Today is one of the few days a year where I actually hope that you’re doing better things than reading HockeyBuzz.com. And by better things, I basically mean ‘spending time with your family’.
I’m thankful that the Boston Bruins have decided to live up to the offseason hype -- as of late, anyways -- and are producing with the authority many of us expected. Big shout out to Jarome Iginla for making me look like a genius, and props to Loui Eriksson for remembering that he’s a player that’s allowed to be selfish and y’know, shoot the puck. I’m thankful that 5-foot-9 Torey Krug is the real deal and scoring at will, all while inspiring all us undersized skaters.
I know that B’s general manager Peter Chiarelli is thankful for Carl Soderberg for finally committing to the National Hockey League in 2013, with the fruits of his (affordable) labors coming out to a solid 3-9-12 in 19 games stat-line thus far.
And I know that the entire City of Boston is thankful for the goaltender of Tuukka Rask, a 26-year-old that’s looking primed for a serious run at the 2013-14 Vezina Trophy.
Most of all though, I’m thankful for everything that’s come with this.
Hockey’s a beautiful sport. Always has been, always will be. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing about it, playing it, or trying to learn the ins and outs of it. It’s a damn piece of art. It’s also worked its way into my bloodstream and I don’t think any work stoppage (please, no more) can rip it out.
In 2010, Eklund and the entire HockeyBuzz staff would’ve been more than capable of writing me off.
Maybe they should have, too. I was an 18-year-old kid that had little to no experience writing in a professional setting, and I was just one of a hundred (I’m sure) people applying to be the site’s Boston Bruins writer. I had no shot. I told myself I had no shot and when my second and third email went unanswered, and I moved on. But when the phone rang later that week, and the guy on the other end said that he was Eklund, I was totally taken aback. I mean, how could I not be? Here I was, a kid fresh outta high school and talking to the guy that ran a site I was a member (and obsessive poster) on.
But we talked -- though I remember his phone dying midway through the call, sending me into a freakout of ‘Oh my God what did I say wrong?’ -- and I eventually became the site’s Boston writer.
It was tough at first, and I remember nights where I was like, “Oh God, what can I even say?…
Through it all, this entire website has been something that’s pushed me to be better. For four seasons now, it’s been an absolute thrill. I’ve gotten to witness and cover games I previously dreamed about -- imagine being on the ice after a team wins the Stanley Cup -- and there’s nothing more I love than seeing a fresh sheet of ice at any rink I’m lucky enough to visit. I even like when I log on and have a piece of hate-mail in my inbox telling me what an awful person I am for thinking ____. I’ve even become the newest member of the Boston chapter of the Pro Hockey Writers’ Association, which is something that would've made me laugh if you had told me that say, six years ago.
It’s all been one crazy fun ride, and I’m glad that it’s not ending anytime soon.
If I were to start rattling off names, I’d be here all day and miss dessert. But from the Boston Bruins to Eklund, Eric, colleagues past and present, HockeyBuzz users, and everybody that’s taken the time out of their day to read what I’ve had to say about something so simple, I’m thankful for your friendship.
Enjoy your day, eat a whole lot of food, and remember to cherish the little moments.