When you start anything new, you can never prepare for every situation. So I found out this week. Do you remember the coach in the movie, "Bull Durham"? His classic line, "This is the toughest job a manager has...". Well, I can tell you, it couldn't be more true. The harsh reality of pro sports is that guys get reassigned, or as we call it, "sent down". This means you are heading to the next level down the chain of the organization. Our staff has all played at the highest level, and the hardest part of playing in hockey is knowing a guy is getting sent down. You skate with a guy, sweat with him, sometimes bleed with him and you are like family. As a coach, it is no different, except one of you must be the one that tells the guy he is leaving. Luckily, that guy is not me. That is left for the head coach and is why he gets the big bucks. But I find I must leave the room when it is happening. When you really appreciate the effort and work a guy displays everyday, telling a player this must really be difficult. Like the saying goes, "This is the toughest job a manager has...".

My daughter will kill me for saying this, but one of the best reasons for taking this job was the fact I could ride my bike to work. She claims I am obsessed with biking and I love it more than her. I told her maybe but I love her more than running... I know, bad. Anyway, I was reading a column by Colleen Stone the other day about the issue of cars against cyclists. I was appauled at some of the opposition. I would agree that cyclist must obey the laws of the road in the cities but the lack of space for cyclists on the road makes it tough. A little patience by motorists would help. Is it really hard to slow down a minute of your morning commute to pass a cyclist? Also, the comment about taxing cyclists like cars was humorous. Should we have tolls on the sidewalks as well? I'll leave you with this thought. I get close to thirty miles a day on my bike commute, 1500 calories and burn no fuel. What have you done for your body or the enviornment today?

E-mail this entry to a friend