Division rivalry gone local

It's been a month for meeting Internet friends, I guess.

Today, Marisa and I had lunch in New York City with Phil, a fellow coach in the Jack Adams Memorial Hockey League and a semi-avid lurker/reader of this blog.

Editor's note: I'd insert the link to Phil's blog above, but he hasn't actually started it yet. Get crackin', Phil! What else is there to do in freakin' Alberta this time of year?

Of course, I neglected to take a picture. Which saves me a bit of embarassment, as Phil is honkin' tall. And Canadian.

Anyway, Phil turned out to be as great a guy as I'd expected from our many e-mails and trade negotiations. Even if he wouldn't send me Dan Hamhuis for three third-round picks.

It was worth a try, he was drinking.

Besides, Phil, the coach of the fabled Brisco County Comets, is notorious for regretting our in-division trades.

I don't know why - even though I consistently get the better of him on the surface in terms of players - hello? Michael Ryder for Vinny Prospal? - his team keeps getting better (can you say Potvin Division champions?) while mine keeps getting worse (can you say first to worst in two years?).

Regardless, Phil's a great guy and reminds me why I love the Jack so much, even though I've only ever e-mailed or talked on the phone with most of the guys. He's on a tour of the "Eastern" conference, meeting up with a couple of the other coaches for a Flyers game later in the week.

And yes, when we got home, Norton was out waiting for us again. A dozen Master locks can't hold that dog.

At least we won't have to bring back the contractor. He just left, for crying out loud.