JACKSONVILLE< Fla - Hard to believe but these was a time when there was no Internet. In those days, before you knew every signing as soon as it was announced, you have only a few basic ways to know, beside the calendar, that hockey season was coming up. It might be the first time you walked out of your residence and wondered if you should take your jacket. It was the first time you saw your breath in the morning air. For me, there was a very good

2001-2002 Toledo Storm pocket schedule

reminder that hockey season was coming up…….

Going to a convenience store and seeing pocket schedules for the upcoming season at the checkout counter.

Let’s face it, pocket schedules were just one of those things that you mindlessly would pick up at the register when checking out….whether it was your local hockey, football or any other sports team. You’d grab three or four

1998-99 Columbus Chill pocket schedule

and stick them in your pocket, thinking you might look at it from time to time during the season. However, as the season wore on, you find out that you would refer to it a lot. You couldn’t remember the next time your team faced…say…Walla Walla or when the next Saturday game was. They, unknowingly, have become essential to a hockey fan.

Having said that, not all pocket schedules are made the same. What follows are three pocket schedules from teams that no longer exist. The fourth is something I just want to throw in.

The first pocket schedule is of the 2000-2001 Baton Rouge Kingfish. It is, in many ways, what a pocket schedule should look like. Fit into a calendar grid

2000-2001 Baton Rouge Kingfish pocket schedule

with clear abbreviations of the teams that the Kingfish played during that season. Also, the games are clearly separated, games in blue are the home games, white the road games. And since, back then, Baton Rouge had several teams within easy travel distance (Louisiana, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Mississippi), a wonderful tool for the average.

The second is a pocket schedule that is also good and actually goes beyond the call of duty. It’s the 2001-2002 Toledo Storm schedule and it actually uses the logo of the Storm’s opponents that season. While it definitely helps to know the other team logos in the league, it just gives an aura of a team that goes that little extra mile. When Toledo returns to the ECHL in 2009-10 as the Walleye, hopefully they will do the same.

The third is just wrong. It’s the 1998-99 Columbus Chill pocket schedule. There is no calendar grid, just a month-by-month breakdown of the schedule, with the home games in caps. Just my opinion, but the calendar grid is the way that teams should go. Myself, I am so used to looking at a calendar, as I am sure that many of you are. Use the calendar format. It’s just what people are used

2001-2002 New Haven Knights full sheet schedule

to and it is a easy to read format for fans to get quick information.

The fourth and last one I have included because it was so different. It was from the 2001-2002 New Haven Knights of the UHL. 8 ½ x 11 in sign and slightly laminated. It is an interesting format but designed for the office wall or for the kitchen cabinet. For the wallet or pcoket, not so much.

So, look for that pocket schedule at your local convenience store or even supermarket. It’s a sure sign that hockey is right around the corner.