And so it begins ...

A little after 8 a.m. on the day after Christmas, one day later than originally scheduled, flight Air Canada 569's wheels finally left the ground at Los Angeles International Airport and the trip, one that I've wanted to do for years, had commenced.

Hockey, for the uninformed, is one of my truest passions in life. I attended my first hockey game in 1975 with family at the Forum in Inglewood. Kings vs. Minnesota North Stars (now Dallas Stars). That's age 6 if you're counting at home. It was the initial spark, but the fire and passion for the game really took off after our family moved to Colorado in December 1977. At the time, the Denver Broncos were the talk of the town. They were embarking on a playoff run that would have them playing in the Super Bowl in January 1978 against Dallas -- the only one the Broncos played and long before John Elway arrived on the scene.

I was, however, drawn to hockey, much moreso than any other sport in the winter time. Denver's team was the NHL's Colorado Rockies (now the New Jersey Devils, for whom I still root for religiously). The Rockies, who had actually moved west from Kansas City where, as the Scouts, lasted only two seasons before heading to Denver in 1976. The Rockies, despite my attendance loyalty, lasted only six seasons before being sold and moved to New Jersey after the season ended in 1982.

Nonetheless, my hockey passion thrived for a team that was considered a laughing stock of sorts. Perennial losers, they did make one playoff appearance but with 16 out of 21 teams qualifying, even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while. It's not to say the team didn't have some talented players during its Denver run, but unless you follow hockey closely, names like Merlin Malinowski, Gary Croteau, Mike McEwen, Randy Pierce, Ron Delorme and Glenn "Chico" Resch are going to draw a blank.

For me, I grew up with the Rockies. I attended so many home games at the now-defunct McNichols Arena that perhaps I should have been given complimentary season ticket when the Colorado Avalanche (the former Quebec Nordiques) arrived in the mid-1990s. They promptly won the Stanley Cup in their first year, thus firmly planting their status as a team to support and follow and not discard like the Rockies were when I lived in Colorado from 1977-1985. Then again, while I was attending games, I got to see the last Montreal Canadiens dynasty of the late 70s play. I got to see the mighty New York Islanders teams that won 4 Cups in a row and I also got to see Wayne Gretzky and his powerhouse Edmonton Oiler teams in their NHL infancy and before they won their first Cup.

Just as fun was the time I spent following the Rockies away from game nights. The team's practice facility was only minutes away in Littleton and a lot of my weekends (at least one day when they were in town) were spent watching their practices, getting autographs and pucks and sticks from the players. Opposing teams also occasionally used South Suburban Ice Arena for a morning skate when in town to face the Rockies. Saw many top NHL stars that way and still, to this day, will never forgive then Toronto Maple Leafs player Rick Vaive, who was NEVER a star player, for his stupidity.

It certainly also didn't hurt that Gary Croteau, who was the captain of the Rockies at one point, lived on our cul-de-sac. Nice guy, decent NHL forward who played for the Rockies during my initial interest. He's also the first athlete I ever interviewed. I was 11 when my class project involved interviewing someone. Funny thing about this is that when I did the interview, the moment was also mentioned in an article about Croteau for GOAL Magazine, the NHL's publication which, at the time, served as the official game program at Rockies games. I still have a copy of the article where the writer mentions me and the interview. Pretty cool, huh?