Well, it's almost that time of year again, and I had to tell you about a few things going on with our team.

The first one is an old tradition that many take part in. The Yankee Swap. We do it in our family as I imagine many of yu do as well. Everyone brings a small gift in, sometimes as a joke, others are quite nice. It is the luck of the draw, and if you are the last person to draw, you get the pick of the gifts. We had fun with ours, some funny selections, the most popular being a push-up set that is advertised on an infomercial as the "ultimate push-up". Strange choice, none the less...

Bob Marley, Maine's most popular comedian, is back again at the Merrill for his holiday shows, and has become a bit of a Pirate faithful upon his return to Maine. The guys are very excited to take in a night with Maine's King of Comedy next week. I warned them not to sit too close...

Our trip to Orono finished with mixed emotions for me. A 6-2 loss never sits well, but it was still fun to be around the campus and Alfond arena for a day and reminisce about the old days.

I did see some familiar faces up there, and got a chance to talk with Head Coach Tim Whitehead. One of the best parts of our conversation was the state of youth hockey in Maine and ideas on how it could improve. Hearing that from the head coach of Maine's university got me thinking. One of my future goals will be to start a better development of our youth hockey and maybe make Maine an example of a youth hockey development model in the U.S. More on that down the road...

The last part of this piece is a special one, and it always makes me proud to be a hockey player. As long as I have been a pro, Christmas has had a special meaning in each city I have played. The teams have always been behind an effort to make others lives better around the holidays. This year, the guys went out and helped a number of families less fortunate with gifts for their families. It may sound like a familiar story, but I will tell you, this team has a different feel than others I have been part of. Every team does their part in charitable work, but these guys this year have really been as active and enthusiastic about donating their time or giving as any group I've been part of. You always hear how the game has changed with the kinds of contracts you see in pro sports, but trust me when I tell you these players are a super group of young men that haven't let their success change their character.

Last night they were out in full force delivering gifts we had purchased to the families. I know it was a special night for the guys and also for the people they met. Of course, it is understood that part of your duty as a pro athlete is community service, but this team has embraced the call. I would like to salute all my teammates, the "Secret Santa's"! Happy holidays, everyone!

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