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With a nearly packed arena and a broadcast to nearly 66 million homes on Wed. Jan. 20, the East Coast Hockey League All-Star Game proved that baseball and football are not the only sports that are popular in Southern California. The less publicized sport has six pro teams in California alone, with three of them near the Riverside area.

The ECHL holds 20 "AA" teams divided into two conferences, the National Conference and the American Conference. The best players from each team are divided into two All-Star teams according to their conference; the captain of the National Conference team is David Walker, from the local Ontario Reign. The event began on Tuesday evening at the Citizens Business Bank Arena, home of the Ontario Reign, with the skills competition.

The event had competitions such as the fastest skater competition, best puck control, hardest shot, and the breakaway relay. The fastest shot was clocked at a shocking 101.9 miles per hour and shot by A.J. Thelen of Florida. During the breakaway relay six amateurs from our very own local rink, Ice Town, were able to participate with the pros.

The All-Star game on Wednesday was exciting from the start; the initial goal was scored in the first five minutes of the game and continued as a rally until the end. The game was won for the first time in ECHL history by a shoot out; the American Conference defeated the National Conference 10-9 during the overtime shoot out.

To make the affair even more exciting, the arena was the temporary home of the Stanley Cup. It is a hockey fan's dream to be able to get a photo op with the trophy, and while waiting in line to get a picture with it a young boy was walking away shouting, "I touched the Stanley Cup…I am a legend!" This excitement was shared by many other fans that night.

Although the year-long warmth of the So Cal weather seems to be ideal for outdoor sports such as baseball and football, hockey seems to be a growing craze on the West Coast. Ice Town is full of young people trying to get into the sport, and the fan volume seems to be getting bigger as well.

When asked what Hockey is to him, Eric Ellingsen, a life-long hockey player as well as a ten year referee of the sport said, "It's an entirely different community and culture all its own, and it helps you not just stay home doing nothing. Your teammates and coaches are a family that you never lose, and everyone recognizes how special the relationships are."

If a pro game isn't exactly your style, local ice rinks such as Ice Town in Riverside, Calif. and Center Ice in Ontario, Calif. host pick-up games on a weekly basis. They are a lot slower paced and there are no time-outs so you can get a slight idea of what the game consists of. Or, if the fights are what you are interested in, the Ontario Reign, who play at the CBBA where the All-Star game was held, are a bit rougher than the major league teams you may see, because they are trying to get a large fan base. Either way, Hockey is a very fast-paced and athletic game.