I think what makes hockey so important to me is that it's just so different from all of the other sports that you typically see in Europe. Soccer was such a prevalent sport in Ireland when I was a child, and even played myself, but something about the pure speed and physicality of hockey drew me to it immediately. I grew up watching Irish legends like Bags O'Bigbers and wanted to follow in their footsteps, instead of taking the traditional path of footballing. There's also so few ice rinks in Ireland, especially when I was younger, the fact it was so rare to watch a live game also added to the mystery behind it. Since then, it's gained such a huge boost of popularity a it's almost on par with soccer. That awe behind the game continues to inspire me, and hoping that one day I can go back home to inspire others to join the sport as well.