I enjoyed my first Hockey-L dinner and gathering...
 
...I'd always pictured Mike Machnik as being, well, older...
...part of the fun of being there was wandering the arena looking at all the
different school's colors (logos, etc) being worn throughout the crowd...
...Michigan was clearly the most represented; I'd say Wisconsin and
Minnesota were tied for 2nd, though most of the Wisconsin colors were
sweatshirts/hats/non-hockey jerseys whereas most of the Minnesota colors
were hockey jerseys...
...most unexpected colors:  Tampa Bay Buccaneers (was that the best he could
do?)...
...how 'bout the poor, loney guy in the UIC sweatshirt in section (I think)
108?...
...most unexpected sound bite:  some guy in a Michigan sweatshirt behind me,
commenting on a play in the first Semi, in a *THICK* Appalachian drawl --
"Whut a take-down!  Why ain't that a penalty?  That's two points in rasslin'
where I come from!"...
...some of the best sights were pairs of fans talking, joking, laughing, and
sitting together while they wore "rival" colors, such as Wisconsin/Minnesota,
 Michigan/Mich St, BU/Maine, CC/Vermont...
...I'm impressed by some collections of hockey pins!  I wonder how hard it
would be to get "defunct" pins from UIC, Kent St, and even back to St. Louis
U?...
 
looking forward to Saturday, and hoping the guys at the arena (easily
spotted by the large amount of egg on their faces) get the plumbing fixed!
 
Steve G
 
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