How did Laught look?
- aightwebang17

Only caught the 3rd, he like the rest of the team couldn't get much going. But he seemed rusty since he's in the middle of serving a suspension.

- Flyskippy

For the most part, I'm just trying to stay positive and focused on my work. I made a choice a couple years ago to make hockey writing my full-time living, because it's a labor of love.

I'm human, so I do get frustrated with the lockout from a professional standpoint as well as a personal standpoint. It's a tenuous and far from lucrative living in the first place, and I've taken a financial hit and just about the worst possible time for my family. On top of that, I have to do double or triple the amount of average daily work while accepting that it's for a fraction of the readership interested in the Flyers/NHL.

That said, I don't consider it annoying or humbling. I've always written about hockey topics beyond the Flyers and the NHL, so that's nothing new. I've had a chance to do more of that, and I've enjoyed that opportunity. During the lockout, I've also written for a couple different outlets that I'd never worked with before, and which have offset some of the lost money from NHL.com and Philadelphiaflyers.com suspending freelance assignment during the lockout.

I certainly don't consider myself "too good" to sit an ECHL pressbox or attend an AHL training camp for multiple days. Beyond that I've always enjoyed following the European, major junior and U.S. collegiate games for different reasons. I just didn't get the chance to write about those very often (with the exception of my now-suspended weekly NHL.com Across the Pond stuff).

The way I see it, I'm doing what I love to do. No one forces me to do this. I could go do other work, either on my own or by going back to editing in the non-sports publishing realm. My feeling about the lockout and the way it has progressed is that it was a preventable situation born of greed and hubris on both sides of the table. I'd feel that way even i were no affected personally or professionally. I'm not angry at one or two people individually.

Now, will I be relieved when the lockout ends and I can get back to covering Flyers hockey? Absolutely.
- bmeltzer

This is a beautiful post, btw.

- BulliesPhan87

Q is my least favorite character from TNG. My wife will purposely put episodes with him in them on the TV just to watch my reaction.

Q is my least favorite character from TNG. My wife will purposely put episodes with him in them on the TV just to watch my reaction.
- Flyskippy

I love Q. Hated him at first, but loved episodes with him. By the last episode of the series, I really came to appreciate him.