When I was young, I developed into a huge sports fan. I followed baseball (Go Red Sox) incredibly close because my father and my grandpa taught me the game and told me stories about the Red Sox (most of which didn’t end well). I followed football because that was the popular playground game and all of the kids at school had favorite teams (Go Pack, go). I enjoyed watching basketball because the early to mid-2000s had some of the most exciting athletes in sports at the time: Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, the whole starting five of the Detroit Pistons and the start of the career of Lebron James. One sport I did not pay much attention to was hockey. What I knew about hockey was from getting “Sports Illustrated for Kids” and looking at the hockey cards that came with it. I could tell you the Red Wings and Avalanche had stacked teams, Mario Lemieux was at the end of his career and for some reason I really liked Owen Nolan of the San Jose Sharks and Markus Naslund of the Vancouver Canucks. I was never exposed to it as a kid because nobody I knew really watched it, besides my best friend. I couldn’t skate and I didn’t know the rules so I kind of just brushed it off.

Today, though, it is the winter sport I follow most. It all started back in 2009. I was in Rapid City with my family because my dad had a work conference. The Rapid City Rush, then of the Central Hockey League, had a home game against the Wichita Thunder at the Rapid City Civic Center. I expressed that I wanted to go, and I ended up attending the game with my uncle. It was fast paced and a lot of action. I didn’t know the rules too well, but there was a fight, so that was pretty awesome. After that day, I started following hockey more closely. I originally liked the Blackhawks, but became a Los Angeles Kings fan because I really liked watching Jack Johnson and Drew Doughty, two exciting young defensemen. I also continued to watch the Rapid City Rush and even went on a few road trips with a high school friend and a playoff game with my dad. In 2012, I began to realize that hockey was truly something special, but I didn’t realize how much it was be a part of my life.

The Kings ended up winning their first Stanley Cup that summer, which was exciting. I also was headed to college in Aberdeen, South Dakota. My freshman year, I attended a bunch of Aberdeen Wings junior hockey games. The Wings play in the North American Hockey League, one of the top junior leagues (players ages 16-20) in the country. I was hooked. I understood the rules already, but I could then tell when a play was developing and what was important besides scoring. I knew to watch behind the play for a big hit, why players are positioned the way they are and why to get excited when the puck was iced on a power play. The games were great ways to spend Friday and Saturday nights.

The summer after my freshman year, I decided to reach out to the Wings to see if I could do a game day internship with them. I ended up getting the position and started working game days for them in January of 2014. I was able to interact with fans, see how a hockey organization is run and got to see the growth of a sport in the city. It was a fantastic experience that continued until February of 2016. I have worked for a few other teams since my first game with the Wings. I have done off season work, ticket sales, game day operations and pretty much anything else you can think of in the junior hockey business. While working in the business, there have been a few things that have resonated with me: the passion of the fans for their hometown team, the growth and courage of the young men on the ice and how great the people you work with are.

The fans of junior hockey teams are great. In a lot of towns, the junior team is the only sports team. The games are events for the whole town, there is a lot of excitement and the local media covers it pretty closely. It is their version of the major leagues and they cherish it. The fans get loud, know the players and give amazing support. Junior players live with host families, or billets, and those families are unsung heroes. They bring players in and treat them like family, giving them food, a place to sleep and other things they may need. They are also some of the best fans of the team. Arenas big and small are packed, whether it is a few hundred or a few thousand people, the crowd gets involved. The tickets are very reasonably priced, so the fans are not just wealthy people but also blue collar working folks and families looking for a fun night of entertainment. The atmosphere these fans provide is indescribable.

The players are unique as well. They come from not just around the country, but around the world. For many of them it is their first time away from home. They don’t see their families for months at a time. They make a big sacrifice to be able to play hockey at a higher level and to take the next step to play collegiate or professional hockey. They also are not guaranteed to stay on the team the whole season as they can be released or traded to a team anywhere in the country (which would require a quick move and not much time for goodbyes), just like professional leagues. They are also involved in the community by doing community service, visiting kids in schools and hospitals and being role models to the kids that watch them play. The players are truly extraordinary on and off the ice. The front office and coaching staffs are incredible, also.

The staffs for these teams work hard to make every game great in every aspect. They sell tickets and sponsorships, make sure all game day operations are taken care of and pretty much make everything go round by wearing many different hats. They are not in it to make a lot of money, but for their passion of the game. It is a truly special thing to be a part of an organization of that kind. Coaches teach the players how to be better hockey players and better people. It is not just about hockey growth, but growth as people also.

Working in hockey has been a great experience. I have never played ice hockey, can barely skate (if at all) and could probably barely elevate a puck, but working in hockey has taught me many things about team work and hard work. I have met many great people like co-workers, my mentors, owners, former professional players, coaches, scouts and passionate fans. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I have also learned that if you get a person to come to their first game, they will always have a good time. I have never met a person who has gone to a game and didn’t like it.

While I never knew how important the sport of hockey would be to me when I was younger, I am grateful that it is important to me now. I have met great people, had many memories, seen many different walks of life, seen how courageous people can be and seen the rewards of hard work for both players and team staff alike. While many of you may have never been to a hockey game, I encourage you to go see one. Whether it is professional, minor league or junior hockey, you will have fun and see the hard work that goes into the game on the ice and the business during games and off the ice. I have been to many hockey games and venues since I started working in hockey a few seasons ago and each time I smile knowing the effort that was put in to make every aspect happen. It is a beautiful thing and I hope someday to give back to the game what it has given to me. See a game, have fun and support a sport that has many standup people involved and truly makes players, staff, fans and communities happy. The players want support and they represent the cities, big and small, that they play in. They work hard and love the undying support. Hockey is beautiful. See it for yourself.