Ice Hockey Withdrawal

If Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year then July is the worst, don't get me wrong the heatwave we are experiencing is incredible and I have a terrible t-shirt tan just like the rest of Britain. For an ice hockey fan though this is a tough time, the EIHL finished in April so there are no games left to watch the NHL and AHL seasons have been finished for over a month, the draft is passed and the one day fire sale that is "Free Agent Frenzy" is done and only a few secondary players remain.

So now we are left with the 2 month wait until the hockey returns, what to do while we await the return of the Good Ol' Hockey Game. I've been thinking of ways to alleviate the pressure and here is "Murdoch's Top Tips" on how to survive the dreaded off-season:

1. Watch old hockey videos on YouTube: an obvious one to begin with, but much in the way a smoker uses nicotine patches and smackheads use methodone, we can survive a few weeks with just some old clips of Datsyuk dangling his opponents, Chara handing out some corporal punishment, the moves like Jagr and hours of footage of Paul Bissonette sitting on the bench. 
2. If watching old clips doesn't work for you then why not watch Australian hockey? I'm not joking, the season is in full swing and the AIHL promote themselves very well on twitter. They offer regular updates and even give links to game streams through Livestream and, for the Fifers among you, I have checked it is free, honest.
3. Watch Football: Seriously, watching just 15 minutes of any football game will remind you that you can wait 2 months to watch some real sport. In the mean time it will perhaps keep you going with the football rumours that are swirling about at the moment, for example: where will Suarez sign? can Mourinho recreate his former glories at Chelsea? and what was the point in Wayne Rooney spending £10K on hair plugs if all he's going to do is shave his head?
4. Start hanging about Farmfoods: OK, this is an odd one even I'll admit this but hear me out. There are a lot of freezers in farmfoods and the cool air that may remind you of an ice rink. Did you think I really had I a more insightful point than that? Come on! Also, if you are cheap buy Red Rooster as it's like half the price of Red Bull
5. Watch Mighty Ducks: Go on, you know you want to! Goldberg and the gang will fill the void that the hockey off season has left sooner than you say "Quack! Quack! Quack!" (but not out loud because that would be silly)
6. Play Street Hockey: Why not? We're not too old to chuck on the Bauer FX1s and get our Franklin sticks and play hockey in 1 minute intervals before frantically rushing to the pavement as someone yells "CAAAAAAARRRRRRR". What? We are too old? Nevermind.
7. Go cold turkey: One thing to remember about cold turkey is that it is not as delicious as it sounds and it is often very dry and tough.

Now it is clear to me that this list is neither exhaustive nor at all helpful but let's all just enjoy the sunshine and count down the days until hockey is back. It's not that long, I mean it's only 7 weeks until preseason starts. Wow, 7 weeks, how will we manage?