"It was 20 years ago tonight..."

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=245714&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_nhl

Sheepishly, I have to admit that I wasn't very aware of this landmark trade that sent Wayne Gretzky to LA. I think in those days I was probably more preoccupied with GI Joe and playing "war" in the field behind our yard. I remember my Dad telling we a few years later (when my interest in hockey began to flourish and my brain was like a sponge) how this trade was sometimes likened to how "Yoko broke up the Beatles." I guess Janet was Yoko and Messier was, um, Paul?

However, the more that I read about it the more that I understand the magnitude of such a trade. The way in which Gretzky is revered around the world as the greatest hockey player that ever lived (I'm skeptical... but that's because I hold a candle for Gordie Howe as the greatest, naturally) and then for THIS to happen... wow, I just can't imagine. I gotta give Wayne credit. The passion that he had for his team and for the city is amazing... something I like personally about Darren McCarty (one of my favorite Red Wings). Kind of makes Chris Pronger's running to the orange fields of Anaheim at his wife's behest seem even more shameful that what I previously thought.

"Did you really wanna talk about the weather, or were you just making conversation?"

Another great line from "Groundhog Day." I've become really sort of mixed on this whole blog thing as it seems that a lot of folks offer up (often trivial... myself included) facts about their lives as reading material. I think another thing that almost bothers me more is that people indicate that they want to discuss some of their deep thoughts and instead they just sort of step on a soapbox and don't wish to interact afterward. With that being said, I really hope you'll consider reading the latest entries to Lindsay's blog and:

http://jimmysgirl409.blogspot.com/

I probably completely messed that up so it's not a hotlink, but I'm hoping you'd take a look. Lindsay and I were discussing something that sort of has irked me for years... the relevancy of "Christian" bookstores and quite often, "Christian" music (though Lindsay isn't as cynical as I am about that). I spent my adolescent years being into Christian rock (or metal, or had rock or whatever) and being a lamb to the slaughter, often buying junk simply because of the label stamped on the cd booklet. Likewise, I often wonder if certain artists really DO need to release an umpteenth collection of jazzed up renditions of old praise and worship songs. But I digress...