15 Years Later...

I don't normally draw attention to this blog in anyway, but I've crossed what some may consider a major milestone back on January 21. It's a fairly unremarkable day when you consider everything. Outside of Barack Obama being sworn in for the second time in 2009 due to a word being out of place the first time and Toyota taking over taking over as the top car manufacturer from General Motors in 2009, two years earlier saw Hockey Blog In Canada started as a way to record my thoughts on the game of hockey in general. Since then, it has branched into many other areas.

Like Tom Smykowski above, HBIC has always been about the people in the game. While I criticize the business of the game heavily and often, I'm also very aware that the business leads to some good stuff being done on charitable fronts. At the end of the day, though, this game is often better when people play like they love the game rather than playing for a contract.

For me, I don't know if I envisioned me doing this for fifteen years for what has become a daily basis. Every day, there are good and not-so-good stories that pop up from every corner of the planet, and it has made me appreciate what I think makes the game so good. I'll admit that a lot of the good things seen in the game, from my perspective, come from levels not named "NHL", but I think this makes me a different sort of hockey fan in that the grassroots efforts of the game mean that much more to me.

For me, I watch less NHL hockey than ever before. It's not to say that I'm not following the league or the news from the league, but there's so much good hockey at the amateur level and minor-pro level that strictly calling one's self "a hockey fan" and only watching the NHL means that you're not being entirely truthful with yourself. You can be an NHL fan - there's nothing wrong with that - but being a hockey fan means going to see hockey played at other levels or finding ways to watch games at other levels.

I spent a few nights during the holiday season taking in some minor hockey around my city, and it was incredible to see the next generation's level of skill and talent that will rise to the top. Knowing that the pipelines to the next levels of hockey are filled with good, young players makes me smile because their skills and talents will only get better as long as they're willing to put in the work.

From a place back in 2007 where I just wrote down thoughts about the game, this blog has evolved into a radio show, university hockey broadcasts, work with an AHL team, chances to work alongside Sportsnet and CBC personalities, and the opportunity meet some of the people who make the game so great and hear their stories from the game. I'm grateful for every single click on an article or piece on here because it means you may be interested in hearing some of these stories.

I'm some 5287 articles into this blog - that's a lot of words! - and I can't say when it will end. What I do know is that I'll keep pounding the keys on the keyboard for a little while longer as I look for new opportunities and fun. Maybe that will mean I'll have to post less often. Maybe that means I'll stop posting altogether. What I do know as I move into my 15th writing on this space is that I'm still as thankful today for you reading as I was back in 2007 when I published my very first words here.

Thanks for reading, folks. Let's seek out some more great stories!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!