Throughout the six years that it took my friend Chad and I to complete "The Quest" to see a game in every NHL arena, there was a thought that entered my brain and wouldn't leave: I HAD to see the Stanley Cup awarded.  It would be a great footnote for our adventures and a moment that most hockey fans would treasure.  As luck would have it, just after finishing "The Quest" in Boston earlier in 2019, we would return to the same city that June for our date with history:

It was one year ago today - but let's go back and provide some context to this triumphant occasion...

From the moment I became a hockey fan, I knew this was true to me: the Stanley Cup is the greatest trophy in professional sports.  The year was 1993, which happened to be the 100th anniversary of the Cup first being awarded, and the league commissioned a patch which adorned the jerseys of every team that season.  I immediately knew that this was no ordinary trophy - it was special.  Maybe it's because each player on the winning team gets his name etched on the Cup.  Maybe it's because each player on the winning team gets to spend a day with the Cup that summer.  But I also think it has to do with the way it is presented each June...

During my childhood, I remember all of the championship trophies of the other major sports being given to the winning team in their locker room - a cramped space packed with reporters and drowning in champagne.  Meanwhile, the Stanley Cup was awarded on the playing surface itself, so that all of the fans in attendance could share the moment when the team captain raised the Cup over his head and passed it along to his teammates (I also like that the Cup is given from the commissioner to a PLAYER, while many of the other sports have their championship trophies given to the OWNER first).  I can't be the only one who noticed this trend, because it seemed like the other sports started giving out their championship trophy on the playing field not long afterward.

I consider myself quite lucky to have seen the Stanley Cup in person on multiple occasions, with photos to prove it:

1. In 1996, I stood in line for over two and a half hours to see the Cup at Union Station in St. Louis during the NHL Entry Draft;
2. A much shorter line (about 30 minutes) greeted me when I saw the Cup inside of Staples Center during the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles;
3. When the Los Angeles Kings won the Cup in both 2012 and 2014, they brought the trophy to the 20th Century Fox studio lot where I worked so that the employees could see it.  Both years, the lines were incredibly long, but I did make sure to get a cool photo with the Kings mascot Bailey while the Cup rested in the background;
4. During my Hockey Road Trip to Toronto, I waited in a short line to see the Cup at the Hockey Hall of Fame.


But I'd never seen the Stanley Cup handed out on the ice, and I now had the means to make that happen.  Of course, I had experienced my share of near-misses...

That's me and my good friend (and Hockey Road Trip companion) Chad at the 2017 NHL All-Star Game in Los Angeles.  It had always been my intention to see hockey's finest in their annual mid-season exhibition, so I was stoked when it came to our town three years ago.  That year was extra special because the NHL was celebrating its centennial and honored the 100 greatest players in league history, with many of them being on hand for the weekend's festivities.  I know the game itself may not be the most competitive or dramatic, but these All-Star Games are really designed for the fans and I highly recommend everyone try to attend at least once.

Fortune struck the hockey-loving residents of Southern California a few years later when the American Hockey League announced that the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic would be coming to Ontario, the suburb located less than 40 miles east of Los Angeles.  Minor-league hockey has been played in the Inland Empire since the Ontario Reign joined the ECHL in 2008, and greater things were to come when the team moved up to the AHL in 2015.  The Reign have consistently been near the top of the AHL's attendance charts, so it was only a matter of time before they got their chance to host the All-Star Game.

Chad instinctively bought tickets - which included admission to both the All-Star Skills Competition and All-Star Challenge - as soon as they went on sale, remembering how much fun we'd had at the NHL equivalent just a few years prior.  The only drawback was the timing: in order to avoid competing against the NHL All-Star Game and Skills Competition (which have recently been held on a Friday and Saturday), the AHL would stage their events during the days immediately following the NHL, with their Skills Competition on Sunday and the All-Star Game on Monday.  Given the distance and the usual amount of traffic getting out to Ontario, it just meant we'd have to use a half-day of vacation time to leave work early and watch the All-Star Game, but it was totally worth it!

