My birthday was months ago, but yesterday sure as hell felt like it (without the cake, unfortunately!), with both the New York Rangers and New York Islanders losing, I was on cloud nine.  Why would I, an Islander fan, be happy they lost!? Because it gives us a better position in the draft – and yes, it puts us in the 5th and final spot of the lottery, but that’s huge – sure, the chances of winning the lottery and moving to slot #1 are slim at best, being that the chance is 8.1% !!  But even if they don’t win the lottery (saying it’s a long-shot would be an understatement) they are going to get a solid prospect to help them along with their “rebuild” (which I hope gets some sort of Free Agent Injection come July).

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One might think that because I’m an Islander fan I instantly must hate anything the Devils do.  Well, the Devils have done nothing but win, win, and win since as long as I’ve been a fan of hockey (since Martin Brodeur’s rookie year) and I can see how that would be annoying to nearby fans of the Flyers, Rangers, and the Islanders.  I’m a little different though.  The Devils don’t annoy me.  They never have.  In fact, I remember the 1st game I saw on TV (the old SportsChannel!) was actually a New Jersey Devils game (I totally remember their nasty green and red Christmas jerseys!).  And by the time I became a die-hard Islander fan I already knew who I was supposed to hate . . . the dirty Rangers!  The Devils were harmless, at least to me!

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How a 23 win team that is in the midst of a 5 game losing streak can still be in great playoff positioning on February 3rd is beyond my realm of belief.  So it goes in the “New NHL.”  I’ve always been against “loser points” that award a team that loses in overtime a point in the standings, as well as losing in a shoot-out (skills-competition).  I’m sorry, this isn’t kindergarten . . . you shouldn’t get anything for losing in a professional sport (except an earful from the coaching staff).  However, as an Islander fan, it is the loser point that has actually given this team some hope early on in their rebuild process (for those that think Tavares was anything close to the final piece, get real – the rebuilding is far from done).  Besides the loser point, however, and maybe more importantly, is that the teams directly around the Islanders in the Eastern Conference standings simply aren’t that good (that’s right, I’m talking about YOU New York Rangers!  YOU SUCK!).

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I’m sorry, but am I the only one to not buy into the garbage the NHL has been trying to sell me since the Flyers made the absolute wrong idea to acquire a disgruntled (and whiny) Eric Lindros?  (keep in mind, people, the Flyers could have had Peter Forsberg, among many other talents they shipped to Quebec, way before they were past their prime).  Why are the Philadelphia Flyers constantly looked upon as one of the “top teams” to contend with in the NHL!?  Okay, so they made it to the NHL Stanely Cup Finals in 1997 – so what happened!?  They lost 4-0 to Detroit.  Oh, excuse me, they also made the finals in 1987, ’85, and ’80 – only to lose to Eighties powerhouse teams named Oilers and Islanders.

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I’m not an idiot (most of the time), so it’s not like I ever thought sitting around on my bum would ever help me stay physically fit, but today I skated and shot the puck around for the first time in who knows how long – and I must say – the realization of exactly how unfit I am hit me harder than a Scott Stevens’ body-check.  Now I know how Eric Lindros feels . . . .

I’ll put it to you this way . . . I had trouble standing up on my skates.  That’s right.  I’m quite embarrassed to admit that, but I need to express my embarrassment.  I feel admitting and accepting  it will help me start on a healthier path.  For Gods Sake I even started a “Lifestyle” category on this blog a long time ago because I knew I always wanted to write about it.  I knew I wasn’t living the way I should have been living.  I was merely surviving.  I still am, but at least today was a start.  At least I finally was able to get up on my skates . . . .

Then the fun began!  Actually trying to move around the rink and skate and shoot!  (ouch!  I still hurt just thinking about it!) – I could barely move.  To say after five minutes I was “pooped” would be generous.  Maybe three minutes?  I’m not sure, but it felt like forever out there.  Now, I never used to be Sergei Fedorov, or even Ted Donato, but I used to be a pretty decent player.  Of course, I could skate all day and all night when I was 18 years old.  I had minimal body fat and not playing roller hockey with my friends was never a choice.  It was just something we always did – even into the wee hours of the morning in the Target Parking lot because they had the best lighting!  It was tons of fun, and I was always in shape.  But now, even the thought of driving to Target is exhausting to me!  Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but you get my point.

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