It has become very apparent that those who attend Rapid City Rush hockey games are there pretty much for one reason — the fights.

That become pretty obvious to me last night when I attended the Rush-Rocky Mountain game. For two periods, while the Rush were neither scoring goals or fighting, the arena was deathly silent, save for the few times the crowd was asked to make noise. The crowd, nearly 3,100 strong, blew a gasket when the game’s lone fight broke out in the third period.

It’s a shame for a city that claims to know so much about hockey (read Rapid Reply on any hockey story) that the arena feels like a morgue except when the gloves are dropped.

Andrew

Took a call today from a gentleman less than happy with the lead photo on the front page of Saturday’s Journal sports section.

The photo, a picture of an on-ice skirmish from Friday night’s Rapid City Rush hockey game, was one of the best I’ve seen taken by Journal photographer Seth McConnell (and he’s taken a lot of great ones).

The caller said the photo promoted fighting in hockey and set a bad example for the kids. While no one condones fighting in football, basketball or golf for that matter, it is widely accepted that fighting is a part of hockey, particularly professional hockey. I mean, after all, there are now kids who attend a hockey fighting school run by Aaron and Derek Boogaard.

It is also apparent that the Rush fans that show up really enjoy even the hint that there will be a fight. I was told by my reporter who covered Friday night’s game that the crowd did next to nothing until it looked like there was going to be a brawl. Then they made noise. The casual sports observer doesn’t go watch NASCAR to see cars turn left, they go to see 10-car pileups. The same goes for hockey, particularly in a community that is not yet hockey savvy.

Andrew

With apologies to Christopher Walken’s Bruce Dickinson character in the side-splittingly funny SNL Behind the Music sketch, we don’t need more cowbell.

I hate cowbells at sporting events. And low and behold what was at Saturday’s Rush game? Cowbells. Granted, the offending fans I saw with the annoying noisemaker were Colorado Eagles fans. So I can’t say for certain the cowbell is going to be a permanent fixture at Rush home game. But all I can say is I hope not.

Andrew