The first chapters of The Last Lecture.

Thanks to Mother Nature and Dish Network, I ran into a brick wall about 9 this evening.. There was a show I wanted to see, but thanks to the before mentioned duo, there was a blank screen on the TV...

So, I wondered what people did in the old days and picked up a book.

There were a few things that I learned.. "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." "Dream. Not just any dreams, but SPECIFIC dreams" and the two types of head fakes, real and the one that teaches you something."

I've seen the first and the last. Summer hockey is a fun time, filled with vacations and short benches. I'm 54 years old, and it's hot under all that stuff, but I am still playing the greatest game in the world. So what if I give up a bad goal? I had to tell my kids that it was time to say goodbye to Mom; is a bad goal REALLY going to bother me? If you're one of my teammates reading this, yes, otherwise, nope... Last Sunday was one of those games. We were shorthanded against the first place team and lost 7-1, but I played, and I played well in defeat. Not only did I play well, but I had fun because I was playing the greatest game in the world.

I was the recipient of a head fake from my commander in the Air Force back in the 70's. With a cast on my freshly broken ankle, he came by for a chat. An hour later, I was thanking him for caring about me so. About 10 minutes after that, I realized that I had thanked him for chewing me out.

Now, for dreams.... A lady I met today has shared a pretty neat dream with me, but she's wondering if it will work... I sent her a note telling her the story of "Have a Skate" and how it started by looking for a roll of purple hockey tape, and blossomed into something far beyond my wildest dreams, and said go for it. You see, success isn't always about raising 10K for charity; the result is the same if you and 9 others each raise 1K, isn't it? There are very few things in this world as wonderful as doing something you love with or for someone you love and seeing someone else benefit from it...

Dream. BIG. And then, don't be afraid to share your dream. You just might meet someone who can or will help it come true.

Have a great day! It's Pond Hockey tonight at Pepsi for me =)

Mask!

I often get asked two questions when someone finds out I play hockey:

1. Do you have all your teeth? Yes, but a few are store bought.

2. Why would someone want to have people shoot pucks at them? May I remind you that they're not shooting AT me, but trying to avoid me, and I throw myself at those biscuits of rubber?

Anyway, here's the new mask, made by Hackva in Ontario, Canada. When I put it on, the bars melt away. The sightlines are incredible, and it's a tank. Gabe asked if he could jazz up the logo a bit, and here's the final result.


What I'm proudest of is the backplate, showing my commitment to eradicating pancreatic cancer from this world.


I don't get paid for this, so I'm doing it for the goalies out there. Protect your head. Both of them.

Les Habitants et Dr. Randy Pausch

In the locker room of the Montreal Canadiens is this passage above pictures of great players in their past.

"to you from failing hands we throw the torch be yours to hold it high"

Dr. Randy Pausch lived with pancreatic cancer. It took his life last Friday. While fighting the cancer, he taped a lecture that gained worldwide fame and wrote a book that I am just getting into. He was also an activist for pc research.

In his passing from this physical plane, he has become an inspiration to me.

Randy, I accept the torch you passed to me. With the support of many others, I will strive to carry it higher and higher.

Please tell Becky happy birthday for us and let her know we miss her so....

Who I am.

I'm Bob, single parent of two wonderful daughters, a fantastic son, and a grandfather to Abby.

I'm also a telecom engineer who lost his soulmate and best friend to pancreatic cancer in 1999.

Now, maybe you see why I do this for fun.


Yeah, I try to get hit with as many hockey pucks as I can three times a week.

Usually, you'll find me behind these guys, the Red Rockets of Overland Park, KS


but sometimes, I'm up at Line Creek or even in Topeka...

Anyway, I play hockey for fun and to raise funds for PanCAN.

I won my first championship last spring, so together, we can beat pc, but only if you'll help.