I think that there's poetry in hockey. The grace, the athleticism, the drama of a great game—all of these components connect the athletic competition to the art form. A graceful turn of skate or phrase, a lean and muscular athlete or stanza, a dramatic shift in action or idea: a poem can spur the same emotions as a heartbreaking missed shot or a rousing goal. As a native Buffalonian and Sabres fan, it was inevitable that a move to Syracuse twenty years ago would see me become a fan of the Crunch. Chilly morning with a cup of cocoa in hand, watching my daughter skate at Cicero and Morrisville ice rinks, also captured my imagination and inspired the imagery in this poem.