He was chatting with a tall gentleman at the bar who had the look of a former player, but not one I recognized. As I approached the man sized me up and said, and I’m paraphrasing here because it’s been a while, but I swear he was this blunt:

“Who are you and what do you do?” he asked with a distinct French accent.

Stunned I mumbled something along the lines of “I’m Ben and I manage the Thrashers website.”

In my head I thought about asking him the same thing but given that A) I didn’t want to insult him by not recognizing him when the room was clearly filled with NHL team staff and B) he was bigger than me, I wisely kept my mouth shut.

“Well are you any god at it?” he asked.

Surprised again by his bluntness I managed a feeble “I guess so.”

“You guess so? What kind of answer is that?” he said. “Are you any good at it or not?”

“Yes, I’m good at it,” I replied.

“That’s better. There are only 30 teams in the league which means you’re one of the top 30 people that does what you do. Have some pride and stick up for yourself. Nobody else is going to recognize how good you are at what you do unless you tell them.”

I thanked him for his advice, chatted with Brad for a minute (something I regrettably didn’t do nearly enough) and went to my room.

The next morning I got on the shuttle bus to go Scotiabank Place for the draft and the man got on wearing a Colorado Avalanche badge. That was when I realized who he was- Hall of Famer and four-time 50 goal scorer, Michel Goulet.

It was also when I realized it was a really good idea not to have asked him who he was, or if he was good at what he did.

To this day his advice is some of the best I’ve ever been given. If you think you’re good at what you do don’t be afraid to say so. If you’re waiting for someone else to notice and reward you with a raise or job offer, you’re probably going to be waiting a very long time.

Six years ago this week my wife and I moved into our house in the suburbs of Atlanta which officially makes this the longest I’ve lived at one address in my life. Either I’m putting down roots here or it’s time to move again. the former sounds better than the latter.

To me it means:

- That those who can’t protect themselves should be protected by those who have the ability to offer help.
- That there are things worth protecting even if they can’t stand on their own. PEI as a place and is island way of life wouldn’t be able to survive without the help of the Canadian government, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth cherishing and protecting.

In a broader, more generic sense, “Parva sub ingenti” is why I believe the government is obligated to take care of the least of its citizens, whether that’s through government-supported health care or other social safety nets.

A hand up is very different than a handout, and the great are obligated to offer a hand up to the small because they have innate, intrinsic value.

Anyone who was a regular at Thrashers games or practices should know Tammy Adcock to see her, even if they’ve never met her. More often than not she was wearing moose antlers in honor of Johan Hedberg, her favorite player.

Sadly, Tammy, who suffers from a debilitating nerve disorder, lost her husband Brandy to a tragic stroke just over a week ago. To make matters worse the night after he passed away their home burned to the ground, destroying almost all of their possessions and keepsakes, including much of their irreplaceable Thrashers memorabilia. Tammy and Brandy were both loyal season ticket holders and proud members of the Nasty Nest.

Now Tammy is facing life without her husband, a mountain of medical bills, and she has no home to call her own.

I believe in Blueland and I believe in the greater hockey community. A donations page has been set up to help Tammy out and if you could find it in your heart to make a donation I can guarantee it will be greatly appreciated.

Choice is what makes a democracy a democracy, and the more choices voters have the healthier the system will be. The fact that only one party is strong enough to run candidates for state representative and state senator in my district is alarming. I just don’t know what to do about it.

Let me start by saying I miss you. I had a nice six-year run as a team employee and I met a lot of fantastic people along the way, many of whom worked for other teams. Those of us who worked in “non-traditional” markets shared a special bond that allowed us to simultaneously bitch about and be envious of the Canucks and the other marketing superpowers who could throw whatever they wanted on their sites and still have sponsors banging down their doors to give them money for it (seriously though- the Canucks staff is incredible).

I miss you, and I feel for you. I started working for the Thrashers right after the 2004-05 lockout ended and I finished up just as my Atlanta Hawks co-workers were preparing for the NBA lockout. I never had the displeasure of dealing with a lockout myself, although I did get the special experience of relocation rumors, announcements, and layoffs.

