Hockey Trip

So I’m sitting in an airport, past security, feeling like the luckiest man alive!  You see, I live my life in three month windows, so I wondered if this trip would ever happen.

A number of years ago, I was lucky enough to go to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.  I loved it and was quite sure my son Brodie would as well.  I immediately began hoping I’d get a chance to take him there someday.  Also, years ago Brodie and I agreed that we’d love to make a tour of NHL rinks and try to make it to all of them in my lifetime.  It was kind-of an unofficial bucket list item.  Of course, that was all pre-cancer.

Well, it looks like the opportunity has finally presented itself.  I have no immediate treatments on the horizon (just another test in early April), and Brodie has over a week off school (mid-term break).  AND, Brodie is graduating this year, so the trip will be a bit of a grad gift as well.  With much encouraging from Sue (both to take the time to make memories with Brodie and to go ahead and spend the money), we made the leap and bought plane tickets and a bunch of hockey tickets.  Hey – if my income tax refund doesn’t cover enough of it, I guess our RRSPs will.

So, here’s our tentative schedule for the next few days.

• March 22 – fly to Toronto
• March 23 – Ottawa hosting Pittsburgh
• March 25 – Montreal hosting Ottawa
• March 26 – Detroit hosting Minnesota
• March 27 – Buffalo hosting Florida
• March 28 – Toronto hosting Florida
• March 29 – Pittsburgh hosting Chicago
• April 2 – Columbus hosting Washington
• April 3 – flying back to Calgary

In case you’re worried about my treating kids equally, I’m desperately trying to do something similar with Amy, but we haven’t nailed anything down yet.  Still, stay tuned for that.