As I look back upon the many years that I sat alone, watching my favorite sports on television, with no one else in the room with whom to share my excitement at every goal, touchdown or basket,  I find myself feeling just a little sad, a little lonely. 

     But that lonliness never lasts long, for I only have to remind myself of the grand metamorphosis that my lovely wife, Lisa  Richardson, went through in the year 2000.  She was the prototypical sports widow,  leaving the room (and sometimes the house!) whenever the television was tuned to any kind of sports.  I didn't  want to drive her out of the house, but I didn't want to give up my sports addiction, either.

     I begged her to stay, and maybe even try watching a hockey game with me, just once!  She wouldn't bite.  I started asking her that same question every time a sporting event came on.  It really got on her nerves that I wouldn't give up.

     One day, she threw me for a complete loop by answering the now inevitable question with the following " If I agree to watch one game with you, which I know I'll hate, will you leave me to heck alone from now on?"

      I quickly agreed.  she watched a Colorado Avalanche game with me, and the rest, as they say, is history!  She was hooked after one game, and now won't miss an Avalanche game on television.  Little did she (or I) know that she had a sports monster dormant within her just waiting to be released! 

     She has since become interested in NASCAR (doesn't miss a single race all season), Denver Nuggets, Broncos, Rapids, Mammoth and Crush.  But her first and most passionate sports addiction is for the Avalanche.

     Now, in her exuberant fashion, she has managed to spread the sports addiction to a dozen or so of her female co-workers, employing the same tactic that I used.  She would tell tell them "Just watch one game, from beginning to end. If you like it, we'll have something to talk about at work.  If not, we'll talk about something else." 

     Every single person that she persuaded to watch a hockey game is now a major fan!  

     My life is nearly perfect now.  Lisa, already the perfect wife for me, has exceeded perfection in my mind by joining me in my love of sports. We have such great times yelling at the screen together, cheering together and feeling a total togetherness.  

     For the last year or so, Lisa has been talking about how great it would be to see a game in person.  We really can't afford it right now, but I hope to make that dream come true for her someday, a way of showing my love and saying thanks for evolving into such a well-rounded perfect spouse.  I can just imagine her excitement if  she were to find out that she was actually going to an Avalanche game! 

     I think Lisa deserves to win the Avalanche Suite because she has done so much to bring new fans to the game, and in the process, made the husbands of all of her co-workers as happy as I am about  having a sports-loving wife!!!  None of her friends at work that are now Avalanche fanatics (courtesy of Lisa's hard work to convert them) have ever been to a professional sports event, let alone an Avalanche game.  I would like for the whole bunch of them to go their first Avalanche game together.  Can you imagine the mayhem ?  These ladies have all done a great thing for themselves and their marriages.  They definitely deserve to be rewarded! 

   Here's hoping that Lisa will realize her sports dream in the near future.

                             Thank you very much for your consideration.

                                   Gary Richardson