The Five Things I Love About Hockey

1) The sounds of steel on Ice. Nothing compares to that sound. Not a "nails on a chalkboard" sound, but the peaceful, singing "swhoosh" that can cut through the cold, dry air and straight to my soul. It is a sound like no other. It is more powerful to me than the roar of the ocean. You cannot control the ocean, but the sound of steel on ice is man and elements in harmony.

2) The "Elite" factor. This is not a sport you learn in high school Gym class. The fact that a spastic, half blind girl (like me) could never even attempt to play this game makes it all that more enjoyable for me. I've played basketball, softball, tennis and field hockey. I almost killed myself on the un-even parallel bars. I ran the track, shot arrows and almost drowned swimming laps in the high school pool. But I NEVER, EVER went to a school that offered hockey in gym. When I meet anyone who took the time to learn and play hockey on their own, it raises them star status in my eyes.

3) Because WILL can beat SKILL. A life lesson played out in 60 minutes of on ice battle. I carry that with me and apply it to daily trials and tribulations.

4) There are 82 games in a Season. Just enough so I don't lose my interest and yet not quite enough as I always want MORE. In June, it leaves and the anticipation builds until late September, when I think I can't take it's absence one more minute it's there in a triumphant return.

5) The Stanley Cup. No trophy has a richer history or is harder to win. No sports icon can come close to the stories it can tell or the places it has been. To have your name etched on it's metal is to secure a place in the history books. To win it, men have played through excruciating pain and called upon strength they didn't know they had. They have struggled to lift the cup over their head in triumph even though their shoulders are damaged.

There is no other sport like this. That is why only certain types of people can follow it. It's not for everyone. And I'm happy about that.