2010 Top Twelve Highlights

2010 was filled with more ups and downs than a dozen Duncan Yo-Yos. The passing of my Uncle Dan “Santa Claus” Dwyer, the Bruins playoff loss to Philadelphia, and my Uncle Jack’s recent reunion with Uncle Dan have aided and abetted many of my anxieties. To ward off these and other worries, I now present the highlights, a baker’s dozen in quasi-chronological order:

Winter Classic in Boston
Marco Sturm’s upraised arms as he celebrates his game-winning goal against the Flyers, at Fenway Park. We’ll miss you, Marco. Best of luck with the Kings.

Hole in One Donuts
Lights, camera, donuts. Big and bold on the beach, these all-stars made their short movie debut. The sandy stars were sacrificed for art’s sake (order your 2010 donut calendar by contacting the AMHL photographer via the AMHL Shutterfly site), but the others were plain perfect for the taste buds.

The Tooth Fairy
For some, this flick was too much tutu, not enough (Jordin)Tootoo But I enjoyed it. Then again, I watch Oprah. And listen to Celine Dion.

AMHL Old Home Week
Hanging out with my hockey pals, many of whom I hadn’t seen or with whom I hadn’t spoken in months, made my week.

Hershey Hockey
Mr. Hockey was in town for his annual visit, which often includes a road trip. A couple years ago my dad, my wife, and I drove to Lake Placid, but this fall pilgrimage was to Chocolate Town, PA. The two games we attended were fulfilling—but not as much as the trolley tour, where the punny business proprietors dispensed not only their wry humor but also Hershey Hugs and Kisses.

Molasses Donuts
The Inn Victoria (Chester VT) doesn’t feature the delectable circular concoctions all the time, but ask Proprietor Penelope and she’s apt to appease your appetite. The Willow Bake Shoppe (Rockport, ME), in business since 1949, does deliver the much munched Molasses Donut every day (open mornings only). Asked about the secret to the shoppe’s success, Proprietor Patti replied, “Everybody loves donuts and the recipe is old.”

Hockey (and Donut) Books
Slap Shot Original, Time to Make the Donuts, King Leary, and Don Messer: The Man Behind the Music top my list. Hockey fans know about all about the Hanson Brothers’ exploits in the hallmark of hockey movies and will relish Dave Hanson’s behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Time to Make the Donuts, the birth of Dunkin’ Donuts Nation and the brand’s ascension into the pastry pantheon—as chronicled by DD’s father, William Rosenberg with help from Jessica Keener—is a must-read for not only donut lovers but also entrepreneur types. King Leary, a hockey novel, is flat-out the funniest book I’ve read this year. A whirligig of a read, it’s best enjoyed with a glass of your favourite ginger ale. And whether you're a fiddle fan or not—and I am—learning about Mr. Messer's masterful marketing strategy and tactics was worth the read.

Hockey Videos
Timmy Thomas’s big-time save against the Toronto Maple Leafs: The save speaks for itself, but focus on the fans who stand and then slump back into their seats. And in case you’ve been living in a snow cave, or mayhap want to revive that holiday spirit, here’s an encore performance of “All I Want for Christmas” as performed by the Belfast Giants.

First French Hockey Story
Someday (when I make the corrections) I’ll share the full story about a trip to Le Quartier Nord, but for now I’m savoring the time spent in Boston’s North End and my teacher telling me that I’m an over-achiever. (The class resumes in late January but only if we have enough matriculators. Under-achiever, over-achiever, or just want to learn how to communicate with Les Québécois, please learn more about the Concord-Carlisle Community Education class, course #3391.)

Hockey on the Radio
Two kinds of people in the world: those who love Jack Edwards and those who mute the TV when he’s on. I love his passion and his bantor with Andy Brickley, but sometimes I change the lines, as it were in hockey parlance, so that I can listen to the action—“left to right across (my) radio” according to Dave Goucher and Bob Beers. Another dandy duo is Hardy and Trupiano. The former infuses Ultimate Frisbee references into the repartee; the latter tells great Gordie Howe stories.

