The Blog Box & A New Tradition

On Wednesday night, I had the opportunity to watch the game from the Blog Box. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but the evening surpassed my wildest expectations. By now, you've probably read the quotes and post-game reaction from the club, so I won't regurgitate any of that here. But being in the Islanders locker room, a place I always dreamed I'd end up when I got older, was a huge thrill. It was also really neat to see so many of the people I've read and seen on TV in person, namely Chris Botta, Greg Logan, and Stan Fischler. Particularly Fischler, because he cracked me up when he asked Botta how to access his blog. Apparently, the Hockey Maven isn't the most Web-savvy person out there.

In any event, the whole thing was excellent, but it wouldn't have been nearly as nice if not for my fellow Blog Boxers helping me out and showing me the ropes. While everyone has been awesome so far, I'd like to publicly shout-out Gary from The View From Section 317, Doug from Official's Outlook, and Michael from IslesBlogger for looking for out for me on Wednesday and answering all my stupid questions. As cool as it is to get the access the Blog Box provides, the group in there is quality. I look forward to attending more games with them as the season unfolds.

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Traditionally, Thanksgiving is a football day. The NHL calendar is blank. Families get together and have nothing to do except watch whatever is on TV. Usually, that ends up being football. For many of us, though, watching the NFL on Thanksgiving isn't enough. Lots of people participate in their own "Turkey Bowls", which become as much a part of Thanksgiving as turkey and stuffing.

For years, we had our annual football game at my old house in Hicksville. Our neighbor's cousins would come in, we'd get all the kids on the block together, and take part in this massive football game on this massively long (but extremely narrow) field. Unfortunately, our family sold that house last year, so the game is no longer going on. So we went back to the drawing board.

Around this time, my brother informed me that the annual football game he played in with his friends was undergoing a change in format. They'd played football for years at some park in Westbury, drank beers afterward, and awarded the Iron Man trophy to the winning team after the game. I even played in the 2004 version of this game, but didn't return due to my frustration with my role in the offense. Turns out playing offensive line and tight end aren't all that fun. Anyway, when they decided to change it up, the idea came up to turn the event into a hockey game. It didn't take me very long to declare my interest. The others followed suit, we bought a new trophy (El Pavo de Oro, which means "Golden Turkey"), and Thanksgiving 2007 saw us play a spirited four-on-four game of hockey. Personally, it was probably the best game I'd ever played.  I contributed six goals and four assists, including a helper on the game-winning goal, in a 13-11 victory. While it wasn't quite the Stanley Cup, taking a victory lap around the Carle Place rink with El Pavo de Oro was an awesome feeling. I even got to take the trophy home first due to my status as highest scorer. However, it didn't last long before my wife asked me to give it to the next person.

We all said we'd do it again this year, but I had my doubts. What if nobody was into it? What if we didn't have enough people for a game? My fears ended up being unfounded, as just about everybody came back for Round 2. A few of the guys even built a new net for the event. This year's game, however, wasn't such a wonderful exhibition of my ability. I chipped in two goals and an assist, which sounds good, until you realize we played four-on-four with no line changes and our team scored eight goals. We ended up losing 11-8, which meant El Pavo de Oro went to the other team.

Now, I've played a decent amount of hockey in my day, and I've lost some tough games. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pretty bummed out about this one. By the time we were down 10-8 and their next goal won the game, I was ready to dive in front of pucks if I had to. I even slid across the ground (with no pads on) to block a passing attempt. One of my teammates said he'd take a puck to the face before giving up the Pavo. But that's hockey for you. For whatever reason, hockey is such an emotional game that pain and fatigue barely matter, even in a friendly game. We all went to work today with aches and bruises, but nobody really minded. 

Whereas people had to be coerced into playing football, hockey is working out a lot better for us. Hockey just seems to have that little extra bit of competition missing from football. I'll spend a lot more time thinking about the empty nets I missed than the passes I've dropped playing football. I know I'm not the only one who feels that way. And it goes without saying that we'll all be back next year. It's a new tradition, one that's only going to get better. And I'm already counting down the days until next Thanksgiving.