We're getting old

Every once in a while along the journey of life, one encounters a moment that reminds us that it's fruitless to fight the aging process. Sure, we can take care of our bodies and stimulate our minds. But nothing, other than the passage to eternal sleep, stops the passing of time.

One of those reminders came late Saturday night. After a day of hounding the Bruins in Wilmington and the Phoenix Coyotes in Boston, I found myself outside the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Mass., finishing up my cards for the Portland Pirates.

One of my fellow Hub-based hounds, Eddie O'Keefe (undoubtedly, the best in Boston) was there, too.

As the Pirates were making their way to the bus, we spied Jon Awe, a rookie defenseman for Portland, headed our way. Earlier, Eddie and I saw his picture on a wall at Northeastern University's Matthews Arena. And, of course, it led to this exchange:

Eddie: Hey, we saw your picture today at Matthews.
Awe: Really? What were you doing there?
Me: Chasing the Coyotes.
Eddie (who proudly wears his Northeastern class ring): That's where I went to school.
Awe: Really? What year did you graduate?
Eddie: 1980.
Awe: That was a good year. I was born in 1980.
Me: (Giant belly-laughing and hooting, recognizing a classic moment in hounding history.)

Really, I shouldn't have laughed. I was just a year out of high school.