Seen as a “niche” sport by many, hockey’s greatness often gets cast aside for the likes of basketball and football.
But what about at Keene State College?
Hockey is not lost on many here, in fact it’s actually on the rise. In my time here, I have seen the number of hockey shirts and jerseys on Appian Way go up exponentially. Is it the area? Is it the Bruins’ success?
Is some unknown force causing this spike in popularity?
The fact of the matter is that across the country, hockey’s popularity is growing. The 2011-12 season saw a record year in league revenue, one of the most exciting playoff races in a long time and a championship captured by a team which hadn’t won one before.
Photo Illustration By: Brian Cantore / Photo Editor
Even after the needless lockout that crippled the 2012-13 season to just 48 games, the viewership was up and yielded the highest-viewed Stanley Cup Championship in league history. The impact of hockey is felt all across New England.
The Division I Hockey East is one of the most rampant leagues across the NCAA. With six teams in Massachusetts, and one in Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire, Hockey East dominates the non-professional ranks of hockey in New England. Specifically, N.H. is a little hot-bed for hockey.
The University of New Hampshire, a team in Hockey East, is the state’s most popular collegiate hockey team. The city of Manchester is home to the Los Angeles Kings’ minor league affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs.
Just in town here, there’s the Keene Youth Hockey club, Keene High School hockey, as well as men’s and women’s club teams on campus.
Think there’s any shortage of interest in hockey? Keene State draws many of its students from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York.
These are all states that have rich histories in both collegiate and professional hockey.
So of course it makes sense that students here at KSC are becoming more and more interested in hockey.
When the Bruins are on, the campus is captivated. The Night Owl Café knows how popular these games are, and broadcasts them on their projector screen.
However, a new shift in the television programming provided to on-campus students eliminated the Bruins’ flagship station, NESN. Because of this change in programming, NOC employee Jackie Efraimson said she expects a bigger crowd than usual this year.
“I believe our graphic designer just printed flyers for the Bruins games that will be shown in here,” Efraimson said.
“You can’t watch them [Bruins games] on campus, so I think there will be a much bigger turnout,” she added.
Fellow NOC worker Brendan Snyder also sees the impact that hockey and the Bruins have among students. He saw the love of the Bruins peak during their Stanley Cup run last year.
“During the playoffs the turnout was huge,” Snyder said. Snyder also acknowledged how excited the campus gets for hockey games.
“You can tell people are excited before games,” Snyder said. “People on campus seem to be pretty big hockey fans—you see people in the DC with their [Bruins] jerseys on all the time.”
Hockey fans here seem energized for this upcoming season. Between a full 82-game season that spans from October to June and Olympic hockey in February, this is a great year to get into the iced sport.
Hockey has always been knocking on the door here at KSC, but perhaps now it’s time for it to blow that door down. It’s an exciting sport that captivates people.
The speed, the intensity, the skill, the emotion, it’s all a recipe for a great sport, and students are recognizing that.
Ray Waldron can be contacted at
rwaldron@keene-equinox.com