http://na.se/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?m=rssThu, 20 Jun 2013 04:39:41 +0200svhttp://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.751073Hey Everyone, I hope wherever you were this weekend you were spoiled with the beautiful weather we have been enjoying here in Orebro. There has been lots of sunshine and no signs of snow, which means no complaining out of me. I grew up in a household where anything that looked like a club or stick would be suddenly turned into a hockey stick. It didn’t seem to matter what it was actually used for, because my siblings and I were all about hockey, so it became a hockey stick. (2 yrs old in my backyard) The first time my parents had me ice-skating was when I was 2 years old and I think they saw my love for the sport at a really young age. I never felt pressured into playing any sport growing up and looking back I appreciate that my parents allowed us kids to choose our own paths in life, while knowing no matter what we chose they would be 100% supportive. Too often these days I see parents trying to live through their children and forcing them to be a part of an organized sport, pursue a certain career, or to just be someone that the child isn’t. Its gotten so bad that more often than not, a child isn’t smiling or being the happy kid that they should be. They feel like if they speak up and say they aren’t having fun or that they don’t like that sport or career path that their parents dream of them having, than they are letting their parents down. To be successful in life, you have to have dreams, your OWN dreams and a passion that drives you to be the best possible YOU that you can be. If you are into singing, acting, medical type jobs, or any type of sport, then that is what you pursue. My parents always remind us kids not to waste our talents, but only if we are still passionate about using them. Sometimes as a child you lose interest in something you used to be so passionate about because you feel the pressure from parents, coaches, teachers or any other type of mentor that is trying to live through you instead of support you. (Skating on the frozen street behind my house with my siblings) Young kids have a long life ahead of them where politics will play a factor, where they aren’t given the opportunity they deserve, when a sport becomes more of a business than a lot of fun. Those are the realities of life, so allow your children to follow their dreams and support them as best you can, because come the day when all of these other factors step into play, they will either rise to the occasion and overcome them on their own, or they will decide that maybe it was more of a hobby than a dream. (Hockey was always my passion) Lets not take the fun out of growing up, but use our lessons in life to help guide them and support them to be the best they can possibly be, in whatever path it is they choose to pursue. You/We have lived through our childhoods already, so lets allow them to live theirs, as long as it’s in a positive and upward direction. I’m not saying don’t discipline your children when it’s needed, just don’t ever force them into a something they are not passionate about. One’s success is created through an initial dream, surrounded by love, support and proper guidance. Here’s to achieving our potential and supporting others to reach theirs!! Happy Weekend Everyone! http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.751073Sun, 26 Feb 2012 16:45:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.743896 Hey everyone, Well the season is nearing an end and it is hard to believe that I will be home in a little less than 2 months. I just want to write about how much we appreciate fan support and what it means to us players to have you there. It may not show up on the stats sheet, but you always earn an “assist”. As a hockey player, playing at home in front of your fans you know that you will have an extra source of motivation. When we are sitting in the locker room before games against Bofors, Vasteras and Leksand we can hear the roar of Behrn arena and let me tell you, I get goose bumps!! I get so amped up and excited to go out there and feed off your energy for a full 60 minutes because I know you are all just as fired up to win as we are. If there is ever a time in a game where things aren’t going well for us and the fans recognize that, so you start your chants, clapping, heckling the other team or even the refs, it becomes a motivator and wake up call for us to find it within ourselves to play with that extra gear. Believe it or not, sometimes the refs call a penalty because they feel the pressure from our fans and it gives us the opportunity to be successful on the power play. I think it is safe for me to say, that after a shift where we are working hard offensively or defensively and the crowd recognizes that by cheering louder and applauding us, we don’t forget that, we embrace it and want that same feeling the next shift that we are on the ice. It is a very rewarding feeling to know that our fans are behind us by giving us that little bit extra to win. When visiting teams arrive at Behrn arena, we want them to hate playing us at home. Not only because we are a great team, but because they know our fans are loud and its not going to be an easy game. We want you heckling their players and their coaches, doing anything within the rules as a fan to make them feel uncomfortable and distracted. Trust me, if certain teams aren’t mentally tough or properly prepared it makes for a tough night against us. You all have a major impact on games too and your loyalty to us is a game changer. I just want to thank the OHK fans that night in and night out show up to support us at home and even on the road no matter who we are playing. You may not know it, but it is greatly appreciated and we the players consider you our “7th” man” out there. I would like to also ask the people of Orebro to try and fill the arena during our last few home games and to carry it into the playoffs. Your help and support is our secret weapon and like I’ve previously stated, it is a lot of fun to play at Behrn arena when the city is so loud and proud. Lets do our best together, to advance to the Eliteserien! We Salute you! I hope everyone is happy, healthy and making the best of everyday. Cheers, Jared http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.743896Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:17:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.740573Hows everyone doing? Today I am going to write about my 2 biggest role models and tell stories about some of the little things they did to allow me to grow into the person and hockey player I am today. First off I will start with my mom Patricia (Pat) and explain how loving, inspirational, unselfish and amazing she has been throughout my life. When I was 8 years old my parents always organized ice times for my siblings and I to get together with friends and play hockey before school started. This meant that we would have to be awake by 5:30am, finished eating breakfast by 5:45am and have our equipment on before heading to the arena to play our favorite sport at 6:15am. My Mom was always awake at least 15 minutes before us with the oven on and the oven door open with our equipment sitting on it, so that it was warm by the time we were putting it on. Breakfast was already made, whether it was a shake or a meal, it was healthy and ready for us to eat. She’s always taken being a mother to the next level by being that much more thoughtful in particular situations to make sure us kids were feeling ready but more than that, feeling loved. Now here is a story about my dad Ted and how he impacted my hockey career growing up. No matter how cold or snowy it was outside, my dad always found ways to allow my siblings and I to play hockey. One year our street was covered in a couple feet of snow and my dad and I spent close to 2 hours shoveling the snow just to make a decent sized street hockey area for my friends and I to play. As I got older and busier with schooling and hockey, my Dad spent 100’s of hours on his own making a backyard rink for us that ended up being ranked the “best outdoor rink in Canada”. He packed the arena boards up by himself and let me tell you after taking the boards down last summer it is at least a 2-4 person job and he did it all on his own. Those boards were HEAVY!!! He created a system that made the best ice I have ever skated on and we had goalie creases painted on it so that there were no excuses about why guys were scoring, because the goalies knew where their net was. I don’t know to many people if anybody that would dedicate that much time and effort in building such an amazing practice rink for us kids to develop our hockey skills on but to also have a lot of fun with. To sum it up, he gave us every opportunity to get better at the sport we all were so fortunate to be playing and he did it out of love. (night time look at the backyard rink before the creases were painted) (Day time look at the backyard rink before the creases were painted) Having 3 other siblings, all involved in hockey and other sports, really makes you realize when you are older that your parents no longer have time to themselves and that their time becomes our time. All of their focus has, and still is on making sure us kids achieve our potential with the support system from them that is needed. The list goes on and on and on about how supportive and appreciative my parents have always been and I think this is the best way I can remind them how fortunate I am to have them raise me, but to also remind parents that even if what you do for your children seems to be unnoticed right now, that will change as they get older. I want to publicly thank my parents for their strength, intelligence, unselfishness, support, protection, and the endless amount of love they continue to show my siblings and I. Whether its my mom or dad showing us their best dance moves spontaneously in the kitchen just to make us smile, or for giving us a reason to push for our dreams. Even though I never need a reminder of how lucky I am to have both of them, my friends are always telling me how great they both really are. Their loving ways and youthful enthusiasm is infectious and made for a fun and happy upbringing. (My Beautiful and amazing parents!!) Thank you mom and dad for everything you have done and are continuing to do today. I love you both very much and I cant wait to see you both in the stands of Behrn arena cheering me and the rest of the team on in the Kvalserien. I promise to do you both proud out there! I Love you both with all my heart!!! Thank you to all you parents who Im sure are doing just as great with your children. See you on the ice! Cheers, Jared http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.740573Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:15:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.730099 Hey everyone, It has been awhile since my last blog and that is mostly because I am running out of ideas for things to write about. So, please if you have any ideas or things you would be interested about, don’t be afraid to pass along suggestions. A lot of people have asked me why I missed 3 years of hockey during my pro career. So here it is in a nutshell. My professional career started at the age of 20 when I spent majority of my rookie season between the Los Angeles kings and their minor affiliate the Manchester Monarchs. It was a bit of a slow start in the minors with having to earn ice time and proving that I could be a top 6 forward. Things worked out the way I worked so hard for them to and I finished the season averaging 1 point per game in the AHL with 44 points in 44 games and I was fortunate enough to play in the AHL All Star game. My time in the NHL, that year was 17 games with 2 goals and 2 assists but 3 of those points coming from just one game. It was a game where I was finally given the opportunity to play more than 6 minutes and also in several powerplay situations. Im a big believer that, in order for someone to succeed they have to be given the opportunity to do so. Some rise to the occasion and others buckle under the pressure, but at least you were given the chance to try. The following season I was excited to crack the LA Kings roster as a full time player and not just as a call up. Before the season even started I was injured in a fight with 108kg player (at that time) Shane O’Brian in a rookie tournament versus the Anaheim Ducks. It was a good fight until the linesman came in and I stepped on a stick, slipped and fell with all of O’briens weight landing on my shoulder. Popping my shoulder back into place took 15 minutes and 6 doctors pulling my body in several different directions. It was the worst physical pain I had ever dealt with in my life. It was that day that I received the news that I would be missing 5-7 months of the season with a blown out shoulder and completely torn bicep tendon. Within a week I was under the knife getting shoulder surgery and 6 metal anchors put in place to hold my shoulder together. To this day I still have the 6 anchors and drastically less mobility in my shoulder. Thankfully I still have the ability to play the game. WARNING::Following are some graphic pictures of the inside of my shoulder during surgery (Metal anchors used to build my shoulder) (anywhere you see red or pink is a tear) After the injury, I found the window of opportunity for me to chase the NHL dream became less and less. I was a young guy with basically one good arm and a risk to potentially have that same injury. Who would want to invest in a guy like me (young and injured) at that time? Having less and less of an opportunity to prove what I was capable of became very unrewarding and my passion for the game I have loved all my life became almost non existent. Playing through the constant pain of my shoulder and not having a chance to play much really forced me to make a decision as to whether or not risking my health for a limited opportunity was worth it anymore. At that stage in my life it wasn’t. I made the choice to step away from hockey and focus on providing myself the opportunity for a brighter future by going to school. Lots of other things went on throughout that time too, but Im not going to get that deep into it and point fingers. During that 3 year hiatus I was very fortunate to find a few Doctors who could help me get more mobility in my shoulder back, allowing me to play the way I always have. I am very thankful for the 2nd chance I have been given to resurrect my hockey career and it took years, days and hours of hardwork with a great support system of a loving family and group of loving friends. This life will never be taken for granted. Never give up on chasing your dreams, and be appreciative that you have the ability to do so. Have a great weekend everyone!! http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.730099Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:12:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.718795Hey Everyone, I have been receiving a lot of emails and tweets about what I do for summer training in order for me to be at my best come game time. Throughout my career I have tried many different things, from focusing on strength, power, speed, endurance, gaining weight, losing weight and so on. In the past (when I was drafted 11 years ago), to play and survive in North America there was a lot of emphasis on being big strong and powerful. It was not easy for a smaller guy like me to do so and still feel at 200lbs as good as I did at 185lbs. I focused on lots of powerlifting, heavy squats and I consumed lots and lots of protein! I jumped up from 185lbs to 205lbs like LA wanted me to do, but I wasn’t sure if it was going to make me a better hockey player. In all honesty it was a great summer of training to become a power lifter or to compete in some kind of activity that had nothing to do with speed, but something that was solely about strength. It was not the proper training to become a better hockey player. Lifting Heavy in the summer (early stages of my pro career) Now you go into training camps where there