Last Thursday, I attended the L.A. Kings/Pittsburgh Penguins game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where the Kings play all of their home games. I don’t go to Kings games much. My father grew up a Penguins fan, so I root for the Penguins.
Anyway, I was enjoying myself at the game. I got to see my favorite player, Sidney Crosby. (Yes, I have his jersey.) Marc-Andre Fleury, the Penguins goalie, was playing well. (Well, in the first two periods.) And I somehow got put in the Penguins section, so I got to cheer the Penguins on with all of these other Penguin fans. How fun. Then the ice girls came out.
The Los Angeles Kings — as I’m sure maybe other hockey teams have — have ice girls. What are ice girls? Hot girls! And they skate! Every male hockey fan’s dream! They go around scraping the ice in skimpy little tops during TV commercials. They are there to rile the fans up, I suppose.
Ugh, I hate the ice girls.
Hockey should be about the players. When I go to a hockey game, I go for hockey. I go to see Crosby, Fleury, Jordan Staal and all the other Penguins. I don’t go to see stupid girls prance around the ice. It’s a distraction really.
I’m sure it’s not surprising that I’m a Steelers fan just like I’m a Penguins fan. The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have cheerleaders and the ice girls are kind of like cheerleaders in a way. Most football teams have cheerleaders, but the Rooney family (they own the Steelers) decided not to have them, because like the ice girls, the cheerleaders are unnecessary.
When they showed highlights, they showed the ice girls in addition to the actual hockey highlights. How the hell are the damn ice girls so important they make it onto the stupid highlight reel? The Penguins (and the Kings) have real talent. They spend years practicing their craft only to be upstaged by some stupid girls in a revealing outfit.
Article comments
1 - Laura
Someone has issues..go to the gym ..lose some weight and grow some self confidence. Also, concentrate on the important parts of hockey "the game".
2 - Jordan Richardson
The NHL and the league owners are incompetent when it comes to selling the game in the United States, which is why you get all sorts of weird ideas like the ice girls.
Other franchises have them, but from what I know most of them don't. I don't know if any Canadian team does, save for maybe Calgary.
The whole "clearing the ice" job usually goes to building/arena maintenance people or linesmen.
Does this mean I need to lose some weight and grow some self confidence, Laura?
3 - ......
I agree With Jordan and umm Laura I think you need to read the....Personal attacks are NOT allowed... before making one to the Article Author I think your out of line there. It has nothing to do with the Ice Girls body the point she was making is that it is taking away from the "HOCKEY GAME" and I agree on that point it does Hockey is Hockey no matter if a male or Female plays the game good looking or not makes no difference it should be about the game it self and not the Ice Girls cleaning the Ice.
4 - DJ IceBerg
Ice Girls? Ok, I guess it could be a nice diversion from the Lame as F*c% commercials that help pay for the TV broadcast. I agree they have NO place in the highlight reel, and they aren't as cool as a Zamboni, but they might be better looking. You never know, it might be an easy way to capitalize on gifts from the fairy godmother in the way of good looks, and it can at least pay for college. It might also be fun for the girls that want to do it. The point of any game is to have FUN, Right? So Keep yer Stick on the Ice, and protect yer goal. If they want to Have Ice Girls, that's nice I guess, I use that time to get food or more Beer. Girls are just window dressing, not the main event.
5 - El Bicho
"I don’t go to see stupid girls prance around the ice."
Unless you have can quote, no one goes to see the girls. Bit of a mountain out of a molehill here.
And I would ask what's dumber, being an ice girl or your generalization that they all must be dumb because of their looks?
6 - BD
Who cares? Who are these girls hurting? And don't give me the BS that they are hurting women's rights. Nothing that they are doing is taking away the rights (vote, drive, hold important positions in the workplace, etc) from the American woman. The majority of them are probably using their god given gifts to help them through college. Plenty of people do that. I highly doubt than any of these girls are planning on making this their career. If they have hopes of being "lawyers, doctors or even president," I don't think that being an Ice Girl during college is really change their minds about their aspirations. If I was a good looking female (neither of which I am), I would capitalize on my good looks and make as much money as I could off of them for as long as I could.
