Hello from Calgary, where I got to go to the Hockey Canada Junior Showcase.  Hockey in August.  Add to that the Oilers rookie camp I saw and this will have been a year of hockey in every month.

I’ve been looking ahead to next season, seeing what hockey games are near where I am scheduled to be, and things are looking interesting.  I start the preseason in San Jose, move down the coast for the start of the NHL season to Costa Mesa, then Denver for a month, and finish the year in Chicago.  Then I head east to Tampa, Durham, and finish the regular season in Schenectady.  For the playoffs, I’ll be in Richmond and Madison, WI.   Some hockey hot-beds and some not.

There are some interesting possibilities for hockey this year.  A few SPHL venues, some AHL teams I’ve never seen at home, my first WSHL games, and hopefully, a return to the GLHL.

Often, when I go to a game and post about it here, things are rather quiet.  Some of you are die-hard, and I truly appreciate it.  But getting the word out is hard.  There isn’t a lot of space to promote these days.

Also, that doing this costs money can’t be ignored.  It’s a labor of love, but when I hear from very few people after I post a game, I wonder what the real reach is, and who likes what I am doing.  It puts the money I spend on going to games and getting to games in perspective. Would I go to games without doing the posts?  Maybe some of them.

So I would like to hear from you, either here in the comments or on twitter, about what you like or don’t like about the travel posts, or if you like them at all.  What would you like to see more or less of next season?

I’m also considering moving the travel posts to a new site.  The JAHL site is great, but it has a voice of its own.  I would like to do more photo essays on the places I go, and I don’t think JAHL has the right voice for that.  A different space and a bit of a relaunch might be appropriate for next season.

Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you.