I played my VERY FIRST EVER ice hockey game last Saturday (07/28/2007) in Euless, Texas.  The days leading up to the game were amongst the more stressful I have not had the pleasure to deal with.  I studied the videos I made of the Stanley Keg game and the Komets win for the 1st seed on the 30th of June, to help me in determining the proper positioning, and I played with the Hockey Simulator (java) to aid me in the same way.  My nerves were keyed into performance mode for days before the game and I could scarcely eat or sleep; my wife noted that I hadn't thought of much else aside from Hockey during those lonely days.