MIKE HOFFMAN:

So Round 2 of the playoffs is just around the corner. What a great team effort series win that was against Hartford. We got scoring from every line and great goaltending from Aubs. It was more than a grind I must say, 5 games in 7 nights playing playoff hockey is not easy. Hartford really came at us strong and gave us what we expected. In the end we came out on top, I felt we just had the extra fire power they didn’t have. Unfortunately I had to sit out Game 3 at home with a suspension. During the second period of Game 2, I got a 2 minute elbow penalty. I didn’t think I was going to hear about it later, but I walked into the rink and I see Dino in the locker room and he says the league is reviewing your hit from last night ... (back in the doghouse I go).

Luckily we won the game and the next and pulled out a tough one in Hartford for the series win. I’ve probably never had my legs feel so tired as they did during the second period of Game 5. I was in the locker room thinking ... wow I got to find a way to pull through this period strong and on top. (I think I wasn’t the only one feeling like I did.) We came out strong and put a goal in early and everyone’s adrenaline was pumping from there on out we were all over them the rest of the period and the series was ours.

What a great spring in Portland, it was the worst winter I’ve seen in years and then spring hits and it’s the nicest I can remember. Unfortunately for me and Sauce our lease is up next week. The league always tells us to get month-to-month leases in case you get called up or traded, but those aren’t the easiest to get. So what most guys do is get Oct 1st to May 1st and get an optional month or two-week lease after that. Unfortunately our place is for sale and they are running open houses all May, so our option isn’t happening. If anyone is looking for a new 3-story townhouse over looking South Portland and the inlet, it’s a must buy. So we are off to a residence hotel for the month unless something happens or someone’s got an extra bedroom out there.

A bummer the Ducks lost, I thought they had it again, but a few bad bounces and they couldn’t get it back. Fortunately we got Bobby Ryan back, which gave our team even more of a boost and upper edge vs. Hartford. He’s got some of the best mitts I’ve ever played with. Unfortunately we didn’t get Carter back, he for one reason or another wasn’t put on our clear day roster, which if you’re in the NHL and not on the roster you can’t come back down to the AHL. When the we first saw the list Providence had, they had some serious NHL talent on it: Kessel, Lucic, Kreji, Sobodka and Nokelainen. Fortunately for us the first three didn’t make it due to the worst championships and injuries, but from what I’ve heard Sobodka and Nokelainen are in for the second round. Should give them a boost, but I still think we got a special group here, everyone knows and fills there roll perfectly.

Had a great team dinner tonight, thanks to Leach’s recommendation. Another plus to this series is the scheduling is a lot better than the first round. We actually get some rest in between a few games.

I can admit I don’t really like the NBA or basketball that much. I think I have one dunk in my career, although I did win an intramural championship in 7th grade. But I will jump on the Celtics bandwagon for a bit here. How can’t you ... call me a fair weather fan or whatever, but they are unreal. Big draft day for the Pats this weekend. All I’ve heard is they are taking a defensive back, we’ll see. Like I have been saying, next season is the perfect season for them.

Big weekend ahead for this guy, enjoy yours.

– hoff

MIKE HOFFMAN:

Bored on the bus driving back from Hartford ... Wow what a win that was for the team (in Game 2 of the playoff series). I’ve never seen such an all out team effort as the one tonight. It felt as if we were going to win the game after warm-ups … sometimes you just get the feeling and guys are in good spirits.

I must have had about 20 chances tonight, but no luck. Hopefully we can bring the same energy and poise to Games 3 and 4 at home. I’m sure with the home crowd it will be fairly easy to get the momentum going. Our fans were amazing in Hartford. It felt like we had more fans then them. I have to thank all the people that made the trip down to cheer us on … believe me it really does help.

I have to thank the fans for voting me the Most Popular Player. What an honor it was to receive the award. A player like myself doesn’t receive to many awards in his career so it was an honor to get. I was a bit surprised to get it seeing I only played half a season (Bootland was my second half of the year favorite player). The award will sure go in a special place. This has been such a great place to live and play, I love playing in a city where the fans really care. If it weren’t for the fans I wouldn’t be here or playing hockey anymore for that matter.

I also have to thank the Booster Club for the On/Off ice player award. It was an honor to receive ... and although it probably helped that I was injured for half the year, I was ecstatic to get it. I have to also thank the booster club for their hard work and dedication they brought to us this year. What a great night at the Holiday Inn they put together for the team (still bitter about the bubble hockey table, but it went to a good cause).

Well had to keep this one short never know when the bus may catch fire and this time I will be going out the window exit (my days of hurdling seats are coming to an end, I hope). On a side note ... on my very next bus trip we got in an accident on the highway coming back from Lowell. I don’t think that one made the papers seeing we were almost stopped and someone ran into us, but it did make for another exciting long trip. Hopefully be writing soon with some good news and our quest for the cup.

