Hockey Moms? REALLY?

Why is Palin painting herself as a "hockey mom" seen as her being an All-American, down with the folks, every-woman? She says "hockey moms" and we all nod our heads as if it means something. First of all, how many kids in this country actually PLAY hockey? You can wipe out the South. And the Southwest. And the West Coast. For chrissake, hockey has fallen behind NASCAR in popularity! And hockey isn't really cheap to play, is it? You gotta buy all that equipment. So who exactly are hockey moms? White mothers from parts of New England and states that border Canada who are affluent enough to outfit their kids to play the game. That doesn't exactly sound like millions of mothers from sea to shining sea, does it?