Something poetic on hockey, of all sports…

[via Michael McCracken - Weblog] There's ma in hockey too… It just comes in shorter bursts. (am I missing a point here?) The ma in hockey comes while a pass is on its way, in the lull after a play, or the two seconds of nothing between a goal and the ensuing celebration when noone really knows whether it went in.

You can see it in the center's faces before the puck drops on a faceoff. Most distinctly, you can see it right before a pass gets in place for a one-time shot. The puck's on its way to the shooter. (In my mind, it's Alexei Kovalev, but you can use whoever. OK, no Eric Lindros.) He's got his stick raised, everyone's looking toward him, but noone can move yet. The pass froze the defensemen, and the goalie can't see the puck. In that moment, nothing is happening, but everything's about to. It's ma, only shorter. (link)