New Years' Resolutions for 2013

This past year has been one of frustration and disappointments. I hate to say it, but speaking in personal terms, Twenty-Twelve served up more negatives than positives. In a lot of ways, I'm glad to see it go.

Due to the changing nature of the the blogisphere and in my private life, I can no longer keep up with this blog the way I want to. I know this has cost me dearly, but with a greater effort (and loads more confidence), I can get back to building this blog back to where it was all along.

What I Learned in 2012
• Hockey fans are the most passionate fans on the internet. We, the fans, maintain a strong appeal in the internet and social media.
• The anti-Bettman sentiment is also very very strong on the internet. Sure, the players are likable, but NHL managers aren't the ones totally to blame for this lockout.
• Other hockey leagues experienced a mini-rebirth and ticket sales reportedly grew in areas.
• Connor McDavid may be the "savior" of the Erie Otters OHL franchise.
• Florida is slowly becoming a hockey state with the return of the Orlando Solar Bears. All it takes is years of having the teams around to be allowed to build a fan base.
• It's easier to tweet out game observations and comments than to compose a whole blog draft.
• USA Hockey is finally catching up to elite status among the international programs. It could be the many kids of former Canadian NHLers starting families in the USA.

Resolutions for 2013
1. The resolutions made for 2012 are still resolvable.
2. With a deeper interest in building up a YouTube presence, I will continue to publish more regularly scheduled blog videos.
3. I reaffirm my commitment to building a hockey weblog that provides cutting edge content as well as feature unique blog ideas.
4. I resolve to become even more provocative in my blog entries as to encourage more comments and much desired feedback.
5. Advance my career in broadcast journalism by continuing to make great media connections and continue trying to crack the starting line-up of a major media company again.

New Year 2010

It is that time once again that we traditionally shrug off the previous 12 months and put on new hope and change for the new year. So, this being another one of my more consistent continual hockey weblog series, I am going to list here what I have learned from this year as well as listing things that I hope I can change in the near future.

What I Learned in 2009
• Since the explosion of weblogs, it is getting harder and harder to overcome the noise and grab reader attention from blogs that are sponsored by sports teams and major media companies.
• Hockey is slowly returning to mainstream popularity as long as it continues to push in the right directions.
• Canada consistently provides better news coverage of hockey events and knowledgeable punditry worth listening to.
• It's tough to maintain a blog when the writer no longer has access to stories the way the press does.
• The efforts of trying to get a new multi-purpose sporting event center to replace the aging (but stoic) Mellon Arena downtown is wrought with red tape and bureaucracy.
• The NHL Winter Classic looks ridiculous in a baseball stadium.
• Playing video game hockey online can be a frustrating thing especially when it is infested with 14 and under who not only don't care for the "honor code" but exploit the glitches in the game to subvert any fair play.

Resolutions 2009
1. The resolutions made for 2009 are still resolvable.
2. I resolve to pay more attention to Western Conference teams regarding news stories as well as other blog stories.
3. I reaffirm my commitment to building a hockey weblog that provides cutting edge content as well as feature unique blog ideas.
4. I resolve to become more provocative in my blog entries as to encourage more comments and much desired feedback.
5. I resolve to refrain from using sportswriter cliches like "Cancer in the locker room."

New Year 2009

The new year will bring, hopefully, new ideas and innovative blogging to the Confessions of a Hockey Fanatic series. I am going to work harder on producing a back-log of short videos that I have been working on since separating from Vault Door Productions this past summer. Things have been up and down for me career-wise and it is hard to find the time to write out things and still be able to commit to a day job. I was able to achieve some resolutions by working harder on my Logo making software, thus giving form to a new logo badge for my page as well as

What I Learned in 2008
• Freedom of expression is one of the easiest freedoms to waste and misuse.
• Hockey fans can show a really ugly side of bigotry and jealousy
• Pittsburgh has returned to become a major sports town again.
• The OHL is a great league to watch for an alternative to the professional game.
• Bettman may be working his way down and out of favor with fans as well as team ownerships
• Franchise relocation still sucks on every level.
• Hockey Fights Cancer is worth getting involved with.
• Detroit Red Wings have a long tradition of winning hockey.
• Facebook is a great way to connect to other bloggers and journalist professionals.

Resolutions 2008
1. While advertising dollars may not pay out all that much yet, it is a good thing to seek out even more.
2. I will remember to be civil towards more and more non-Penguin hockey fans.
3. I resolve to continue my series of fun blog posts as they are still original content on the cutting edge of hockey blogging.
4. I will make more audio and video blogs and try to complete the projects already started.
5. I will continually resolve to maintain a professional regimen and strive for blogger respectability within the hockey world as an alternative source to news and opinions and editorials.

Thanks for making my unprecedented 6th year in blogging a tremendous success as it grows again in the coming year.

Welcome to 2008

The new year is here. It is time to flip over the calender wondering where the heck 2007 went. Last year at this time, I made some resolutions against my notions that a resolutions column or blog post is so incredibly hack! I would like to believe that I was able to hold on to some of them throughout the year, leaving a few others broken when motivation wained.

What I Learned in 2007
• The more things change, the more they stay the same.
• Hockey coverage in Canadian media is far superior than their U.S. counterparts.
• Crosby has thus far exceeded all expectations.
• The Erie Otters have the best designed alternate jersey in hockey today.
• Despite surviving a great trial by the recent NHL lockout, more challenges still lie ahead which a fresh new prospective desperately needed if hockey is going to survive in the 21st century.
• Franchise relocation sucks on every level.
• Blogging for charity marathons isn't as easy as it looks. It takes a real motivation and focus to stay alert for 24 hours.
• Pittsburgh Penguins fans are the best hockey fans simply because of how they mobilized to keep their team where it belongs.
• Reebok money can suppress all negative feedback.
• Hockey is still far and above the greatest game in the world compared to other professional leagues that are having difficulty with players' behavioral problems.

Resolutions 2008
1. I resolve to not do anything for free anymore. I get plenty of requests for links and have chosen not to follow up on them because my links list would be longer than it should be. Please contact me if you wish yo advertise on my page. I have a Paypal account to which you can purchase a year's placement.
2. I resolve to continue my series of fun blog posts as they are still original content on the cutting edge of hockey blogging. Also, I will make more audio and video blogs as they grew my notoriety in 2007.
3. I resolve to maintain a professional regimen and strive for blogger respectability within the hockey world as an alternative source to news and opinions and editorials.
4. I resolve to make another attempt at holding myself to writing goals which I made last year.
5. I resolve to dust off that old WIP draft and get closer to publishing a book
6. I resolve to push my charity work a little more reminding fans and others about the need for money for research as well as coverage on hockey related charity events.

Thanks for making my 5th year in blogging a tremendous success as it grows again in the next year.