Radio Ray's Road Warriors Blog: December 2010

Merry Christmas Road Warrior nation! It's Radio Ray checking in with you from snowy Pennsylvania. That's because I've successfully made the nine-hour trek north to spend time with friends and family for the Christmas holiday. I hope if you are traveling this year that you arrive wherever you are going safely and get to enjoy your time with loved ones. For those of us in the hockey industry the days we get off around Christmas are treasured. Especially this season with the Road Warriors having seven days off between games. Many, if not all, of the players and staff got time to travel home and see their families unlike some other teams in the ECHL. Gwinnett and Florida are playing tonight and tomorrow night so I would be very surprised if any of those players will be afforded the chance to travel home. It has also been a very busy first few months for the Road Warriors so a week to get away from the rink and relax is not a bad thing. The players, though, will have to take care to stay active during the break because even a few days off can wipe out much of the hard work they do to train for and maintain their high level of fitness.

The true importance, though, of Christmas is sharing time with the ones we love. What makes it even better is that we get to exchange gifts and enjoy some great food and drink. To me, there's no better way to relax! Growing up I always loved coming up with wish lists for Santa and then waiting all month to see which wishes would come true. I might be a little bit late with this one, I am a procrastinator after all, but here is my wish list for this Christmas. If you can help fill any of these wishes leave a comment down below!

1. For all of my family traveling to Pittsburgh from the midwest and New England all arrive safely.

2. Snow, at least an inches worth, in Greenville this winter.

3. Books to add to my collection. Reading is my favorite way to pass time on long road trips.

4. More teams in the Western Conference in the ECHL. They do the best they can w/a tough situation, but it's silly to have seven out of eight teams from the conference make the playoffs.

5. Tickets and a ride to the Winter Classic between Pittsburgh and Washington at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on Jan. 1.

6. For the Road Warriors to one day play an outdoor game in the ECHL.

7. A bike. I gave up my bicycle after I finished college, but with all the great riding in and around Greenville I definitely want a bike again.

8. A well-attended ECHL All-Star Game. The league made a bold move in changing the format of the All-Star Game to have host Bakersfield play the ECHL All-Stars. I like gutsy, bold moves like that and I hope the great fans in Bakersfield respond to it.

9. A new case for my guitar. Taking it on the road is a great way to kill down time at the hotel. I'm nervous that if I keep transporting it in the soft case I have right now that it'll get damaged.

10. For Brandon Saad to get drafted and turn into a good NHL player. He's a forward with Saginaw in the Ontario Hockey League and has 36 points in 31 games. He is originally from Gibsonia, PA and attended Pine Richland High School where my dad went. I saw his team play a state championship game in Johnstown at the War Memorial Arena when he was a freshman and I think it'd be great to see another Pittsburgh kid (Ryan Malone, R.J. Umberger, John Zeiler) stick in the NHL.

11. For T.J. Reynolds to grow his mustache back. T.J.'s size and reputation are intimidating enough but the 'stache put him over the top.

12. At least one sell out at a Road Warriors game this season. We had the biggest crowd of the season on Dec. 17 at just under 4,600 and the place was rocking. It would be incredible to hear how loud it would be with 7,100.

13. The continued health of the Road Warriors' players. The team is building something special this season and has been relatively lucky in dodging major injuries. Knock on wood and hope that continues.

14. Cullen Eddy and Sean Berkstresser to never knock on my hotel room door. You all saw what happened to Blake Parlett's and Connor Shields' hotel room when I gave them control of the video diary two weeks ago. At least I know if there's a late-night knock at my door to use the peephole first.

15. Many more years of Road Warriors hockey in Greenville. The first two-and-a-half months of this season have been exciting and memorable for me, especially because of the great fans that the Road Warriors have. We need to build our family up and make sure that hockey thrives here in the Upstate.

It may be a pretty long Christmas list, but I've been a good boy this year so I think Santa should pull through for me. I'm going to print it off, put it in an envelope and mail it to the North Pole so it gets there before Saturday.

In the meantime I hope you and your families have a blessed and safe Christmas. Once you've unwrapped all the presents and have eaten all the Christmas cookies come out and see us on December 27 at the BI-LO Center against South Carolina.

Radio Ray