What do you call a sporting team that wins all of its home games but loses a few road games? If you said ‘pigeon in hockey’, then you’d be correct!
While the expression ‘pigeon in hockey’ has been around since the 1800s, it didn’t become widely used in sports until the 1950s when, due to increased TV coverage of hockey, more and more teams began operating with a full house of players. If you’re not familiar, a ‘pigeon in hockey’ is a team that performs well at home but has trouble winning on the road.
To prevent themselves from being classified as a ‘pigeon in hockey’ team, managers made sure their players spent more time on the road than at home – the idea being, if you’re going to win games, you’re going to have to travel to other places to do it. This is called ‘trickeling’ and it’s still practiced today. Every team in the NHL, for example, will have at least one player who spends a lot of time on the road. Due to this, they can be categorized as a ‘pigeon in hockey’ team.
Table of Contents
More Pigeon Than Rock
An entire book could be written about the ‘pigeon in hockey’ phenomenon, but the short version is this: as televised hockey became more prevalent in the 1950s, teams began to realize they had to win more than just their home games if they wanted to avoid being classified as a ‘pigeon in hockey’ outfit. This led to a rise in ‘road wins’ by teams in the NHL from an average of 5.8 per team during the 1950-1954 period to 9.9 per team during the 1969-1973 period.
The rise of the corporate world and the concomitant decline of the family unit led to fewer and fewer children playing the game. This, in turn, caused a decline in the number of people playing, attending, and supporting hockey during these years. While the game still has a large and dedicated following, it’s fair to say the days of watching classic HBO serials such as The Mighty Ducks or Friday Night Lights are long gone.
Why Are Pigeons In Hockey?
There are many possible explanations as to why teams in the NHL began playing with a ‘pigeon in hockey’ strategy, but it all started with increased TV coverage. Prior to 1950, most people got their hockey fix from game films shown at theaters or from newspapers reporting on scores as they happened. Although many games were played during this era, they weren’t shown live until the 1960s. This, coupled with the Korean War and the growth of the TV set, led to a newfound dedication to hockey by more people than ever before.
With the advent of live TV coverage, games could be seen by more people than ever before and, as a result, became more important to the teams that played them. If a team with a ‘pigeon in hockey’ strategy lost a few games on the road, it was only natural that they would start to avoid losing on the road completely – lest they be classified as a ‘pigeon in hockey’ organization.
Pigeons In The Art Gallery
Art has always been connected to hockey, whether it’s been a painting of a snowy scene on the wall of a dressing room, or an image of a goal as a focal point in a hockey arena. While attending an exhibition game in November, you’ll see many examples of historical and contemporary art that relate to hockey.
One of the most famous paintings is undoubtedly ‘Pelle the Conqueror’ by Vincent van Gogh. The groundbreaking work was unveiled in 1889 – the same year of Pelle the Conqueror’s death – and is the epitome of a ‘pigeon in hockey’. The painting shows a young hockey player in a top hat, surrounded by a large number of sporty, fashionable, and very well-bred pigeons. If you’ve ever seen a ‘pigeon in hockey’ team, you’ll know exactly what they’re representing in this work.
Pelle the Conqueror was painted at a time when there was a large amount of money to be made from hockey, and it was viewed as a symbol of success and affluence in its day. Today, it serves as a reminder of the rich historical relationship between the arts and hockey.
Hockey, Theater, And Music
The link between hockey, theater, and music has been strong ever since the first organized matches began in the 1800s. Theater, in particular, has always been a popular way for people to escape the chaos of daily life and treat themselves to a few hours of entertainment. In 1867, the first recorded ice hockey game was played in Montreal, Canada, between the Montreal Football Club and a group of English students.
Music, too, has been a part of hockey since its beginnings. Many teams, especially the Original Six, included bands and orchestras in their traveling roadshows, which began in the 1910s.
These days, it’s more common to see hockey related events staged outside of ice hockey arenas. Live performances, where fans can get up and dance or sing along with the bands, are commonplace, and the connection to ice hockey is still very much alive.
Hockey, Polo, And The Cold Weather
Even though the air may not feel particularly cold, hockey is a game that requires players to be in good shape. As a result, most teams in the NHL train year round, regardless of the season, so that they can perform at their best when the games begin. Cold weather, too, is not a disadvantage when it comes to playing hockey – in fact, some teams, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, are even better when the temperature is below freezing.
The game is so popular in Canada that, in some parts of the country, it’s even referred to as ‘Hockey Town’. The country’s largest city, Toronto, is home to the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, and they have a 100-year-old history that dates back to the club’s inception in 1917. Not only that, but Canada is the only country to have produced three NHL ‘Killer Crocuses’ – the term given to players who score at least 50 goals in a season.
The American game is often compared to Canadian hockey because of the similarities in size, shape, and overall style of play. The big difference is that while the sport is popular in Canada, it’s still considered to be an exotic game in the U.S. The Atlanta Flames, Seattle Supersonics, and Minnesota North Stars are examples of professional American sports teams that were originally based in Ohio, Washington, and Minnesota, respectively, and didn’t become popular in their home states until the 1980s and 1990s.
Even within Canada, the support for hockey varies from region to region. The most affluent communities, such as those in the Greater Toronto Area, are certainly interested in the sport, but it’s not widely practiced or supported in other parts of the country. It’s also worth noting that people in rural areas, especially in the winter, have often turned to other sports, such as curling, to keep themselves active.
Famous Pigeon In Hockey
In addition to putting up with a nickname that’s probably more insulting than anything else, Bill Hewitt has had to deal with the media asking about his relationship with the birds all of his life. The former NHL player and coach, who passed away in 2013, was so well-known for his love of animals that he was given the Bill Hewitt Award by the NHL in 2010. The award is given to an individual who promotes animal welfare through the media.
Hewitt was no stranger to hard work and adversity. After turning professional in the 1920s, he played for 10 different teams over the course of his career, most notably the Bruins, Black Hawks, and New York Rangers. He also had a lengthy coaching career, serving as the head coach of the Boston Bruins and Chicago Black Hawks, among others. He was also the general manager of the Cleveland Barons for a short time in the early 1950s.
Hewitt, like many other NHL players, traveled a lot during his career. Part of his job was to speak with newspapers and radio stations about the upcoming game, which often meant he had to take a train or drive to another city. Sometimes, when he traveled by car, he’d have to push his way through snowstorms just to make it to his destination on time.