For those of you who don't know, I'm a HUGE Washington Capitals fan!   My love affair with hockey began in 1984 when when my Uncle Ken & Aunt Linda took me to see my first Caps game.  (BTW- THANK YOU Linda & Ken!  Love ya!)

Well, I can't recall exactly who they were playing against that night, I think they were playing the Sabers or the Islanders, it's a little fuzzy. But anyway...

I remember my Uncle Ken ushering me down to ice level for the Caps pre-game skate so that I could experience, first hand, what hockey was all about.  I remember standing there in awe, mesmerized by these giant hockey players who were darting around the rink on tiny blades of steel, at speeds faster than I thought was ever possible for a human to reach without the help of an engine.

Scott Stevens dumped a bucket full of pucks onto the ice and began dishing them out, one puck at a time, to every Caps player who then darted down the center of the ice for a breakaway shot on the goalie.

I'll never forget the shiver that went down my spine when that first shot whizzed over the goalie, Al Jensen's shoulder, hitting the plexi-glass just a few feet from my face.    Half startled from what sounded like a gun being fired off next to me and thinking the puck was going to blast through the glass...

That very moment, I told myself... "I'm going to be a Goalie one day!"

Not exactly sure why I decided this??  Maybe it's because I felt fearless or maybe because my short-lived life flashed in front of my eyes in a split second, after seeing that first puck come straight towards my head, at that moment I became determined to prove, not only to myself but also to my Uncle Ken, "That puck doesn't scare me!"

Probably it was the later...

Most people told me I was crazy when I shared with them my new found dream to play ice hockey and be a goaltender, nonetheless.  I'll admit, I'm a little crazy but what goalie isn't??? :-P

Despite all the naysayers telling me I'd never make it, I pursued my dream of one day playing hockey as a professional.   They all told me I wasn't fast enough, I wasn't big enough, I wasn't going to make it and yada yada. They were probably right AND I'm glad I never listen to any of them!  HA!

I guess in the same determined way I wanted to prove to myself, I really wasn't scared of a hockey puck being shot 100mph+ at me, I was determined to prove the naysayers wrong.

To make a long story short, I eventually ended up becoming a backup goalie for the Hampton Roads Admirals and the Toledo Storm in the E.C.H.L.  I'm glad I was a little hard-headed back then, for the obvious reasons, if just alone for the sake of my knogan.  I lost count of how many pucks I've taken to the head but that's besides the point.  The point being:  "You just never know what'll happen if you just follow your dreams and block out the naysayers!"

Which brings me to another dream of mine...witnessing the Cap's win a Stanley Cup!  I must admit, I had tickets to Game 4 of the 1998 Stanley Cup, when the Capitals played the Red Wings but I passed them up because I couldn't stomach watching my team get swept in the Stanley Cup Finals of all places!

Anyway, I was surfin over to the Caps website tonight to find out how Ovi' and the Boyz are getting ready for tomorrows big game against the N.Y. Rangers, when I found this picture of Alicia and I on the homepage! www.WashingtonCapitals.com



We were at last years Game 7 when the Flyers upset the Caps in overtime and I guess someone snapped a shot of Alicia & I celebrating a goal being scored.

Here are a few I snapped myself.  Do you recognize anyone?





Being a goalie, I'm not really superstitious.  Well...maybe a tad.

But SHHH...  Don't tell anyone!  Just kidding, of course.  So in the spirit of this post, hopefully this picture is an omen.  You know???   Alicia and I do both have a Stanley Cup Game 7 on each of our dream boards.  Maybe we'll be able to cross another dream off  the ole' board?

I'm ready for a Beard-A-Thon!   Are you?

Curious, what are the Must-Do things on your dream board?  Post a comment and let me know what they are.

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