This Week At HBIC

There's a bunch of stuff happening this week as the hockey world gets back into the swing of things by rolling out the exhibition games. Personally, I'll be attending none of the preseason Jets games at this point unless something alters my schedule dramatically, but that's ok. I live close enough to the practice facility that I can wander over there and check out the Jets when they're gearing up for their next opponents. There are some pretty awesome events happening, though, so I want to point out where I'll be next week in case you're looking for me. Which none of you are. And that's ok too.

Tuesday is a big day in Winnipeg. The Winnipeg Jets open their exhibition schedule with a split-squad game against Columbus. The other half will actually be in Columbus to play the other half of the Blue Jackets. There's also a little event called the "Battle of the Badges" that will be happening. This game pits the Winnipeg Patrolman hockey team against the Winnipeg Emergency Services hockey team. Rumour has it that a number of special guests will be on-hand to lend their services to the game, including the legendary Hanson Brothers! I'm heading to this event, so expect a full write-up.

Wednesday will be the start of HBIC's look at tragedies in hockey. As we all know, this summer was extremely difficult on the hockey world with all of the deaths in the hockey world. HBIC will take a look at some of the worst tragedies in hockey, and we'll start it off with a tragedy that seems to have been forgotten due to this summer. Teebz's Book Club will present this story.

The series about hockey's worst tragedies is not to dwell on the negative, but to remember those men and women who passed on before this devastating summer. There have been some incredible people in the game of hockey who left us far too early, and HBIC feels that the memories of these people should not be forgotten amidst the grieving done this summer.

Teebz's Book Club will try to lighten the mood on the weekend with another book review, and this one is definitely a little less intense than the look at hockey's tragedies. I'm quite sure that everyone will enjoy this book review as I found myself chuckling quite a bit as I flipped through the pages.

I'll be sending out notices this coming weekend to the winners of the prizes in HBIC's Playoff Pool. I know I said I'd have the packages out a long, long time ago, and I apologize for that. Instead, I'll make up for it by doing something pretty swell for everyone that won a prize. You'll get details this weekend, so stay tuned.

Lastly, I'm looking for a good workout routine for hockey this winter. If anyone can recommend some online resources or some exercises to do to work off a few pounds, I'm all for it. Leave your comments below or email me with details. If you suggest "running", I might hunt you down. Running is probably the most monotonous suggestion I could think of despite how good it is for you. Hit with me some other suggestions, please!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!