Hockey is on the upswing here in the Garden State (or, as some "wits" might say Gahden State (By the way, only a hack writer would write Gahden instead of Garden, or Joisey in stead of Jersey. (The only people in New Jersey who say Joisey are bennies from New York))). There has been several new rinks built within several miles of my house, and they appear to be thriving. Several high schools have even started varsity programs. I attribute the interest to two factors: First, the success of the Devils, Rangers, and Flyers. The back-to-back cups won by the Rangers and Devils have had a big effect. Second, the popularity of roller blading and roller hockey has allowed kids to play a somewhat realistic version of the game in locales where outdoor ice is a sometime thing. Other, minor factors include the pathetic New Jersey Nets (they play pituitary ball, kind of), and the popularity of the Mighty Ducks movies. Funny, but its been my experience that when hockey and basketball compete head to head on equal footing, hockey has often been more popular. When I lived in Illinois in the mid to late sixties, Black Hawks tickets were always harder to get that Bulls tickets. I suspect that is NOT the case these days, but I suspect when Jordan, Pippen, and Jackson retire, Chicago basketball will come back to earth. When I moved to Massachusetts in the earlie seventies, Bruins were more popular than the Celts, even though the they were coming off they run of NBA championships. Once again, Larry Bird probably changed all that, for a while. Hockey fan and former LISP programer, Ken Kretsch | "Coach, my Mom wants me to live for my Bar Mitzvah" BU '79 | "Goldberg, this is your Bar Mitzvah. Today you [log in to unmask] | become a man!" HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.