Year of Gratitude - Day 14 - Gordie Howe

This post was actually written on Oct 28, 2014. On that day, it came out that the granddaddy of old school Detroit hockey, Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe, had suffered a stroke. When this came out, the stroke was described as serious. A stroke for any 86-year-old is tough to handle, but Howe is a super hero. He is

He was the first professional interview I ever conducted. It was over the phone and he was wonderful. I hope I still have that tape. It is important for me to look back on my time with the Red Wings and cherish all of the once-in-a-lifetime memories. Starting that journey off with Mr. Hockey over the phone was perfect.

Internships, Assignments and other school things I won't be involved with...

This has easily been the strangest fall ever. For one, I'm not going back to school. I vaguely remember not going to school for a year after undergrad, but that was spent looking into graduate school. It was nice, but I knew the calm wasn't permanent.

All this lack of going to school has made me think about school more often, ironically enough. This could also be due my just being hired by my alma mater Wayne State University. I sort of always thought of myself as a person who'd be most comfortable in academia. Academia, after all, has been very good to me, especially in the internship departments.

The first internship from the University of Michigan-Dearborn was something I couldn't have imagined: I wrote articles for the Detroit Red Wings. As with a majority of undergraduate internships, this one was unpaid. Yet, money couldn't buy that kind of experience. Even now, almost six years later, I still pinch myself. I am still struck by how awesome it is to write about something that you love.

At the end of my graduate degree, I hopped onto the staff of Southfield Public Library as an intern. I just wrapped up this internship last week. It was amazing. I met lifelong friends there, got the full library experience and beefed up my resume to aid in getting a good job. This was a paid internship, but let's face it: it was still an internship. Again, the payoff was in the experience.

After a few months of hunting for jobs (in Michigan, of all places), I started getting down on myself and my accomplishments. I wondered what the point of being involved in school was. I wondered if these internships were too amateur and weren't helping me. I wondered if I would have to turn to freelance writing. I wondered why the library world didn't have room for me. I waited for a sign as my anxiety mounted. I imagine I was practically unbearable for my colleagues at SPL, but they remained incredibly supportive.

Then my internships did the talking.

Within one week, I had been contacted by the Wings to cover opening night. Then I interviewed and snagged a position at West Bloomfield. Then I interviewed for a position at Wayne, which would become my current endeavor. Then the litigation consulting picked up. Some publishing consulting reared its head. There's even an archival possibility in the midst. It has been quite a ride.

So, although I started getting mopey, looking back I think I did a lot of things right. Perhaps my patience wasn't my strongest point, but the experience gained through internships and assistantships really pulled me through to the Promised Land (read, full time employment). My advice: get involved with school, find an internship and NETWORK. Frankly, nobody cares about your GPA.

Ideas for a funner NHL All-Star Game...

Just the other day I was commenting to my significant other about how All-Star Games in general stink. I referenced the Pro-Bowl in Hawaii. Seriously, the fact the National Football League's finest would be congregating on that gorgeous island still doesn't spark even a wee bit of interest in me. There's better things to do in Hawaii than watch a glorified game of flag football.

I opened my email today and found that the Hockey News came up with about 56 ideas of their own about how to make the National Hockey League's All Star Game a bit more "razzle-dazzle." In his blog, Jason Kay provides a sneak peek, the first of these examples is probably my favorite. And as for the third example: the idea of throwback jerseys is ALWAYS a good plan. I look forward to see what else they came up with when my mag comes in the mail.

1. Pit the 29-and-under all-stars against the 30-and-older all-stars. Pride would be on the line, especially for the old guys who may want to prove Sid and Alex ain’t necessarily all that.
2. The biggest problem with the all-star game is the absence of any defense or grittiness, so provide incentive for at least some conscientious play. Award bonus points for blocked shots, takeaways (including on the forecheck), blocked passes etc. Once you accumulate a pre-determined number, your team gets a penalty shot.
3. Scrap the conference jerseys. They’re meaningless and leave me cold. Instead, have the home team wear throwback jerseys from the city in which they’re playing (this year, it’d be the East in Atlanta Flames togs), while the visitors would wear old school sweaters as selected in an online vote by fans. My first pick would be the Oakland Seals.