https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/joel-ward-nhl-retirement

No hockey, no fancy French food, no live music

2020 MSHSL Boys Hockey Class A

Busy day in the neighborhood

Not many shutout wins against good times this season, so we’ll take it…

If hockey had a toilet bowl, 2020 would feature Detroit vs. Minnesota

Hanging near the five pin bowling alley

Wild vs. EDM – bit of a light crowd, eh?

Hadn’t heard of Clover, but Apple Pay worked well

From the handshake line to the booing of Bettman and the handoff of the trophy

He will always be #8 to us

In or out?

Marketing geniuses, I tells ya

A little tardy on the latest update, but all is well. I survived a four hour therapy appointment and apparently did well enough that my speech therapist thinks I don’t need to continue with that track any longer. I had my long-awaited appointment with the ophthalmologist and received a pair of “magic glasses” that have greatly reduced the need for future eye patch use. They have optical film from 3M (see above) that utilizes prism technology to correct my double vision. My left eye is slightly crossed, but this stuff really helps correct that (and it’s so nice to have both eyes open all the time). The extra good news is that there is nothing wrong with either eye – the double vision is caused by the nerves that control the muscles that direct each eye and the doctor is optimistic that this will eventually correct itself. I will also be starting therapy next week to work specifically on eye exercises to help this process along.

In other HCMC appointment news, I met with an awesome neurologist who showed me the “before” and “after” CT scans of my brain from the day of the incident and from when they discharged me from the ICU. It was really cool technology and the way she explained it made it crystal clear how serious the situation was on October 8th (and how much improvement there was after three weeks). Have I mentioned how big a fan I am of the staff at HCMC? I’ll return there again on Friday for another CT scan that will hopefully continue the trend. That will also be Colleen’s last full day with me, as she returns to work on Monday. After that, my next big appointment will be on December 4th, when I meet with the lead neurosurgeon to discuss continued recovery plans and possibly a return to work date.

We saw both Charlie Parr and Hippo Campus at the Palace Theater with no issues from the lights or sound levels (the infamous Palace talkers are another story). On the advice of my friend TG, I picked up a pair of Vibes earplugs, which seemed to work well at the Hippo Campus show (and dampened the discussions of the people sitting near me). Saw one Wild win (Ottawa) and one Wild loss (Arizona) at the X with my uncle, also with no sensory overload issues. Stopped by the stadium for the start of the very loud Packers game, but found it totally manageable. Left that game before halftime to beat the train rush, but had a great time seeing people and delivering thank you cards.

With the Thanksgiving holiday, it was a busy week for seeing family and friends. Had lunch one day with a friend at Dark Horse and went over to the Inver Grove Heights AMC to see Ralph Breaks the Internet (which we both liked). We took my mother-in-law out on Thanksgiving Day for lunch at the original Buca di Beppo in St. Paul, then had a more traditional dinner at my aunt and uncle’s house in the Mac-Groveland area.

This will be my last “weekly update.” Truly thankful for you all – thanks for reading!

Cheers, DK

Week 3 Update
Week 2 Update
Week 1 Update
Brains!

One of my favorite stadium quitters

Herm and AF @ T-Mobile Arena

Playoff viewing party @ Xcel

Who would’ve thought Vegas would go hockey mad?

Tonight’s 4-1 victory over the Nashville Predators was a great game for the home team, who are in a tight playoff race. It was also a great game for Colleen and I, as we were invited by my uncle to sit with him in the Audi Quattro seats. These seats are not available for every game (it’s the spot where Pierre McGuire stands between the benches when NBC does the broadcast), but they were up for auction to season ticket holders and my uncle bid and won. This was a good thing, because the face value of $1550 per seat is just a little out of my price range.

We had to register our car ahead of time so we could park where the players park. Our little Honda Civic fit right in with the Mercedes, Audis and the Maserati. Our friendly host for the night, Jared, met us at the loading dock and took us to the Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Club for dinner. Matt Anderson made an appearance and we had a very nice buffet dinner before down to ice level. The team photographer took shots of us outside the locker room and on the Wild bench before warmups. We also got to watch the team exit the locker room before we hit up the Audi Quattro Club.

Sitting between the two benches was really something else. We couldn’t hear as much banter as I would’ve liked, as the plastic “glass” around us was tall and fairly sound-proof. There were a few f-bombs dropped towards Koivu and Prosser, which was very entertaining. I wish I had a better camera with me than just my phone, but you can see the best shots after the jump.

After the first period, Jared escorted us up to the press box for a tour, which was fun. I’ve been up there before, but never during a game. Got to say hi to Russo in the hallway and took a peek inside their video control room before heading back to the seats (and missing the first Wild goal while riding the elevator back down to main concourse). We skipped going back to the Quattro Club and headed to our car immediately after the game (which had surprise gift bags in the back seat). Nice game experience touches, to be sure…

…or fries

From the awesome @Ech28 Twitter account

Damn you, electronic silent auctions

Duuuuuuuubs

Some areas were really nice, but navigation was a bit troublesome 

…but happy for Cullen

I can’t believe the Wild and the Hawks are done

Hockey is gone; Prince is gone 😢

Crosby, Toews and a midget Zach Parise

This team drives me crazy

We Are Committed

World-class amateur hockey

Wayzata vs. EP during Class 2A

Ready for high school hockey

At least the Captain ruined his shutout with 10 seconds to spare

The Twin Cities sports IT world rocks – thanks, Josh

So much bigger now

The Wild continue to kick ass – #1 in the West at the All-Star break

One of us

Wild vs. Penguins @ Xcel

Great to see Mr. Anderson again at the X

Nice display at the X

Herbie’s on the Park

https://www.nhl.com/wild/news/wild-guest-chef-takeover/c-283591510

Metallica at the Shark Tank

Gotta love the playoff hockey atmosphere 

Wild lose to Burnsie 3-0, but still get the eight seed in the west

Like them every game (except when they play us)

Blues over Wild, 4-2

Great to visit with Mikey Boom-Boom down @ the X

http://www.startribune.com/big-ten-hockey-is-a-buzzkill-for-fans-in-minnesota/370397541/

Weird layout and fake snow, but great fun

State of Hockey really packs them in

North Stars and Blackhawks alumni game handshakes

Fan Zone @ Stadium Series

Thanks mom and dad – I love it

Wild-Blackhawks Stadium Series tix

A rare home game highlight

Winnipeg fans need better kids

Wild vs. Canucks @ Xcel

Blow the whistle, ref

State of Hockey Game Roster, Home Game 2, Thursday, October 22, 2015

Wild vs. CBJ @ the X

The new arena is getting closer

Humphrey terminal, MSP

It’s a dynasty (so says the commish)

Ott shakes Duuuuub’s hand while Kaptain Koivu watches

Way too much gray – go Wild!