I've been here a long time, so I hope it's ok that I pass along that my mother passed away yesterday. She was a hockey fan, fan of all sports, really. She helped me develop my love for sports and would drive me to all my practices. She would walk to the upper deck of old Chicago Stadium in the 50's and 60's to see the Hawks, arena full of smoke. 8 months pregnant with my sister, she and my dad would go to games. She preferred other sports to hockey, but we still talked hockey. She liked Jumbo (which makes it REALLY weird that he left the same day) and Irbe and Sandis and Nolan. But more than that, she was just amazing and she will be missed by many.