is a lot of focus on your Vo2 bike score or your Wind gate measure on an exercise bike. To me the Wind gate on an exercise bike is a great way to measure a player’s explosiveness and recovery rate, so I’m all for it. On the other side of things, I find that testing a player’s Vo2 on an exercise bike is the wrong way to test a hockey player (personal opinion). You wont see Lance Amstrong skating next to me to be better prepared for the Tour de France. This test causes too many players to focus on training to be a better cyclist rather than a better hockey player because their summer programs are structured around finishing amongst the top in the fitness tests. I’ve spent summers training on a bike and aced the Vo2 test but felt terrible on the ice. This summer I spent a lot of time on the ice, skating and actually playing ice hockey instead of biking. My Vo2 test results on the bike were not very good at all, but I feel the best I have felt in years when I’m out there trying to be a difference on the ice. Biking (post shoulder surgery) My summer training now consists of many speed skating exercises, lots of ice times, kickboxing and plenty of core work. The speed skating stuff is mainly all body weight exercises where I am in a low position with my knees deeply bent and a lot of time spent on one leg. These exercises help build strength and the ability to overcome and tolerate lactic acid build up. There is also plenty of one legged and two legged jumping exercises I do to help build explosiveness in my first few strides. The ice times allow me to work on my on ice conditioning, my hockey sense, my shot, my skating and my stickhandling. When it comes to kickboxing, it is something I have done for 8 years and really enjoy all the aspects that one session brings. It brings balance, strength, endurance, conditioning, agility, toughness (both mentally and physically), and the confidence to take care of myself if I really need to. Plus it’s a lot of fun!! I finally feel, as though I figured out what I need to do to be the best player I can possibly be each season. Although I did poorly on the Vo2 bike test, I feel great on the ice and my score on the wind gate (to measure my explosiveness and recovery rate) were above and beyond what was expected. My goal every summer is to train for the hockey season and not solely for the fitness testing. I am a hockey player first and that is what I will always train to be best at. I hope that helps people understand what I do in preparation for every hockey season. Until next time, take good care of yourselves everyone. Cheers, Jared http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.718795Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:27:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.716487 Hey guys, Well it’s been an eventful last few weeks here in Orebro. We came through with a huge team effort on Friday to beat Malmo at home, a tight game all the way through to the end. Nice to come out on top and now our focus shifts to Mora on the road tomorrow night. Hockey is a funny sport. As we all know, throughout the season a team adds and drops players sometimes more than others. Whether it is picking up pieces to shake things up, maybe fill some holes, or get bodies in because of injuries, transactions happen and it’s something we all accept. It is part of the gig and its the way it will always be. It’s always sad to say goodbye to a team mate you’ve battled with and trusted the whole season, yet it’s exciting to welcome a new team mate and so on it goes. Personally, I have been traded three times in my career. Once in junior to the top ranked team in Canada at the time, and twice professionally, an expected trade from Chicago to Anaheim and a somewhat unexpected trade from the Ducks to the Islanders. The first one is hard to comment on because I was young. It was sad to leave the only Junior team I had ever played for in Spokane, but ultimately the best move for my career by joining Red Deer and having an opportunity to play long into the playoffs. Spokane Chiefs (1998/2002) Chicago to Anaheim half way through my 4th season Pro was something that made sense. I had made the team out of camp, but after being sent down to Norfolk, both sides agreed it was best for me to move on. They had some different needs, and I needed a fresh start so it worked out for the best. Chicago bringing me back 3 years later at the AHL level shows exactly that, and it’s no fluke they are such a successful organization. Very honest and business like people to play for. Norfolk Admirals (2003/2007 Portland Pirates (2007/08) The last trade is the one I wanted to share with you just to put things into perspective. It is funny, and shows just how quickly things can change. I was playing in Portland (AHL) at the time. We were on the road in Bridgeport, Connecticut. I took morning skate with the Pirates after arriving in town the night before. I can vividly remember at the end of the skate, the coach telling us players that Bridgeport was a bad team. A team that was there for the taking. They were weak from the top down and it’s a game we have to win. Fair enough, we showered up and we headed back to the hotel for a pregame meal and then went to the room for a nap. My cell phone was on silence and down I went for my usual 2pm gameday nap. My room mate woke up to use the bathroom and half asleep I rolled over and looked at my phone. 4 missed call from Bob Murray, the GM in Anaheim. I knew something was up. I called him back and he informed me I had been traded to the NY Islanders, the parent team for same AHL team my coach earlier in the day had basically said was weak and not very good. How quickly things change! I got dressed, walked over to the Arena at Harbor Yard downtown Bridgey directly to my new teams dressing room and suited up that night against the team I skated with just that morning. It was the usual handshakes, nice to meet you’s when I met my new team, and now I amsupposed to go out and try to do everything I can to make my previous team lose? It’s really neat to look back on now actually. A crazy day to say the least. Things turned out great in Bridgeport by the way. It is a class organization and the players were treated very well. I loved it there. Bridgeport/Islanders (2008) Rockford(2008/2009) Abbotsford (2009/2010) Such is the life of a hockey player. any country, any league, this is just the way it goes. It can be unsettling and difficult at times, but on the other end it can be exciting and fresh. It’s part of who we are, and if nothing else, it’s given me the opportunity to meet so many people, fans and team mates alike that makes it all worth it. Thanks for reading again, Matt http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.716487Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:23:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.709705 Well another year has come and gone and we find ourselves looking back and questioning if we did anything to better ourselves this past year. Often on New Years Eve you hear people “hoping for a better new year than the past one”. So what’s going to make it different? First off we should stop “hoping” and start “doing”. It’s starts now and only we can create paths to build opportunites for a brighter future filled with health, happiness, love and success. The biggest change I made this year as opposed to years past is that I made decisions for me to better myself, rather than feel the need to always take care of others first. I used to think it was more important to make other people happy instead of finding happiness in myself first. Don’t get me wrong, I still do what’s right and never become selfish in a way that will negatively affect the people around me, but I will make sure that I am not jeopardizing my own happiness just to please someone else. This allowed me to see that when I am at my happiest it is a lot easier for me to share positivity and help those around me anyways. Sometimes when you don’t take care of yourself you end up being taken for granted and don’t realize the potential you have to achieve great things because you are too busy focusing on someone else. Be there for your family, friends and those in need but remember to never give up on yourself when doing so. This year I want to continue living everyday with a smile on my face and not allow any negative thought or experience to hinder or affect the person that I am today. Today I am happy, loving my career, loving my life in Sweden, Loving my new friends, loving this new opportunity here in Orebro, always loving my family and finally loving ME!! I want to stay confident, remain humble and continue appreciating all the good in my life without taking anything for granted. Please everybody, take the time to reflect on your past year and really think hard about what you did/didn’t do to better yourself and if there is more you want to do to make change for a brighter future. We cannot change the past but we can definitely work hard and smart to create a brighter future. Be thankful for the people around you, the opportunities you create, the new friends you have made and don’t ever take this New Year for granted. Remind the people you care about that you love them and wake up everyday with a smile on your face because you are ALIVE and CAPABLE of achieving your dreams, its just a matter of “DOING” and not “HOPING”. As a friend of mine recently stated “the only reason people want to bring your down, is because you are above them”. Believe in your abilities and don’t ever let anyone ruin your confidence. I’m hoping everybody makes 2012 their year and a year where excuses are no longer an option and achieving your potential is high on your priority list. All the best to all and wishing everyone a safe and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Cheers, Jared http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.709705Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:56:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.709167 Hi again, What a Christmas I just had. It felt nothing like Christmas on the 25th for Chelsea and I as we spent the entire day travelling from Paris back to Orebro. Unlike here, back home we traditionally celebrate Christmas on the 25th. You know, wake up early, open gifts, relax and enjoy a big turkey feast. So you can see how this year was different but it was something to remember. We were fortunate enough to have enough time off to fly down to Paris together for 3 nights. We haven’t been there before so it was quite an experience. We spent two full days as tourists and looking very much the part doing it. Maps out, cameras in hand and our heads on a swivel making sure we didn’t miss anything. Chelsea and I at the base of the Eiffel Tower We got in late on the 22nd, and were up early the next morning to go see the sites. We took the train into the heart of Paris, did enough walking to burn off the all the Christmas treats I ate in Sweden the few days before and finally did the hop on hop off tour late afternoon for a few hours. We sat on the top deck, in the open air, and got to see most of the important sites and monuments. Top is me right before the bus tour (notice the knee bend to aleviate the foot pain from walking too much) Bottom is Chelsea on the roof of the bus After the tour, we walked some more and found a small Irish pub to have supper. Not exactly french cuisine I know, but it was great food and a nice way to relax before heading back to the hotel. We were up early the next morning, did the whole Eiffel tower tour. It was something else. We actually only went half way up, which was fine by me, then hopped on the train and headed out to Euro Disney. I had been to the one in California on a family vacation when I was 7, but Chelsea had never been so it was awesome to see the smile on her face when we walked up to the front gates. We were able to catch the Christmas Parade with all the characters and see them light the big Christmas tree. A really enjoyable day, went on a few of the roller coasters, as well as bought a few little gifts on our way out. Honestly, never too old for DisneyLand, and it brought back a lot of memories of when I was there before. All in all, it was a trip we won’t soon forget. I have to say a special thanks to both of our parents. Instead of doing gifts this year, they sent us money and we put that towards our trip. So thank you. Also, a big thanks to Jared as he was kind enough to watch the dogs over Christmas and that was a huge help. Most of the players were able to go home, to spend time with family. With us not being close to home, we are fortunate to be able to go and see a part of the world at Christmas we normally wouldn’t get to do. The bank account took a bit of a hit mind you, so it looks like we could be on bread and water for a few weeks to get back to budget. Happy Holidays everyone. Check back in soon http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.709167Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:44:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.707460 Hey everyone, Well it’s that time of year again and my favorite time of year at that. It’s Christmas!!! As a Professional hockey player we never really know what to expect for the holiday season. How much time will we have off? Should I travel somewhere? Am I going to be around my family? These are all questions that we don’t really have answers to until Christmas is extremely close. Schedules are constantly changing as the coaches want us to have time to recover and enjoy the holidays in our own traditional ways, but all while trying to do what’s right to be prepared for the 2nd half of the season. We have a job to do and that can never be forgotten, we have to continue our winning ways. For me, I will be spending the Christmas holidays with 2 of my hometown friends plus Charlie and Rylee (Matt and Chelseas dogs). I am a very family oriented person, as I’m sure you have all already figured out, so this time of year is not easy for me to be away from them, but I always manage to get by and remain positive. I am very fortunate and thankful to be spoiled by Stefan Warg and his family this year. They have invited me over to their place for a traditional Swedish Christmas and have even offered to make some Canadian dishes for me if I would like. I told them while im in Sweden I will “do what the Swedes do” and that I appreciate the thought, but the Swedish tradition is what im all about this year. As for Rylee and Charlie (the dogs), spoiling people with love and happiness just seems to be what they do best. They are always excited to see me and just last night while I was watching “Home Alone” on tv, Charlie was sleeping on my stomach and Rylee was sleeping on the backside of my couch with her head resting on my shoulder. It was so cute and such a comfortable feeling to have a couple of dogs to be my Christmas gift and allow me to feel so appreciated. Thanks Matty and Chels! I want to take a moment to remind everyone to be extremely thankful for what they have this time of year. Family, a job, a roof over their heads, good friends, good health, another day to live life to the fullest, or whatever it is that you love, value or cherish, please be sure to never take those things for granted and let them know how appreciated they are . (The last time My family was all together at Christmas 4 years ago) From the Aulin family to all of you, we wish you a very safe and happy holiday season! Surround yourselves with love and make many heartfelt and life lasting memories. Cheers! Jared http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.707460Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:53:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.704923 Hey everyone, Im sure this write up finds some of you relaxing and enjoying your Christmas Holidays and others, either working or panicking and running all over the city to try and get your last minute Christmas shopping done. I figured I would write about quotes that I have heard throughout my life and the ones that seem to have had an impact on me in some way, whether it impacted me because of its words, or if it was because of the person who told it to me. My grandpa used to always say to me “dare to dream”. He always wanted me to think outside the box and to always push myself to want to be something that maybe others didn’t believe in. He wanted me not to be afraid of failure but to always push for what I dreamed of. He always said this because he felt that if I believed in dreaming, than I could accomplish anything and for those who didn’t believe in me, well they were just people who didn’t dare to try because they didn’t believe in themselves. Whenever my Dad would drop my brothers, sister and I off at school he would always leave us with these words before driving away “Seize the day”. He wanted us to always make the best of our opportunities and not to be negative or waste a chance to better ourselves. Now at almost 30 years old he still tells me that, but before every game he now says to “Be the difference”! He wants me to approach every game with the confidence that I can be a game changer. Doesn’t mean that I am, just means that I am confident enough to try. My mom is big for encouraging quotes as well and she used to put them up around the house. There were two posters that really stuck out in my mind. The first one was a picture of a frog half eaten by a bird, but the frog reached its arms around the bird’s neck so that the bird could not swallow the frog and it read “Don’t ever give up”. She wanted us to know that no matter how bad something gets, we can always find away to get through it and battle back. The second poster was titled “Winners vs Losers” and it had many quotes on it that were very positive and compared a “Winners” attitude to a “Losers” attitude. For example “A Winner says It may be difficult but it is possible, where a Loser says It may be possible but it is too difficult”. Seeing these quotes everyday allowed my family to recognize that anything is possible. These are just a few examples of many quotes that have caused me to be the type of person I am today. I would love to hear all of your favorite quotes because any type of motivation is something I can always get more of. Please don’t be shy and share as many as you would like. I look forward to hearing what keeps you motivated. Have a great one everyone and “Seize the day”! Here is a link to my favorite motivational video on the internet right now.