This is what professional hockey players take for granted. All of it. Look at the huge smiles on these guys' faces on the ice. Fans - and the media, to some extent - are the difference between a recreation league hockey game and a professional hockey game.

Obviously, they play because they love the game - since they get nothing else out of it. But to be appreciated adds a whole 'nother dimension to things. They're not getting paid; they're just being cheered on. Cheering fans turns a regular guys' night out playing hockey in an empty rink into their Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

So who are you playing for?