the greatest gift I've ever received...

Growing up, my all-time favorite hockey player was Jeremy Roenick, the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks from 1988 to 1996.

As a big hockey fan, I grew up playing video games like NHLPA and NHL 95 for Sega Genesis.  The red, white and black Chicago Blackhawks were my team, and Jeremy Roenick was my go to guy.

I collected all of his hockey cards idolized the way he played - hard hitting and a big goal scorer.

As years went by and he retired, he became a hockey analyst on NBC for all of the games.  It became apparent that he hates the Pittsburgh Penguins due to his constant negativity whenever their star players are mentioned.  The reason has to do with the fact of the Pittsburgh Penguins took away his dream of winning the Stanley Cup in 1992 Stanley Cup Finals.

I get it.  They took away his dream... and for that, he has a bad taste in his mouth.  He will always hate the Pittsburgh Penguins.  It hurts a little inside to see my boyhood hero trash talk my hometown team, but I get it.

I don't know how I would feel if someone took away my dream of creating an enterprise, something that lasts... so that is why I left a company in 2008 and went out and started our own.  


Jeremy Roenick will forever be my childhood hero. Him and Evel Knievel, of course.

My friend Rob, that I met at the Duquesne University hockey tryouts, shares the same outlook.  We both wore hockey numbers that spawned from Jeremy Roenick's.


For my 29th birthday on August 10th, Rob wrote an email to Jeremy Roenick himself and asked him to send a copy of his auto biographical book, signed and autographed, with a handwritten note saying "Mike, This mamushka is for you!  Keep Moving Forward and you'll change the world". 

It arrived last night and he delivered it to me at the Mount Washington bar called Summit.  I had to hold back my tears in front of the waitress, but I would have at least blamed it on the allergies if a tear ran down my cheek.   

(you might catch the "Addams family" reference in that message)
And,  Just like in the movie "A Christmas Story"... it is the greatest gift I have ever received... and all was right with the world.


"Keep Moving Forward and you'll change the world" - JR

This book will be in my office until the day I die.


Thanks Rob