– hoff

MIKE HOFFMAN:

So there I was, trying to get a few minutes of sleep on our way to the game in Providence and KABOOOM. I knew right away the tire blew up, it didn’t help that my head was resting on the window and banged it pretty good with the vibration. It was funny at the beginning of the trip around Saco; a few of us in the back new something was wrong with the tire, we thought we had a flat for about the first half hour then it stopped making the noise. Turns out to be a bit more than a flat. So right away there was a terrible smell and a little smoke from the tire. It just smelt like a burnt tire, then the smoke got a bit bigger. As we got to the side of the road (we were driving in the fast lane at the time) the smoke was really building up.

Clyde the bus driver jumps out checks it and tells everyone to get off the bus. About five seconds later he comes running back in for the fire extinguisher. At this point I’m standing up about four feet from the smoke in the back (it was the right back tire) when someone says it’s a real fire. So at this point everyone is rushing pretty good, but people in the front have no real idea because they can’t really see the back. So finally the line starts moving I am third from the back, Bruno is last and Dixon is in front of him. All of us are staring at the smoke and moving at the ever slow pace. So I’m about 10 seats up from the back when I notice a flame go about half way up the window. Some guys were still grabbing their pillows and putting on their jackets. Right then I think, “OK, where is the gas tank on this thing?” I’ve been on so many buses they are all in different places, so at this point I’m starting to think – this thing could blow up any second. So I look at the window emergency exit and decide that probably wouldn’t be the best idea. All I’m thinking is if the gas tank is in the back I want to be in the very front of the bus at least.

So I dart right onto a seat and attempt to climb over the next six or seven seats (flying by a few guys) because the line getting off wasn’t moving too fast. So I reach the front and in the process I had lost my shoe and left everything behind. Finally get off the bus (what a relief). We are told to go far away from the bus, which was left out the door and we didn’t realize to a few seconds after that it was right in the line of the smoke. It was freezing out I had no jacket, I have to thank Greg Glynn, our radio announcer, for lending me his jacket or I would have been one cold duck.

Within a minute or two the fire truck was there and started to put it out. As it turned out I was the laughing part of the scene because I was the only one to go over the seats and really try to rush off. I have caught a lot of heat about it, but I really don’t have much patience with fire seeing I lost a life long friend to a car accident fire also a co-worker when I was younger with a gas tank fume explosion, and I knew a few people that were at the Rhode Island nightclub fire; luckily they got out. (I always wonder what would have happened if all the equipment caught fire? That’s 22 pairs of skates, goalie pads, sticks, it would have been a couple weeks I figure before we were game ready. Dixon had my favorite line of the day “if that bus blows up I got my travel agent on speed dial.”)

Not going to lie: that was one of the toughest stretch of hockey I’ve been through as a pro. Luckily we got out of it Sunday vs. Albany. Really not sure what caused it, maybe that the team had qualified for the playoffs and we knew we had our work cut out for us to get home ice and then a few injuries happened and guys got down. There really wasn’t an explanation to it.

We weren’t necessary playing our worst hockey and we really weren’t getting any bounces either, we’d have the puck in there zone for two minutes hit a post or two then the other team would go down the other way and get some fluke deflected goal. But we are out of it now, five games left in the season and then playoffs.

I hated to disappoint the fans yesterday I’m sure everyone was hoping for a Hoffman vs. Gillies fight for good old times (sorry, Leroy). Unfortunately I’ve been battling another hand injury, this time on the same hand just the right side of my hand near my wrist, from the Bridgeport fight. It’s been a frustrating time not being able to play my game like I want to.

It defiantly messes with the mental game being a bit hesitant. Hopefully it will be ready for playoffs and can mix it up again like good old times.

I am running the NCAA pools for the team (they are not illegal), we got one basketball and one hockey pool. Most guys took UNC in the basketball, right now Ebby is in the lead. He among a few other guys picked all four final four teams. I was pretty much out before it started with UConn losing in the second round. The hockey pool is a different story, that one was optional and most guys picked Michigan. I am tied for first with Boucker right now going into the Frozen Four. I took BC to win it all, got my fingers crossed.

I have to admit that I caught a little bit of heat for my last blog. I will reiterate that the whole HGH
and steroids thing was complete sarcasm, its hard to show sarcasm in writing sometimes, but that whole bit was a joke. My parents’ dog is really not juiced up at the moment and I have never wanted to or intention to do them. It was supposed to make fun of all those guys that have done them and try to deny them.

Off to the Booster club awards banquet tonight at the Holiday Inn. A nice well deserved day off tomorrow for the team. Always nice to get a day of rest mid week so you can get ready for a big weekend. Until next time.

– hoff