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSYtQy9EqTA Cheers, Jared http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.704923Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:15:49 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.700885 Can anyone help me find somewhere to get a dog cut in Orebro? We went to a place today, but they don’t have any availability until the middle of January. Tried googling some places in the area, but didn’t have any luck. Chelsea thought she could do it herself, and we all know how that turned out. I have included a picture of Charlie with a shaky cut on her front left leg. I know this isn’t the point of this blog, but I am sure someone must know of, or be able groom a dog and wouldn’t mind helping us out. After all, Jared is babysitting the dogs for a few days over Christmas, and I don’t want him to be too embarrassed to take them for walks. http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.700885Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:17:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.700310 I got a funny text message from my Dad today. He always sends me a text message before our games here. Usually about the same time every day, on his way to work Vancouver time, right about when I am heading to the rink in Orebro. Anyways, today when he text to say good luck with tonights game, he followed it up a subtle joke. He said “ Oh and by the way, since you came to Sweden, they moved Aldergrove 45 minutes East of Vancouver” Yesterday in my blog I had a little bit of a brain fart and said it was West, but anyone with a globe would know that anywhere West of Vancouver would put you right in the middle of the Pacific ocean. Maybe I never paid enough attention in Geography class! I thought I could let it slide, but then after the game tonight I had a couple messages on twitter from people following our blog, and pointed out my mistake...so I figured I better correct that. It was a good win tonight for us, that’s the first of 3 this week that we want and need heading into the Christmas break. I hope everyone that was at the game tonight, or watched it at home, enjoyed it. Matt (My brothers and I with my Dad summer of 2010...he’s always one to crack a joke or make us laugh just like his text today) http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.700310Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:02:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.699596 Hi guys, Nice to see Dustin post a blog finally, and even nicer to see him try and make fun of me in it. He used some big words, that he doesn’t normally use, so one can only assume he had a lot of help from his Fiance Kirsten along the way. None the less, thanks for finally blogging bud, it only took you 4 months. I can’t believe how fast Christmas is creeping up. Our schedule still has us with 3 games to play before we get a little break so we have been staying focused on what’s important. We had a great practice today at a different arena in Orebro. The coach mentioned to me he used to play there when there was no roof on it... I was frozen solid skating today with a roof so I couldn’t imagine what that would be like. It is always fun though to skate and play in the smaller minor hockey arenas, it brings back memories of when we were all kids and didn’t care how cold it was, or how early it was, we just played and had to be pulled off the ice at the end of it. Imagine the hours all our parents suffered through having to sit in the stands watching, and trying to get warm. Just a fun day though to skate there, despite the temperature everyone was really upbeat and I think thats why. Just play and have fun! I grew up in a relatively small town about 45 minutes west of Vancouver. We were a small hockey association, and never got a lot of respect from the big teams or towns but we sure did put up a fight. Last season when I was playing in Abbotsford (the next town over from where I grew up) it was cool to be able to go back during the season and skate at some practices with the kids of Aldergrove Minor Hockey. Brought back so many memories stepping into an arena that gave you so much. In Canada it seems like there is a hockey rink on every other corner, but players all over the world will always remember the one that gave them their start. Me when I was 6, in the jersey of my first team in Aldergrove http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.699596Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:10:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.697032Hey Everyone, Dustin here. It’s easiest to keep track of the last third of my life by recalling where I played hockey, that time being split between junior hockey in Canada followed by the start of my professional career with the New York Islanders organization. During that time I’ve played with a handful of European players that made the trek across the Atlantic to pursue their own careers. I’ve witnessed players fit in seamlessly and I’ve seen guys whose transition is a little less smooth. There are many factors attributing, and not until this season have I given it so much thought! Before- one of many North American players in the comfortable confines of my home country, and now- one of the only North American players. Being thrust into a new country, game, and group of faces on the opposite side of that same Atlantic Ocean has bestowed upon me a new appreciation and respect for what seemed less significant not so long ago. At times it can be a little intimidating but at the end of the day it is the same game, the same good guys, and I’m very thankful for the opportunity to experience life playing hockey in Sweden. On September 1st I was in the final week of my summer training expecting NHL training camp to start somewhere in a couple of weeks. On September 13th I was on a flight to Stockholm, four days shy of our first regular season game in Boras. Things can change quickly! Luckily, the team we have in Orebro is a very welcoming group of guys. Everybody involved with the team- all the players, coaches and staff have been beyond helpful getting me set up and making me feel comfortable. I can’t thank them enough. So, even though I was nervous about coming to a new team and a new country, I was pretty sure I was going to like it here for a number of reasons. First, every Swedish player I had played with in North America was super kind, polite, and just a good person in general. That is the reputation that Swedish hockey players have amongst North Americans, and now that I am living here I am seeing first hand that all Swedes are the same. Easy to get along with, and just good people. Second, it helped me along in my decision knowing that someone I had played with before, Matt Keith, was on the team. Even though him dragging me along to Mcdonalds on his nightly mcflurry trips probably isn’t the best thing for me, it’s nice to see a familiar face. But on a serious note, Matt had nothing but good things to say about the team when we briefly spoke before I signed, and he has helped me a lot. So has Jared. Arriving a little bit later than the two of them, it’s easy to see the effect they’ve had on this team in their time here. They’ve stamped their upbeat attitude and love for the game not just on the team but also on the city of Orebro. Whether it’s on the ice or in the dressing room, at Java coffee house or around town, Matt and Jared have made my time so far in Orebro an easy transition and a lot of fun, and I’m appreciative of that. I look forward to the many good times we will have throughout the rest of the season. Lastly, I knew I would like it in Orebro because of the hockey. I was told that I would be going to a strong team, in a good hockey city, and that couldn’t be more true. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to play with this team, and I am having a lot of fun learning the game over here on the big ice. It definitely is a transition, but I’m feeling more and more comfortable every day. I hope I can keep learning and can contribute more and more as the season goes on. To say that I am happy in Orebro would be an understatement. I’m very fortunate to have walked into an awesome situation. Playing with a great group of guys, in a great hockey city with amazing fans, and being shown around town by two classy guys in Matt and Jared, I’m lucky! Thanks for reading and I’ll try to keep you in the loop sometime soon! Cheers! DKhttp://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.697032Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:37:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.696771 Hey everyone, First off I would like to personally thank everyone who showed me great support in my chase to tie/break the leagues “streak” record. It is always nice to have the opportunity to acheive a goal like that but the most important thing is team success. Throughout my career as a hockey player, you realize that with team success comes individual success and I am very thankful to have such a great group of teammates and coaches who are committed to winning. As most of you know, I came up one game short, but such is life and it just wasn’t meant to be. It was a great ride and a lot of fun, but I still left that game with my head held high and a smile on my face because we WON!!! Enough about that, now lets talk about someone everyone has been wanting to hear from. Dustin Kohn has decided (with the request of many fans) to take part in this blog with both Matty and myself. He is a great hockey player and most of all a world class person. Dusitn joined the team a little later than Matty and I so he wasnt approached to write this with us. We felt it was important for the Canadian Trio to be sharing our life experiences with all of you instead of just the 2 of us. On that note, Dustin will be writing a blog for you all to read later tonight. Please show him the same warm welcome and support that you have shown both Matty and myself. It will be very interesting to hear from him on a personal level about life and also about the adjustments of being a North American defenseman playing hear in Sweden. Have a great night everyone and thanks again for the overwhelming support!! http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.696771Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:13:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.694522 It was a big win for our club last night. Coming off the disappointing loss at home on Wednesday, it was a huge game last night. Leksand is a tough place to play in, but we played a solid team game, and with out question had a huge effort from Par, Pekka, and Daniel. They were a beast of a line, and really contributed for us. Great to see. It was pretty cool to go back out on the ice after the game and have our fans still singing and cheering us on. We had a good day off today. We went for a coffee and lunch then took the dogs walking around the city. It is awesome to see all the lights up and the Christmas concert in the center of the town. If you saw us out walking, I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw me following Rylie around and picking up after her. Seriously, she has no manners. She just does her business anywhere she wants...and somehow I am always the one cleaning it up. Doesn’t seem fair, but at least if anyone steps in something around town, you can’t blame me. Trust me, I clean up my fair share of that crap....pun intended. The dogs are both pooped now though (literally) Charlie is sleeping on me and Rylie is in her usual spot on top of the couch cushions. I’ll add pics at the bottom. We are going to go back to town at 5pm, to see some more of the Christmas stuff. We don’t have many Christmas markets back home, but I remember from my time in Germany how fun they are. I’ve heard there is always things going on here on the weekends, so if anyone has some information or suggestions of things we should see, please let me know. (Getting rested before she goes to bed to rest more) Kohner, Aulie and the girls downtown today Chelsea Rylie and Charlie with Santahttp://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.694522Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:07:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.693476 Well a lot of you have been wondering why I haven’t been really active on this blog lately. I was fortunate to have the company of 2 of my 3 siblings in town for the past 20 days, so away from the arena I was busy making memories and sharing in a lot of laughs and good times with them. My younger brother Ryan arrived on November 12th with his girlfriend Nadine and stayed until the 21st. Ryan is the youngest in my family of 4 kids and has been extremely supportive throughout my career. He was one heck of a hockey player growing up and I might be biased when I say this, but if he were to have continued playing he would be a gritty offensive player somewhere in the NHL. I truly believe that. (Ryan and Me) Kirsten is my older sister, who came to visit me from Asiago Italy where her boyfriend Layne is playing professional Ice hockey. She arrived here on the 19th and stayed until the 29th. She too was a hockey player growing up, so she understands the game very well and has always shown me great support. She was the top scorer on her all girls team that competed against only boys teams. (Kirsten and Me) Ryan’s girlfriend Nadine has been a part of our family for I believe 7 years now as Ryans biggest support system and soul mate. She has grown up around hockey her whole life (brother Mason plays for Vancouver Canucks) too and I see her as a sister to me. Thank you Nadine for being a proud supporter of my hockey career as well. (Nadine and Me) It was both Ryan and Kirstens first time seeing me play pro hockey live since my rookie season with the LA Kings/Manchester