Thanks-giving!

It's nearly Thanksgiving here in the United States, so I have spent some time thinking about things for which I am thankful. One of the things on my list of things to be thankful for is hockey. It's amazing once I sit down and realize how many cool and nice people I've met through being a hockey fan. There are so many diverse and wonderful people that I have gotten to know through our shared fandom of hockey and especially the Colorado Avalanche. When I think about it, I would probably not have ever met a lot of these wonderful people if we didn't share a love of the same hockey team.

I started out as an Avs fan all on my own. My dad was not ever a big hockey fan (he was a Broncos fan) and my mom really doesn't like sports at all. I didn't grow up watching hockey, although I did have a cousin (who shares a name - different spelling- with a current Avs player oddly haha) who played hockey for a while, so I was exposed to it at a very young age. Since neither of my parents were really interested in hockey, I didn't get to attend any Avalanche games until 2002 when I was old enough to have a job and save up some of my money for tickets. Once I was able to attend games, I got to meet other Avs fans and even some nice fans from other teams (although I've met not-so-nice fans too). Over the years I've gotten to see some fantastic milestone games and some less than spectacular performances, but I've always had a great time with the fans around me chatting about our love of hockey.

It's not just the fans either, all the players, coaches and other people surrounding the team that I have had the opportunity to meet have all been great, normal, friendly people. It's never been an experience like meeting your favorite actor or athlete only to find out they're a total jerk. Not only with hockey do you get to enjoy a fantastic sport, you get to be surrounded by many awesome people. With the growing popularity of social media like Twitter and Facebook over the years, there has been an even greater way to connect to the fans who share a love of the same sport as you too. Now you can chat with Avs fans around the world (I even met a fan from Brazil this year!) and fans of other teams who just share your same passion for the sport. What's there not to love about hockey?

So as Thanksgiving rolls nearer for us in the US, there has been lots of time to think about the things we are grateful for. Sometimes, it's good to take a step back and realize what a wonderful thing you have in front of you. Hockey is a great way to meet with other people who you probably would not have ever had any connection to otherwise. It's amazing to start chatting about hockey and your favorite team with someone you've never previously met and before you know it, you have a new friend. Oh, and let's not forget that hockey is an entertaining sport to watch too.