Sportswriting During Self-Isolation

I’m sure I can speak for fans everywhere when I say that I miss hockey.

While my team may not have had much of a chance to make the playoffs this season, it has certainly been enjoyable watching the club rebuild with exciting youth in their system. Whether in the NHL or in the minor-leagues or in the major-junior or college ranks, this new era has been a promising one thus far. Beyond the fandom and passion I possess for my own team, though, this void is disappointing as a hockey fan in general.

Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash

On a personal note, with no current action to speak of, I didn’t feel like writing.

After publishing my interview with the legendary Mike Eruzione for the 40th anniversary of “The Miracle on Ice”, I took a break. In fairness, after that break, I didn’t know what to write about as far as hockey went as the NHL suspended its season shortly afterwards.

One day recently, I had started thinking about the 2016-17 season, which was my team’s 50th anniversary campaign. During that season, I had reached out to 50 of my team’s former players, speaking with them about their respective careers with the organizations. I was also watching classic playoff games online and, in my opinion, some of the greatest games ever — Game 4 of the 1983 Stanley Cup Final immediately comes to mind, but more on that later.

Photo by Brad Neathery on Unsplash

While this time of year is synonymous with the NHL playoffs, I thought why not reach out to former players and ask them about some of my team’s — and their own — greatest playoff moments?

While I certainly wanted to interview as many former players as I could, I went into this fully understanding that due to our current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, not everyone I ask will be up to this, whether from a lack of interest or a busier-than-usual schedule. Regardless, it certainly wouldn’t be anything to take personally.

While some did decline, others accepted and were a real pleasure to speak with. A few have been published on CaliSportsNews.com while others will be published there in the future.

Overall, this was an assignment I created myself to keep busy but also to keep on writing and better, improve my interview skills which, with my stuttering, can always improve.

Stay tuned for more.