Rovitz

Holy crap, it’s really been one month since Shawn and I started this project. It was something we tossed around for a while and wanted to figure out how to go about it, what to cover, and the voice we would have in the hockey world.

We thought there was an audience for this type of site, because frankly, we’re both media guys and we’ve seen how thin local coverage of sports has become. There might be a couple paragraphs written about that night’s game online by the local papers, if you’re lucky, but for the most part, we felt these teams, leagues, and stories weren’t getting the coverage they deserve.

And shoot, we’ve learned some stuff ourselves! From fans who chime in with info or history we didn’t know, or finding out about entirely new leagues that are halfway around the world. It’s been as much a learning experience for us as its been a fun project getting to write about and cover stuff we have a passion for.

Honestly, the most amazing thing about this site is the feedback and outreach we’ve gotten from actual people and leagues in the hockey world. NAHL, AIHL, FHL, SPHL teams that have all shared stuff, or reached out to us about stories, it’s crazy to us that has happened, but feels really awesome that places like that are liking what we do.

So we started this site not knowing what to expect, both in terms of where we’d go with it, or how audience reaction would be. We hoped that we’d get a few dozen people a day to stop by and check out what we’d done. Needless to say, we SMASHED those meager expectations and have seen numbers that we didn’t think were possible this quickly.

And for that, we owe a huge thank you to the readers we have, the people who gave us a Like on Facebook, followed us on Twitter, shared any story we’ve done, or commented on any post we’ve done, whether you agree with what we’ve written or not.

So yeah, one month in and hopefully countless more to go. We’re going to keep doing what we do, trying our best to bring you news, opinions, and just general awareness to hockey leagues and teams that most people wouldn’t have a clue about if you mentioned them in public. Seriously, thank you for reading us, and thank you for making this project far more successful that we ever thought it would be.

Shawn

Wow. Time really does fly by. I remember when we first started covering low-level hockey for HotSprotsTakes.com, and being able to put it in the FHL Fans Facebook page seeing it blow up.

I’ve always been interested in minor leagues, as we’ve talked about ad nauseum. However, I became even more apt to pay close attention to these leagues when I began approaching the end of my collegiate career. I started as a club, college hockey broadcaster that nobody at our school knew about, and frankly nobody had a reason to care about. We gave the teams name recognition and something people could attach to. When I knew that I would have to start my career in low-level hockey, I wanted to make sure these teams and leagues got the true coverage they deserve.

Rovitz’s always been more interested in junior hockey, having called it for some years, and that’s his speciality. I’ve always loved these crazy, hectic, sometimes erratic low-level leagues, from the bad times of the UHL up to what’s next. I want to see these leagues thrive and advance, and I believe that there’s a necessity for them to. Honestly, aside from Sin Bin, teams themselves, and forums…we’re it. Leagues only get coverage like us. I’m beyond happy to be able to fill that niche, and this experience has been a blast.

Whether being called “caffeine addicted” or even sometimes great, I couldn’t be happier of this first month for Rovitz’s and I’s passion project. This so something we care so much about, and don’t do it to patronize low-level hockey or mock it, but grow it and at least help it’s recognition.

Thank you to everyone who’s helped this thing grow, all our sources who give us info, and everyone who reads the content. This is a blast to write, and we hope you’ve enjoyed reading it just half as much as we’ve enjoyed writing it.

Long live the Bus Leagues!

–

Shameless plug, but if you haven’t, be sure to give us a Like on Facebook, or if Twitter is more your thing, check us out there and be sure to give us a follow.

Thanks again!