Minor League Hockey Sonnet

Small city arena long out of date, that is where this B-league team plays their games, young men learning, hopes for fortune and fame. I watch the practice, they shoot and they skate, remember back when I was at that weight… Here at least the ticket prices are sane, NHL’s prices send shocks through my brain, this is a fun time, even if they don’t rate. The clean smell of ice as they drop the puck, racing past blue lines from board to board, small man gets cross-checked, he seems out of luck, then big man in the box for five minutes more, power play offense, a slap-shot is struck, bounces of the goalie, a scramble to score…