The final week of the semester begins today and graduation looms around the corner with commencement at Amsoil Arena being held this upcoming Saturday, which means one final goodbye for me and my fellow seniors.
The old saying "it goes by faster than you think" usually warrants a pity smile and a chuckle when you hear it as a freshman, but I now find myself saying those exact words to the freshmen and sophomores on the team now. It truly does feel like a couple months ago I was struggling to find A.B. Anderson Hall for my public speaking class, when the reality of everything is I receive my college diploma in five short days.
The University of Minnesota Duluth and all of Bulldog country has truly given me the most exciting, memorable, and scintillating experience that I could have ever asked for. If someone were to have told me when I was a junior hockey player that I would lift a National Championship trophy, be side-by-side everyday with NHL caliber players, and play in front of the best fans in all of college hockey I would have thought they were out of their mind.
Yet here I am, with all of those feathers in my cap.
I am not one to be overly sentimental when it comes to situations like this, but having this platform as the "Dog With A Blog" I find it fitting to give one last thank you and one last goodbye to the people and the city that sculpted me into the man and hockey player I am today.
To my coaching staff and my team mates, you are the reason why I have a smile painted across my face every single day I drive past the shores of Lake Superior and step foot into Amsoil arena. Whether it is for a normal Tuesday morning practice or a sold-out rivalry game against the Gophers on a Saturday night. Not a single second has been taken for granted when I get the opportunity to dawn the maroon and gold Bulldog across my chest.
To my professors I have had the pleasure of meeting and learning from over the past four years, you have had a major impact on sculpting my educational prowess and honestly put me in the position to be able to write my blogs and want to continue my journey in the realm of knowledge and education.
Finally, to the fans of Bulldog country, I can not say thank you enough for providing the best environment a student-athlete could ever ask for by supporting the team every season, through all of the ups and downs, granted there were not too many downs that come to mind over my past four years. The pressure we feel as players to want to give you, the fans, the best experience possible only makes playing in Duluth that much more enjoyable, and for that I will be forever grateful.
I do not now what the future may hold, but what I do know is that being a Bulldog has been one of the biggest blessings in my entire life so far. Once a Bulldog, always a Bulldog. Thank you for everything Duluth.
