As you all may know, I’m a huge baseball fan and football fan—both at the professional and college levels. I only pledge alliance to two sports, mostly because picking up a third would be expensive for me. Plus I already have a drawer filled to the top with baseball and football shirts.

I’ve tried to get into hockey, but for some reason, it’s not becoming a thing with me. I mean, I live in New England. It’s cold here, and it’s a hockey area. I could easily just start watching Bruins games and call it a day.

But I’ve watched games—well, just maybe a period here and there—and it’s not just doing anything for me. And I wish it would. If I had to pick between basketball and hockey, I’d definitely take hockey.

I don’t really have much of a connection to hockey, and maybe that’s why it’s not sticking with me.

In high school, my 10th-grade chemistry teacher was a huge Canadiens fan, and he even had the logo painted on the brick wall in his classroom. I remember on one test he added a bonus question that asked us to list three hockey players and the teams they played on. I don’t remember who I put, but I think I got two out of three right.

Two of my roommates in college were Bruins fans and would watch the games at night, and I tried to watch it but just wasn’t into it. One of them even came up with a drinking game that was written on a piece of paper that was taped on the wall in the living room.

Former Bruins player Frank Vatrano grew up a few towns over from me, and his aunt/family’s restaurant is one of our clients at work. One of the girls from the ice cream shop is good friends with one of his cousins. I think that’s the closest I’ve ever been to knowing a professional athlete. Frank got traded a few months ago to… hmph, it’s some team in Florida I think. The Panthers? Shows you how much I know.

I know roughly three rules of hockey, so I guess that’s a start:

The playoffs have started and will continue until June, when it is no longer hockey weather. Who wants to go to a hockey game when it’s sunny and 70 degrees outside? I’d much rather go to a baseball game. (Also, I don’t get why people complain that baseball season is too long but has its playoffs within a month, while hockey and basketball take two months.)

Can anyone provide me with some insight as to why one should start following hockey? What are the perks of getting into watching hockey? What’s the benefit for me? Leave me a convincing pitch in the comments.