A Big Difference - OCT.23.2007
<table width=90% align=center><tr><td><img src=http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/09/raymond_blog.jpg border=0 align=left vspace=3 hspace=4>Again, it’s been too long since I last submitted a blog, but in my defence, it’s been hectic. This is a far cry from college hockey.
Last week I went from Vancouver to Winnipeg and back in 36 hours.
I was told after the San Jose game on Monday that I was being sent down. I had a pretty good idea that I was coming back up, so I didn’t check out of my hotel here in Vancouver. I just grabbed my plane clothes, a suit, and my shaving kit and left for the airport on Tuesday around noon. Thankfully I didn’t play that night.
We practiced Wednesday morning, played that night (we beat the Rochester Americans 7-1) and was back on a plane to Vancouver at 3:30 am (PST).
I don’t remember much, I slept most of the way to tell you the truth, but obviously a flight that early in the morning is tough on the body. It was good to get in Thursday so I had time to rest up for Friday’s game.
That kind of thing does throw you off, but that’s the nature of the business I guess.
<a href=http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/10/oct1807_practice03_b.jpg target=_blank><img src=http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/10/oct1807_practice03_t.jpg border=0 align=right vspace=3 hspace=4></a>Obviously I want to be here in Vancouver, but it was good to go down and play in some key situations and be a go-to guy.
Now that I’ve played a couple of games here, I really see the difference between the NHL and the AHL.
The game is different, but I don’t know how to pinpoint it exactly. Sometimes when you think you have more time to make a play here in the NHL, it’s less time down there – which is weird. And it seems like it’s the opposite there. I guess it’s just more scrambly or something.
And I’m supposed to write something about my “Welcome to the NHL” moment. That’s hard because that was almost a month ago now, and I don’t know that I really had one.
I guess it really sank in when I lined up for a face-off in the home-opener. I looked over and Thornton and Cheechoo were there – that’s pretty neat. I was watching them last year in the playoffs and all of the sudden they’re right there, and you’re playing against them. That was a neat experience.
<a href=http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/09/sep2607_sharks03_b.jpg target=_blank><img src=http://cdn.nhl.com/canucks/images/upload/2007/09/sep2607_sharks03_t.jpg border=0 align=left vspace=3 hspace=4></a>Learning lots though. Some of the guys up here have really helped me out and gone way out of their way to make me feel comfortable.
They’ve been very welcoming and have always made it clear that if I need anything, I can come to them.
I went over to Trevor Linden’s one night for a great dinner. His wife cooked pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes and salad. And a few of us guys went to Markus’s house for Thanksgiving dinner: myself, Ryan Shannon, Mike Weaver, and Mattias Ohlund’s family. It was a wonderful dinner.
You’re really thankful for it when you’ve only had two home-cooked meals in the last month and a half.
Most of us guys at the hotel eat together. Nobody’s cooking, so Earls has been pretty popular. So have The Keg and Cactus Club.
Somebody asked me to talk about my skates, I guess because they’re different. I wear Graf skates. Not many guys wear them – for one, they don’t do sponsorships. Bauer is probably the biggest skate around the locker room, but I like Grafs.
I know the owner from growing up in Calgary.They also have a factory in Switzerland. And for the guy that asked, I take a 5/8ths hollow. I like them sharp.
Okay, I’ve got to get some things together before the next flight. Hope that was okay.</td></tr></table>
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