(Ed. Note: Our series "5 Reasons I Love Hockey" features puckheads from all walks of life revealing five things that either made them a fan or that keep them watching hockey. It will run every weekend. Have a suggestion for a "5 Reasons" guest blogger? Hit us on email. Enjoy!)

If you read the Puck Headlines every weekday, you've no doubt seen Ryan Kennedy's name before. He's a writer and editor at The Hockey News, and one of those columnists that will generally provide a take on the League's big issues and players that hasn't already been regurgitated throughout the rest of the media. Which is a good thing.

He's also a gear-obsessed, hockey culture guy; his latest venture at THN is a special lifestyle magazine called Fully Loaded, which features the best in hockey streetwear, NHL gear and hockey equipment.

Good writer, good dude. Here are five reasons why Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News loves hockey:

1. Fighting

We have a very tight-knit crew in the offices of THN, but nothing sets off the screaming like the fighting debate. As one of the resident hawks (it's not hard to figure out who the doves are), I maintain that fighting is part of the fabric of the game. Sure, maybe the sport can survive without it, but we all grew up watching fights and that's how we fell in love with the sport. It would be like taking the cheating and dullness out of soccer.

Plus, I just like it.

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(Ed. Note: Our series "5 Reasons I Love Hockey" features puckheads from all walks of life revealing five things that either made them a fan or that keep them watching hockey. It will run every weekend. Have a suggestion for a "5 Reasons" guest blogger? Hit us on email. Enjoy!)

James "Tapeleg" Gralian blogs about the Colorado Avalanche and many, many other hockey topics at Jerseys and Hockey Love and co-hosts The Rink Podcast, a wonderful look at the issues of the day featuring some interesting interviews. (I appeared on the premiere episode many moons ago.) Tapeleg also does a ton of traveling around the country for his day job, and will be taking "a southern hockey road trip" in January.

Here are Five Reasons James "Tapeleg" Gralian Loves Hockey ...

1. 1995-96 Colorado Avalanche (and beyond)

I was never a sports fan. My dad loved football, and my mom loved baseball. My sister played all the sports, and I was the artsy guy. That's just how it worked.

Game 4, Stanley Cup Finals, 1996. I'm in a dive bar watching the game on a big screen TV. It's the second overtime when my cell phone rings (I had a company phone from the radio station I was working for). One of my co-workers called to tell me he was sitting at a bar in downtown Denver with a seat at the bar for me, watching the game. I told him I would be there if they went to a third overtime.

As soon as the second overtime ended I hopped in the car and pulled up to the bar, which happened to have a press parking spot out front available. I sat down at the bar, picked up a beer.... And the Avalanche scored.

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(Ed. Note: Our series "5 Reasons I Love Hockey" features puckheads from all walks of life revealing five things that either made them a fan or that keep them watching hockey. It will run every weekend. Have a suggestion for a "5 Reasons" guest blogger? Hit us on email. Enjoy!)

Remember back in 2006, when the New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers played an exhibition game in San Juan, Puerto Rico? Philip Painter sure does.

Painter is the director of the Puerto Rican Ice Hockey Federation, which was 2 years old when the NHL came to the island. He said the program, in its sixth year, is presently on "double-secret probation" -- not being allowed to practice at their local rink, as the revolving door of management has decided that "reggaeton on ice is the future of the vacant building," according to Painter.

NHL.com had an insightful look at the PRIHF and its plight last year, along with other Latin American ice hockey programs. The IIHF had a more focused piece on PR hockey.

Painter's an interesting fellow. He was also a pioneer in bringing surfing to Labrador in Canada, and said his "bio-pic" called "Surfing in Newfoundland" goes into production next spring with Morag. He's also working on a book about the tribulations of the Puerto Rican hockey movement. Oh, and Painter said he's "a descendant of HHOF inductee RJ 'Hooley' Smith, often cited as the first power forward in NHL history, whose violent side and physical play outshone his Gold Medal and two Stanley Cups." And what a Maroon.