St. Andrews, New Brunswick
Two trips in 2010: The first in the summer when the AMHL Photographer departed for a two-hour tour of the Bay of Fundy. While she was aboard the Zodiac Hurricane, I sat seaside at the Hungry Whale Café and comforted myself with a St.-Viateur Bagle. (Caution: The owner’s allegiance is to le bleu, blanc et rouge). The second trip, last week, was heavenly…Espionage in St. John…Honeybeans for an afternoon snack…Old Tyme Pizza for dinner…Christmas lights on the wharf…the walk back to the safehouse, as we admired the brilliance of Orion’s Belt…Canadaaaah.

Friday Skates
In July, I skated three times—a grand total of less than hour—as the AMHL Hawks, Kings, Stars, and Whalers dressed for their games. Two months after the surgery to repair the direct hernia surgery, I was still wobbly and weak but budding with confidence as I rounded Rink Two. But a few days later, at my next PT session, my right knee buckled. I limped into the chiropractor’s office with a brace on my knee and then—thanks to Dr. Jamal De Vita—walked out of the office carrying that brace in my hand.

AMHL Comebacks
“Here I come, baby,” Brent Delehey, who had been out action for a few months, said as the Big Bad Bruin hunted his opponent in last week's AMHL Thursday Championship. Brent was gleeful to be playing again—ditto for John Bionelli and Scott Gelin. As for me, I’m more centered, more balanced, and (despite the pain my surgeon said is to be expected) back at PT. I hope to be playing again this spring.

Happy Thanksgiving: A Propos de Moi

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving, Canadian style. I’m grateful for so much, like a great chiropractor, the opportunity to write, and a talent for learning languages—first Spanish, and now French. The study of the latter is an effort to replace, or at least abate, my fear of perhaps not playing hockey again.

Below is an excerpt of my first assignment "en la cours de français," my first foray into introducing myself to francophones.

Salut, mes amis. Je m’appelle Jim, mais ma famille et mes amis de hockey m’appellent Jimmy. Tout le monde pense que je suis Canadien. Je viens de Colorado—ou trois de mes quatre frères et mon papa habitent—mais je habite avec ma femme à Maynard. Je étudie le français parce que deux de mes amis de hockey parlent français, j’aime bien la musique de Céline Dion, y parce que ma femme et moi voyageons souvent a Canada. Nous adorons la Ville de Québec. Nous ne somme pas fans de l’équipe de hockey de Montréal, mais j’aime bien Patrice Bergeron, qui vient de Québec et qui joue pour les Bruins de Boston. Nous aimons les Bruins et le entraîneur, Claude Julien.

J’adore aussi lire les livres de Jacques Falla, Frank Delaney et George Plimpton; écouter et chanter la musique de les artistes canadiens comment Great Big Sea, Bryan Adams, y Les Ténors Canadiens; manger les beignes les démanche; et écrire de tout ces expériences.

Un de ces jours j’aimerais publier mon mémoire, Gloire AMHL: Une Passion pour le Hockey du Matin (et Beignes); écrire autres livres, et voyager à Nouveau Zélande—bien que ils ne pas parlent français allé.

On the Shelf, Part III: That’s the Way It Is

Since my hockey groin injury three weeks ago, the blood extending from my lower abdomen to my left knee has been reabsorbed. But the torn adductor and iliopsoas muscles are not yet ready for ice time. Could be four weeks or more before I’m ready for even a light skate. It’s tough to not participate, but playing is out of the question for now. That’s the way it is. An update, then, on last week’s activities while “on the shelf.”
Wednesday morning
Home

Celine Dion’s “That’s the Way It Is” sustains me as I perform light exercise on the Wobble Board. I’m in push-up position, my hands at 9:00 and 3:00 on the circular device. My abs beg me to exit the exercise, but I hold steady and look up at the objects sitting, left to right across your imagination, on the makeshift shelf: a picture of my parents; a photo of my kids, a personalized AMHL Avalanche photo puck that the AMHL Photographer, whose at the rink right now, created last May. “That’s the Way It Is”, the fourth of five songs in the rotation for my rehab session, and I stand up. A Christopher Cross tune is next on my iPod’s random playlist. I place my feet where my hands just were and then rock side-to-side and then front-to-back until “All Right” (I think we’re gonna make it concludes.

