I’ve been a hockey fan since 1995.  That year, the Detroit Red Wings made it to the Stanley Cup Finals and had a chance to win their first Cup since 1955.  This was my first real exposure to hockey, and I remember being a 16 year old kid watching the finals with my grandfather, my uncle, and my cousins.   And despite the fact that they were swept by the New Jersey Devils that year, an interest had been piqued that continues strong to this day.  Red Wing hockey on the Fox Sports Detroit is sole reason I subscribe to cable.  Seriously.

About 12 years ago, I moved to Grand Rapids to start a family.  Shortly thereafter, I began attending home games for the Grand Rapids Griffins.  The Griffins play in Van Andel Arena, located right in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids.  My daughter Elizabeth and I routinely attend a half dozen or more games every season.  The Griffins are the primary affiliate of the Red Wings, essentially meaning that they are their number one minor league team.  Almost half of the current Red Wings roster is comprised of former Griffins and it’s been awesome to watch them progress to the highest level.  If we’re looking for something to do in the evening and it happens to be between October and April, checking to see if the Griffins have a home game is pretty much the first course of action.

A few years ago, I decided I’d like to be a season ticket holder for the Griffins one day.  It’s always a great time, and it’s a nice, inexpensive way to spend an evening.  Well this week I can proudly say that I achieve this goal, and committed to a full ticket package for the 2013/2014 season.

It’s a business expense of course – and while I’ll certainly take my daughter to a handful of the games, the vast majority will be sold, or given to clients, associates and referrers. I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on a goal achieved – and to express gratitude to my associates, clients, those who have referred my services, my family and anyone else who had a hand in making this happen.