Updates, Mercis, and Other Blogs

As some of the frequent readers may note, I like to walk around the blogosphere and keep tabs on what may be going on in other parts of the Internet. It's a big place, and I figure that I should stop by as many places as I can before they ban me completely. There's news and stories and all sorts of craziness that goes on, and I like to bring those fun things to light. That's what today's entry is all about - visiting other places. Along the way, I will say thanks to a few people who make this blogging thing a whole lot more fun. There's also going to be some nice updates to some stories I wrote as well. Get your walking shoes on because I'm about to start.

With the article I wrote about the charitable organization known as Right To Play, I got a great email from a gentleman named Mr. Mark Brender who works for Right To Play. Mr. Brender is the Deputy Director, and he had some really nice things to say. I appreciate emails from any and all my readers, as well as comments, so I feel I should keep everyone up-to-date on what is going on with Right To Play.

Recently, Robyn Regehr and Zdeno Chara spent some time over in Africa working with Right To Play. Chara climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, while both players spent time in Mozambique. Mr. Brender accompanied Mr. Chara on the trek up the side of the tallest mountain in Africa.

"We conquered two points, including Gillman's Point," said Mr. Brender of Chara's fundraising climb. "It was amazing. Zdeno was really committed to making a difference."

Chara and Regehr visited and played with children in and around Mozambique's capital city of Maputo from June 24th to the 28th. The two rugged defencemen had never met before the trip, but both came away from the experience with much more than just friendship. And that's what Right To Play is all about - helping others, and learning by doing.

Thanks for the email, Mark! Keep up the excellent work!

In a second update, Jennifer Hammer, author of I Mean, We Got Guys..., sent me a quick note to let me know that she had attended the summer golf tournament at Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland, called "Olie and Stu's Desert Bash", to help raise funds for the Carson Kolzig Foundation which works in conjuction with the Athletes Against Autism Foundation. Olaf Kolzig and Stu Barnes host the event.

The most impressive part of the entire tournament was the total raised for the foundation: a record $170,000! Fabulous work, and a big thumbs-up from this writer to all who helped make this year's event the best ever! You can see pictures from the event, take by Miss Hammer, in her Picasa photo album: Day One is here, and Day Two is here.

Again, well done to all involved, and thanks for the note, Jennifer!

Now that we got those two great updates out of the way, I want to continue to work my way down the "thank you" list I have here.

Greg Wyshynski - linking me on your blog has driven hundreds of readers to my blog. I'm certainly nowhere near the talent that you possess in writing about hockey, but I appreciate the links, and want to say thank you to you for linking me, and thank you to your readers for stopping by and reading my rambling tales about hockey.

I want to say thank you to the people of Iowa for not hunting me down regarding my view on the Iowa Chops. The passion of people in Iowa makes me believe that this season's AHL team in Des Moines will receive excellent support, and that's great news for the game. Thank you for being excellent, well-rounded, non-murderous people, Iowans. And thank you for your passion for the game.

Finally, I want to highlight a few blogs that have stood out over the past few days for me.

Lowetide has done some excellent work recently, most notably his thoughts on blogging, and his thoughts on the Oilers grabbing "Bou-Bou". Fabulous work, and a great Oilers blog.

CapsChick, in an effort to pass some of the incredibly long summer days, has started a new campaign on A View From The Cheap Seats. She has started Ask CapsChick, a sort of question and answer piece where you can ask her "[a]nything and everything on which you would like an opinion is fair game, as long as it has some sort of association with hockey". Got a question? You know who to ask.

Kevin over at Barry Melrose Rocks examines the latest hiring at the CBC for Hockey Night In Canada. This article is definitely R-rated as Kevin examines the hiring emotionally. The result is basically what we're all thinking about this particular man.

Richard-Steven Williams gets a shout-out for his work on Blood on the Ice. Great work, good writing, and a solid passion for hockey. The only problem? He's in England! He still does some excellent work, though.

Norte, of He Score, He Shoots fame, has started up his own page called Hockey The Blog. He's now all alone in the scary world of the Blogosphere! Wait, this isn't such a bad thing. Go check his new page out as it's solid.

Andrew over at Scoring For Houston linked me up a while back, so I'll do the same for him. Andrew writes about the Houston Aeros and the AHL, and does it well albeit briefly. There aren't that many AHL blogs that I've found, and I'd really like to find some more. If you know of any, please leave a comment or send me an email.

The Frozen Fan dispels a few myths regarding the Philadelphia Flyers. This is another well-written blog that deserves a little of your time, especially if you're a fan of the orange-and-black.

My eyes are begging me for sleep, so I'm going to go get some. Have a good one, everyone, and check out all the links listed above!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!