I never shy away from mentioning my dislike for hockey when the conversation swings around to the sport.
But back in the day before I knew I was allowed to make my own decisions in life, I was an Islanders fan. Four Stanley Cups in a row for the Islanders and only nine years on this earth for me made for a fun combination.
As I grew older, Nassau Coliseum became a destination place for concerts, professional wrestling shows and jokes about the Islanders.
This past Saturday night changed all that, if only for a few minutes. En route to the city for some UNC-Duke hijinks with the fellas, I accidentally hit AM preset button 4 on my car radio. 1130 AM. I instantly recognized the voice of Jiggs McDonald. He was announcing the 1980 Islanders being honored at the Coliseum.
Six seconds in, my first reaction: Oh jesus, what is hockey doing on the radio?
Twelve seconds later, my second reaction: Oh jesus, what is hockey doing on MY radio?
Twenty-three seconds later, my third reaction: Oh man, I can't wait for them to introduce John Tonelli.
I had some time for them to get to good ol' No. 27. There was Ken Morrow, Brian Trottier, Mike Bossy, Bobby Nystrom and Dave Longevin among others to go.
I was sitting in my Saturn on the Northern State listening to this in 2006, but it could easily have been Papa La Monica's station wagon honking its horn to the tune of "Let's go Eye-land-ers!" on Hempstead Turnpike during the Stanley Cup parade in 1983.
When they announced Trottier, I instantly remembered my hockey stick was a Bryan Trottier stick.
When they announced Bossy, I followed along with the crowd as they chanted "Bossy!"
When they announced Tonelli, I was proud to be Italian.
When they announced Butch Goring, I secretly hoped he'd come out in the foam Jofa helmet. He didn't.
When they announced Billy Smith, I remembered the Islanders poster we had as kids.
When they announced Denis Potvin and his friend "Lord Stanley," I got a goosebump or two.
For the record, I'm still not a hockey fan. But remembering the innocence of our youth is never a bad thing.