I am what you could call athletically challenged. You know, I was the kid who was always picked last for scrimmage football, schoolyard baseball and road hockey. But even though I never played on any organized sports team, my life has been touched by the sport of hockey.

As this piece is being written, there are still a lot of questions pertaining to the roster for the 2019-2020 edition of the Winnipeg Jets. By writing this piece, the writer is by no means diminishing the importance of individual players such as Kyle Connor or Patrik Laine. These individual players have their own strengths and weaknesses, and certainly, there have been many who have been writing stories in this manner.

With the Boston Bruins in China as part of Bruins global, it gave us the chance to look back at other times the NHL has traveled outside of North America. Such as when, in 2010, six NHL teams played in Europe. This involved the Bruins who played two games against the Coyotes (splitting the series one a piece) and a game against HC Liberec of the Czech Republic, along with a trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland to play the Belfast Giants Select hockey team.

The Ottawa Senators have been the butt of all jokes lately. We've seen them in the news for the 2018 season and with good reason. Recently, the ridicule has gone so far as to reach a Simpsons episode where Lisa Simpson was to be assigned a hockey team in Canada. She was muttering to herself please not Ottawa and she was given Ottawa.

2019 Stanley Cup Finals: What teams will make it through? There are eight teams left, but only one can win that trophy, so here is a list of teams still in the running:

I love hockey. From the time I was about eight or so, I would occasionally watch games with my dad (if they were before my bedtime). I was born into a Habs-loving family in the center of a Maple Leaf-centric city, so when I was given my first piece of Canadiens merchandise, I quickly understood the taboo of it, but still wore it proudly, claiming I was my elementary school’s biggest Habs fan. My favourite player was (and still is) P.K. Subban, so I was notably devastated when he was traded from my favourite team, and that his "bromance" with Carey Price was being censored. Among my friends, who are largely not hockey fans, I’m something of an expert on the game. How could I not be? I can name more than five players in the NHL, I understand the rules, and I actively cheer for not one, but two teams (the second being the Nashville Predators, naturally). But not that I would ever admit this to another fan, I’m a poser. I really don’t know that much about hockey, aside from the league’s biggest moments, and I don’t follow it religiously, save for a few key players on the most popular teams. My hockey knowledge is conversational, but has absolutely no depth. This has led me to develop a feeling of inadequacy when it comes to discussing Canada’s game with literally any hockey fan outside of my small gaggle of hockey-ignorant friends. Why is it that every NHL fan can spit stats or discuss plays from across that league for the last 10 years at the drop of a hat? And I’m left to stumble my way through playoff bracket conversations.

There’s a rot that exists inside the culture of hockey that is a top-down type of disease. This malady can be easily understood as the Thug Mentality. It starts with the likes of Don Cherry, currently a prominent NHL analyst and commentator and former head coach of the Boston Bruins. Eventually it trickles down into the leagues of the little ones because the veins of the hockey culture are clogged with this viscous disease.

Sports movies, in general, have the inherent ability to instill something in its viewers that many films are unable to organically inculcate—the feeling of hope.

I was recently going through my leadership/professional development binder—a compilation of my own scribbles and thoughts from my time at West Point, and my brief stint as an army officer. In addition, I have several printouts from a variety of mentors with pearls of wisdom from their personal experience and other articles provided by these same mentors. I was looking for potential material to benefit Knight Vision Hockey members, and I stumbled on the perfect article—"The Seven Habits of Highly Mediocre People" written by Mark Sheffert, CEO of Manchester Companies, Inc.

"What is the sound of artillery? BOOM BOOM!

For those people who were not raised in a sports-oriented household, the fanatic culture that surrounds sports like professional hockey may seem chaotic and silly. Yet for people like me who grew up in a house where the television was always set to a sports channel and dinner conversations revolved around the most recent NHL game, the enthusiastic fan loyalty and love of hockey was part of daily life. In the eyes of NHL fans, hockey is more than just twelve men skating on ice, passing around a puck, and getting into the occasional fist-fight. The NHL has a culture rooted in seasons of incredible players, renowned coaches, and historic game-changing plays.

There are approximately 80 concussions per year in the NHL. Hockey players run a relatively high risk of concussions and serious brain injury, which is why it's important to try on an array of hockey helmets before picking out the right one. You need a helmet with a fit that feels like it was custom-designed for you. Layers of foam, liquid bladders, and shock absorbent materials are vital, too. Whether you play in the street or on the ice, whether you're a youth hockey player or a well-seasoned senior, there is no reason you would have a problem finding a helmet to keep you safe.