Folks, it was quite a week in Portland if you were a hockey fan and also if you were a first year coach with an itch to get out there with the guys. By the start of next weekend, Pirate fans will need to check the lineup cards to see who is in the black and red for Friday's game. A few trades and one signing have changed the look of the team. Now, if we can gel and get these guys in the playoffs...
Long story short, Anaheim and Kevin came to me with a question: Are you interested in playing still? What could I say? Yes, I was. Coming to the rink each day has been great and has kept my mind in the game. But, the truth is the fire still burns to compete. I really missed the feeling of sitting in a dressing room with the guys. This offer would not change the family situation at all. That was the clincher. With their blessing, I took the axe off the wall and laced 'em up again...
So, you may wonder what a forty year old is doing coming out of retirement and playing with guys who are half his age? I really want to win a championship as a player and in my back yard would be sweet. But, playing next to these guys, I may be more benefit than from behind the bench. There is still a different perspective out on the ice than from the bench. The really hard thing will be letting the guys know that they should do as I say, not as I do. Because I will still make alot of mistakes, like everyone does. I feel some of the little things I have learned along the way and are now second nature may rub off, though. And I still feel that I am here to help these guys get to the next level, and when they do I will get the same satisfaction as I did as a coach...
So what was it like suiting up in that first game? I wasn't really nervous the way I was in the past, but felt more anxiety about my conditioning for playing in a game and whether I could simply keep up. My first post game report card was summed up by my daughter, Emmy. "Daddy, you really need to get stronger. And, you looked slow out there. I'm sorry, Daddy, but you did." OK, from the mouths of babes, but honest at least. She wasn't totally off base. I got bounced around a bit and what I was concerned most about was foot speed. Those two things have not been high on my training list lately and my body has slowly begun to take the shape of a cyclist. Well, as much as this body can change(I'll never be slim) But I have kept up on my cardiovascular fitness level. So, I can narrow down the deficiencies very quickly... For your information, the second game was much better and I felt I belonged on the same ice as the rest of the guys...
Where do we go from here? Our squad must get back to basics and get back in the playoff race. Big road trip on the horizon. For me, keep improving and assess my level each day. We have alot of games left to rectify the situation but it won't be easy. We look forward to the great support we have received this season from our great fans...
From the oldest player in the league, here's to all you 40 year olds! It ain't so bad after all. See you soon, Weino

Have you ever noticed the pregame rituals that go on in sports. If you haven't noticed and you are a regular fan, watch your team and your favorite player from game to game. You will be amazed at the things players do to get ready for games. Sometimes it is a subtle movement, a first throw, pass or shot. Or you may not catch the rituals players repeat game after game because they happen behind the scenes, but ask any player or trainer and they could tell you many different habits players have used over the years.
Here are some of the ones I remember...
One player I played with would get to the rink early before games and answer fan mail, which usually consisted of player cards. Then, when was finished his mail he would start working on his sticks. Part of this would involve retaping his sticks. After taking the old tape off, he would stick the tape on a pillar in the middle of the room. One time the first year I played there, I noticed this tape sticking to the wall and as anyone who didn't realize what was happening would do, I grabbed the tape off the wall and preceded to throw it in the trash. The player came running over and asked where the tape on the wall had gone in a panic. I told him what happened and he started untaping his stick. He stuck the tape on the wall agin and began to retape his stick. The same player would flip pucks to fans throughout the warmup and toward the end he had routine with about 5 pucks he flipped to certain areas. One night as I skated around and off the ice, I was almost bowled over by a frantic player charging into the room demanding that someone get some more pucks for the ice. During the warmup, pucks have deflected into the stands at a faster rate than normal, causing a problem. There weren't enough pucks for my teaamate to flip at the end of the warmup! Total chaos!