SUNDAY

Clockwise from upper left: Chubby, Griff, Roscoe, T-Bone

Ringo had us in stitches all night long

In the first part of our final Hockey Road Trip, we braved the frigid conditions in Connecticut and Rhode Island - but now, it was time to return to Boston to complete "The Quest"...

TUESDAY: 5 MARCH 2019

I can't pinpoint the exact date, but I know it occurred sometime in 2012: I was having a conversation with a friend and she mentioned how she had hoped to spend her retirement by driving across the country in an RV with her husband, watching a game in every NHL arena.  I never forgot that moment, and the idea of "The Quest" was born.  It took even greater shape not long after, during some very emotional phone calls with my father.

My mother had gotten very sick about five years earlier, and as a result, I would use virtually all of my vacation time from work to fly home and visit her.  After she passed away, my father used to always bring up the idea of me traveling, as he had circled the globe when he was in the United States Navy.  I never could come up with the best way to start this adventure, but I figured Dad would be supportive - during our phone calls, he would always say "don't worry about visiting me too much, since you can always come back and see me around Christmas."  When I told him I wanted to travel across the continent to see a game in every NHL arena, he loved the idea immediately.

As I mentioned during the first Hockey Road Trip to Denver, I had a great "travel companion" in my college buddy Chad, who had also moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the film industry.  When "The Quest" began in 2013, I had already been to six NHL arenas, though I would end up going back to five of them so that Chad could cross them off his personal list.  We had now come to the final trip, so I wanted to make it a real "labor of love" by packing in as much time and locations as possible.

The trips were always planned the same, usually beginning on the day the NHL released their schedule.  I maintained a massive spreadsheet that would allow me a greater look at not just the NHL games, but also any other sporting events that were happening during the time of the prospective road trip.  The Boston trip was always going to be massive: I would cover several states over the course of nine days, seeing games in multiple leagues (and sports) - I knew I had to end it all with a bang!

FRIDAY: 1 MARCH 2019

Exhausted from our cross-country flight, we ducked out before the game was over, and drove to our home for the next couple of days: an Airbnb apartment in Hartford, which was less than 30 miles away.  Snow covered the ground as we checked in, and we quickly nestled into our warm beds for some much-needed rest.  The final trip of "The Quest" had begun!!

Simply put: there are a lot of layers to being a sports fan.  On the surface, we enjoy watching athletes engaged in fierce competition and the drama within, but at the same time, many like to look deeper.  For some, that involves a dive into statistics in an attempt to predict future success, but for others like myself it all comes down to roster construction.  My wife once asked me if I fantasized about being a professional athlete, and while the answer was a resounding yes during my childhood, as I've gotten older that dream has shifted to being a general manager.

I truly believe that this idea has led to the rise of fantasy sports in recent years, and the impact it has on fans in their daily life.  People who participate in fantasy sports aren't actually playing the game, they're simply building a team and setting a lineup, then sitting back to watch the real players do their thing.  Football is the perfect sport for fantasy, since each professional team only plays one game a week, and the lineups are easy to set.  In fact, I credit the role of fantasy football for making the NFL the country's most popular league - I can't tell you how many times I've overheard conversations between fans concerning the players on their fantasy team during football season, especially from those who don't have a favorite among the actual NFL teams.

When it comes to fantasy football, the draft is my favorite part of the whole season, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way.  We see roster construction being done in real time, with most participants being very optimistic about their team before the glory or anguish of the season has commenced.  This "pre-production" work can take up a lot of time, but I've always found it to be a fun endeavor that reinvigorates my passion as a fan.  So why doesn't this feel this same with my favorite sport?

