Join The Team

As I stated earlier this month, HBIC is hitting the road for the majority of May, and that means I want to get some of your thoughts out to the world! If you want to write for HBIC, I am encouraging you to send in an article or three during the month of May, and I'll be happy to post them up on HBIC. The "of the people, by the people, for the people" mantra on this blog is to allow you, the hockey fan, to not only read my crazy diatribes, but to give you a voice in the discussion as well. If you don't post, you're not really involved in any sort of discussion, so get writing and let your voice be heard!

To give you an idea of where I'll be going, there are a ton of places I'll be visiting while on my trip. I plan on hitting Milwaukee for a few days where all of the Brewers, Bucks, and Admirals will not be playing. I was hoping that the Milwaukee Admirals would still be in the hunt for the AHL's Calder Cup, but the only Admirals still standing are those from Norfolk, Virginia. The Milwaukee Admirals were swept out of the playoffs in the opening round of the Calder Cup Playoffs by the Abbotsford Heat, so that killed any option of pro hockey to be seen in Milwaukee.

I will be visiting the Milwaukee County Zoo, LakeFront Brewery, and the Milwaukee Art Museum while I'm there. I'm hoping to get to the Harley-Davidson Museum as well, but I'm not sure I'll have the time to make it there. I am excited to be visiting Milwaukee, though, and I'm all ears if you have any reviews of these attractions!

From there, it's on to Chicago where, once again, there will be no hockey seen. The Chicago Blackhawks were eliminated by the Phoenix Coyotes in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the AHL Chicago Wolves were bounced from the playoffs in the opening round by the San Antonio Rampage. I will be seeing the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field when they play the Philadelphia Phillies, so my sports obsession will be satisfied for at least one night.

Amongst the vast number of things I have planned in Chicago are the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Shedd Aquarium, the Skydeck, the Field Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Art Institute. There will also be a visit to the National Museum of Mexican Art and, hopefully, a visit to the National Hellenic Museum, but we'll see what time I have available for these. I do have a day planned for the Mile and the Millenium Park, and at least one day off where I can relax and just explore the city.

On the way home, I'll be stopping in Minneapolis for a couple of days as I check out the new Target Field for the first time. The Minnesota Twins will be hosting the Detroit Tigers, so I will whet my sports appetite once more. Unfortunately, the Minnesota Wild missed the playoffs, so that will count them out of the proceedings. I've been to a Wild game at the XCel Energy Center, and it is a spectacular venue. Highly recommended if you get a chance to attend a game there, and the fans are absolutely incredible in Minneapolis-St.Paul.

I didn't plan for a lot of time in the Twin Cities, so I might hit the Mall of America for a few short moments and will attempt to visit the Minnesota Zoo to see their dolphin show. The last time I was there, the female dolphin had given birth a few weeks earlier, and the baby dolphin was not yet on display. You could, however, see both mom and baby swimming in the pool in the rear of the facility. I'm hoping I'll get to see the young dolphin this time if my time allows.

There's a quick and dirty itinerary for my upcoming trip. I'm excited to be leaving on Saturday for this excursion, and I look forward to seeing what is sent into me by you. Again, all hockey pieces are welcome, and I encourage you to send articles to this email. If you have any recommendations on these attractions, or if you know some place great to eat that won't break the bank too much, post your ideas in the comments below.

To the HBIC Playoff Pool competitors, due to the busy schedule I have laid out for myself in preparing for this trip, I will have your scored updated some time on the weekend. I apologize for the tardiness in getting them updated, but there have been some other things that I needed to take care of before I left for vacation, and those items were priority-one. Check this weekend for updates!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!