Here are Cinco ... er, Five Reasons Why Philip Painter Loves Hockey, even when challenged by tropical climates and political roadblocks.

1. Gump Worsely

Aside from not wearing the mask and having one of the greatest nicknames of all time, his book "They Call Me Gump" is a Classic that should be mandatory reading. Anyone who builds a replica of his favorite bar in his cellar in Minnesota so he wouldn't feel homesick for Montreal is a testament to a bygone era.

No other sport can boast a star of that level of integrity, and sports bios all pale in comparison.

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(Ed. Note: Our series "5 Reasons I Love Hockey" features puckheads from all walks of life revealing five things that either made them a fan or that keep them watching hockey. It will run every weekend. Have a suggestion for a "5 Reasons" guest blogger? Hit us on email. Enjoy!)

Every Wednesday, I get a chance to chat with Jim "Boomer" Gordon on XM's NHL Home Ice channel and it's always an unpredictable conversation. The guy has more hockey gossip, theories and conspiracies banging around in his cranium than almost anyone else in puck radio. As his partner in crime and XM programming chief Joe Thistel told me for a Fourth Period profile of Boomer:

"[He's] one of those guys that has so much information stored in his head that you wonder where he stores it," said Thistel, who's also the program director for Home Ice. "He's the same off air as he is on the air ... he's never at a loss for an intelligent observation or an honest opinion. And in my experience, the best sports broadcasters are the guys that aren't controlled by an on-air light. They're the same whether they're on the air or not. That's Boomer."

Indeed. Here's Boomer with 5 Reasons He Loves Hockey:

1. Bad Hockey

I love REALLY bad hockey. The Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames played a 6-5 game the other night and analysts pointed out the series of mistakes that lead to such a goal fest ... thanks god! Hockey was never meant to be perfect -- chess on ice sucks! D-men get killed for pinching... forwards get ripped for trying to make a play as opposed to getting the puck deep.

The 80's may have had bad fundamentals but it was a great watch and I miss it. The odd man rush is becoming a dinosaur. I recommend one night a month we have coaches stay home tonight ... players today could put on a show if you let them out of their handcuffs once in  a while.

2. Bad Music

I love that really bad music is mandatory in NHL arenas. I have always suspected that teams are fined by the league if they don't play "Kickstart My Heart" by Motley Crue at least once a night. The NHL soundtrack may stink, but that is a good thing. Go to an NBA game and it is hip and cool and trendy, and draws an audience that reflects that. Hockey is counter-culture and welcomes anyone through it's doors. There is nothing more real than the feel of a hockey arena.

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(Ed. Note: Our series "5 Reasons I Love Hockey" features puckheads from all walks of life revealing five things that either made them a fan or that keep them watching hockey. It will run every weekend. Have a suggestion for a "5 Reasons" guest blogger? Hit us on email. Enjoy!)

Justin Bourne has hockey in his blood. His dad Bob was a member of the New York Islanders four Stanley Cup teams in the early 1980's. After a collegiate career with the University of Alaska Anchorage, Bourne spent some time in the Islanders system and then a few more seasons in the ECHL. Currently, Bourne is a columnist for USA Today and blogs regularly at The Hockey News and his own site, JTBourne.com.

From a player's perspective, we bring you Five Reasons Justin Bourne Loves Hockey.

If a stiff breeze hit that glass-like pre-period ice, it would advance the puck, which means that an on-ice snapshot is gonna peel paint off the post.  Zero percent resistance, 100 percent awesome. It's the only time that the canvas is predictable and true, without ruts and bumps, just pure, cold smoothness.  A saucer pass will land with that flat "smack" sound, skating is easy, and it just looks like shiny, glossy, perfect, happiness.  I imagine heaven to be that sheet of ice, with a perfectly-taped brand-new blue and orange CCM Vector one piece (from six years ago), taped in white with light wax (oh, and a good goalie who loves taking breakaways). But that's just me.  I used to love those Bauer commercials - "A clean sheet - what are you going to write?"