Monarchs 8 years ago. Some of you noticed (while they were here) that I kept a puck after I scored in Malmo and again after I scored against Mora. I felt it was necessary to acknowledge their support by giving both of them a puck that symbolized my first ever professional goal that they were live and in person to witness. The only thing that could have made this family time any better, were if my older brother Bryce and my parents were around to share in this life experience with the rest of us. I miss them dearly and I appreciate all of the love and support they have always given/shown me. I love my family very much and I appreciate how close we have always been. (Missing Bryce and my parents during this meal) December is the month of Christmas and to me Christmas is about family. Be thankful to be loved, appreciated and cared for by the people you are closest to. Make many memories, share in lots of laughs and happiness and if it is even the slightest bit possible, give back to those in need. Im off to get hydrated and prepared for our big bounce back battle against Leksand tomorrow. Have a great weekend everyone!! Jared http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.693476Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:40:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.691013 Hey everyone, It’s been a busy few days in Orebro. I had a friend in town to stay with Chelsea and I from Ingolstadt, Germany for the last two days. He wasn’t a player on my team there, but became a very good friend of mine through out the course of the season and it was great to see him and catch up on old times. Last night, myself and Par were at a Orebro Minor Hockey practice helping out for a couple of hours. It was awesome. We got the chance to meet the players, work with them on a few drills, play a 3 on 3 scrimmage and then work on our shootout moves during the breakaway competition. Par was in fine form. He went 5 for 6 in the shootout on some spectacular moves and was +4 in the scrimmage. I had to remind him the players were only young kids, but man, that guy was taking no prisoners out there. “A goal is a goal” he was quoted saying to me after. No, all kidding aside. We had a great time and we look forward to getting back out there later in the season. Through out the year, all the players on our team will be at Minor Hockey practices from time to time and its always a fun way to interact with the younger people aspiring to do the same thing we are in the future. In other news, look for Andro to be shaving his mustache at the end of the month (thank god) and for Dahlberg and Skalberg to be growing theirs for December. The latter two lost in todays “Mustache Boy” competition after practice and that is their reward for doing so. The way it works, in numerical order, each player has a shot or deke from the hashmarks. When you score, you bask in your glory and watch the remaining rounds until there is only one player left. A goalie lets in five straight and he grows a 'Stache aswell. A two for the price of one kind of Tuesday I guess. Andro was last months lucky guy, and he was saying today how happy he is to finally get to shave. Teams always have little things like this to keep the mood light and have some fun. I will be posting some pics of the guys this month if they let me. Before I go, I just wanted to personally say another thank you from OHK for your support for Saturday’s game and Teddy Bear Toss. It was really great to see how well it did. So thank you again! Movie time now, going to watch The Usual Suspects from the comfy confines of my couch. See you tomorrow night, Matt http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.691013Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:44:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.689440 Hello Everybody, I am going to make this write up short and sweet as my Sister is in town visiting and leaves on Tuesday morning. Last night was such an amazing and memorable one. It was family night and Sweden’s first ever Teddy Bear Toss. I personally want to thank everyone who made it a great success. The rumour is that we received somewhere around 1000 teddy bears for us to distribute to those less fortunate and to those who are ill or going through a tough time. Everyone who took part in the teddy bear toss last night will impact someones life in a positive way, so please everybody give yourselves a pat on the back because you should be proud. Not only do I love being an Orebro Viper because we have a great team here, a great city, and great teammates, but the biggest reason being we have you, the AMAZING FANS! What you all did yesterday exceeded our expectations to the point where I looked at Matty and said “Doesn’t this make you feel great”. You all made us extremely proud and we cannot thank you enough. Thank you Thank you Thank you!!! I hope everyone has a great weekend and thank you for brightening the lives of many with your generous donations yesterday. You are the best!!! Continue living life “paying it forward”, and always remember that we the players appreciate and love all of the support we have been shown from all of you so far this year. See ya next game Jared http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.689440Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:48:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.688367 Hey Everyone, As Im sure you all have heard, well Im hoping that you have, tomorrow is Swedens very first Teddy Bear Toss. It is an opportunity for our hockey club and fans to make history and an impact in a positive way. This event will not take away from the energy of the game or the focus of winning at all. It is not about the players, the fans, or the game of hockey, but about giving back to those in need. Those who can’t afford Christmas presents, those who are fighting an illness and those who need something that will brighten their day. Even if it eases their pain for just a few minutes, or can bring a smile to each and every one of their faces. To have a teddy bear that was given to them by people who care is something these children will cherish forever. I am asking all of our OHK supporters and even the Boros fans that might be in attendance, to really think about how they can impact someone’s life with something so simple. All of our local grocery stores have a section with very cheap and affordable teddy bears. As far as this event goes, most people have been extremely receptive in a positive way but we have received some negative feedback from a select few. If you do not want to take part in it or you don’t agree with what is taking place, please keep your comments to yourself and maybe even take a step back and really think about what it would mean to you, to have someone show you that you are appreciated when you are feeling down. I look forward to competing hard in front of all of our loyal fans and I hope we all come together to make this family day a very special and memorable one! Be safe, have fun and enjoy your weekends everyone! Cheers, Jared http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.688367Fri, 25 Nov 2011 19:25:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.685704 Hey guys, Saturday night at our home game against Boras is going to be a fun one and I wanted to write today to explain what it is about and how you can help such a great cause. It is a Family Day, and from my understanding there will be plenty of things offered to children on top of the deal families get on prices of tickets, kids under 15 are free and their parents are 50% off. Then us players will be signing autographs postgame. It is also our 1st Annual Teddy Bear Toss night. The Teddy Bear Toss has become a very popular thing in North America, and we are all excited we are able to have one here in Orebro. Fans are encouraged to bring a Teddy Bear with them to the game, and at an annouced time, you will throw them all onto the ice. The players will collect them all and sometime during the holiday season before Christmas, we will take the stuffed animals to hospitals and Childrens Centers and pass them out to the kids. It is one of the coolest things I have been apart of and we are hopeful it can have the success here that it does back home. I will post a video I found on YouTube of an example of what I am talking about. It is a great time of year to help out those in need so we are very thankful for your support! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRmXEvviRMM See you Saturday at the Behrn, Matthttp://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.685704Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:39:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.685700 Hey everybody, it’s tough to follow up Matty’s last blog because I found it to be a very entertaining read and an interesting educational piece for our Swedish hockey fans. So here is my attempt at keeping you all interested. A constant topic being brought forward in the hockey world is the line between competing and playing disrespectful or dirty. Hockey is a competitive, physical, dangerous sport that every hockey player is aware of whenever they step onto the ice. That being said, we go into every game and practice with hopes that our opposing team or teammates will play with respect, battle honestly and also acknowledge that there is a life outside of hockey for all of us. Far too often this year here in Sweden I am seeing the same problems the NHL is trying to reduce happening more frequently over here in our league. From the crosscheck to the throat Matt Keith took in Troya, to the intentional hit from behind the Bofors player did to the player in Vasteras, resulting in a broken arm. These are not only career threatening decisions but also life threatening and we as players need to be the first ones to start being more accountable with our actions. Accidents do happen but playing the game with the intent to injure is something that needs to be stopped. For example, Crosby made his return to the NHL lastnight and what a night he had. Fans deserve to see Crosby’s rare talent perform for 82 games a season plus playoffs, so players need to respect him and play him honestly. Not go out and deliver headshots to try and take him out of the game. The game of hockey needs players healthy and in the line up every night for the opportunity to win, but also for the fans to see their favorite players from different teams. I write this blog as a challenge to any hockey player who is reading this to play the game hard, with respect, to the best of their ability and with the honesty to play by the rules. Let’s respect eachother and our abilities while competing within the rules to help our teams win. Health is the most important thing in the world, along with family so let’s play the game the right way. Thanks for hearing me out, Jared Follow me on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/JaredAulin http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.685700Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:32:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.684215There is some things you would hear in a hockey teams dressing room that are best left in it, but there are also a few funny things I’ve heard in almost every dressing room I’ve ever been in. Doesn’t matter what team I’ve played for, or in what league, it doesn’t change. Well maybe a few things Dustin, Jared and Myself say around the guys goes over like a fart in church and doesn’t seem to be as funny in Sweden as it is back home, but I know other guys all have their sayings aswell, we just cant understand them yet. Anyways, here are a select few sayings that never fail to get me laughing. 1. " He put that top shelf where grandma keeps the peanut butter" *Basically, someone scored in a top corner on a beauty move and shot. A real nifty play. 2. "20 miles, 20 smiles boys!" *Before going out for the third period with a lead, one of the boys will throw this gem out. Pretty simple. Play hard for the last 20 minutes and you’ll come away with a win and 20 guys smiling about it. 3. "Take that defenseman wide, he turns like a battleship" *This is referring to a slower dman on the other team you want to beat with speed as he isn’t known for his quick feet. (I am glad I am not a dman, I’ve never been accused of being the fastest skater. Haha) 4. "I fight guys like you on the way to fights" *Something I’ve heard more than one heavyweight say to an opposing one. A light jab to let the other guy know you want nothing to do with him and if you did, he won’t last long. (Me after a fight with a chair at age 4... should of seen the chair after though) 5. " SOB boys, the place will be rockin out there" *Not what you’re thinking everyone, I said I would keep it clean. Haha, this is a shorter term for Sold Out Building. Always a fun game. “SOR” or “SOS” is said for when you are playing in an empty arena. Playing off of the SOB, but this time it’s just a Sold Out Row or a Sold Out Section. Good thing that doesn’t happen at the Berhn, you guys are always there in massive amounts and it’s an awesome atmosphere in there. 6. “Flow” “Dangles” or “Salad” AKA Hockey Hair. *This for the player who comes to training camp with short hair and struggles all season to grow it long just so he can say he had it. You got through the awkward stage and always wear a hat, but it is worth it in the end. *Example- “ Sick flow Jonesy, it's really bucking out the back of your helmet there” A proud moment for anyone who has done it" (Not my best look, but here is me at 17yrs old trying to grow my “Hockey Hair”) 7. "Hey Goalie, do you need some lotion for that burn?" *A subtle chirp you say to the opposing goalie after he has been lit up for a few goals that night. Meaning the red light has come on behind him so many times, the back of his neck must be burnt by now. 8. " Man, I’ve got hands like feet out there tonight" *Said by me on more than one occasion. It’s as if your hands aren’t working. You can’t handle a pass and when you do, you treat it like a grenade or hot potato. Nothing is working and you’re Frustrated. Cement Hands. 9. "Twigs, Weapons, Lumber. " *A few different names for you’re sticks. Guys are particular about the kind of stick they use, and everyone’s is different. (Even though this shot by me may or may not have missed the net, notice the flex in the "Twig) 10. " Can we get a couple clicks for Jimmy? ...Whoa that’s enough" A guy who returns to the lineup after missing a game deserves a welcome back right? Someone will shout that out, just to get him some recognition before the 1st period and everyone will snap their fingers for him. Abruptly, a few of the lads will say “Whoa that's enough” just to keep him honest. No idea why, but always gets some chuckles and lightens the mood. Hope you enjoyed learning a bit of the lingo today, Just a little taste of what’s said in the room, on the bench and out on the ice. You didn’t think we were always quiet did you? Matt http://twitter.com/MKeith19http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.684215Sun, 20 Nov 2011 17:41:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.683840 Well it was a tough loss last night in Malmo. We got home early this morning and will take the day to get some rest and be ready to get back to practice tomorrow. Hockey is a funny game the way it works sometimes. A team (like us) goes on a 12 game win streak and the one we lose hurts the most. The immediate feeling is that the whole streak goes out the window and this loss is a tough pill to swallow, but the old cliche goes like this. "Never too high, Never too low" Meaning don’t get too happy with every win, and don’t get too down with a loss. An important saying that says a lot as to how we can take the good and bad from not only last night, but the last group of games and move forward. The season is too short, and the next game comes too quickly, in my opinion, to not take that approach. Not always easy, but I think most can agree. We are constantly reviewing video, going over tactical things that can make us better. Whether it is the morning of a game as a team or on an off day individually, as a group there is always positive and negative feedback to be seen, and with today’s technology as advanced as it is, our coaches can prepare clips and provide us with things to continue working on to be better as a whole. Time to start another one! Anyways, thanks for all your continued support. Enjoy your weekend. Matthttp://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.683840Sat, 19 Nov 2011 13:40:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.680501 Hey everyone, It has been a couple of weeks since we have blogged and I want to apologize for that. I hope you can understand we have been busy playing games, but I am confident we are going to be able to start entering more blogs to keep our readers interested.