took to get to this point. And more fittingly, he doesn't make any sort of speech. There are no words. None are necessary. Only action. He simply does one thing-he raises the Stanley Cup in the air in triumph, like a conquering hero. It's a defining moment of this celebration. One in which the players and fans of the winning team can actually well up with emotion, while the losing team looks on with despair, if they can even look at all. There are no microphones. No reporters. No stupid questions. Just the thrill and emotion of victory so thick that not only can one who doesn't root for the team appreciate the moment, but it can also disgust one rooting against that team. (Personal aside-I have never witnessed Scott Stevens, captain of the New Jersey Devils raise the Cup. I just won't watch that. I also looked away when Brett Hull of the Dallas Stars got his turn with it...but it wasn't so bad when he did it again as a Detroit Red Wing!)
Meanwhile, back at the Super Bowl, the MVP finally gets to touch the trophy after the owner. And when he does, the cameras and microphones are in his face. He's talking about going to Disney World. He's thanking the Lord Jesus Christ. He's saying that no one thought they'd be here. (Thankfully, Tom Brady did none of this. To his credit, he actually threw in a comment to Boston about not trashing the town-which unfortunately went unheard. Anyway, that's a Michigan man for you!) And when he's done, the reporter moves on to the next sound byte. The emotion of the moment gets stomped by the rush to get the storyline.
When the Cup is raised, it's all about the celebration of the team. It's passed around from player to player as it makes a victory lap around the rink. In fact, the order in which the Cup is passed is sacred. The person whom the captain gives the Cup to first is chosen for a specific reason. It's pure, genuine emotion. No outsider dares break into this elation. No one gets talked to, nor would they want to talk until they've had their time with the Cup. And once they've had the individual time, they do one of the coolest things in professional sports-gather at center ice for a team picture while still in the moment of the celebration.
The Lombardi trophy, while also a very storied prize, cannot hold a candle to the tradition of winning the Stanley Cup. Nobody gushes about personal stories with the trophy. The Cup actually goes home with each individual team member. It has travelled the world, been showered with, slept with, fallen into swimming pools, held babies, hosted high level diplomatic ceremonies, been to the top of mountains, gone fishing and helped healed injuries. The Lombardi trophy gets to hang out in a trophy case.
But there is one thing the Super Bowl will always have over the Stanley Cup Finals: some really cool commercials.
Now, living in Detroit, I have no idea what it's like to have a team in the Super Bowl. I do know how awesome it is to win a Cup. But that's not exactly the point. It's not actually about winning the championship, but rather how the trophy is awarded. And I can say with all certainty, the Stanley Cup ceremony is a hell of a lot more fun.
First of all, let's take who the trophy is awarded to. Last night, the Lombardi trophy was first awarded to Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots. Upon receiving the trophy, we all got treated to a cliche ridden speech about the heart of the team and the greatest fans in football.
Big....whoop.
While I do agree that without his wallet, this collection of football players would not exist to win the Super Bowl, I didn't exactly see Kraft leading his team back from a late deficit, catching the ball in the end zone, or making a vicious hit. Judging from the looks of the man, the most physical activity he undertook in the last few weeks was making his way down from the press box to the field. And yet, he is the first to touch the trophy and, more alarmingly, allowed to talk about the achievement that he just had the fortune to watch.
In hockey, the Stanley Cup is first awarded to the team captain-a guy who is out there leading his team with blood, sweat and tears. A guy who has experienced the brutalness of the battles it took to get to this point. And more fittingly, he doesn't make any sort of speech. There are no words. None are necessary. Only action. He simply does one thing-he raises the Stanley Cup in the air in triumph, like a conquering hero. It's a defining moment of this celebration. One in which the players and fans of the winning team can actually well up with emotion, while the losing team looks on with despair, if they can even look at all. There are no microphones. No reporters. No stupid questions. Just the thrill and emotion of victory so thick that not only can one who doesn't root for the team appreciate the moment, but it can also disgust one rooting against that team. (Personal aside-I have never witnessed Scott Stevens, captain of the New Jersey Devils raise the Cup. I just won't watch that. I also looked away when Brett Hull of the Dallas Stars got his turn with it...but it wasn't so bad when he did it again as a Detroit Red Wing!)
Meanwhile, back at the Super Bowl, the MVP finally gets to touch the trophy after the owner. And when he does, the cameras and microphones are in his face. He's talking about going to Disney World. He's thanking the Lord Jesus Christ. He's saying that no one thought they'd be here. (Thankfully, Tom Brady did none of this. To his credit, he actually threw in a comment to Boston about not trashing the town-which unfortunately went unheard. Anyway, that's a Michigan man for you!) And when he's done, the reporter moves on to the next sound byte. The emotion of the moment gets stomped by the rush to get the storyline.
When the Cup is raised, it's all about the celebration of the team. It's passed around from player to player as it makes a victory lap around the rink. In fact, the order in which the Cup is passed is sacred. The person whom the captain gives the Cup to first is chosen for a specific reason. It's pure, genuine emotion. No outsider dares break into this elation. No one gets talked to, nor would they want to talk until they've had their time with the Cup. And once they've had the individual time, they do one of the coolest things in professional sports-gather at center ice for a team picture while still in the moment of the celebration.
The Lombardi trophy, while also a very storied prize, cannot hold a candle to the tradition of winning the Stanley Cup. Nobody gushes about personal stories with the trophy. The Cup actually goes home with each individual team member. It has travelled the world, been showered with, slept with, fallen into swimming pools, held babies, hosted high level diplomatic ceremonies, been to the top of mountains, gone fishing and helped healed injuries. The Lombardi trophy gets to hang out in a trophy case.
But there is one thing the Super Bowl will always have over the Stanley Cup Finals: some really cool commercials.
posted by Jon at
9:57 PM
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