BUILDING YOUR OWN ROSTER IN HOCKEY

Given my love of hockey, as well as my continued interest in fantasy football, I've given fantasy hockey a chance but cannot get into it.  Perhaps this is due to the real games being more spread out throughout each week, or maybe it's just because I enjoy all the "pre-production" work and don't care (or are too afraid) to see what happens next.  But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the wonder of roster construction as a hockey fan, and that seed was firmly planted 25 years ago...

A screen I saw far too often in those days

As I mentioned in my Developing a Hockey Fan series, video games played a major role in shaping me into the fan that I am, and the EA Sports NHL franchise led the way.  In the first EA games, I learned about all of the teams and players, but I was not prepared for how the landscape would change with their fourth entry, NHL 95.  For the first time, you could play the role of general manager, engineering trades and even creating new players from scratch.  I rushed to the store to buy the Sega Genesis game as soon as it was released, then proceeded to spend the following weekend playing the game endlessly, first trading a few players to my favorite team (St. Louis Blues) and then creating "Mike DeKalb", the new star right winger for the Blues.

NHL 95 also allowed you to play out an entire season, another excellent addition that only served to take up even more of my time.  I was working part time while living at home and attending the local community college, so virtually every free night and weekend was spent engaging in some intense NHL 95 action.  But as is often the case, life does get in the way as time passes and I slowly drifted away from the game after I moved out of the house.  I was more focused on my studies at film school, while the video game systems improved and became much more complicated.  I still busted out the old Genesis from time to time (those NHL 95 skills certainly didn't go away), but by the time I moved to Los Angeles, the old gaming console would end up spending its days boxed up in the closet.

THE INTERNET COMES TO THE RESCUE

In my head, it would probably go something like this:

Good afternoon, Mike.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to travel across several states in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the country over one week, visiting as many historical landmarks and state capitols as possible.  You'll also see a Washington Capitals game in-person, which would be Team 30 as part of "The Quest" to see a game in all 31 NHL arenas.

The obstacle you'll face along the way: the US government has instituted a "shutdown", causing many tourist attractions to remain closed throughout your trip.  The most notable of these will be ALL of the museums included in The Smithsonian Institution, though you should still be able to make the most of your time and enjoy yourself.

Your team will consist of the following "travel companions":

- Chad Smart, your longtime friend from college, who has accompanied you on nearly all of the road trips throughout "The Quest", but since he has already visited the region he will not need to stay with you the entire time.

- Charlene DeKalb, your new bride of less than one year, who has always wanted to visit Washington D.C., but also cannot stand being outside in cold weather, and this trip will take place during Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January.

Key sightseeing targets will include: the memorials and monuments at the National Mall in Washington; the state capitols in Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania; and the military history on display at both the Arlington National Cemetery and Gettysburg.

Your accommodations will be an Airbnb in the Maryland suburbs and luckily for you, Washington D.C. has a very extensive subway system that should get you all around the city very easily.  As an added bonus, your Airbnb host will drive you back and forth to the subway station each morning - and if she cannot, the station is only a short Lyft ride away from your lodging, so you will not need to rent a car for the first part of your journey.

The weather will not be ideal, as you will experience extremely cold temperatures for your stay in Washington, and severe rain as you drive toward the Atlantic coastline.  Be sure to pack up all of those thick clothes that you never get to wear in California and be off on your way.  Good luck, Mike!

For sure, it would be a treacherous mission - but I was up for the challenge!  We arrived at the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport early on a cold Sunday evening, where our wonderful Airbnb host, Donna, picked us up and drove us 45 minutes south to her home.  It was a massive house with plenty of room to plan our entire trip, and Donna was very helpful with an assortment of maps and various tips to bear in mind while visiting Washington.

Yep, that's me as a contestant on Sports Jeopardy!  May 17th, 2016 to be exact.  The culmination of a lifelong passion for sports and a longtime love of trivia brought me to the set of the short-lived show that beautiful spring day, and it was a day I'll never forget.  I was living in Culver City, California - home of Sony Pictures Studios, where the Jeopardy! shows are taped - and was even able to walk to the taping.  But in a way, it actually took a long time to get there...

