Sunday highlights.

I attended the service at the Christian Reformed Church in Smithers today. I find the content of the sermons quite academic and thought-provoking, and I often think about what I heard three, four, or five days later during my week. Today, I had the pleasure of shaking hands with Dan Hamhuis, defenceman for the Nashville Predators. He had no idea who I was, but it was rather cool to shake hands with a bona fide NHLer. My brother played hockey with him a few times in the mid-90's. He is a couple years older than Dan, and one of his favorite stories is of a time they went into the boards together to fight for the puck. In my brothers own words, "I knocked him on his ass!". It wasn't too long after that Mr Hamhuis began skating circles around the competition. He was quickly picked up by the Prince George Cougars, and the rest is history.

While I was attending school in the lower mainland, Dan had a record-setting night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. I remember checking the box score on tsn.ca and nearly falling over. Quite an accomplishment for a local kid.

As tired as I am about all this NHL lockout/meetings scheduled/possible deal business, I am looking forward to seeing Dan Hamhuis on the ice again. Keep an eye on this kid, and if you need a sleeper-pick defenceman for your hockey pool, take a chance on The Hammer.

Or is it Hamster? I can never remember.