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Hey guys,
I know i don't post a lot on here anymore but i really wanted to thank all the people on this site. When i first started posting here i was going through a lot of personal turmoil and this site was a helpful place to just talk hockey and find a piece of normalcy. this site helped keep me north of normal and I just wanted to thank everyone on here

For those that are interested and that don't follow me on Facebook. Here is a link to my entire collection of Facebook posts all in one convenient blog location.

http://denialfeargriefandlove.blogspot.ca/

I don't like having to do this and please don't feel like I'm asking you all to help financially.

All I ask is that you help make this go viral.

I have no idea how you do that. Link below. My insurance ran out yesterday and we need help to get us to the new year. 24hr nursing care doesn't come cheap.

https://www.gofundme.com/8ag99t38

My wife has been in hospital for just over a week because of another bowel obstruction. This one won't resolve and, due to the volume of disease, they can't do a bypass. What this means is they'll perform a stop gap procedure that will allow her to come home but, the average survival after that is three months.

This is devastating news.

We're still hoping that she can get success at a clinical trial in Pennsylvania. We plan to call when she's discharged.

We haven't given up but it doesn't look good.

As you know, my wife has cancer, and now that she's in weekly treatment is obvious to all, since she doesn't wear a wig.

She agrees to go out to see Insurgent even though she's sore and tired, despite being pumped full of Hydromorphcontin, Advil, Zantic and anti nausea drugs.

Well, we get to the theater and there's seats with bars in front so she can be more comfortable and put her feet up. We just finish asking the couple beside the two empty seats, if those are taken and this ignorant jerk sits down in one of the empty seats. He didn't care that we were going to sit there...

Figured Jared Cowen deserves a forum to himself.

Why is he struggling so much? Was it the surgeries? The holdout? Confidence?

Is he a core player in our system? If not, what should be done with him?

I'm normally okay, positive and can make it through life in the new normal but, sometimes I get stretched so thin and then something major happens and I use reserves I never knew were there.  As you know my wife's been in hospital since Monday and only got out this afternoon. I didn't sleep Monday, slept a bit more on Tuesday and spent time organizing visits to keep my wife's spirits up and I feel like I'm running on empty and all the while life chugs on. I've been off work a week and now I could use a vacation. I need to bring my daughter to her social skills class in the east end for 8:30am,...

A lot has happened since I last posted on this topic. I try not to post too often because this is a hockey forum and a place to escape.

Given the fact that I've put it out there that my wife's been in hospital I figured I better not leave you all hanging like that.

I'll start with the results of the latest CT scan. It showed no new growth but, her blood work indicated that the cancer was growing so she was referred to Montreal to join the trial she's excited about getting into. Her appointment was scheduled for this past Wednesday however, she finally let me bring her to hospital...

I know that life sometimes sucks but why does it have to happen in streaks?

A year ago we had a stillbirth. I don't think you ever get over something like this 100% but just when it seems you do the anniversary of the event comes up and everything comes flooding back. Worse is watching your spouse suffer and nothing you seems to help. Ever worse is getting all sorts of BS "help" from friends like "Oh at least you have 1 healthy kid" or "my father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate had a miscarriage several years ago(NOT THE SAME THING). Oh well back to therapy we go.

I haven't written on this topic for a while but, with the recent news of Brian Murray fighting a battle with cancer it has brought a lot of this flooding back.

My wife's psychologist once told us that this was the new normal. Man I long for the days of the old normal. Blissfully enjoying life with my beautiful highschool sweet heart. I'm not a big believer in horoscopes but, as an aquarius I'm supposed to be known for thinking far into the future and imagining what life will be like. In my old normal version I imagined a long life, sitting in rocking chairs side by side with...

Ah….off-season in Ottawa….bare-with me as this is going to be a little unorganized…

A time of year where Melnyk is blasted by Sens bloggers everywhere, regardless if it’s factual or even relevant.

The basis for all these blogs?

Alfie leaving town.

While no one knows for sure the exact reasons , along with what events transpired, that are actually relevant to Alfie leaving, the general rule of thumb among Sens bloggers is it’s Melnyk’s fault.

Sidenote: I challenge Sens bloggers to go the entire off-season with attacking Melnyk unless he does...

Direct Funding vs. Direct Service

The province has a waiting list for children with Autism that generally takes about 2 years to reach the top in order to get either funding to pay for private therapy or to get an opening in a provincially run therapy program, which in Ottawa, is run through CHEO.  Should you choose Direct funding they provide you with $39 per hour for a pre-determined number of hours per week and requires that your private program also include, at a minimum, a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst for 2 hours per month at $110 per hour.  The current private centre my daughter...

We went to a follow up appointment regarding a cognitive assessment of my daughter Zoe for the purpose of determining what funding she will receive for Autism therapy.

