Hockey In Heels 2008

OK - here's the scoop - I went to Hockey in Heels tonight with "The Sus". We had a blast. First of all, Dane Crowley, Clayton Bauer, Shane Harper, Leland Irving, Zach Hamill and Zach Dailey were all there. These kids are just too adorable. It's very clear they like each other and they like being in Everett.

The evening started with Coach Becanic introducing himself and telling his story about how he came to Everett. You guys aren't really interested, but it's a pretty interesting story - it reminds me of all the jobs I worked for little or no pay in order to pay my dues and move up. The kids then each told their stories. Unbelievable what some of these kids have gone through to play in the WHL.

The second part of the evening was trivia - normally my strong suit - but not Tips trivia. The players gave out autographed pictures of themselves as prizes. We then all wrote down questions and the players and Coach answered them. Section 119 would have been proud of me - I had the toughest question and they saved it until the end. The question was this: What is your plan to play more consistently for the rest of the season? I gotta say, I wasn't that impressed with the answer - that the top 5 teams in the league are better than before. The Tips went into the playoffs with 35 wins and now it is conceivable that the top 3-5 teams will enter with over 50 wins. He also mentioned the injury bug - btw - Steffonovich has gone back to Princeton.

The funnest part? I got picked to play charades with Bauer, Hamill and Harper. Yeah, I carried my team (they only answered 1 question) but we lost by a point. Whatever - who wanted a crappy pink zip front hoodie that's onsale in the store anyway? I talked some serious smack to Leland - I think he got nervous but he was able to brave it out. I am confident I will take the competition next year.

I have to say - it was a fun night - and I went in totally prepared to dislike Becanic. But I can't. He is charming, the kids love him, and he has some interesting ways of teaching and getting respect from his players. I liked him, sorry Hockey Tom and Leo...