Pre-Season

I am going to be honest here for a moment. I totally forgot about this blog. Life (read: work) took over and I became a hermit, locked in my office, fervishly attempting to finish all my work so that I can keep this wretched job that I hate so very much. Ah, such is life.

Anyways, the pre-season Frolunda game occurred today and (not really surprisingly) the Sens pulled out a win. Also, not surprisingly, my favourite player Mike Fisher left the game after aggravating his groin. I love Mike Fisher, but my patience is wearing thin. I recall him being interviewed at the end of last season, talking about how he was going to use the summer to relax and recooperate. I remember him being interviewed part of the way through the summer, talking about how he felt like he was almost fully healed and the summer workout program he had adopted was working well. I remember him being interviewed just prior to training camp, talking about how the groin was healed and he was back on the ice. So... what's going on? I realize injuries are a mysterious bitch and you never quite know when one is going to creep up on you, but this is like a two year old injury and it seems like he can't sniff the ice without re-aggravating it. It worries me.

That's all I got rambling around in my brain right now. So I will leave it at that for now, though the Sens regular season starts this weekend, I am pumped and hopefully will have some interesting things to say then!


Cheers!

A lil Update

I am pretty busy this week with lifes little distractions, ya know, work and family and such. I am working on getting my first "real" hockey post up soon, hopefully by the beginning of next week. I am nervous, excited and anxious about it. I may take pics of me writing it to commemorate the moment.

But in the meantime, how about some random questions to ponder on a lazy afternoon...

• Has TSN taken the reigns for unparralled hockey coverage from CBC? TSN is hiring new blood as analysts/correspondents for the season, making new contacts, building their reputation for quality programming and gaining more games for broadcast. CBC has lost their HNIC Anthem (coincidentally TSN gained it) and they have little new or fresh talent working the cameras. There is something to be said for tradition, certainly, that's why I liked the old anthem, but they really need to freshen it up and clean out the old people smell. They are just decaying on national television for all to see. It's sad, really. I like seeing the Canadian teams get their dues on National TV.
• I read on another site that there was a Vancouver Radio station that was trying to answer when the hockey season started. Not the actual start date, but when, as a fan, does the season begin for you? It's an interesting question. Is there really a hockey offseason? I know that I am excited for next season, pretty much immediately following the end of the previous season. So, is the hockey offseason merely a fable?
• Most hockey fans will ardently claim to be a diehard fan of a particular team in the NHL, a fan that will follow their team of choice til their dying day, but is there anything that might make you cheer for another team instead? Is there anything that would make you cast off your NHL logo'd slippies and matching thong to cheer for another team? If your team acquired a player that you hated or signed a GM that you didn't respect, etc, would you give up your seasons tickets? Is your fandom truly an unconditional love?

So, let those questions distract you from the wait for the season opener...

Cheers and til next time...

The Basics

Yesterdays first post of the blog was a little dramatic, a little over the top, maybe a little much, but I wanted to convey the idea that I really love the sport and the team. I am a fan that really gets into it. My moods are based on how well the Sens played, or whether they win or lose a game, what trades have gone down, which players are injured, etc. I really follow every detail of the game and the team. I think this blog will reflect that.

I know everyone and their dog has a blog nowadays, and I have been very reluctant to start a blog for that reason, but truthfully, I just wanted a place where I could write my thoughts on the Sens and goings on around the league. But, I also wanted a place where I could pick peoples brains.

I noted in the first post that I started liking hockey in 2001. So, I am but a novice when compared to some others, who have followed the sport since birth. I would like this blog to be a learning experience for me and others who might just be learning the game and all its little intricacies. It's tough to be a new fan, because sometimes people get judgemental or they don't want to answer your questions. I know I have annoyed many people trying to ask them questions during a game. So, I thought this would be a good way to pick peoples brains without ruining the experience for them. Perhaps it is that angle that will set this blog apart from others....

Anyways,

A few points of note, for those still reading...

• I am new to the game, as I said, so if I write something that is wrong, or you feel I haven't quite grasped the point, then please tell me. I want to learn more about the sport, so it would be nice if the experts could share some of their wisdom and experience with me.
• I enjoy writing but am, by no means, the greatest at it. I welcome criticism/feedback of any kind. I want to try and write some different kinds of posts, like the first post here, so if you think something works or doesn't work, let me know. Spelling errors, poor sentence structure, grammar issues, etc., please point them out. If you have feedback, I want it.
• I am a Sens fan, but welcome any hockey fans to post/comment here. Having said that, I don't want it to generate a "whose fanbase is better?" pissing match. Every fanbase has a few bad apples, so let's just talk hockey and leave all that crap for the children on the messageboards, shall we?
• On the above note, I am pretty laidback and not really into censoring comments, but if people are just being insulting towards other posters, then I will probably delete that. You can insult me, I don't care, but don't insult those who are willing to come here and comment.
• This blog will be about hockey, but occasionally, I will post other OT tidbits that I think might be of interest to people, or at the very least, me. Life isn't all about hockey... Well, it is, but there's other stuff going on too. It's tough to remember that sometimes.
• I tend to ramble on and on. I write a lot. People tend to skip large paragraphs, so I do my best to break them up. But, sometimes they get away from me. Consider yourself warned.

I want this blog to be fun and lighthearted and open. So, please feel free to read, comment and enjoy!

Cheers!

My Confession

Hello.

My name is Wilson and I am a Sens addict.

I never thought it would get so crazy, so wild. I never thought it would happen to me, but one game, one night, one moment of weakness, would change everything...

It was the year 2001. People were still trying to collect themselves from the Y2K scare. Perhaps I was too. Perhaps that's why I got on the bus that day. Who knows really? Who knows how the mind works in times of confusion, ya know, like Y2K.

My friends had gotten wind that some team from Edmonton and some team from Ottawa were going to meet head to head at the Corel Centre. I didn't want to go, but it was either the game or spending the night alone in Glengary House, leafing through pages and pages about every minutia of Canadian civil law.

So, I got on the bus.

I was feeling nervous and frightened, as I hopped on the bus and made my way through the gaunlet of Sens fans. Hoards of men and women alike with faces painted and bright red jerseys, thrusting flags and homemade posters in my face, as I breathlessly tried to find a seat.

Suddenly I felt a jolt. I assumed it was the butterflies in my stomach, desperately trying to escape, but soon realized it was actually the bus revving up and moving out.

I was on my way.

My nervousness grew when I looked out the window and saw nothing but night skies. No buildings, no lights. Nothing I recognized. Were we being driven to some secluded location, only to be left to fend for ourselves, fighting to the death to survive? Turns out I was only partially right. After some time, a lone building shone through the darkness. It was the arena.

It was intimidatingly large. I didn't know where to go, but luckily, the crowds lurched forward, carrying me forward with them. After walking through the concourse jungle, I found my seat. Quickly, I sat down and closed my eyes. I had to collect myself after my journey in darkness.

But when I opened my eyes, I saw only light.

A breathtaking sight really, one that has not and cannot be matched to this day.

The ice.

The ice lay before me, gleaming. It was singing to me, songs of battles past. It told of a ballet of strength and courage, of violence and wonder, of honour and blood.

The rest is a blurr of white noise.

I left that game, forever changed. How could I go back to a mediocre existence of a life without hockey?

How, I ask, how?

I couldn't. One game wasn't enough. One jersey, one autograph, one Alfie t-shirt; it's not enough. It's just not enough.

My name is Wilson and I am a Sens addict.

But I don't want to be cured.

I want to infect.

I want you to be a Sens addict too.

Stay tuned...