I attend 10-12 Kings games a year. I'll admit when I first saw the Ice Girls last season I thought it was a little cheesy. But I soon realized that the NHL is simply playing to their core audience. As a male in my late 20's, I fall into that core audience. If I could make a comparison: I understand I'm not the WNBA's core audience. I've never been to or watched a WNBA game in my life and probably never will, but if I did I would understand that the WNBA had a different demographic to play to. If they had men with no shirts mopping the floor, I wouldn't give a rat's ***. Good for those men. Make that money. I'm a fat, greasy Italian... nobody would ever hire me to do that, but I wouldn't call it sexist or call those men dumb because they look better than me.
I would just get over it. It's really not that big of a deal. The Kings and the NHL are doing nothing that the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Cowboy and a number of other sports franchises and leagues have been doing for decades. The only criticism I have of the NHL is what took them so long to figure this out.
7 - blah
I love that personal attacks are not allowed in the comment section but the article writer can personally attack these young women working as "Ice Girls" all she wants.
8 - Mikko
Some feminist women seem to have problems with women who decide to pursue their own goals instead of pursuing goals deemed worthy by feminists. (Your statement concerning your daughter is a good example, as if you should have the right to dictate her life and tell her what she should value in her own life.)
Moreover, you're referring to a bunch of more "useful" occupations as if individuals are supposed to set their goals according to how they're valued by society.
The only thing that should be considered offensive here is suggesting that a woman owes something to her gender and therefore must act in way as not to disappoint the collective.
9 - Robert M. Barga
These girls, quite simply, are cheerleaders
i see nothing wrong with that
10 - IceGirl
Your blog didn't bother me because I realize girls will always be bitter out there, but i just wanted to fill you in...
I graduated from California State University Northridge with the same degree you're attempting to get now. I'm currently working in the journalism field and pursuing my career while being a part-time ice girl on the side. My ice crew consists of girls in medical school, graduates of Penn State, ASU, USC and many universities around America. They're pursuing dreams in Los Angeles, just like I am, while working for the Los Angeles Kings because we love the game of hockey too. To say that hockey players are the only ones that spent years practicing their craft is ignorant... I've been a figure skater for 18 years and I know how much hard work goes into sports on the ice. We're not cheerleaders, although some consider us to be, but our job is more necessary than any NFL or NBA squad due to the fact that we clean the ice three times a period so the game can continue. We also do a lot of charity work around the city and raise money for the Kings Care Foundation. I can see how someone like you would say things about our job and that's fine with me, but don't feel bad for us... you're the one in the stands. GO KINGS!
11 - Kings Fan
"Ice Girls" are not necessary to the game, an 8 y/o kid could clean the ice just the same and look cuter doing it. I don't say "ice girls are stupid, they are very smart to the fact that sex sells, and if they dont mind nasty middle aged men doing very bad things to their picture in a calendar, then they can manipulate and ice skate their way to the kings game. Very smart, not very moral or decent, but smart.
And no, they do NOT deserve to be in the highlights, Kings fans go to see Kings play, not to see a girl with implants in a low cut shirt clean ice. Sure, some guys like that and might cheer, but most just go get beer and a hot dog while these (maybe smart) bimbos clean the ice.
12 - Madera Jim
Ice Girls are GREAT.
They are smart, hard working, and do a lot of charity work. Go KINGS, AND GO Girls!
13 - 4ndr3y
What lead to this article:
1st: You are ugly and feel sorry for yourself
2nd: The Pens got their asses beaten by the Kings.
3rd:Crosby and MA Fleury both sucked ass.
4th:The Kings fans booed the crap out of you.
5th:All of the above.
As a Kings fan I got to:
1.Cheer the win
2.Look at beautifull girls skate
3.BOO your pens crybabies.
4.Enjoy my team scoring a few highlight goals.
BTW: Where you a Pens fan during the starting 2000's??? You know, the time where they sucked ass and had the most pathetic attendance in the league?
Sircenly,
Kings/Flyers fan.