Thank you, thank you, one and all.

Please be seated.

Thank you for voting me as the best reporter on The State News Spring 2001 Sports Desk!

Lacy never stood a chance did he?

Today is the proudest day of my life, so I would like to take these eight column inches of opportunity to thank the people that made this possible.

First and foremost, I want to thank sophomore goaltender Ryan Miller for giving me something to write about. Hobey Baker Awards, 70-year-old records, U.S. National Teams ... the list goes on and on. If it hadn’t been for Ryan, I would have actually had to have done some real reporting.

Speaking of reporting, I want to thank former freshman center Jeremy Jackson for providing the team with a little drama this season. It was a joy trying to confirm his sleeping disorders with greater Lansing medical personnel week after week in February.

Another big shout-out goes to sophomore right wing Kris Koski for his “colorful,” if less-than-tactful, comments during hallway interviews with other players. It’s always a pleasure to go back through my tapes and hear Koski talking in the background about the pink bicycle that Miller apparently rode as a child.

And senior goaltender Joe Blackburn’s stories about his “cousin” Josh Blackburn at That School to the East were absolutely priceless.

On a more serious note, I really do want to thank the coaching staff - Ron Mason, Tom Newton and Dave McAuliffe - and the team captains - Rustyn Dolyny, Damon Whitten and Adam Hall - for their patience in dealing with me. And sports information Director Mike Eidelbes, too.

Finally, I gotta give props to the fine law enforcement officials who pulled over my blur of a white rental car on the way up to Marquette for the Northern Michigan series.

The only thing better than driving three hours across the Upper Peninsula is driving three hours across the U.P. with four new points on your record and a $215 ticket.