One of the most enjoyable aspects of hockey blogging is getting to know folks all over North America who love hockey as much as I do. But the part of this that's even better is getting to know these folks in person.
Over the past week or so, I was able to get together with a number of great people, and I wanted to share some of the things that we talked about.
At the start of last week, I had to fly to Anaheim to give a pair of presentations about blogging to an industry conference and grab a couple of interviews for my organization's blog.
But in between, I wanted to make sure I had a chance to check in with some local bloggers, which meant I got a chance to meet Earl Sleek from Battle of California and Christy Finn, the Girl With A Puck.
Needless to say, Sleek is as much of a riot in person as he is in print, while Christy is a sweet lady who loves her Ducks something fierce.
Both were still experiencing a serious contact high after watching the Ducks steamroll through the playoffs, reinforcing a notion that I've had for a while now: Seeing your team win it all, even just once, is enough to keep a fan warm through many more seasons than you can know.
Of course, with the team looking at the prospect of losing both Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer, the chances of a repeat in the OC, we agreed, were looking pretty slim. Then again, after adding Brad May and Todd Bertuzzi to the lineup, while the Ducks may not be as dominant as they were in 2006-07, they may be even more entertaining to watch.
One last thought: After talking to Earl and Christy, it was hard not to come away with the feeling that Anaheim might very well be the biggest small town in the NHL. Why? Lets just say I get the feeling that the players come into closer contact with the locals in the OC than anywhere else in the league. To find out more, make sure you read Earl and Christy once training camp starts up again in September.
More, tomorrow.