Because of that experience I have good news for you.

There’s life (and jobs) outside of the NHL. If your hours have been reduced or eliminated because of the lockout and you’re pondering whether to stick it out until the puck drops again or move on to something else, know that the something else option is probably better than you expect it to be.

As fun as working for a team is (and it was a dream job for me), the hours are awful, the pay is terrible, and few employees are valued because EVERYONE can be replaced in a heartbeat. I knew enough people who worked for other teams to know that I’m not just projecting my former situation onto all teams. The Thrashers’ owners may have had a reputation for being cheap, but when it came to team office staff salaries they had plenty of company.

Outside of sports the pay is better, the hours are better, and the result of a hockey game won’t ruin your night or your week. If you get out of hockey you’ll miss it, but you’ll also discover that there are other things to do from 7-11 every night, especially if you have a significant other and/or kids.

You’ll also find that people are sympathetic to your plight, and that having pro sports on your resume opens plenty of doors, even in unrelated fields. It makes you stand out from other candidates, and if you’re moving on because of millionaires and billionaires fighting over record profits people will understand. I’m not ashamed to admit that I milked the Thrashers relocation for everything it was worth when I was looking for work, and it helped. If you’re looking for a change I suggest you do the same.

Since being pushed out of hockey I’ve had more time to spend with my wife, my kids, and my friends. I was fortunate to land a 9-5 job with no weekend or evening work from home, and I’ve never been happier, despite missing being part of a team. If you move on from the game you love I promise you that it can end up well.

So for all of you dealing with uncertainty of this mess of a lockout, good luck. I hope your owners are treating you well, and if not it might be time to look at other options.

Signed,

Your Former Colleague

Then I attended the second 2000 presidential debate between Bush and Gore in person at Wake Forest (thanks to a ticket lottery system that let a Canadian grad student in over many jealous American undergrads). I was sure Gore had won. His arguments were clear, his policies made sense, and he came across fairly well. None of that mattered to the pundits of the day though, who declared Bush the winner based largely on his personality and Gore’s distinct lack thereof.

That’s when I realized that winning a presidential has as much to do with policies and actual debate skills as the Teen Choice Awards have to do with singing and acting ability.

Like every presidential and vice presidential debate before it, the media will crown tonight’s debate winner based on style, regardless of what they actually plan to do while in office.

So do yourself a favor. Watch at least the first 30 minutes of the debate without being online. Just watch and listen- don’t check Twitter. Don’t check Facebook. Don’t check to see what the pundits are saying. Evaluate it yourself instead of letting others shape your opinion for you. You’ll learn a lot more about both candidates that way.

The job worked out for six years or so, right up until the Thrashers were sold and moved to Winnipeg. The woman worked out even better, agreeing to marry me two months after I moved here even though I was a 27-year-old intern who had just moved out of her parents’ basement. Now we’ve been married for six years, have two kids, two careers, a house, and a stereotypical life in the burbs.

Growing up in the Maritime provinces of Canada (I lived in all three) I don’t think I ever imagined I’d end up in the South living the American Dream, but here I am, with an American wife, American kids (technically they’re dual citizens), and an American passport that I’m about to use for the first time. Also, I get to vote in the presidential election on November 6.

Thanks for everything America. It’s been a pleasure so far. 

I’m a dad. I take care of my kids. I like doing it and that shouldn’t be considered unusual. I’m tempted to make up an elaborate and depressing story to explain why I don’t have my wife with me, just to see how awkwardly people react. Should I be a widower? Should my wife have a terrible illness? Did she leave us? The fact of the matter is, I shouldn’t have to explain why I’m out with my kids. It’s something normal dads do.

For the record, nobody has ever asked my wife if she was giving “dad” a break by taking the two kids with her when she goes out.

- On why I chose to become an American citizen (which I previously touched on in more depth here).

- Why I think Americans love college sports so much (I could have easily written several hundred more words on the subject, and I’m sure I overlooked several factors).

I’m not a policy wonk, and many of the topics the contributors are asked about are policy-oriented so I haven’t added much to the discussions, but as someone who is more or less an undecided voter, it’s been an interesting project to participate in.