Hey hockey fans and friends,
It's been a couple weeks since we last chatted. Actually the last we spoke was when the United States beat Canada in the gold medal game of the World Junior Championships. What a great hockey game it was and one that definitely goes in with the many great WJC classic games.
Well I'm sitting in my apartment here this afternoon as I'm on my last day of the annual AHL All star break, which started after our last game on Sunday afternoon and resumes with practice on Thursday night in Peoria. It's been relaxing to just sleep in during the mornings, a quick workout in the afternoon and then a little hanging out with the teammates that have stuck around here.
Many guys have travelled home for the break while I decided to stay here and use the break as a mental escape from my personal struggles from the first half of the season. The beauty of my job: there's a new game or day right after a tough one and the opportunity to redeem yourself. So today I will give you some of the places I've been over the years during this, the last few days off before season end.
My first year in Lowell, MA, when I played for the Lock Monsters, I was just getting prepared to have hip surgery that would finish my first year of pro hockey.
My second year, I moved just down the road to upstate New York. The city of Albany,NY. This year I hopped on a plane with my good buddy Riley Armstrong and I flew back to Everett,WA and hung out with old friends and even got a chance to watch the old junior team the Silvertips.
In the third year when I played in Cleveland we all jumped into my former teammate Micheal Wall's truck with our fiancees and headed to our former goalie coach from The Silvertips Shane Clifford's house for a few days of relaxation and catching up on old stories.
Last season during my fourth All Star break, my fiancee Jenni and I packed up the truck and headed about 4 hours northeast of Houston to Jenni's parents house in Texarkana, AR for her Dad's birthday and a chance for them to see our little dog Lexi, who seems to eat up on the added attention of both my parents and Jenni's.
So this year, I decided to just stay here as I prepare to focus in on the last 38 games of the regular season and hopefully another lengthy playoff run. I'll talk to you again in early February.
Thanks fans and friends,
Mitch
To add a comment, please register or login.