THE BACKSTORY

After moving to Los Angeles in 2003, I always make it a point to go back to Illinois to visit my family over the Christmas break, where my Dad likes to greet me with the same expression: "The Prodigal Son Returns!"  My plans have gotten a slight tweak since I met my wife Charlene, when I also need to make time to see her family, who thankfully live nearby.  As a result, we've had the same ritual since we got together: spend Christmas day with her family, then fly home to visit my Dad on December 26.

Charlene has slowly been meeting members of my family each year, mostly at weddings and family gatherings, so when my Aunt Patty and Uncle Gary suggested we stay with them for a night around Christmas 2018, we gladly took them up on their offer.  Gary and Patty live in the suburb of Wentzville, not too far from the St. Louis airport, so we joined them on the night of the 26th before departing in the morning.  They have a huge house and we had a great time catching up over dinner, where something interesting happened...

Gary mentioned that one of his son's friends worked for the St. Louis Blues - Charlene and I were going to see a game the next night, and planned on buying tickets at the last minute before Gary stopped me to make a quick phone call.  Within minutes, he had arranged for us to receive free tickets through his contact - this trip was already off to a terrific start!

THURSDAY: 27 DECEMBER 2018

Suffice it to say, a lot has happened since my last report, so let's get to some of the highlights from the past year and then some...

A FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT

For starters, we were able to witness the pre-game procession of the "Knight Line" featuring showgirls, cheerleaders, drummers and the mascot: Chance the Gila monster.  A brief concert ensued at the outdoor plaza, and I was able to snap off a quick picture with Chance before he darted away.

In the first part of our Minnesota trip, Charlene and I witnessed both an NFL and NHL game, while also seeing where Prince called home. But we still had a few more days for sightseeing and off we went…

WEDNESDAY: 17 OCTOBER 2018

We started with breakfast at Tim Hortons, acquiring the much-needed fuel for what would be a very long day. The Mall consists of several “phases”, four stories high with a giant amusement park in the middle. In fact, it’s so big that there are some stores (such as American Eagle and Champ Sports) that have TWO locations within the mall itself!

Our first stop was FlyOver America (a ride very reminiscent of Soarin' from Disneyland), and then we proceeded to spend the rest of the day perusing the massive premises and snacking along the way.  It's amazing - though not surprising - how much time you can spend at the Mall of America, and I would have to recommend it to anyone visiting the area!


We wrapped up with dinner in the food court and a few rides at the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park, before heading home after a very exhausting day on our feet.

2018 was an incredible year in my life: After marrying my fiancee Charlene in April, I had now come to the final season of "The Quest", with only three more hockey arenas to visit.  To kick things off, we chose the wintry setting of Minnesota - on the advice of both friends and family that live in the area, we were told to go as early as possible in the hockey season to avoid the worst of the inclement weather.  October seemed like the perfect time!

As mentioned, I have some family who live in Minnesota - specifically, my Uncle Chris and Aunt Susan, who live in the Minneapolis suburb of Plymouth.  They always invited me to stay with them any time after I started these hockey trips, so it was nice to finally be able to take them up on their offer.  They'd also met Charlene and were excited to show her how beautiful their state was, considering that my wife was born and raised in sunny California.

My "travel companion" Chad would actually skip on this trip, as he had already seen a Minnesota Wild game by himself while visiting family in the state previously.  But we would get the opportunity to meet up with a new friend that I had made in 2018, who called Duluth home.  As I have done in the past, I packed the trip with as many sporting events as possible, to include both football and basketball games with our standard hockey nights - I also made sure to schedule some college hockey (which Minnesota is known for), as well as my first USHL game.

We flew into Minneapolis on a Friday night, meeting up with Susan and Chris and joining them for dinner, before retiring for the night to get as much rest as possible.  The weeklong trip would start in earnest the following morning...

SATURDAY: 13 OCTOBER 2018