Ties together the rise, fall, and rise of the GM plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee with the fortunes of the local High School hockey team and also the rise in general of the popularity of hockey in the State.
Pretty well written, I don't know if the interludes about the civil war are necessary or bring anything to the article, but all the hockey stuff is great. Just goes to show that it's almost impossible not to fall in love with hockey once you know the game.
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/...conomic-change
Quote:
"Is that really happenin'?" he asks me in a throaty Tennessee twang. I look up at the TV screen above the bar. Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber has his gloves off and is tangled up with Columbus's enforcer, Jared Boll. "That's stupid." He spits in his cup. "They can't afford to have him in the box."
...
During the third period the game seems to be well in hand. I see a couple of the moms sitting in front of me pass the time by trying to guess the names of all the NHL teams whose banners hang around the rink — the same rink on which the Nashville Predators practice. A father sitting behind them tries to help. They get stuck on the Sabres.
...
He skates fast, with purpose, and the smaller Mount Juliet defender, let alone Kendrick's teammates, can barely keep up with him. The parents don't ask him to pass. They cheer him on. "Go Kendrick!" they shout. I overhear one of the moms behind me say, "He skates like an in-line skater." For a Southern-fried hockey mom, her eye for technique is awfully astute.
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Grantland story about High School hockey in Tennessee
