Even before Tom Preissing realized his dream of becoming a professional hockey player, he was already seeing the NHL through the eyes of an economics major. The 2003 Colorado College graduate wrote his senior thesis on competitive balance in the NHL and its effects on the League over a 60-year span.
Now, Preissing finds he is living the model NHL life as a defenseman for the Los Angeles Kings.
Yes, long gone are the days when Preissing begrudgingly wrote the graduation-required thesis -- all 95 pages of it. And even if he is quick to remark that his hard work isn’t exactly a page-turner, it is certainly an accomplishment that would make any parent proud. Especially Preissing’s mom and dad, who are educators by trade.
The article was so impressive that his thesis adviser submitted the paper to the Eastern Economics Journal, and the thesis was eventually published in 2005.
Kings' Preissing knows all about hockey business (NHL.com) 
