The End of An Era

As I walked through the streets of St. Paul after my Huskies lost in the play-in game at the Final Five I didn't really know how to react. I wasn't sure rather to be thankful that they had made it this far or disappointed because I had such high hopes for them. This season was a good season, we've come so far from where we were last year, and next year just looks more promising.

This has a been a year where negative streaks were broken and new more positive streaks were established, and yet we fell just a few wins short of what could of been. Technically we can still make the NCAA tournament but at this point it is a long shot, so it appears that Tech's first game at the Xcel center may very well be my last hockey game as a Tech student, and this leaves me amazingly bitter-sweet.

So as I sat trying to figure out I wanted to say and what I wanted to do, and as I tried to comfort one of my partners in crime when it comes to this blog, I realized even though the game was over hours ago I still sat in my jersey. I was afraid to take it off, because once it was off it was over, not only the season my career watching Tech games as a student. I bought this jersey, which is a replica of the new home jerseys introduced this year, during the first home hockey game this year and it has brought me through this memorable season. For every game that I have wore this jersey in Five different States this year and at eight different arenas, including every tech game I've been to this year except two where I went in a toga.

This jersey has been as much a part of the season as the tickets, my seat, or my friends that I have had the honor to share the experience with. And these things are what it now represents to me.

If Tech makes the NCAA tournament, which at this point looks very unlikely, I will wear this faithful garment, but for now it is going into retirement. From now on it will be more a piece used to remember the good times then as a piece of clothing.

Thus I am wrapping up an era in my life, and as I close this area I would like to thank everybody who made it possible, to the RA who took me to my first hockey game (the greatest game I've ever seen) to the friends who gave me the chance to experience more, to my friends who stood by me as I became a fanatic, to the ones I shared memories with on roadtrips (don't worry I love you now more then ever) to the alumni who generously help to partially fund these trips when I just couldn't.

Thank you all.