go northeast, young man

Evenkeel streaks down the ice, trying to impress the scouts.

For the first time in their storied history, the Chicago Phantoms qualified to play in the HNA hockey championships, held each June in Toronto. The trip had its oh-so-fun moments of van towing and tiny hotel rooms with twin-sized beds, but it also had a sweet trip to the Hockey Hall of Fame and four hockey games in less than 48 hours.


The Phantoms and hockey's holy grail (we couldn't get it past the guards).

The Phantoms lost a heart-breaker in OT of the semi-final game, which was followed by an unfortunate trip to a local hospital, after alternate captain Jay Smith had his arm broken in the waning minutes of the game.


Jay gets loaded into the ambulance...not the car he had called for. Must have been the language barrier.

About nine hours later, with a new appreciation for the snail-like pace of the Canadian health care system, we drove back home. I rolled back into my driveway at 5am, took care of Kenny when he woke up, then went and worked a 12 hour day at the office. How I stayed conscious, I'll never know. But here's hoping we earn a slot again next season so we can get another shot at the title.

Click here to check out some great team shots from the semi-final game.


Evenkeel's jersey dries in the sun after an unfortunate incident involving an exploding Gatorade bottle and his hockey bag.