The cockiest, most irresponsible group of athletes in the

world. Will do anything just to be able to tell his teammates a great story in the dressing

room. Live the dream until they are 35 then realize they never made it. Ladies love us,

guys want to be us, we are the soul of the universe. We lace up the skates, put on the

gloves, strap on the helmet, and walk onto the ice and nothing else matters. It doesn’t

matter that you failed a test, your girl is being a bitch, or that you got a ticket on the way

there. Your world is absolutely perfect for the next couple of hours. Face-offs, goals,

assists, overtime, living on the road, cold rinks, early mornings, breakaways, going top-

shelf, countless hours of practice, bag skates, puking, thousands of dollars, dangling D-

Men, end to end rushes, big hits, broken twigs, new skates, packing bombs, dropping the

mitts, wheeling broads, coaches, adding the letter "y" to the end of everyones last name,

the word "fuck", tape to tape sauce, let downs, miracles and most of all, the game of

Hockey. Why? Why do we skate back and forth night after night? Skating so hard we

throw up. Skating so hard your heart beat rings in your head while your lungs are grasping

for air. Late nights, early mornings, Friday nights, Saturday evenings, broken bones, torn

muscles and deep bruises. We skate through it all. Because we live off our adrenaline,

because the game frees your spirit, because the party in the locker room is second to

none, because you’re invincible once you step on the ice, because one shot can make

you smile all night, sniping the twine, top shelf where momma keeps the peanut butter,

the rattling of the boards, the feel of the puck, and skates carving into the ice is a rhythm

to live by, because its possible to skate fast enough to leave all your worries behind.

Sweat is the cologne of our accomplishment. People always ask why someone would

push themselves so hard? House League, A, AA, AAA, Jr A, WHL, College, Pro...It's

never been for the money, it's not for the girls, and it's not for the fame. The boys play

because we love it. I'm a hockey player and I wouldnt have it any other way.