Two weekends prior I crashed at a buddy’s place in Redwood City. He lives in the middle of suburbia with wide open land and a lackadaisical atmosphere. The area is a nice place to raise a family, although at night, it was bitter cold. It was the type of cold where you would need multiple layers of clothing and a blanket to feel any warmth. I was surprised the lawn outside was not frosted the next day.

I am not a big fan of hockey. The only time I watched the games were when they took over FSN and blocked a Warriors’ telecast. The puck is small which makes it a bit hard to track on the screen. The players would keep dumping the puck from one side of the rink to the other. It was quite boring.

Viewing a live hockey game gave me a whole new perspective. The players in person are much larger and the rink is much smaller than seen on television. The action is also fast paced with players hopping in and out of the benches. The game I attended was between the San Jose Sharks and the Washington Capitals. There was a fight between players on the opposing teams within the first five minutes of the game. Afterwards, the Sharks went on to roll over the Capitals with a 7 to 2 drubbing.

Now, when I watch a hockey game on television, I can look back at my experience at the Shark Tank and appreciate the finer details of the gameplay. At which point, I flip the channel to something interesting like a rerun of NCIS.

I kid, I kid.

Or do I?