Hockey in Cincinnati? A lot of people out there don’t realize how big the sport is in the Queen City. I am here to tell you, from firsthand experience, the sport has not only attracted local players but also many people who don’t know the difference from offsides and icing.

Anyone that knows anything about hockey knows that the National Hockey League is the top of all professional hockey leagues in the world. Top players from all around world bring their talents to North America to show that they are the best of the best. The only problem is that the NHL knows that they are the best and are willing to throw what they have down the drain to make more money.

Every sport has labor lockouts. The NFL and NBA just went through one each in the same year. Major League Baseball had a shortened season in 1994. The fact is the NHL is not the only league with a major lockout in recent years. The more important fact is the NHL is the only major sports league to have 2 lockouts within 10 years of each other.

But this post isn’t about why Gary Bettman is killing the league some of us love. This post is about why, despite major top level lockouts, teams like the Cyclones are still popular among local crowds.

I grew up playing hockey. I started when I was in 2nd grade. I played for a team simply called Cincy. The next 2 years I played for a team named the Junior Stingers, a youth organization named after a junior hockey team in the area. When I got into peewee hockey leagues everyone playing for a team in Cincinnati started playing for the Junior Cyclones. Everyone in town, hockey fan or not, knows who the Cyclones are. They are a team that started in the Gardens, moved downtown to the Crown, went away for a few years until the Mighty Ducks AHL team failed, and then came back to the same arena now known as US Bank Arena. In a town known for the first professional baseball team ever and a football team that consistently fails to meet expectations, the Cyclones have a group of die hard fans that love every second of high action minor league hockey.

The Cyclones have been a breath of fresh air for sports fans here in Cincinnati. Whether its the Reds making the playoffs in 2 out of 3 years only to lose in the first round, or the Bengals making the playoffs to lose the first game each time, the Cyclones have won the Kelly Cup without batting an eye to our town’s sports history. The Cyclones have a loyal fan base, one that should be looked at by the NHL teams that are struggling to make money, i.e. Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild(I know right, a hockey team in Minnesota can’t find fans?), and our closest local NHL team the Columbus Blue Jackets. The NHL can learn a thing or two from a small team like the Cyclones.

Yes, some people will say the reason the Cyclones are able to get a loyal fan base is because of some gimmicks. I would be lying if I said I haven’t attended a couple of $1 beer nights, even with the beer choices being PBR and Miller High Life. The truth of the matter is this: The Cyclones do what it takes to get butts in the seats.

I played in the IHL(International Hockey League) Junior All Star Game when it was in Cincinnati. I played before the big game and had free entrance into the game. I was like 13 years old, sue me for attending an all star game in my hometown for the sport I love. Despite whether I got in for free(it rocked), the building was sold out. The place was rocking. Throw in the fact that the game included future NHL players and without them the arena would still have been packed. Hockey in Cincinnati is a lost art. Go to any rink in the area, whether it be Sports Plus, Northlands, Indian Hill Winter Club, or the Northern Kentucky Ice Center on any Saturday or Sunday during the winter and you will see countless children walking around the rink in their jerseys, pulling their equipment bags behind them.

Hockey was once 1 of the 4 major sports in the US. Now, with its labor problems and the fact they air most of their games on a TV station a lot of people don’t get on basic cable systems, its a lost game of beauty.

You don’t believe me? Go out, stand on the ice with some skates on, and let a 200 pound lumberjack skate full force at you and tell me you feel comfortable. The NHL has a lot of players who don’t play as physical as they used to in college and the minor leagues. A few players, like T.J Oshie from the St. Louis Blues who I have personally played against, have something to prove with their physicality. Other players shy away from big hits, knowing if they get tagged one too many times their career might be over. They have too much financial responsibility to get hurt by getting crushed day in and day out. But go to a Cyclones game this fall and tell me you don’t see guys laying everything on the line. Tell me you don’t see players willing to put themselves in harm’s way, hoping for a chance to make it to the NHL and show they belong. The NHL has become softer in current years, but the Cyclones show you what hockey is really about: A bunch of guys giving everything they have every time they step on the ice, to show cities like Cincinnati that it doesn’t matter if they are making millions or a few thousand a year. These guys play for the chance to make it big, and residents in cities like our own show up every night to show them some much needed appreciation.