A certain goalie, who possessed a wicked temper, always fired a puck at the end of warmup into the empty net at the far end before leaving the ice. So, as you could imagine, as more and more players fouind out about this, someone was going to try and stop this. And so, one night, as the goalie lined up his shot and fired, a player rushed back on the ice and stpped the shot and then fired it back down to the other net. This infuriated the goalie and almost resulted in fist-a-cuffs.
Of course, I had my habits and when they got disrupted, I blamed that on a bad game. As the years went by, I realized that I could still perform well if my daily routine was off a little. But I always managed to try and stay on schedule when I got to the rink.
I haven't followed our players much since I'm not in the room like I used to be. Bruno always did a baseball swing on the backup goalies pads before each period. One night, as our goalie tandem revolving door was happening, one of the new goalies just walked out to the bench and left Bruno hanging. We, the coaches rushed out to the bench and grabbed the goalie snd informed him of his duties.
This is not happening in our sport alone. It goes on in every sport. Keep an eye out for thse little habits at your next game...
Having grown up on skates, and made aliving skating, I tried my hand a "skating" on skis, a technique made popular in Scandinavia. Now , it has become popular especially in the colder areas of the states. And, as far as a tough workout, there are none better. As I strapped on my skiswith excitement, I really expected this to be a piece of cake, and then proceeded to cross my pole in front of my ski and fell flat on my face. OK. I get one mulligan. My neighbor, JB and his son, Aiden, started off gracefully and as I followed, if you can picture a new born fawn walking across a frozen pond, well... you get the picture. So, after an hour of plodding through the woods, I was gassed. Give it a try. I'm sure it can be fun... Weino

Sounds like a slogan from some water company or something, doesn't it?But it means much more than that.
We had a visit from some of our best friends from New Jersey this weekend. Our kids and my wife, Tracy, spent a better part of 5 years in New Jersey, while I played for the Flyers, the St. Louis Blues and for a brief stint, Villach of Austria. Our friends, the Tocis, may as well be family. And we were lucky to have them. Throughout the school year and the hockey season, we shared houses and favors as the kids bounced from home to home as though they were interchangeable. And both families would have it no other way. To say our friends are generous is an understatement. They were always there when we needed them and I have always been indebted to them. Their visits and ours to see them , though not as frequent now, feel like we just pick up where we left off. And, as I have said before, these friendships and ultimately, the heartbrakes when you leave are part of pro sports.
Now, Philly was a great place to live near, great food , culyure and sports. A large population, with all the big city appeal, as well as all the aggravations of big cities. Even coming from a small town and feeling like Portland was big, the more you live in the city, the more you become a product of the enviornment. When we returned to Maine in the summer, it was always like "ahhh". Just sit back and relax and slow it down a couple steps.
Tracy's best buddy, Michelle, made a comment to me about her trip O'Naturals with all of us saying she loved how patient the people were taking the orders, as she inquired about the menu while looking over her shoulder thinking the whole time she was holding someone up. "Just a nervous habit of the city", she commented stating how rushed it is down there. It felt good to her to slow down on her visit. Ahhh, Maine...
The best complement for a coach comes from having a player go from your team to the next level and play well. In our position in Portland, we will see many guys leave and hopefully never come back. Some do, at least we know they are coming back to a place they enjoyed before, and feel comfortable. It is great to see our guys playing well in Anaheim, and in Portland...
As I have said before, the longer you stay in the game, the more great people you meet. One of my favorites came through yesterday. Lorne Henning, one of my former coaches in Chicago, and a longtime player and coach in the NHL came through Portland to scout last night. Not the biggest in stature, the soft spoken 4 time Stanly Cup winner was the perfect assistant type, easy to call upon for advice and a calming influence on the bench. Lorne is best known for assisting on Booby Nystroms infanous off side goal to win the Cup. However, our talk focused around some of his former trips to Portland, and what a great city it is to play and live in. Maine...