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(Ed. Note: Our series "5 Reasons I Love Hockey" features puckheads from all walks of life revealing five things that either made them a fan or that keep them watching hockey. It will run every weekend. Have a suggestion for a "5 Reasons" guest blogger? Hit us on email. Enjoy!)

Puck Daddy readers no doubt remember Alyonka Larionov from her instant-classic PensTV cooking segment with Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin, which we called "the first, and unforgettable, marriage between hockey celebrity and food porn."

Larionov is a wonderful subject for our "5 Reasons" as a hockey fan, as someone working with an NHL team, but also because she's hockey royalty -- thanks to her Hall of Fame father, Igor Larionov.

With that, we turn it over to Alyonka Larionov (and a big thanks to Dmitry Chesnokov for making this happen). It's one of the most interesting lists we've run in the series.

• • •

Growing up a kid of a hockey player is a little different than being a fan of the game.

OK, it's a lot different. But one of the main differences is that it wasn't all about the love. A constant travelling dad with a grueling schedule (somehow there was always an away game on April 4th), the paranoia of never knowing my true friends ("Hey, aren't you Larionov's daughter) and the fear of falling short to such a lustrous and amazing career (three Stanley Cups, Olympic Gold medals, HHOF ... Dad, did you really have to set the bar so high?) created a kind of love/hate relationship for me.

But since this is the 5 Reasons Why I Love Hockey, I'll spare you the hate and will give you the love.

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(Ed. Note: Our series "5 Reasons I Love Hockey" features puckheads from all walks of life revealing five things that either made them a fan or that keep them watching hockey. It will run every weekend. Have a suggestion for a "5 Reasons" guest blogger? Hit us on email. Enjoy!) 

Ritch Duncan is a comedian and blogger whose new book, "The Werewolf's Guide To Life: A Manual For The Newly Bitten" was released this month from Broadway Books. It's a guide that offers "indispensable advice on how to tell if you're really a werewolf, post-attack etiquette, breaking the news to your spouse, avoiding government abduction, and how to not just survive, but thrive." (Please tell us David Naughton blurbed the book.)

He also writes for truTV, and is the creator of AmericanHockeyFan.com (PG-13 language), which has been in mourning on hiatus since the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup. It's a hockey blog we've frequently enjoyed, such as his post on opening up a pack of 1990 Topps hockey cards and experiencing the horror of stale gum. Ritch really, really loves hockey. Here are five reasons why:

1. The NHL's Marketing Department

Yes, the NHL's marketing sucks. I am aware of this. But upon contemplating how hard it has sucked, and for how many years it has sucked, it's time to consider the possibility that the level of incompetence they have displayed might be reaching something close to fine art. For example, last year (and this isn't even in the top 20 of bad examples) a version of the following conversation actually took place in an NHL marketing meeting:

"Who can we get to perform at the NHL awards this year?"

"How about Chaka Khan?"

"Hmm- you mean a woman who has nothing to do with hockey, and no one has even thought about for 25 years? "

"Yes, that's her."

"How much does she weigh now?"

"750 pounds."

"Perfect, let's do it."

There is something beautiful about that.

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(Ed. Note: Our series "5 Reasons I Love Hockey" features puckheads from all walks of life revealing five things that either made them a fan or that keep them watching hockey. It will run every weekend. Have a suggestion for a "5 Reasons" guest blogger? Hit us on email. Enjoy!)

Neate Sager is a terrific Canadian sports blogger on Out of Left Field and The CIS Blog, along with being perhaps the most "How I Met Your Mother"-obsessed writer in the hockey blogosphere. He's also a sports staffer with the Ottawa Sun and a correspondent for Streaming Sports Network Canada.

