Ice Sturm
'What is it with hockey?' McGrath asks. As the father of a peewee goalie, I'll tell him. Hockey is a passionate game that requires commitment and character. It requires toughness, both mental and physical. McGrath asks why, in an age of parental effort to reduce risks, we would let our kids play such a rough and aggressive game. I would remind him of the men of Delta Force, on the ground in Somalia and now in Afghanistan, who routinely wear tricked-out hockey helmets. I would remind him of the citizen-athletes in Pennsylvania who prevented even more casualties on Sept. 11 thanks to their teamwork and commitment. I would remind him that life is risk.
David Castro  North Hollywood, Calif.