Easy call

Despite plans to join the hassle of hounds chasing the Pittsburgh Penguins this past weekend in Beantown, a call from my wife turned into a most enjoyable experience.

The University of North Dakota hockey team, a perennial contender for the NCAA men’s hockey championship, was staying at the hotel where my wife works in Portsmouth, N.H., for a weekend series against the University of New Hampshire.

After spending last season watching a ton of American Hockey League games, and learning that quite of few pro players came out of that respected program – Mike Commodore, Ryan Bayda, Jeff Ulmer, Brandon Bochenski and Zach Parise, to name a few – my respect has only grown for the owner of seven NCAA titles.

Between The Hockey News, whose latest edition previewed the NCAA leagues, and hockeydb.com, I soon learned that the 2005-06 team was loaded with No. 1 draft picks. That knowledge, though, posed a true dilemma.

Do I drive to Boston, deal with the surging scrum hounding Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux and others, all with the knowledge that the economic law of diminishing returns only intensifies as the game draws near, while knowing that I’d miss out on a sure thing much closer to home?

Or do I blow my wife’s cover as a mild-mannered front-desk clerk to make some key additions to my collection, knowing that I’m passing up an opportunity, no matter how slim it may be, to add perhaps a single puck from The Next One?

Honestly, it was a no-brainer. Besides, Brian Lee, the ninth-overall pick (Ottawa Senators) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, signed the 750th puck of my collection (see related posting above).

Other No 1 draft picks were (clockwise, from top left):

Buffalo Sabres: Drew Stafford, a junior forward, the 13th overall pick of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
New Jersey Devils: Travis Zajac, a sophomore forward, picked 20th overall in 2004.
Washington Capitals: Joe Finley, a towering (6-foot-7) freshman defenseman, taken 27th overall this June.
St. Louis Blues: T.J. Oshie, a freshman forward, selected 24th overall this June.