Thursday morning
Concord Valley Sports, Rink One

A different cast of characters has reported to play for the Capitals. Today is no different. Brent Delehey, who missed the first four games, is here today. Good thing because Mike “MMMBop” Hansen is out for the second consecutive game. And today is Scott Keith’s last game—family commitments will tear him away from finishing the season. Family first: That’s the way it is. But Rob “Mobile” Mirak has been here for every game, including this morning’s match against the Panthers.

It’s late in the third period, Caps skating left to right across your AMHL radio and the score 4–4. Mirak pots a goal and then performs a perfect pirouette. For the encore, he scores an empty-netter.

Mirak postulates a reason for the rally. “Gumption,” he says, and then skates off the ice. Bravo, Rob.

Friday
Work

Before walking to work, I completed another light workout session. Pain-free and grateful. Now I’m thinking of Mike “the Eagle” Chase. Like me, he’s also on the shelf. His condition, as many readers who’ve followed his story know, is much more serious than mine, however. Melanoma is fierce competitor, and chemotherapy is a difficult teammate. Mike hasn’t played in months, but he is back to work at Boston College. He has a CT Scan this afternoon and expects the results on Monday. Good luck to you, buddy. We’re, at least in spirit, with you and your family. That’s the way it is with the hockey community.

AMHL Thursday: That’s the Way It Is

Mosquitoes have ravaged my left calf, and my wife is worried about another staph infection (long story short: I had one on my right foot two weeks ago that required a visit to the ER). Plus, she’s concerned my cold will spread to my lungs if I play hockey this morning.

If I can go to work, I can play hockey. That’s the way it is.

“You’re a guy,” the AMHL photographer says.

I’ve just slipped on my garter belt. I dress in almost full battle gear and then march to the kitchen to procure a Kashi bar—my usual pre-game snack. None left. I reach into the glass jar and extract a Vanilla Almond Luna Sunrise Bar.

“Morning Nutrition for Women,” the label claims. It’s 70% organic; so with its protein, whole grains, and Omega3, and me in touch with my feminine side, I munch on it as we drive to the rink.

On Rink One against the Avalanche, we have a surplus of defenseman, so I offer to play forward.

“Go sit with the ladies,” teammate and defenseman Bill Chioffi says, pointing to my Panther linemates Scott “Pump Up the Volume” Lauder and Jeff (no nickname yet) Vorderer.

Down 0–2 in the first period, I’m doing the best I can in the offensive zone, but my best isn’t good enough. I trip over my imaginary skirt—nobody near me—skating to open ice. The Avalanche are all over us, and shut us down until the second period.

We score a few goals but give them up in bunches. Same story in the third period, except that Mike Moore has taken my spot at right wing, and I’m back on defense.

The Avalanche score their eight goal, and I hop over the boards and then skate to the blue line for the face-off. While referee Peter Bagley scrawls his notes on the score sheet, a poster tacked to the bulletin board beyond the far boards catches my eye.

GENERATION GIRL

I snap back to attention as Bags skates to center ice, committed to playing solid defense—clearing the crease of roving Avalanche skaters if they trespass upon my turf.

An opportunity doesn’t present itself, but I have a good last shift. Doesn't matter: We lose 5–8.

In the donut room, I snag a banana and a bagel and then sit next to my goalie, Kenny “KISS Fan” Tarr. Before we break down the game, I notice the action at the table to my left: A few fellows are reading—or at least looking at the pictures in—People magazine, the same edition my wife has at home.

Kenny drives me home, where I drop off my hockey bag and take a DayQuil. I walk out the door and turn on my iPod Shuffle, half expecting to hear “Man, I Feel Like a Woman.”

Shania Twain’s tune isn’t on this morning’s playlist, but I get a good dose of Celine Dion. I’m in touch with my feminine side. What can I say besides, “That’s the Way It Is”?