Welcome To 2012!

Welcome to 2012, readers! This is a big year for HBIC. Not only do we get to possibly experience the end of the world - the Mayans were such pessimists - but HBIC will celebrate a major anniversary! Can you believe I've been scribing articles on here for five years?!? I know! It seems like just yesterday I was complaining about the Rbk EDGE system over on Uni Watch, and here we are today on the cusp of a major anniversary. I have some interesting and fun things planned for this year, so let's get right to it with the things I have planned.

Because the traditional gift for a fifth anniversary is wood, I'm going to find myself a Stanley Cup, or some other major trophy, carved from wood. Actually, it'll just be a picture of a log or a tree for reasons you'll soon see. Once I have found a suitable wooden trophy, I will award this on a regular basis to major contributors on this blog. I'll have this first trophy designed and ready to go by the end of January, but I do need contributors.

What does that mean? I like to hear your thoughts on the game we follow so religiously. I want you, readers, to submit articles about anything and everything hockey. You don't have to write a daily article like I try to, but if you want to toss over one per month, that qualifies you for the HBIC Web Log Award. I'll give one of these away per month to the writer who contributes the best article. If you have a blog or website, feel free to post your newest accolade on your web-mantle. I'll keep a running tab on the winners, and we'll review those articles at the conclusion of the year. Also, I'll be awarding prizes - one per month - to the winners, so make sure you send in those articles!

Secondly, I will be awarding various badges to players, teams, and people in hockey for their actions this season. With the fifth anniversary of the blog, a patch is necessary, so these badges will be handed out over the year. Again, if you receive one, you're welcome to post it on your own site if you like, but I'll be keeping a running list of these winners as well. Just as a note: not all badges will be for good things. Keep that in mind.

Thirdly, I'll be hitting the books and digging through history a lot in this year. Much like teams do when they hit anniversaries, I want to continue digging through newspaper articles to find the real reasons why teams packed up and moved, rules changes that may have been overlooked, and interesting factoids about the game we love so much.

On the book front, I want to read between 20-25 books this year because I think that reading is a luxury that society is losing with technology at the forefront. Spelling, reading comprehension, and the use of imagination are falling to the wayside, so expect HBIC to continue pushing the hockey literature to the forefront. Less "txtng" and XBox, more reading. Much like exercise, squeeze 15-20 minutes of reading in per day, and you'll find yourself enjoying the written word once again.

Lastly, HBIC will be road-tripping once again this year, and I'm planning on a couple of impressive moves. They will be announced as the dates draw nearer, but I will say that one trip will take me into a hockey-mad city while the second will take me to a country that is just beginning to emerge as a hockey hotbed. Details will follow as we draw nearer, but I'm already excited for two incredible trips.

Thanks for sticking with me through five years, readers. The HBIC Playoff Pool will return in April, so make sure you stick around for some awesome prizes this year. Get your articles in for a chance at added prizes. And most of all, thank you for five great years thus far! 2012 is going to be great here on HBIC!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!