(didn’t hurt that NA emailed this morning and gave us a little kick in the behind to get blogging) haha. I have really enjoyed blogging so would love to keep doing it as long as there is interest. Anyways, today I wanted to explain some of the things that go on behind the scenes of a hockey team that may go unnoticed by fans, but are crucial in having team success. Our trainers at OHK are some of the hardest working people at the club. As players, we show up, warm up, skate, workout and then head home for the day, but obviously these guys are the ones putting in the long hours, late nights and early mornings to make it all possible. Whether it is washing the laundry, fixing equipment, sharpening skates, they do it all. All the planning to pack for road trips, making sure each player is comfortable and able to compete at his best is what these guys pride themselves on. Bus trips getting into the city late at night with a game the next day? As players we get to check in, have a team meal and head to bed for some rest. It is easy to forget that our great trainers job has only begun. They head to the visiting teams building and unpack, dry and prepare our gear for the next day. It is all the little things they do to make everything click, and there is a ton of stuff that I can’t even begin to explain what it means to our team. Last night for example. I am not sure how many of you were at the game but in the third period Jared and I both lost the outside edge on our skates. I looked like Bambi out there as I was coming into the offensive zone. So I got back to the bench, and had a trainer stoned my skate to get me through the end of the game. After words, I took my skate to the trainers room and had to have some rivets replaced and my skates sharpened. Sure enough, I got to practice today and my skate was fixed and ready to go. Might seem like a little thing, but imperative to being able to skate and play. Needless to say, these guys behind the scenes deserve so much credit for a teams success and we couldn’t do it with out them. So from the players, thanks guys! Anyways, thats all for today. We had a real up tempo skate this morning just over 60 minutes long. We are at a point as a team where we want to keep pushing to be better. We head out on the road for 3 days tomorrow so I will be taking it easy the rest of today. Talk soon, Matt http://twitter.com/MKeith19 http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.680501Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:31:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.671396 The start of every hockey season sees new faces, new styles of play, and different cultures connecting as one. People outside of the sport often wonder what we do to become so close as a group in such little time. There are many team building activities that take place and believe it or not it is similar to the everyday memories you try and create with the people you are closest to like your family and friends. This past summer my family got together at my sister Kirsten and her boyfriend Layne’s lake house in Saskatchewan to do some fishing, bonfires, outdoor games and to just enjoy each others company. Less than a month after making memories with my family, I shared in the same experiences with my new family the “Orebro Vipers”. We went on a road trip as a group to play in some exhibition games but we also found time to do some team building activities outside of hockey as well. We too as a group went fishing, except this was no lake, it was out on the open ocean. We all shared in a lot of laughs and also hoped that everyone would have the opportunity to experience the feeling of catching a fish. In fact Robyn Olsson caught a fish that was so nervous it decide to add some flare to his shirt by pooping on it. That was enough to get everybody aboard our boat to get a good laugh! Even Robyn thought it was funny. The next day in the dressing room we were all exchanging stories and its then that you take a step back and say “wow this group is really coming together”. We also had a rowing race between the penalty killers and powerplay guys in old Viking row boats and also got to experience a relay race with rescuer diver suits on. These 2 activities were not only for team building but also a great source of exercise. I hope this helps give people an understanding as to why hockey players build lifelong friendships. A team’s success has a lot to do with how close players are as a group and I think it is fairly obvious that our team is already like a family! Have a great day everyone!! Orecko Sweden, my 2nd catch The Orebro Vipers finest fisherman The Viking row boat we were racing in My younger bro Ryan at the family holidayhttp://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.671396Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:26:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.670038 The eye injury Chris Pronger suffered this week has brought a lot of media attention to the never ending issue of whether or not visors should be made mandatory in the NHL. From sports columns to SportsTV shows, everyone has an opinion on this, and I wanted to throw my view in and post the video for you all to form your own opinion. During my first two years in the AHL, there was no ruling on whether or not you wore face protection. I, among many others did not. When the NHL lockout ended prior to the 2005/2006 season, The American Hockey League installed a new rule that all players wear a visor no matter the age or personal preference. At the time, a big deal was made out of it, and some older players, guys who had been around a while, were not very happy. How do you tell a 32 year old man, with a family, kids and a mortgage that he has to play with something he has never before? After wearing a visor for the last 6 years, I can honestly say it has done so much more good than bad for me personally. The worries of it getting in the way, getting foggy or wet from sweat during play, or having it impair your vision on the ice and compromising your ability to see the puck were all non existent. The amount of times a puck or a stick has hit my visor and not my face makes it simple for me to say if I ever had the choice, I would have been wearing one from day one. In saying that, I don’t think the NHL is going to as easily be able to make it mandatory for its players to wear protection. The truth is, you are talking about the best players in the game, and a lot of money invested by owners to hold the game to the high standard we as fans are accustomed to. The argument has been to let the individual decide, they are grown men and are aware of these pros and cons. Maybe they grandfather some sort of rule in? Let the players over a certain age or experience decide and force all players under that age to put a visor on? This way, gradually the days of no visor are gone and we may see the number of these serious injuries decline over the next few years. This weeks injury has brought the debate right back to the forefront and many people are calling for changes. This video is a perfect example of someone not wearing a visor, but you make the call!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gMU33FKIkohttp://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.670038Sun, 30 Oct 2011 17:59:00 +0100http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.668067 Hey Everyone, What a week it has been. The team has really been coming together as a family and it is showing on the ice. It’s a long season but every point is extremely important right now and we find ourselves striving to get better everyday. In Canada, the sports channels always have their top 5 or 10 plays of the year or of the night, so I have put together a list of 5 moments in hockey that had a huge impact in my career. These are in no specific order 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ASl-T-sBtU This is a video of Ray Bourque hoisting the Stanley cup for the 1st time after a 22 year career and never really having come that close before. I was fortunate to meet Ray Bourque that year in Colorado’s training camp and he was a player who achieved so much individually but all he wanted was that feeling of wining the Stanley cup. A well deserved honor for a world class guy and world class hockey player. 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8RdJrzNHHg&feature=fvwrel As I’ve told you in the past, Steve Yzerman was one of my favorite players growing up. He is known to be one of the best captains to have ever played the game. His skill, team play and passion for hockey is something I will always admire. I remember seeing him score this beautiful double overtime goal vs St. Louis and history was made that night. He showed how leadership comes naturally by stepping up big in a pressure situation. 3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW0VKGQPU3Y This next clip is of someone Sweden is or should be extremely proud of. It’s a short clip of Peter the Great and his highlight reel goal against my hometown team the Calgary Flames. Forsberg is known today still, as one of the best if not THE BEST complete hockey players of all time. He was physical, hardworking and his skills were above and beyond 90% of the hockey players to ever play the game. This goal (to me), still leaves me in awe, appreciating everything he does in one 18 second clip. He shows confidence, tremendous skill, speed, quickness, strength and accuracy. Sweden you should be proud!! 4) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jglr-smZPE8 This is a clip of arguably the greatest player to ever play the game. Wayne “The Great One” Gretzky. He paved the way for young hockey players all over the world to try being creative and use their instincts and skills to make things happen. He always created scoring chances in situations you didn’t see it possible. He was below average in size but competed to be the best player on the ice each and every night. This video is of his last game ever. Seeing him retire was a sad day for hockey fans in Canada and I’m sure most of the hockey world in general. His legacy has been passed on and it’s great to see new faces in the NHL providing similar skill and excitement to the game today. Thanks for paving the path of skill Mr. Gretzky and for making the game we love so much, more recognized around the world today. 5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smY3waU-kuI This is Mario “The Magnificent” showing us all why he was such a special player to watch. He scored 5 goals in one game in 5 different scenarios. Shorthanded, powerplay, even strength, a penalty shot and one into an empty net. The “Magic” he provided every game was something even the best in the business could appreciate. There is often debates about who would have had set all the records if Mario Lemiuex was healthy his whole career. Some argue that it would still belong to Gretzky but many believe that Mario would have surpassed those numbers. Either way, both were a joy to watch and are well deserving, hall of famers. There are many other moments I would love to share with all of you but im sure like me, you don’t want to spend your day watching youtube videos during your free time. These clips allowed me to learn, practice and find creativity in my game today. Thank you to all the skilled players who provide young hockey players to learn what many see as a gift. Eventhough we may not pull it off like they do, it is nice to always try! I hope you enjoyed reading and viewing the videos from this blog today. Take care everybody and enjoy the remainder of your week!! Cheers, Jared http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.668067Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:48:00 +0200http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.663678 The day I got drafted I wanted to share my special day with everyone. We all have things we are proud of, and regardless of if I ever made it or not, I was honored at the time and still am today. The 2001 NHL Draft was held in Miami, Florida. I actually didn’t know until about a week or two before if I was even going to go. I had spent over half of the season on the shelf with my first shoulder surgery and my agent at the time only wanted to take my family and I if I was going to be drafted in the 1st 3 rounds. A month before the draft, The NHL Central Scouting holds a testing combine in Toronto. The top 100 Prospects go for the weekend and fitness test in various exercises as well as do medical tests and interviews with any team that may have set up a meeting with you. I had 19 interviews, each of them 20 minutes long with different teams. Some were fun and easy going, some were demanding and to the point. As a 17 year old, I was very nervous through out, and couldn’t really believe I was even there, never mind speaking with General Managers and staff. The weekend went as well as it could, but teams gave off little in sight as to where, if at all, they would pick me. We decided I would go to Florida, I can’t remember all the details and conversations, but at the time it didn’t matter. My flight was booked, as was my families and we were off to the beaches of Florida. After a few more interviews leading up to Draft Day, and a night of little or no sleep, I was up and getting my suit and tie on to catch the bus to the biggest event of my life to that point. I wasn’t alone. Along with my Mum and Dad, my brothers Kristopher, Kevin, his wife Megumi, My billet family from Spokane, and very close family friends of ours The Dickinson’s all came to support and enjoy this special time with me. Round 1 came and went, you saw friends and opponents get taken. 3 hours long, and obviously teams put a lot of effort into their decisions. Round 2 was a different story. Names were getting called quickly (my brother decided it was a good time to go use the bathroom) when my agent came and said I think you are going to Calgary with their next pick. #55. I said “What?” #55? 