A funny thing happened on the road to the Super Bowl and in the heart of the NBA season. Maybe it was my cable company?s denial of NBA League Pass, or my undying love of NHL Hitz 2002 on Playstation 2. Maybe it?s because of the improved product the league is putting out, or maybe even because of the handful of rec league games I?ve taken in this winter. Whatever it is, after years of trying to keep it from happening, I?ve become a hockey fan. For the better part of the last decade, because of both my gig here at RealGM and my own personal growth, I?ve been trying to add hockey to my ever-growing list of sporting passions. I gave it a half-hearted attempt in high school by competing in a fantasy hockey league and making the 30-minute drive through Connecticut to see some of my buddies take the ice for my city, but the results were rather predictable. My initial attempt was wildly unsuccessful. My performance in said fantasy league was pitiful, and the thought of spending every Friday night at a cold ice rink with just a few dozen other fans didn?t appeal to my teenage desires. I gave the puck another run in college, this time without the fantasy roster or gas money needed to travel to my school?s off-campus rink. I attempted it the old fashion way, reading as much as possible about America?s fourth-favorite professional sport. After years of skipping the hockey articles written in both Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine, I began reading them multiple times. Instead of flipping the channel or making a pit stop when Sportscenter switched to hockey like I had in the past, my butt remained firmly planted on my dorm room couch. I was on the fast track to becoming a puck-head. Finding time to follow the NHL was easy during my freshmen and sophomore years, but once I became an upperclassman my schedule no longer allowed me to check in on my frozen brothers. As a twenty year-old kid with a serious girlfriend, a double-major and part-time jobs tutoring on campus and writing for RealGM, there wasn?t much else I could fit into my planner. The few extra moments I had left over after work, homework, writing and quality time with the lady were better spent doing things every college guy fantasizes about. Why would I watch hockey when I could drink beers and sit in my underwear playing video games with my roommate? Graduation came and went, as did a couple of jobs, and I settled into life after college, which included less beer, less fun and even slightly less video games. As a more responsible twenty-something I learned to manage my time better, which brings me to where I currently sit. No, not at the airport waiting for my flight, which was delayed two hours, to take off, but rather as a full-fledged NHL fan. That?s right; the third time was the charm for the relationship between myself and the Canada?s national pastime. The game seems easier to watch than it was nearly ten years ago when I first attempted to become a fan, and from what I hear the league worked rather hard to make it that way. The stars on the ice seem more human, with guys like Sidney Crosby, and who doesn?t enjoy listening to Barry Melrose?s mullet?I mean commentary? Thanks to Comcast digital cable?s refusal to carry NBA League Pass in my area, I?ve caught more NHL games on television this year than I have ever before. I?m forced to watch the Rangers more often than not, but as a fan who still has that new-Zamboni smell, it?s certainly better than nothing. I?m still learning the game and the rules. I know all the terms, but I don?t necessarily know what all of them mean yet. Shouldn?t the crease be that lovely area between two pieces of anatomy when Jessica Alba takes in a Lakers? game, and not the stomping grounds for a goalie? Isn?t the blue line another name for baseball?s infamous Mendoza line? And shouldn?t the penalty box be where James Dolan watches Knicks? games at Madison Square Garden? Regardless, I?m falling in love with the NHL and feels like very first time. I?ve even begun attempting the feat of learning how to skate. My first go-around wasn?t overly successful, but I didn?t break anything and as far as I?m concerned, that means I?m on my way. If I turn into a natural skater and end up joining a rec hockey league, then consider me officially hooked. Or slashed, whichever term you prefer. For now, I?ll settle for the enjoyment of watching guys like Crosby glide along the ice at NHL arenas across the country. Oh, and my fantasy team has been pretty entertaining this season as well. What did it take for you to fall in love with hockey? [email protected]