I can't win. I wanna play.

Almost a year ago, the National Hockey League teamed up with Reebok, and opened a retail store in Manhattan.  I haven't been there yet.  I know that, if I go, I'll spend lots of money in a moment of weakness, only to get home and have the guilts asking myself, "What made me think I needed to buy the Columbus Bluejackets salt and pepper shakers?"  I don't know what you call it, "euphoria shopping"?  Whatever it is, something gets released in the brain that numbs the rational thinking portion, and suddenly it all makes sense.  I mean, what makes people buy a foam finger?  Let's be honest, Disney has built an empire around it; somuchso that they put retail stores all over the country, so you don't have to go to Orlando or Anaheim to shop.  But I digress.

The other day, two of the NHL's top goalies, the New York Islander's Rick DiPietro and the Buffalo Sabres' Ryan Miller, were at the NHL store together, doing a Q&A, posing for pictures with fans, and signing autographs.  I had no idea this was going to happen, so I missed it.  But, knowing me, it's probably a good thing.  I'd have spent loads on money buying their jerseys and stuff.  I'm still sorry I missed it.

I haven't played hockey for 12 weeks now, not since I moved to my new parish.  My former places where I played are now over an hour away, compared to the previous time of about twenty minutes.  But all the NHL training camps are starting up, and now I'm getting antsy for hockey.