Loving the Olympics in Sochi, especially the hockey. If you’re not familiar with the sport or don’t watch it much on TV, the next few days will be a treat as the semi-finals get underway (don’t miss USA vs Canada Friday night, Feb 21!)
(USA vs Team Canada in the women’s gold medal game under way while writing this post…)
This is European style hockey with a much larger ice surface than in North America’s National Hockey League (NHL). That makes for wide open, more fluid play. There’s more space so players tend to circle around for a pass rather than just skate in straight lines up and down the ice.
And that’s what I noticed watching these Olympics when I thought, “Gee, that’s like internet marketing and the World Wide Web.”
What?
Well, like the larger rink, the Web is not constrained by the parameters of traditional media: the page, the time slot, or the cost. It’s bigger and more open. We OWN the media, our websites, so we can distribute information to our marketplace more freely and over time. Like the players gracefully circling for a pass, we offer useful information to the rhythms of our audience.
Not only that, but in the Olympics, the best NHL players are on teams representing their various countries. Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins playing for his native Slovakia, Jeromir Jager of the Jersey Devils for the Czeck Republic, Sydney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins for Canada, Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals for team Russia, and Patrick Kane of Buffalo, New York of the Chicago Blackhawks playing for the USA. .
And here I am in Utica, NY, writing Web pages for a client in London and one in Toronto, while getting my new site designed and built by a talented developer (and hockey fan) in Vancouver, Canada. (Site of the last Winter Games.)
The Web makes the world small and opportunity big. The Olympics has always been this way with countries coming together for a common purpose, to compete with the best the world has to offer on a World Wide stage.
And one more thing about this Olympics…even if you don’t like to watch hockey, you’ll enjoy the announcing of Mike Emrick (Doc). He’s the lead announcer for the NHL’s national telecasts on NBC and like great copywriting for your website, he calls the game in language that’s intelligent, high energy, and with a touch of playfulness. His barroom, conversational style makes the game even more exciting and a delight to watch.
If you’re new to the game and you watch this weekend or during the rest of the NHL season, here’s a helpful glossary of important words from Doc Emrick’s thoroughly entertaining hockey announcing.
The Doc Emrick Glossary of Hockey Game Phrases
“A drive!!!!!”: Slap shot toward the goal.
“A shaaawwt!: Any other shot on goal.
“And a little extra”: a fight breaking out.
“Some head hunting”: Shooting the puck at the goalie’s head.
“Trouble with the handle”: a player loses the puck while stick handling (dribbling).
“Angled up the boards”: a pass from one player to another bounced off the boards.
“Trouble checking with the stripes”: running into a referee.
“Insert player’s name here will be freed in 30 seconds”: penalty over in 30 seconds.
“Filtered on through”: Successful pass through multiple opposing players to teammate.
“Driven through traffic”: A shot through a group of opposing players.
And lots of “motoring ahead,” “flying,” “rattling,” and the greatest (even better than that announcer in the World Cup with his Goooooooooooooooaaaaaaal!) is the patented Doc Emrick Scoooooooooooooore!
Olympic hockey is big, diverse, sophisticated, and full of wonderful language, just like the World Wide Web. Find out for yourself and enjoy some Olympic hockey this weekend.
Until next time,
Nick
Nick Burns specializes in SEO Web Writing, website information architecture, content marketing, consulting, and publishing. Face-to-face service in Utica, Rome, Syracuse, Central New York, Upstate New York, and the Mohawk Valley. Otherwise email, Skype, and phone works well for clients. You can contact Nick here.
