Hey, in case you missed it, we are on a roll! Not to jinks ourselves, but we haved crept up into third, two points behind Hartford, who we took a point from last night. With solid special team play, especially penalty killing, and a highlight goal from Geoff Platt, we took the extra point in the shoot-out. A road win, none the less, and we keep rolling. The problem is, everyone beats each other, and it is hard to gain alot of ground on teams in your division.

New Year's Eve, a very solid win. Maybe, since I stopped playing in the NHL, the best game our team has played. It felt like one of the games I played when our team in Philly was really playing well. The forwards were making great plays, the passing was on, solid goaltending, the execution was precise and everything was tilted our way. When a team plays like that, it feels, quite frankly, easy. Not that any game in our league is easy to play, but when a team plays well together, you only have to worry about your job and less work is less energy expended. Some shifts you come off and say to yourself, "Wow, I didn't have to do anything."

When you watch a game of any sport, and it seems like one team cannot do anything against the other, you may wonder how it could be so one-sided. That is when you know a team is really playing well together, and the feeling just flows down the bench or the sidelines. It's contagious. Everyone knows that they are contributing for the team. Individual accomplishment doesn't apply.

Before we get to overconfident, let me tell you that on that night, we were plaing a team that was completing a stretch of 4 games in 5 nights. You watch our games. They are not easy. They are physical. The travel is a factor. Lack of sleep comes into play. Let's not forget that. But, our opponent, Lowell, had also won 3 in a row. We did not take them lightly. Hey, we played well and they may have been a little off. Some team will catch us at the end of a stretch like that. How will we respond?

I missed an entry, which would have explained some feel good stories of the guys playing Santa to some less fortunate kids in the Portland area. I am proud to be a teammate of these guys this year. Like every year in the past, these guys have gone beyond the call of duty when it has come to charitable requests. Never have I seen guys who jump at the opportunities like they have.

Of course, athletes have an obligation to these types of requests, and my teammates have not let their professional status come between a hosptal visit, a trip to Gary's House, or gift giving to less fortunate families. It is not so much their duty, but these guys have answered the call. I know they take pride in this aspect of their profession because I see them perform everyday at the rink. I am very proud to be part of this team...

Christmas in the AHL? Some guys found it a little different, so far from home. My first Christmas in the American League, I opened a box from my parents, no tree, and ate the Christmas bread my Dad always makes. Brendan Mikkelson and Brandon Segal were alone so they joined the Weinrich crew for dinner. The best part is they were enjoying a little Guitar Hero action with our son Ben, 13 years old...

Now, typically in a season, is the toughest part. It is about the halfway mark and it just seems to drag on for awhile. The dog days of winter. When you get to about game 60, you feel like it's the home stretch. But, every season I've played, this is the time where I have felt our team could gain ground on the teams that are going through this type of duldrums. As a team we are starting to do some things well, and if we keep improving, this next month could set up a strong finish. And a great New Year! Weino

E-mail this entry to a friend