Why the Roku Player is the greatest thing ever for sports fans.

See how much I love my Roku? I made a really cheesy graphic for it!

Alright, my title might be a bit of an over exaggeration.

But as I sit in my little piece of Washington state watching a hockey game taking place over 3000 miles away, I can’t help but feel like I’m in love…yes, in love with a little black box.

When I moved to Washington, I was worried about how I’d be able to watch my teams. I knew all about the online packages and the TV packages, but I found it difficult to choose between. The 7:00 ET start times in baseball and hockey made that online package much more convenient, since no one really minds if you put up a small window in the corner of your computer screen when you’re working late. But it’s a little more relaxing to snuggle up in bed or curl up on a couch and watch a game on television.

And this, my friends, is why Roku is so fabulous. You don’t have to choose at all!

Roku players are little black boxes that attach to your television. Using your existing internet connection, Roku can be used to stream all the digital media your heart desires. Some of the popular channels include Netflix, Hulu Plus, Justin.TV, Pandora and my personal favorite NHL GameCenter LIVE (no offense to MLB, I just didn’t have a Roku during this past MLB season).

The NHL GameCenter LIVE channel on Roku does require a subscription to NHL GameCenter LIVE online (a cost of $23.95 a month); however, once you have the subscription it is simple to connect it to your Roku. Simply go to the channel on your Roku and it gives you a code to put in on the activation site (www.nhl.com/roku).

Within minutes you can be watching a live game, an archived Winter Classic or another special feature. The quality is incredible, with the upper level Roku boxes supporting HD. I haven’t had too many problems–except for the annoyance of blacked out national games (a pain since I don’t have cable and living so close to Canada I experience twice the blackouts) and occasionally having to hit pause then play when the image on the screen gets frozen (I’ve been watching the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins game for two periods and haven’t had to do this once).

With Roku players starting at $59.99 and maxing out at $99.99, it really is the perfect accessory for any sports fan with a digital sports package. The streaming of Hulu, Netflix, YouTube and dozens of other channels makes it an even better deal. For me, cable is no longer the necessity I used to think it was (and any live TV I want to watch I can typically find on Justin.TV). I am saving money because I don’t have that cable bill.

Friends, no one from Roku forced me to write this. I’m not receiving any form of compensation for blogging. I simply think this gadget is the greatest!

Happy to answer any questions for you!