As we head into the last weekend of the 2009-2010 NHL regular season, hockey fans everywhere are either thrilled that their teams have made it into playoffs, or unhappy that they haven’t. Fans of a few Eastern Conference teams are still biting their nails to see if their team is in or out. And there are fans waiting to see where their team will end up in the standings so they’ll know who they play in the first round – or what their draft lottery chances might be.

Things are winding down and fans are making their TV-viewing plans for next week. Whether it’s moving on to baseball or perhaps soccer, tuning in for the draft lottery, or watching more hockey. But, in the end, hockey fans being hockey fans, almost everyone pays attention to playoffs in one fashion or another – whether their favorite team is still playing or not.

Ryan Miller summed it up pretty well right after the Olympics:

"…I think that’s what’s good about hockey fans, too. They enjoy a hockey game. It’s not just about one team all the time, it’s about the sport."

-What’s a Goal Between Friends?, New York Times, 2 March 2010

Obviously, Miller is a fan himself – as are all hockey players – so he knows how this goes.

As the commercial says, hockey fans aren’t like fans of other sports. We all love our teams, of course – and a number of people love more than one team – but when it comes right down to it, it’s really about the sport. Not any other sports fans can really say that. Because for most other sports, it’s all about the team and not much else.

For instance, let me take you back to the end of last summer when Team Canada had their Olympic Orientation Camp in Calgary. They streamed the scrimmage live over Hockey Canada’s website. Probably all of my non-Canadian friends who are hockey fans watched that scrimmage – and those that didn’t either didn’t know about when it was being broadcast or they were unable to view it for some reason. The people who missed it were pretty bitter about that, too. The fans that took it in were like a thirsty person in a desert coming across an oasis with drinking water.

In what other sport would fans watch a scrimmage online for a national team that wasn’t from their own country, just to get a sport-fix? Maybe soccer fans. Maybe.

With this last weekend of regular season hockey coming up, I want you guys to give yourselves a pat on the back. Why? Just for being a part of the family – for being a hockey fan. We may not always like each other’s teams or players, but hockey fans always somehow manage to get around that and enjoy the game together, anyways.

So here’s to hoping that there aren’t any serious injuries, the officiating is fair, the players practice good sportsmanship, and every game is a close and hard-fought affair. Good luck, have fun, and enjoy the hockey in whatever way you see fit. The NHL’s Second Season begins next week.