One of the purposes of this blog is to allow me to vent about my frustrations. I have had to vent about frustrating hockey seasons before. Considering which teams I follow, I can't forgo venting this year.
The Seattle Kraken are the closest I have to a local team. The new TV deal meant that I could actually watch games this year. Although there were a few positives, especially regarding the team's future, the team really wasn't very good.
I didn't abandon the Canucks when Seattle was awarded an expansion team. Through most of the season, I expected the Canucks to make the playoffs. Considering how close they were to a playoff spot with all their struggles with injuries, it seemed like an absolute given that they would do better when the team became reasonably healthy.
As a Canucks fan, this was the year from hell. Their starting goalie had three or four injuries, and every important player missed a noteworthy number of games due to injury. The team was never close to healthy. When one key player returned, another was injured.
Not only did it occur to me that they were going to miss the playoffs, but I actually started to welcome it. There was a part of me that wanted to see them make the playoffs despite their problems, but there was something bigger. Did I really want to extend the year from hell?
The Canucks ultimately missed the playoffs. With what that team went through, I needed the Kraken to bail out the year from hell. Obviously, that didn't happen.
There were other issues that emerged. I don't watch sports for politics. I didn't want to watch games in Vancouver and hear people booing the American national anthem. I also didn't think it was a good idea to essentially boo the nationality of their best player.
To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't say that my big issue was really with the booing. It was more because fans were given the opportunity to boo in the first place. I hate shoving nationalism down people's throats. National anthems should not be played before sporting events. I should also mention that I don’t think it makes much sense to play the American national anthem before these games just because of where the visiting team's arena is located.
As I have previously stated, I probably should not be watching sports. I tend to over-invest emotionally to distract myself from my lack of control over my own life. The obvious problem here is that I have no control over the games I watch.
I don't know if I can handle another year like that right now. I am seriously considering taking some time away from the sport. This wouldn't be a first. I have gone a year without watching hockey before. For the sake of my mental health, I might have to do it again.
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