2nd round? Nobody had told me I was going to go before the 3rd, some teams said even later. Edmonton for example said if they had the last pick and I was still available they would even consider me. Ouch. Hurt to hear at the time, but it was the truth and I appreciated the honesty...I guess? The Calgary thing came and went without me. That was okay, I was in the moment I guess. We laughed it off a bit, thinking we got a little to excited only to be brought right back down. With the 59th pick, the Chicago Blackhawks took me and we erupted. Not only was this a dream come true, but it far exceeded any of our expectations. I was on top of the world, it didn’t matter who went before me, what team I went to, or if I was even going to get a contract from them. It was one of the happiest moments of my life and something I will never forget. After the pick is maybe the coolest thing. You go down to the teams table, get your jersey and hat. Get introduced to people you have only seen on TV, forget their names the second they tell you and you are hurried into the back for photo shoots and interviews. It was great! A small town kid in the limelight. Well my own lime light. Sure I wasn’t Ilya Kovulchuk or Jason Spezza, but it was still my little moment. Our whole group was down there. My brother almost accidently gave Wayne Gretzsky a flying elbow trying to get through the door. Haha, he didn’t even see it was him. Just smiling ear to ear. I could feel how proud they were, and that feeling has never gotten too far away from me. Just had to be there maybe, but it was unreal. A lot is made of the draft, a lot of picks make it, and even more (like myself) don’t become regular NHL players, but for that one day, we all get the feeling that we are, we can be and nobody can take it away from you. Its been 10 years since that day, so many things have happened to change the course of my career. I, like everyone, plays this game to always try to be the best they can be. I have no regrets on things that have happened or decisions I made. The one thing I have learned is to never point a finger. Things happen for a reason, some people get the breaks, the chance at the right time, and some people don’t. I wouldn’t change a thing up until this point and am thrilled to be continuing my career at such a high level and will never stop striving to be my best. So excited With my brothers. Kevin(left) Kristopher (right)http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.663678Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:54:00 +0200http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.662095How’s everybody doing? We often sit back and find ourselves wondering what life would be like if we were doing our dream jobs. I am very fortunate to be living a dream right now and playing the game of hockey, which I grew up so passionate about at a very young age. That being said, I to often sit back and wonder about dream jobs and what it would be like to live that “dreamy” lifestyle. I have put together a list of 3 jobs that I think would be a lot of fun, in no specific order. Job 1: A musician I always seem to catch myself singing songs no matter what I am doing, whether it’s in the shower, car, doing dishes, out with friends or just sitting around. To be able to belt out a song that you wrote and has so much meaning to you, in front of a stadium full of 20,000 + people who are singing it word by word with you would be such an adrenaline rush and amazing feeling. Not only would I be singing my chart topping hits (#1 singles), I would be providing entertainment with some well rehearsed dance moves that may possibly remind many of Michael Jackson in his prime (ha ha Again I am just dreaming). Job 2: Actor You are probably thinking that I am a guy who is seeking attention and fame. When it comes to acting, those are not the reasons why. It would definitely be a great feeling to be recognized, but the biggest reason would be to see if I could act. I think there are many great Actors/Actresses in the world but I don’t think it is the most difficult job to do either. We all act at some point almost everyday. For example, if someone tells you something they think is funny but you don’t, you put forth your best fake laugh and pretend to acknowledge their sense of humor. Or when you are in a conversation that you are not interested in, but you don’t want to make that person feel bad, so you again pretend to be grasped and interested with the terrible story they are telling you. Doing the stunts, having your career on DVD shelves all over the world and being able to create many memories with friends throughout your acting career would also be a big reason why it’s a dream job. I guess you can say my nickname “Auliwood” is well deserved because I love to entertain. Also, with the above 2 jobs I would get to meet a lot of beautiful women along the way, and I really do appreciate all women. That’s a nice bonus for living your dreams. Job 3: Win the Lottery You may think of this as not really a dream job, but just a dream. If I were to win the Lottery it would become a dream job because I would focus my life on charitable work. Finding ways to give back to those in need, whether it’s for health, wealth, life, death or just to help people get back on the right track, I would love to be able to help. Most really wealthy people from what I read or hear don’t do enough to help those that are struggling. Im sure there are many people who do help out and don’t want the recognition, so for those people, I appreciate you. Money is not the only thing that can help better someone’s life though. It is important for people to reach out and lend a helping hand through friendship, helping an elderly person cross the street, hold a door open for someone, or just smile and say hello etc. Simply acknowledging someone can make a person feel better, even if its just for a moment. Its up to all of us to “pay if forward”, so don’t be afraid to be there for someone even if they are a stranger. That’s all I have for now, but please share your dream job ideas with me. Time to make my daily appearance at Java coffee house for some delicious brew, good laughs, good conversation and some always fun people watching. Seize the day everyone, and please make a difference!! Cheers, Jared P.S. Any other sport like Soccer, Golf, or Baseball would be considered a dream job to me as well. http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.662095Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:43:00 +0200http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.659258 Hey everyone, I hope you are happily getting through the middle of your work week and doing what you can to keep busy instead of counting down the minutes and hours until the weekend finally gets here. I figured today I would put together a list of things that surprise me in a positive or negative way. Im a little curious to see what all of you find surprising as well, so please let me know if you have any of your own “surprises”. These are things that bother you, or something you would have never expected. “Surprises can be in both a good way, or in a bad way, or just a cultural difference that isn’t good or bad, just different. I think it’s a fun way to see what pushes someones buttons and also a way to see what may pleasantly surprise you as well. 1) In North America it is Illegal for the babyseat to be in the front passenger seat of a vehicle. Here in Sweden it is Legal to have your baby in the front seat. Surprising at first but now that I know the logic behind it, it makes sense, but I still prefer and think its safer for the baby to be riding in the back seat. 2) After the recent worries of Obesity in North America, I am very surprised to see the new “self serve” butter machines for your popcorn at local movie theaters. 3) How many Swedish people apologize for their thoughts of not speaking “good english” when I think they are doing an amazing job. Such a great job that I don’t really notice a language barrier when speaking to them and I then feel bad that my skills with the Swedish language need an enormous amount of improvement. Trust me, you don’t need to apologize because you are all doing great!! I feel very spoiled as a Canadian to be welcomed to Sweden the way I have, with the luxury of being able to communicate in English and not being looked down upon for not knowing the Swedish language yet (Don’t worry the lessons are starting soon). 4) How many men (I can’t speak on behalf of the women) use the public bathroom or any bathroom for that matter and don’t wash their hands. Plus, after they don’t, they still have the nerve to shake your hand! It really grosses me out and even forces me to give someone a fist bump instead of a handshake. You never know, I might just embarrass you in front of people by asking if I can smell the soap on your hands, so you better wash your hands to save yourself the risk of embarrassment when you are around me Ha ha 5) That people in Sweden think it is weird to put butter on a muffin. In North America it is completely normal and tastes so good. I recommend you try it ha ha These are only 5 of many possibilities, but I think it is a good way for people to see some cultural differences and at the same time, some of the worldwide similarities. Please let me know what your thoughts are and if you have some ideas or input, please send them my way. I look forward to hearing about your “surprises”! http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.659258Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:22:00 +0200http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.657838 Hey hey ( thats swedish for hi isn’t it? ) I want to blog today about the 3 people in the world I would most like to meet. It would be great to get feedback from everyone reading this as to who you would most like to meet and why. I think it is a pretty cool topic and I am sure everyone has different ideas and reasons for each. Wouldn’t it be awesome to sit around a table, just you and the three people you of your choice and pick their brains? Listen twice as much as you talk? Soak it all up and probably find some things out about them you’d never of even thought of? We read books, or see documentaries on TV all the time about people, but even that doesn’t give you a lot of a persons make up and what makes them tick. In no particular order..... #1, Bill Gates. Knowing how successful he is, and what he has done with technology, I would love to find out where he came from, what he grew up like and how he got to where he has. A lot has been made of how much money he gives away, and I would love to know how that all gets split up, How he decides what goes where and why? I would sure have a million questions for him. #2, Terry Fox, What an amazing human being. A canadian distance runner, he had one leg amputated after being diagnosed with cancer then attempted to run across Canada to raise money for Cancer Research. He was forced to stop after running over 5300 km, and eventually passed a year later in 1981, but to this day the Terry Fox Run has raised over $500 Million in his name. I saw a documentary on ESPN last year about him and the “Marathon of Hope”, two hours long and I couldn’t stop watching. This all happened before I was born but apparently it became a huge story the longer it went, but must have been a real tear jerker the day he had to stop. I would love to have met him, find out what was going through his head every morning before he started, how did he push through? And last but not least, how would he feel today if he knew just what Terry Fox did for this world? #3. Muhammad Ali. He is one many athletes I would like to meet. I am not a big boxing fan or anything, I just think he would be interesting to sit down with. He was a World Heavyweight Champion, but also went through a lot of other things to become who he was. I would just like to know why he chose to do things the way he did, and how hard some of the decisions and consequences were. I would love to hear feedback on this topic, like I said, I think it is fun to hear other peoples thoughts and ideas. There are many more I could have mentioned, but I said three because we have a game tomorrow night and I would love to be done blogging by the time the puck drops. See you tomorrow. Matthttp://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.657838Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:54:04 +0200http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.655339 Hey everyone, Sorry for the lack of blogging the past couple of days. It’s been a busy few days trying to catch up on errands and deal with life outside of hockey. Now that we have had a few days off from games, I was able to get a lot accomplished. Today I am going to try and entertain all of you with some simple knowledge about me. I will ask myself certain questions and answer them, just to help give you an idea about the type of person that I am. What is my favorite movie? Growing up I always followed the cartoon TV show Transformers and I always wanted to be Optimus Prime when I grew up. That being said I am a huge fan of the Transformers trilogy but mainly episodes 1 & 3. Aside from childhood heroes inspiring me for my movie choices, I also like “Braveheart”, “Man on Fire” and the always funny “Dumb and Dumber”. How many Siblings do I have? I have an older brother named Bryce, who is 32 years old and living in Turks and Caicos of the Caribbean. An older sister Named Kirsten, who is 31 and lives part time in Saskatchewan, Calgary, and Italy because her boyfriend Layne is a professional hockey player in Asiago. The youngest of my family is my younger brother Ryan who is 28 and living in Calgary where we all grew up. We are all very close and have a lot of fun making memories together. Who is/are my role model/s? I always give credit where credit is due and I would have to say my parents. My Dad Ted is one of the most driven and unselfish people I have ever met. He is always putting other people ahead of himself because he is so loving and caring. A lot of his happiness comes from helping others achieve their happiness. My mom Pat is the sweetest woman in the world, who shares the same drive and passion for life that my Dad does. She is full of love, youthful energy, very well educated and always willing to be there when needed. They are both still happily married and I am very fortunate to be spoiled with their endless amounts of love. Who is my favorite hockey player? I had 2 hockey players that I was always excited to see play. Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman were 2 of the most talented guys to ever play the game but most of all they were natural born leaders, who played the game because they loved it. Their passion and team play was something that caught my eye at an early age. These 2 guys are who I looked up to in the sport and one of my greatest memories was being drafted to the Colorado Avalanche and having my seat in the dressing next to “Super Joe” himself. He was an amazing hockey player but mainly he was a very humble and world-class guy. My last question for this blog is: Since it’s almost thanksgiving in Canada, I ask myself what am I thankful for? I am thankful for my family and their health, as well as my own health. My True friends who have always been there for me, for getting a second chance in playing this game of hockey that I love so much, and also my new friendships here in Orebro. Lastly, l am VERY thankful for the opportunity to play in front of such a supportive and energetic crowd here in Orebro each and every home game. Matty and I would like to acknowledge that we are looking for opportunities to give our thanks to the community through charitable events or hospital visits. Please email either Matt or myself if you have any interest and we will try to make it all work out. It is always a pleasure to be there for our fans. Til next time!! Jaredhttp://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.655339Thu, 06 Oct 2011 22:25:00 +0200http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.652564 Hello I hope everyone is having a good weekend. Pretty quiet day for me. Practice and a workout this morning and not much else since then. Breakfast for supper, dinner for lunch. Just one of those days, but nothing to complain about. Sometimes these are the best days just to catch up on ... well nothing. Our home opener was a very cool game to be a part of. It got me to thinking of how great the fans were, and how enthusiastic and loudly we were cheered on. I have been lucky to have always played in places with great support. In junior I played in Spokane in the WHL where a Saturday night home game draws 10,500 fans. Mid week about half of that but when you are 16 years old its special to be playing in front of someone other than your Mum and Dad. I got traded to Red Deer the last half of my last year of Junior after I had signed with Chicago. Brent Sutter was the Owner/GM/Head coach and with the Sutter connection in Chicago, I think they had something to do with the trade. Maybe to keep a closer eye on me? Or to force my bad habits out? Either way I was going to the #1 ranked team in all of the CHL at the time and it was a pretty hot ticket in town. About 7000 some nights, even more than that before the fire marshall came in and told Brent he couldn’t have people sitting in the Isle’s for safety reasons. Pretty funny to think about but an awesome place to finish your junior career. The AHL also has some great buildings and some great fans. I found that there are certain places that have a real strong following year after year. Other places, it isn’t quite the same. I don’t know if it has to do with the