A Gay Man's Hockey Blog

Hello hockey fans.

A few days ago, I asked Bobby to become a guest writer, and Bobby has granted me the request.  I will be a new guest writer for this blog, but, as I made very clear to Bobby, I can guarantee neither quantity nor quality of posts.  To which he tersely replied, “ if you’ve read my blog you know I’m not that concerned with quantity or quality.”  So, at a minimum, now there would be twice as many posts as before, even if these don’t come with great frequency.  Moreover, I figured we need to have at least one writer whose team–the New Jersey Devils–has ensured a spot in the playoffs (sorry Bobby ).

A few words about myself.  I’m an early-30s lawyer working in New York City.  My coming-to-hockey experience is a bit funny–when I was about 14, my parents suddenly realized that playing a sport can really help with college applications.  So, being good Asian parents who knew everything about the world, they pressured me to pick up a sport.  I was, however, graciously given the chance to select the sport.  I had only one criterion–what is the sport my parents knew least about–because the last thing I wanted was for them to tell me I’m doing everything wrong.

After asking my parents to describe hockey to me–and they told me something similar to team figure skating–I picked hockey.  It was, of course, an added bonus when I first showed up at the rink and realized that the players were good looking too.  So, I bought a pair of old used skates and started my lesson.  From there, I developed my passion for the sport.

In high school, I played in a few local leagues; afterward, I played for our college club team.  It was very welcoming team–everyone (male/female/young/old/students/professors/cleaning staff) who wants to try the sport played.  Regardless of a player’s skill level, we found a spot for him/her on the team and made sure he/she saw plenty of ice time.  We had a lot of fun together.

But after college, my life became busy with work and, eventually, law school.  Today, I work as a litigator in New York City and this lifestyle hasn’t much time left for anything else.  Just this year, I finally feel like that I am a little more senior in the firm (still pretty low on the totem pole) that I take a little bit more control of my schedules, and the desire to play came back.  So, after almost a decade off ice, I am back playing again!  Of course, 10 years of not playing took its toll, and I am still redeveloping some of the fundamental skills.  Already, I’ve made new friends and am looking very much forward to tons of fun.

As noted above (and as my handle suggests), I’m a Devils’ fan.  As of last week, we have ensured ourselves a spot in the playoffs!  The ranking looks like we will be faced with Panthers.  I’m confident that we’ll beat them.

I think my posts will include a mixture of writings about the Devils and my own playing experience.  If you have any suggestions on writing topics, please feel free to share them.

Finally, today I am celebrating the 12-year anniversary with my partner.  I can’t believe it’s been that long.  We are still very much in love with each other despite the (infrequent) bumps in the road (mostly my fault).