I'm really glad you're getting into hockey, and it's so great that you're rooting for your home team :) My team is a four-hour bus ride away. Boo. (But they're Original Six, too!)

One thing I truly love about hockey is the purity of the history. Unlike basketball and football, hockey players usually play amateur hockey while in high school, and get drafted instead of getting to college, hence the very young ages. There's so much tradition surrounding the older teams and even what used to be their home arenas. The Maple Leafs don't play there anymore, but I just HAD to go see Maple Leaf Gardens while I was in Toronto.