constant roll over of players (the AHL is the top affiliate league to the NHL) changing teams and/or getting called up, but it must be hard for fans in maybe a “not so hockey mad” market to keep up to date with players and the transactions. Regardless of where I played, big crowds or not, I learned some very valuable lessons while I was there. The message was always quite simple. The AHL is trying to sell the game in most markets, build a connection with the fans that would make them want to come back. The AHL is spread out over parts of Canada and the United States, and not all teams are in the biggest hockey markets. Rockford, Illinois for example is a real blue collar town. A hard working place and has some awesome fans. We did some great things in the community there. Went to see children at schools, visited people at hospitals among many other things. I believe that the reason we had such good support was because as players, it was our obligation to not just be in the city, but be a part of it. Give back to the community, and put you best foot forward and they appreciated that. This was the same with every minor league team I played for. A lot of fan interaction and I think that is very important no matter who you are. I may be a bit bias towards the Vancouver Canucks, they will always be my favorite team, but being from there it isn’t hard to see the impact those players have on that city. The Sedin twins, arguably the best players in the world, are two of the best role models for this kind of thing. With or with out the media coverage, those two guys have given back so much to the community. They have done so many charitable things and have made Vancouver home away from home, and have really put there stamp on the West Coast. Role models to say the least, and something I think we can all agree is an integral part of any sports team no matter what city or country. And now again, here I am in a place that has such a great fan base. Our first home game, the place was buzzing. The biggest difference I can say is the signing and chanting all game long. Definitely motivating and something new. I can just sense, everyone from the players, to the coaches, to management and the fans have so much pride and loyalty to OHK. It is a special feeling to be out there, and it doesn’t go unnoticed! Until next time, Matt http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.652564Sun, 02 Oct 2011 21:58:07 +0200http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.652178 First off I would like to thank everyone who is following me on this blog and also on Twitter. Your support has meant a great deal to me and receiving the emails and “tweets” from all of you is something that I look forward to everyday. One of the most frequently asked questions I am always faced to answer is, “How did you injure your shoulder?” During my 2nd professional hockey season, I was attending the LA Kings rookie tournament before the main camp started. It was rare for anybody who had already played a season of pro hockey to take part in a rookie tournament but the Kings wanted to send a message to the Anaheim ducks young guys by playing both Mike Cammalleri and myself against them. The game was very rough, picture Orebro vs. Bofors but much worse. I remember being in the dressing room after the 1st period and thinking to myself “im gonna get injured today”. Not exactly the smartest thing to be thinking about in the middle of a hockey game. 5 minutes into the 2nd period I found myself in a fight with Shane O’Brien (now on Colorado Avalanche) because I was sticking up for Cammalleri. It was a good fight, not many punches landed, but quite a few thrown by the both of us. O’Brien was much bigger than me, weighing in at 240 pounds and me weighing in at 190 pounds. During the fight my arm was stretched out awkwardly, I slipped and fell and all 240 pounds of Shane landed on top of my shoulder. I got up and skated off of the ice knowing that something was seriously wrong with my shoulder. My parents always told me to never lay on the ice unless my legs were broken, and even if they were, to still make an effort to get off the ice. It’s a pride thing in my family I guess ha ha. Once in the dressing room, I remember looking down and seeing my shoulder sticking out of the front of my chest. My head started spinning and I almost passed out just from the sight of it. It took 3 doctors and 2 physio trainers 17 minutes to pop my shoulder back into place. It was extremely painful but felt so good once it finally popped back in. The biggest heartache and pain was not the physical part of the injury but the mental side. I was told I am going to miss 6-8 months of the season, basically the whole season and that I will need serious shoulder surgery. It was the first year I was expected to play in the NHL full time and my hopes, dreams and summer of hard work was all thrown away to play in a game that didn’t have much meaning in the first place. I only say that because I was no longer a rookie and no matter how well I did in that tournament, it was how well I did in the main camp and NHL exhibition games that would have the biggest impact on my future in the NHL. I have 6 metal anchors, a ripped bicep tendon, and very limited mobility (range of motion) were all things I never envisioned in my young career. It happened and I can’t look back with any regrets or feel sorry for myself for one second. I Love the game of hockey and I understand the risks as a hockey player. I am thankful that I am healthy again and able to play this game that I am so passionate about and hockey is something I will never take for granted. (Back on the ice, Orebro Vipers) No matter what your job title is or your role in life, there are always going to be obstacles to overcome. Always remember to remain confident, never doubt yourself and always know you have people in your lives that you can count on as a support system. Thank you to my amazing family for always being a supporter of my goals and dreams. My friends for always being there when I needed them and last but not the least, my fans for always giving me a reason to believe in my abilities and for pushing me to make a comeback. I wouldn’t be as happy as I am today if it weren’t for everyone I mentioned above. As I’ve said before “Dare to Dream, and if you do Dare, DREAM BIG”!! Have a great weekend everyone!! http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.652178Sat, 01 Oct 2011 21:05:00 +0200http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.649462 Well, It’s been a couple tough losses as of late, but the great thing about hockey is it’s early in the season and we don’t have to wait long to bounce back. We have a big game tomorrow night for the home opener, against Almtuna. We are all really excited to finally be playing in front of our hometown crowd and looking forward to hearing your support roar through the arena. It is often wondered what a hockey player does at the end of a season to ease their minds and heal their bodies from such a long and taxing season, until the summer training heats up again. For most of my past 10 summers I was in a relationship. My first one was 5 years and my 2nd relationship lasted 3 yrs. My idea of relaxing at the end of a season when having a girlfriend would consist of a nice romantic get away to Maui, Hawaii for 10-14 days, where we could enjoy eachothers company with our “toes in the water, @$$ in the sand, not a worry in the world, a cold beer in our hands” (song by the Zac Brown Band). It was a great opportunity for us to spend time together, because the hockey season can be quite demanding with practice, games, road games, long road trips, meetings, off ice training and charity appearances that you don’t really get to see eachother as often as you’d like. I have to say that Maui, Hawaii is a place that everyone should vacation to if they have the chance. (It doesn’t get any more relaxing than that. Turks and Caicos) With that being said, I am now a single guy and living in a country with the most beautiful women in the world. Sweden I thank you for that! Last summer was my first summer in a long time not being “happily stuck” and I wanted to make the best of it. So what did I do? Well I packed my bags with all the normal things any guy would need, but I brought a different mindset and made sure my shoes were always laced up and ready to teach the ladies a thing or 2 on the dance floor. Even if I was wrong I was going on vacation and figured I may not ever see these people again so I am going to have as much fun as possible. I jumped on a plane and met up with my brother on the Island of Providenciales, Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean. If you have never heard of it, it is all white sand, turquoise water and great people. One of the most beautiful places in the world, in my opinion. I stayed at “Club Med” and loved absolutely every minute of it. I was playing beach volleyball, sailing and all sorts of fun stuff during the day, and when night rolled around I was lacing up my dancing shoes and out meeting people with a carefree attitude and not a worry in the world about disappointing a girlfriend. It was a great vacation and a great opportunity for me to ease my mind and also spend some quality time with my brother, while meeting some nice girls too. (My older brother Bryce and I in Turks and Caicos) It is important for hockey players to take a mental and physical break away from the game at the end of every season. Summer training is very demanding and probably the hardest time to stay focused and the hardest you will ever push yourself throughout the whole hockey season. Who knows, what will happen this summer? Will I meet an amazing Swedish girl and be swept off of my feet? Will it be a North American girl? Or will I be single and looking to lace up my favorite pair of dancing shoes again? Time will tell, and im sure no matter what it is, it is for the best! (Bryce and I playing beach volleyball) I look forward to our first home game tomorrow night and thanks again to all who have supported not just Matt’s and my blog, but for all of you who are supporting our team as well. Enjoy the game tomorrow night and make some noise!! http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.649462Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:00:00 +0200http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.648088 As we were out for a walk today around Orebro and I was thinking of what to blog about this afternoon, I came up with the idea of introducing our two dogs to everyone and telling a little bit about them and what they mean to us. Meet my buddy Rylie! She is an English bulldog and is somewhere around 5 years old. I don’t know exactly how old she is because she has looked like a grumpy old lady since she was a puppy. She is everything a bulldog is supposed to be. Lazy, slow, quiet, snores a lot and loudly and doesn’t do much other than eat and sleep. I got her when she was 12 weeks old and I was playing in Norfolk, Virginia in the AHL. I didn’t think this purchase through all the way mind you. I was young, single and fighting to become a regular in the NHL with Chicago. I had just been sent down to the minors after sticking with the Blackhawks for the first month of the season and had just been told by the then GM of the Hawks that they were going to trade to me a team where I could get a fresh start and another crack at the NHL. I was no longer in their plans and it was my job to go down to the minors and do all I could to showcase myself to 29 other teams and wait to see what team I was going to. In my first game back in Norfolk, I got into a fight and got a concussion. I finished the game after the fight, but became very sick that night and spent the next 36 hours in the hospital and next 8 weeks on the shelf. I think the concussion did more to me than just give me headaches. (Rylie on the boat. Safety First!) This is where Rylie came into my life. I decided it would be a great idea to buy a dog, unstable future and all, with out thinking it through. Sure enough I was traded 2 weeks after returning to action to Anahiem and now had to figure out what I was going to do with a puppy. My parents told me I was a moron for getting a dog, but what 23 year old needs to listen to their parents right? I knew they would love her the second they met her and I was right. Haha, the dumb things kids do eh? After 4 years of loving life with a dog, and a new girl in my life, it was time to bring a second dog into the mix. This purchase wasn’t like the first one. Rylie needed a buddy, we now had two of us to care for them and Charlie was only 2.5 lbs. How bad could it be? (Charlie thinking of her next move) Boy were we wrong. This ball of energy was the exact opposite of Rylie in every sense of the word. She wants to play fetch, and run all day long. Has to sleep right in the middle of the bed, will bark if you don’t pay her any attention and has a fascination with pulling at any kind of carpet she can get to. A hand full, but in a good way. She is very cuddly, and is so small she can fit into the smallest of spaces for a sleep. Her and Chelsea have a good thing going, although Charlie has Chels wrapped around her tiny paw. (Ry and Charlie in the bed they don’t sleep in) Both dogs share a very special spot in our hearts. I know it wasn’t maybe the smartest thing to do buying Rylie so young, but I don’t regret it. She has brought me so many laughs and good times, its hard to put a price on it. Charlie, like I said is so different, but became the missing piece to the puzzle. She is always happy, even when she knows she did something wrong. As hard as it was, and as much work as it took to get them ready to fly to Sweden, they have been great for Chelsea and keep her company as she gets adjusted to life away from home for the first time. (nap time) (Out for a walk around the castle in Orebro!) Check out these two links to videos of the dogs I have put onto youtube. Seriously, thats a real deer in the first one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bdJYtn23hM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9py4tgJFHFI They say a dog is a Man’s best friend, and now I know exactly what that means Matt http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.648088Sun, 25 Sep 2011 19:22:00 +0200http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.647623 Hello hello. Just stepped on to the bus and settling in for a ride to our game in Oskarshamn tonight. Sorry I haven’t written in a couple days, but it’s been a busy week for us as we are in the middle of four games in 8 days. Rest is a weapon as they say, so I have been catching up on some rest when I can. Exciting news in my family today as my oldest brother Kevin and his wife Megumi welcomed their 2nd child and newest member to the family. Noah Keith was born early this morning and weighed in at 7lbs 6oz. He joins the Keith clan as my second nephew. Liam had his second birthday in July and I really cherish the time I get to spend with him. Kevin and Meg have been married for 6 years and live in Sapporo, Japan. They met over 10 years ago at university in Canada where Meg was studying overseas away from her native homeland. When they had both completed their education they started a life together and have been living in Japan since 2002. Thank god for the world of social media and networking. We are all able to keep in touch through Facebook and Skype. It is crazy to think Chelsea and I were talking on a video Skype call with the three of them yesterday only 2 hours before Meg went into Labour. I mentioned she looked ready, but I didn’t think it would happen so soon. Nonetheless our whole family is elated and I can’t wait for a chance to meet him or even see him on the computer soon. My Mum and Dad must be through the moon right now with excitement. I will get a chance to speak to everyone tomorrow and hear all the details. Anyways, thats what’s going on with me right now, time to get some rest and get game ready. Every game is a big game and tonight is just that. Have a good weekend, Matthttp://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.647623Sat, 24 Sep 2011 11:57:00 +0200http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.646573 A lot of people often wonder what it’s like to be traded and/or released and picked up by a new hockey team. There are many mixed emotions that are involved and in the reality of it all, we as players and even the fans have to understand that not only is it a sport, it is also a business. I have been involved with many hockey organizations throughout my career and I have to say, the older and more experienced I get, the easier it is to understand. Along the way you make such great memories with people you have gone to war with and even made life long friendships with. Next thing you know, you are taking a face off against them or battling with them in a corner. So, what is that like you are probably asking. Well, I like to compare it to competitions with your best friends and your family members. If you are a very competitive person like myself, you hate losing no matter who it is against. You have a lot of respect for your opponents and you still appreciate the times when you shared your successes and even your failures with them, but now this is a competition and there are no friends out there. The fun part about it is, you know which buttons to push and so you do what you can to try and throw them off of their game, but in return you have to remember that they know the same about you. So, just hope that your ammo is a little bit better than theirs because it’s never fun being on the losing end. It’s an unwritten rule to never attack someone personally, but you can always have fun with it. Makes for a better story anyways, if everyone can laugh. Last night I experienced the feeling of playing against friends in Leksand. When I first arrived in Tegera arena, I couldn’t help but remember the battles we shared as teammates, the friendships I made and most of all the chance they gave me to experience this wonderful life here in the beautiful country of Sweden. All things I am very thankful for. Once in the dressing room and seeing the new and great looking Orebro jerseys with “Aulin” on the back, those memories were all set aside and I was more than excited to go out and compete to beat my old team, with 21 other warriors beside me. What a great feeling it was to be a winner!! Last year I was “bleeding blue”, but that’s a thing of the past and now competing for Orebro my blood runs red, with the desire to win and do whatever it takes to do so. The support of the fans has been overwhelming, the city is beautiful, my teammates are great and the coaching staff has given me a chance to do what I can to help the team be successful. I know we are only 2 games into the season, but I have already been able to trust and become great friends with everyone involved in this hockey team. Life often gives you opportunities and it’s those who take advantage of the opportunity with no looking back, that will achieve great things. This team has a great opportunity to be successful and I look forward to many hard fought battles with my new family. Thanks for the warm welcome Orebro Vipers, Let’s make it happen and do it with a smile on our faces : ) “Dare to Dream and if you do dare, Dream BIG”!! “Skal” (cheers) to new beginnings. http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.646573Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:29:21 +0200http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.645065Hey everyone, Hope you all enjoyed the weekend and are back into the work week nicely. A good first game for us as a team and looking to build this week. Today I wanted to talk a little bit about the differences in grocery shopping back home, a seemingly mindless and easy chore everyone does daily with out thinking twice about it, and making a day trip to the local market in Sweden, for someone unfamiliar with what anything is. I say a day trip because it seems like Chelsea and I plan our day around making an extended stop at the local ICA and looking like tourists while doing it. I arrived in Orebro three weeks before Chelsea and dogs took the flight over and joined me at the end of August. And in those three weeks, I figured I had a pretty good handle on finding my way around the new grocery store. After asking nearly every second person, whether they worked there or not, for help, I could navigate my way around. Milk over there, bread there, produce here and meats in fridges and so on. Like most guys, I was happy with the basics. I may not have been eating anything with any kind of spice or seasoning, but nonetheless, I was eating and I was damn proud of it. That all changed when Chelsea came. Our first trip to the store was a big and expensive one. Gone were the frozen dinners for one, the bland terrible meals I could whip up and enjoy in front on the TV at my own convenience. We needed everything, the staples so to speak. Sauces, spices, spreads, and last but not least “flavour”. Chelsea has no problem walking around, google translate in hand, and finding exactly what is needed for a particular meal that night. It could take us two hours, but you better be sure that meal is going to be a good one. Like any guy, watching a women work her magic in a store has taught me three things. Stand back, shut up, and be at the checkout stand with my wallet out when the madness has come to an end. Finding your way around a new culture can be tough, but I like to think we look at this whole experience as the glass being half full and we are embacing all of the challenges that come along with this opportunity. The people have been so helpful, some laugh, others seem to enjoy watching us struggle, but in general, it all makes that much more interesting. Well I need to get going here. It’s my turn to cook and our new team mate Dustin Kohn is coming for supper. I think I am making a pasta with a red sauce, some chicken and a salad, but again, I don’t know if that’s what I actually bought today. I will be sure to let you know how it turns out. Until next time, Matt http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.645065Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:29:46 +0200http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.643826 I hope everybody is enjoying their weekend and making the best of everyday. It was a big 2-0 win yesterday in Boros and Its always nice to start the season in the winning column. So far living here in Orebro has been a big adjustment for me after living in Leksand last year. If anybody knows Leksand, you know that it is a very small, but beautiful town which is very quiet in the winter time. There are no traffic lights, its not very busy and learning the ways of driving comes quite naturally because it is very similar to back home and there arent many traffic signs that i wouldnt recognize. Here in Orebro, when it comes to driving, it has been quite overwhelming but at times pretty funny too. When I approach an intersection with traffic lights, there are light signals for cyclists and also light signals for cars. if I pull a little too far ahead I cant see when the light is telling me to go or stay put, so I wait there hoping that the person behind me will honk and let me know it’s safe to go. Once im downtown and in the middle of the city, it is hard to figure out if I am allowed to drive down that road or if it is just a road for cyclists and people walking. While I/we are learning that the embarrassing way. For example, Matt, Chelsea and myself were driving the other day and we had a feeling it was a road that was not meant for cars,. We decided to ignore our gut feeling and just go with it. Well it didnt take long for us to realize that we shouldn’t be driving there and we were pretty certain people were looking at us like we were from another planet. After shrugging off the embarrassment we found a road where we were allowed to drive and continued on our way. Now, when we pull up to our final destination we look up and see all of these signs that we have absolutely no clue about. So, what do we do? Initially we just convince ourselves that we are allowed tp park there and we take our chances. Within minutes a teammate will tell us “you have to pay to park there, or that we are in a no parking zone”. That was a big hint for us to download the “google tanslate” application for our iPhones. When we are driving we can’t ask questions for help, we have to try and figure things out by the way a sign looks and usually its not much help. As Canadians we are spoiled with the amount of English speaking people here, so it makes life a lot easier. Thank you to everybody who is so helpful and understanding. We do appreciate all of the help and kindness we are receiving everyday. We are looking into Swedish lessons because we love and respect the country so much and want to do our best to fit in. Not only are we learning a lot about driving, this sort of thing happens for us in every aspect of life out here. Grocery shopping, going to movies, going to the gas station and so on. So pretty much every situation in everyday life. I would like to acknowledge that this is a life experience for us and we are doing our best to learn Swedish but it is going to take some time. So if you are ever out driving, grocery shopping or just doing what you do and you see some young people doing something where they look lost or where you would feel embarrassed if it were you, please dont be upset because its probably us Canadians trying to adapt to the Swedish lifestyle. Instead of getting upset or feeling confused, please just laugh it off or even help instruct us on what we should be doing. We love being here and find all the people to be extremely friendly and helpful and hopefully by the end of the season we will fit in to the point where you wont even notice our foolishness. I wish everybody a nice and relaxing Sunday. We are back to work tomorrow morning in preparation for our game against Leksand on Sunday. Thanks to everyone for the support and if you have any topics or questions you would like us to talk about or have answered, please leave a comment below and Matt and myself will make it happen. Happy Sunday http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.643826Sun, 18 Sep 2011 17:03:00 +0200http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.642980 Hello fans, My name is Matt and I wanted to first off welcome everyone to Jared and I’s blog. It is an interesting way for the fans and people of Orebro to get to know us on a more personal and fun level. Hopefully everyone enjoys reading and keeping up with the life of a couple of Canadians in Sweden this winter. I guess it is my job to give you a bit of a background of my buddy Jared in this post. He had me in tears last night as I read the nice things he wrote about me... I haven’t been that emotional since my two brothers called me “Fat Matt” as a kid. On a more serious note, there are a lot of words that come to mind when explaining the kind of person he is. As he mentioned yesterday, we haven’t known each other on a personal level for long, but the hockey world is a small one and Jared was always a player I kept an eye on through out junior and our early years of Pro. He was a highly touted prospect with the drive and skill to back it up. He plays the game hard, but honest, is a skilled guy but gritty in all the “tough” areas of the ice and can shoot a puck harder than he gives himself credit for. The biggest thing I knew about Jared the hockey player is that he is a leader. He wants to win and will do whatever it takes to do so. He has battled injuries and put in countless hours of rehab when it would have been easy to just quit, but I just don’t think the word QUIT is even in his vocabulary. He wears his heart on his sleeve to say the least. My impression of him didn’t change much as I got to know him more over the last month away from the rink and the daily grind. He lives his life the same way he plays the game. He is quality guy, fun loving, honest and passionate about everything important to him. He draws people to him by his personality and has such a positive outlook on life that, that you can’t help but want to be around him. He speaks highly of his friends and most importantly his family. One look at his Facebook or Twitter page and its clear as to what type of a guy he is. I noticed he mentioned my hair yesterday, and he is not far behind. His new hair cut has garnered a lot of attention at the rink around the boys, but also around town at the coffee shop Java we frequent almost daily. I have to give him credit where credit is due. It looks pretty good, actually it reminds me of the same hair cut my brother gave me with dull scissors and his eyes closed when I was just 13 years old. Well done bro. I am proud to be playing on the same team as him, and it won’t take long for the fans to see his personality translate into determination and hunger on the ice. Well thats enough of the introductions. You guys now have a bit of an idea of who we are and I am sure you will learn a lot more as we move forward in the blog. The season kicks off tomorrow and the fellas are very eager to get going. We had a crisp but meaningful skate today and you could definitely sense everything is for keeps tomorrow. I am looking forward to going to war with these guys these guys all season long and with one common goal in mind, we are excited to say the least for our first regular season game in Boros. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of this beautiful day in Orebro, and for our followers back home in Canada, good morning! Check back in soon... Matthttp://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.642980Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:55:00 +0200http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.642566 Hello everyone, This is Jared and I want to welcome all of our followers to what both Matt and myself are expecting to be a fun and entertaining season of blogging. Filled with hockey related stories, our lives away from the arena and just some really random facts/events that we think can make you laugh, smile and maybe even have you scratching your heads. We are both born and raised in Western Canada and eventhough we just started to get to know eachother this year, we have had many on ice battles throughout both our Junior and Professional careers and have always respeted eachothers abilities and eachother as people. It’s nice to finally be on the same side of the ice as teammates. My first impression of Matt was “Wow this guys got great flow (slang for hair)”. 2 years ago in Rockford of the AHL, Matt was voted to have the best “hair on the team” by the fans. You can tell he takes a lot of pride in it because there is never one hair out of place and if it means finding his relflection on store window, to make sure, he’s doing it. On a serious note, off the ice Matt is a really funny guy who likes making people laugh and is very easy to get along with. He is a big time family man with a caring and selfless demeanor. He is sharing his life experience here in Sweden with his better half/girlfriend Chelsea (also very funny and bighearted) and their two dogs Charlie and Rylie. Their little family here has been extremely welcoming to me and I have already been spoiled by 2 delicious dinners from Chelsea. On the ice Matt is a very firece competetor who plays to win each and every night. He has a great scoring touch, great vision and is great in all offensive and defensive situations. Overall he is a complete hockey player, with great skills who plays for the love of the game. I look forward to finally playing with him instead of against him. So that’s a little bit about Matt to kind of get the Blog ball rolling. Matt will be expressing his thoughts and first impression of me tomorrow with everyone. We are both new to the world of blogging but I promise we will be providing a lot of entertaining reads this year and the more followers we have and comments we recieve the better our material gets. We look forward to getting feedback from everyone and I hope you all have as much following as we do in sharing. http://na.se/bloggar/canada/1.1359812-jared-and-matt?blogPostAction=view_post&postingId=19.642566Thu, 15 Sep 2011 23:40:00 +0200