As I joined in the talk on the Saturday morning show on WJAB, we talked of the past and how I started playing hockey, on Tripp Pond on Poland. I long for hours of skates on the dark ice that seemed to span for miles when I was a kid. There is nothing like a game of pickup when your face feels the bitter cold and your hands and feet are freezing, but nothing will stop you from feeling the blades cut through the rippled ice of the pond. I hope that kind of Maine winter memory will return soon...
One of the hazards of being a coach and skating out with the guys as practice is going on is you soon realize that you don't have hardly any equipment on besides gloves and skates. I learned the hard way twice so far. One time while playing 3 vs. 3 a puck bounced up and dinged me in the forhead. Not the most flatterring place for me to have a bump. And yesterday I was skating in front of the net during our morning skate, and BAM! right in the nose. Small scrape, as Nate Saunders sheepishly skated over and apologized. No real damage. I just went home later, jumped on my mountainbike and sped through the woods and lost myself in thought while gazing at the beauty of the Maine woods...
Almost every week now, I meet or cross paths with an old aquaintance or a new one, and I can't help thinking how lucky we all are to live in this area, to have the outdoors at our fingertips, to live life at a pace all your own. What it means to be from Maine... Weino

Well, she got me again! My wife, Tracy is quite the planner and she organized a surprise party after the Manchester game to celebrate my birthday, which happened to be on the 19th of December. The big 40, folks. I know it is hard to believe. Partly why the fanfare was supposed to be kept to a minimum. I appreciate all the well wishes the other night , and I guess I should have put two and two together. Why would they announce my birthday 3 weeks late? And, the coaches played right along with the bash, and what was to be a quiet date turned into a gathering of good friends and family. The food was amazing and the staff at Yosaku catered a fabulous night. I can't explain the feeling of the room with many of my best buddies from highschool, college, neighbors and of course friends. And after 20 years, having this opportunity is the best reward to coming home...
And, once again, my wife pulled a fast one on me and as usual I was totally oblivious...
Congrats to Bjorn Melin on his first NHL goal in his first NHL game. I have enjoyed my time with Bjorn so far, and believe me folks, this guy never leaves anything on the ice. For a guy who has been on the world stage in some major tournaments, he has paid his dues this year and earned a shot...
I know Ryan Shannon must be dissapointed in his assignment back to the AHL, and we all hoped we wouldn't see him again... until he put on the Pirates sweater this weekend...
As I was on a bike ride this past weekend, I had to pinch myself and remind myself, I really was in Maine in January in spandex shorts...
Amidst a typical 3 game weekend, did anyone who had any doubts about our outlook get a chance to see the great team effort this weekend? Everyone on the ice played for each other in maybe our best display of teamwork this season...
As I sit here writing tonight, watching my son Ben work on one of his daily art masterpieces and an eye on the BCS game, Sunday night is still on my mind. All day I was thinking about a time some twenty years ago, on a day not unlike Sunday, when I met a very dynamic and persuasive man. He wanted me to take a chance and visit a place he thought I would really enjoy. That place was University of Maine. The man was Shawn Walsh, the sole reason hockey has become such a passion in the state of Maine. I had really considered Maine as an afterthought in the recruiting process, and late in the game I became intruiged by what Coach Walsh had to say. So, my parents and I made the trek up to Orono. And, after the weekend, on the ride home we both looked at each other and agreed Maine was the place. It wasn't the fanciest place or the best team. The people at UMaine really were the difference. I felt... at home. On Sunday, I was humbled by a gesture from the UMaine Alumni Association along with University Credit Union with a welcome home ceremony. A puck with my picture on it was handed out at the gates and a video montage was dislayed on the score board. For a retired player who never received much acclaim, this was a special moment in my hockey career. The folks I met at a luncheon that day were just the type who made my time at UMaine some of the best of my life. The members of the Alumni Association that day ware the kind that make the University a special place. Like "home". To everyone who helped make the moment happen, and put a twinkle and a tear in a small town boy's eye, a gigantic THANK YOU. Like Bon Jovi said, who says you can't come home?... Weino