Friday, July 20, 2012

It's Time to Say Goodbye

At the start of pre-season camp in 2006, I was a 22-year-old college graduate with an English degree who loved the Anaheim Ducks and hockey. It was the first time I'd laid eyes on the ever-beautiful Shane O'Brien who was a then-lineup-hopeful (he did eventually make the cut, as I predicted based on watching him at camp) and who eventually became the third biggest hockey love (and the second biggest hockey player crush) I'd ever had. (My top three all-time hockey loves included Teemu Selanne and a player I consistently referred to on this blog as the evil PK. My hockey crushes were the evil PK all through my junior high and high school years, and Shane O'Brien since his rookie year until present day.) I spent an inordinate amount of time cultivating this blog and it brought so many more hockey fans into my life who eventually became real-life friends -- many of which I am still in contact with to this day. Perhaps one of the largest networks of hockey fans I'd ever had the pleasure to be part of was an all-female united hockey blog called HLOG. There is nothing in the world that I would for which I could be persuaded to trade all my experiences and friendships I've gained from this entire experience.

Unfortunately, there came a time when the blog became too much for me to maintain, and I stepped down to pursue a graduate degree and my own fiction writing endeavors. I left this blog up as an archive and referred to it from time to time because when I think of Girl with a Puck, I think of happy times -- winning the Cup, meeting numerous hockey players (including the infamous open-mouth-insert-foot incident I had the first--and only--time I met Shane O'Brien in person), blogging on the NY Times Sports Blog during the playoffs, interviewing then-Anaheim GM Brian Burke over the phone, getting published in a Canadian in-flight magazine, interviewing hockey romance author Deirdre Martin, and so many others. I am so proud of what I was able to create on this blog and I am deeply saddened to announce that as a result of this blog post and my efforts to pursue publishing, I will be removing all posts from this blog except for the rant I wrote on bloggers vs. mainstream media. The reason for this extreme move is because I used quite a few images and quotes from outside sources, and though I credited every source in an effort to avoid potential legal issues, it has been brought to my attention that this is insufficient protection from legal liability.

So, alas, it is farewell to a blog I has been near and dear to my heart since 2006. For those who are at all interested in following up with me on the interwebs:


I love you, hockey & blogosphere.
Thank you for everything.

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