A cool winter breeze from a poorly insulated window gusted into my room, and I awoke immediately. Even with three blankets (one being wool) I still couldn’t keep warm. The old farm house was heated by a wood stove, and each morning around 7 am as the wood from the night before died out, the place became frigid.

I went upstairs as each step creaked with anticipation of the next. Once upstairs, my eyes squinted and fought with the bright light of a cold Canadian winter landscape outside. Small snowflakes fell, but I knew they would stop soon. Last night had been one of the coldest nights of the year, and I knew the pond would be in top shape. The sizzle of bacon sent crackles across the room as I came around the corner to see my mom cooking up a storm –God it smelled good. Growing up on a farm, breakfast was by far the most important meal of the day. You don't miss breakfast in this house, plain and simple. We had a farm with about 200 milkers, 50 beef cattle, and a coupe full of annoying chickens. Every morning a days worth of work was put in before most people even crawled out of their beds. After the work was done, it was time to play –it was Saturday and their was only one place to go....

During this past weekend two of my buddies and I took the Gf's out to "THE ULTIMATE HOCKEY COMEDY SHOW" at the Roxy in Vancouver. It was one of the many comedy shows going on in Vancouver for the Vancouver Comedy Festival. Since this would be my first comedy show I have ever been to, I didn't know what to expect. As we were sitting at our booth waiting for the show to start, I see a man wearing glasses walk by us and I notice that it's Mr. Brian Burke. I point him out to my buddies and we were all hoping that he was one of the guys tonight.

Back when I was younger, hockey was all about a stick, skates, some wild dreams and having fun. Now at age 24, it’s still about the same core values, but at one point a transition began, much like a caterpillar would eventually turn into a beautiful butterfly. So let me stretch my new wings out and tell you a little tale. A story not just about me, but the people who shaped the man I have become today…A confident guy who knows who he is and lives life to the fullest..

I can honestly say I now understand why so many coaches go grey. Playing the game you worry about yourself, coming to the rink ready to play, working hard, and getting the job finished. As a coach you have to worry about making sure you prepare each player to come to the rink ready for battle, you have to have patience, and most of all you can’t let yourself become too involved in the game. “A coach is someone who makes you do what you don’t want to do, so you can become who you always wanted to be.”

I woke up at what I thought to be a prompt 7am in the morning. Although a night of beer, must have clouded my mind. It was 11, and I had missed my squirts semi-final game. As I open the door to find out how my boys did, I was welcomed by a cooler full of beer. My coach had left early that morning, and with laws that don’t allow you to take beer, or booze back over the border, landed me with a cooler full of bud. Now, I get the bright idea that this, my last day at the NARCh finals, in Cincinnati, is going to be by far my biggest gonger of the trip. I grabbed a beer and headed off into the shower..