HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!

My adoring fans know I am not talking about the television show "Happy Days" about a perfect American life of a middle-class family in late 50s and early 60s. My husband likes watching the reruns. I don't care much for the show, even though Ron Howard played the character Richie, the naive son of Howard Cunninghams, a hardware store owner in Milwaukee. Howard was the adorable Opie in the Andy Griffith Show.


My Happy Days are here again because the NHL regular season has officially started. This entry was started two weeks ago and I am finally getting around to complete and ready for publishing. Serious hockey (specially Detroit Red Wings) fans could tell the photos are old from the numbers on the jersey. Brendan Shanahan (#14) signed with the New York Rangers since 2006. Tomas Holstrom (#96) and Henrik Zettenberg (#40) are still the producing line for the Red Wings.

My favorite goalie has always been Chris Osgood. I don't know if he will ever be recognized for carrying the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup in 1998. Osgood never buckled under the pressure of being the #1 goalie after Mike Vernon left. The net has been a bit crowded when Hasek came out from retirement. Just hope Osgood will stay healthy and ready to play when needed.

I look forward to November 13th when the Red Wings will be in town. It is the first game of the season between St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings. The Blues have been playing very well. I expect to see a great hockey game because I did not spend my hard-earned money to see lousy ice-skating. Manny Legace will be the goalie for the Blues and it will be interesting because Legace was the netminder for the Red Wings.

Here is another old photo showing Robert Lang (#20) who is currently with the Chicago Blackhawks.

I thought of the story my Dad used to tell about growing up in Viet Nam, how much he loved to play soccer. Being the oldest son, Dad was supposed to watch his younger brothers and sisters. Instead he took them to the soccer field with him but did not keep an eye on the little ones. No serious injury, just a few bruises and bumps when the little sister fell and of course, Dad was punished for neglecting his duty. My Mom added to the story how Dad often left her alone in a new environment (after the wedding, Mom moved to Dad's village to live with his family) while Dad played soccer with his buddies. Now you see the connections, why I love sports, just like my Dad.