I’ve been mulling very seriously whether to continue this here site for the last 10 days or so. One day it’s been “shut ‘er down, don’t overstay your welcome Dater” and the next it’s “Well, maybe…” I’ve made my decision and…
One more year.
Hey, if Gabe Landeskog won’t retire just yet, then neither should I. Plus, shuttering the site at age 60 - which I’ll be next year - is a good, round number. It’s the number I always said I wouldn’t want to be a “beat writer” past, even though I’m not a real beat writer anymore.
But, hey, I still love the Avs and writing on the Avs based on what I see and, hey, I think I showed this year that I still have some pretty good sources in breaking news on the team when I try hard.
So, one more year. Let this be the two-minute warning for y’all subscription-wise. Most peoples’ subscriptions renew in late December, and, of course, I’d be grateful to anyone who re-ups during that time. It helps keep the lights on and gives me a little pocket change. I won’t say how many paid subscribers there are, but it’s still in the hundreds and hundreds. It might be a modest number to some, but I’m grateful to every one of you who has paid their hard-earned money to my big, dumb ass.
I hope to write more than I did this past year. Most of you know I had to deal with some fairly serious health stuff in that time, and that was a factor in me not getting to the keyboard as much. But I feel pretty good again. Things can flare up at any time, but if I do what the doctor tells me to do, I should be OK.
After next season, whenever it ends, I’ll still keep the lights on for a while but probably somewhere around Sept., 2025, that’ll be it.
Unless I change my mind, of course. But I don’t think that will happen. A full 30 years of writing on the Avs by that point will be enough. It’s crazy to think I’ve been writing on this team since 1995, but it’s true.
I will say a big reason why I will keep it going another year: our great live chats. They have officially become a “thing”, with a huge number of participants and we’ve all really gotten to know each other in that time. We’re a cool little family. We’re a community.
So, let’s not say goodbye to family just yet.
And, look for a live chat prompt tonight at about 7 mountain time tonight, to commune and talk Avs and whatever else.
PS: Pat Salvas has informed me that he, too, will continue on with me. Pat has become a rockstar and I know you’ll be happy with this news. He said he may not be available as much, being a father of two young kids and a coach of a hockey team. But if I know Pat, he won’t be able to stay away from the keyboard, writing about his beloved Avs.
Thank You Adrian !!!!! This year has been awesome with the chats, speaking for a number of us, it has changed the way we watch hockey. Like you said, we are a family, and are for REAL, we support each other, care about each other, and when one of us is battling something, we all feel it.
We'll take a year at this point AD, but you already know we are going to scheme and whine and beg for one more after that !! Love you big fella, and all my hockey brothers and sisters !
So, it’s my 55th birthday today and this might be the best present I get. Cup in 2025!