November 24, 2003
Twelve things we're thankful for

• That glimmer of hope you get each time you buy a 50/50 ticket.

• There's no BCS, contract holdouts, or threat of a lockout.

• RPI's Puck Man.

• E-mailers from across the continent who aren't afraid to keep us honest.

• Pep bands in the bleachers.

• That fans in Minneapolis, Boston, East Lansing and Madison are rallying around special college hockey programs in Canton, Colorado Springs, Potsdam and Troy.

• The magic of satellite television and TiVo, making the world of college hockey that much smaller.

• Cities like Buffalo that welcome college hockey with open arms and make us want to stay and play all summer.

• Seeing Wayne Gretzky grin from ear to ear like a little kid as he skated on to the Commonwealth Stadium ice sheet for Saturday's Heritage Classic old-timers game.

• The fact that the all-time single-game hockey attendance record still belongs to a college game.

• Teams that prove us wrong, like Ferris State last year and Maine or St. Cloud State this year.

• Teams that prove us right.