We've linked to Neate many times because he's a fantastic scholar on sports matters and clearly a hockey fan who understands why we're all so darned passionate about the sport -- beyond what happens on the ice. That makes him a perfect candidate for this series, obviously, so without further lauding here are Five Reasons Neate Sager Loves Hockey:

1. Who's gonna score the winner?

Calling the overtime goal scorer is a ritual like none other in sport. It requires a snap decision and you have to sell your buddies on there being a speck of logic involved.

The other sports don't have anything analogous. Where a team is in its batting order is going to determine who drives in the winning run in an extra-inning baseball game. About 80 percent of NFL overtimes come down to which team wins a coin toss and prays its kicker doesn't choke. You wouldn't call a friend to get a prediction on who's going to score the winning basket in an NBA game, since teams can call timeout to set up a play for their star scorer, who will either make the shot or get bailed out by a foul call.

Only hockey gives one the chance to get his Smooth Jimmy Apollo on (fist jab: Orland Kurtenblog), albeit with a success rate of far less than 52 percent. Of course, you have to pretend there's rhyme and reason. You go with the role player who is going to get rewarded, or someone who has fanned a few good chances and might feel personally guilty the game went into overtime. And your choice comes through, like it did when Darren Helm scored the series-winner for Detroit Red Wings in Game 5 vs. the Chicago Blackhawks last spring, it feels like winning the lottery, even if you're lukewarm at best toward the Red Wings.

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(Ed. Note: Our series "5 Reasons I Love Hockey" features puckheads from all walks of life revealing five things that either made them a fan or that keep them watching hockey. It will run every weekend. Have a suggestion for a "5 Reasons" guest blogger? Hit us on email. Enjoy!)

Jillian E.is a Pittsburgh Penguins fan who lives in Maryland, "smack dab in the middle between the Caps and Flyers." Recently, she emailed us about our "5 Reasons I Love Hockey" series, and made a salient point:

"For all of these segments I have read through the summer, none are about actually playing the game we all love, they all seem to relate to watching games. People all seem to base around the classic NHL games, but what about the experiences a player has that makes the game we all know and love. People who play or played the game see a whole different side of the game. These people deserve their own list, for those memories old and new that make the game what we know and love so much. I may not be a big name, but I can do my best to speak for my fellow hockey lovers."

Speak, she shall. Here are 5 Reasons Jillian E. Loves Hockey, from a self-proclaimed "hometown girl who would give her left arm for some open ice a pair of skates and a few pucks."

1. The Feeling You Get When You Step Out Onto a Fresh Sheet of Ice

Hey, call it cheesy all you want, but it's the truth. That speeding ticket you got on the way to practice/men's league/pick-up doesn't matter anymore. You're here, and for the next hour or so, the biggest concern for you is putting the biscuit in the basket. Fresh ice just has a way of bringing back memories and reminding you of the endless possibilities. It has a way or reminding you why you love this game, and why you keep coming back for more, even though your kids tell you that you're terrible and the snack bar attendant probably skates better than you.

Everything is all right; and besides, who doesn't love that chemically treated ice scent?

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NHL season previews often sell you an impressive bill of goods before you realize, at the end of the season, you're holding an empty box. Which makes using advertisements and infomercials the appropriate template for Puck Daddy's 2009-10 NHL Season Previews, presented each day throughout September.

Last Season's Ad Copy (See also Flames eulogy): Fifth in the Western Conference (46-30-6, 98 points) and second in the Northwest Division. Lost in the conference quarterfinals to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games.

The second half of last season wasn't very kind to the Flames. They slipped out of first place in the Northwest Divison, saw Rene Bourque -- who was having a breakout season -- miss half of February and all of March with an ankle injury, and found themselves so riddled with injuries on some nights (and capped out) that the team couldn't ice a full lineup at the end of the season.

One coaching change and top-line defensive addition later, the '09-10 Flames are hoping a much-needed focus on lowering the team goals-against average (23rd in the NHL last season) will help its eighth ranked offense.

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