The good news: She was assessed at the upper limit of average in the non verbal portions of her assessment. She was also assessed as minimally autistic with only residual Autistic Spectrum Disorder traits.

We have been offered direct funding and will be able to keep Zoe in her current therapy center.

The bad news: We've only been offered 6 months of therapy when her current senior therapist, her...

Back for Day 2;

Quick note: Congrats to Lazar, Hogberg and Shore for their invites to their respective World Jr. Programs (Sweden, Canada, America)

I apologize if anything comes across redundant, but it is a training camp.

Managed to get updates on the two players absent from camp despite being on the camp roster, both updates I put on twitter early.

Jakub Culek – Will miss camp after having shoulder surgery apparently.

Chris Driedger – As per one of the Sens brass (not exactly sure his name), Driedger is out with a “very very very very very...

Just a quick one-off: Walking into the Bell Sensplex, Tim Murray was beside me talking to someone, stating they were still talking about whether Benoit will be returning or not.

Development Camp Day 1:

Curtis Lazar – Sporting 27, Lazar had a decent first day. Flashed a very dangerous looking backhand all afternoon, and has very good vision when parked out front tipping shots and cleaning up rebounds. Very average looking size-wise, but very slippery in the corners and along the boards. Only knock I could see was his conditioning seemed a little behind compared to other players,...

Playoffs are done, the Hawks are celebrating, and the ‘playing’ season is over.

Next up – Draft Day, UFA Opening Day and then prospect & development camps open up.

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Just some quick Sens house cleaning;

Looks like I was dead wrong about Alfie not returning. One of those times I’m stoked to be wrong.

I wouldn’t get your hopes up about the Sens signing Briere, or Bickell.

While it’s fun to picture bringing in any of these guys, the reality is none of them will be worth their...

CHL vs. the Euro Goalies
 
I’m sure by now most of you have already seen this and like most I’m assuming you’ve been left scratching your head.
 
To catch those up who haven’t seen the final decision on this, the CHL has told it’s leagues (OHL,WHL and QMJHL) that it is grandfathering in a policy where teams can no longer have European goalies.
 
The Import Draft in July will be clubs last chance to acquire a Euro goalie (by using their 1^st round pick), meaning in 4 seasons no European goalies will be playing in a CHL league.
 
The (flawed) logic...

Bored at work, so I wanted to do a write-up on my Top 10 Sens prospects.

To qualify, these players must be eligible for the Calder Trophy next season (25 games or less in each preceding season, nor six or more in any two preceding seasons, 26 years old or younger).

1. Jean-Gabriel Pageau
2. Matt Puempel
3. Cody Ceci
4. Stefan Noesen
5. Mark Stone
6. Shane Prince
7. Mike Hoffman
8. Mark Borowiecki
9. Andre Petersson
10. Mikael Wikstrand

Since moving back to Ottawa, I’ve got the itch to start blogging again.

I figured it would be a hard time to start back up during the playoff run, but since it has come to a bittersweet end, it is time for me to start again.

Enough has been said about the season and playoff run, so I will skip over that and pick-up with some thoughts heading into the off-season and highlight some key prospects.

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Off-season:

Daniel Alfredsson: Everyone has different...

If you don't like it then ignore it or pretend I said Happy Holidays.

I am thankful for in no particular order:

1 - My good health
2 - My wife's current good fortune with her health
3 - My beautiful children
4 - My wonderful life
5 - My generous and loving family both immediate and extended family (that includes members of GMH)
6 - Gainful employment
7 - Finding joy even when it's hidden sometimes.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Hey all,

I debated putting the title as "A kick in the gut and a punch in the teeth" but figured this would be the better choice.

Bad news potentially. My wife's cancer is monitored with a blood test called CA125 and when it rises it indicates cancer. Her readings went from 15 to 36 to 66 and normal upper limit is 35. The oncologist feels it's likely the cancer is back it's just a matter of checking the scans every couple months until there's visible disease then it's Chemo again. Chemo upon recurrence is not great. ie Kick in the gutt.

Top it off we have EEG...

Hello GMHockey faithful,

I've struggled with whether or not to write this blog but since it's out there now with the submission to vote my wife into space I thought why not? I've told everyone at my office and I got very positive responses with people really appreciating the honesty and disclosure of my personal situation.

As some of you know I was pretty much incognito from about May to November. What many of you don't know it was because my wife had abdominal pain and nausea. We went to her doctor who ordered a CA-125 test and an ultrasound where they found tumors. After...

"Never doubt" has become the unofficial slogan for this Senators team -- some of the players were heard shouting the phrase after Foligno's late heroics.

"I think it's a good expression," MacLean said. "To me, if you come here every day, and you're going to do it right, good things are going to go your way."


Yeah, no kidding. Those quotes came from an Erin Nicks article on NHL.com (http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011020130) and are 100% fitting for the Sens. As mentioned many times, they seem not...