Well, today we reach the first anniversary of Boltsmag. A year ago I didn’t have the foggiest clue just how far I could take this site nor how far the Lightning would take me and the rest their fans….
My intentions when I launched were just to show that there are indeed fans of the Bolts out there on the Internet and not just the message board cliques or the rotting-away fan sites that hadn’t been updated in years. I wanted to be able to voice some disgust that I have brooding in me over some of the elitest northern fans who don’t think hockey has a following in the south, much less in Tampa Bay… Some of my posts over this past year should make that clearly evident.
But should this post really be about me? About Boltsmag? I mean, sure, it’s Boltsmag’s birthday but what about the course of the year? When I launched I had no clue the Lightning – who had just added some high-octane to their tank after an abysmal December – were going to go as far as they did nor achieve as much as they did. I love Martn St. Louis but I didn’t think that he would end up getting the credit for his superstar performance. I didn’t think Brad Richards would ever earn the credit he has long been overdue….
And I most certainly didn’t think Dave Andreychuk would finally get his Stanley Cup.
For several months it’s been an absolute whirlwind and now… It’s a doldrum. Not because I’m tired of Boltsmag or sports writing (just the opposite actually) but because of the lockout which is hurting everyone in the hockey blogsphere. It’s because I really don’t give a damn about what Goodenow is whining about, or what Gary Bettman is saying. I have a negative view of Bettman but I certain, and quite justly, hold Robert Goodenow in lower regard.
Lets hope this lockout is over by the time Boltsmag reaches age 2… Lets hope that the NHL is on the road to recovery a year from now and that the Lightning remain a force.
Lets hope.
And I want to give a quick thanks to some of the site regulars and some of the bloggers out there that have both supported Boltsmag and pushed me along with the site… Gary at Missing Monkey Head, Tommy at Sticks of Fire, Eric at Off Wing Opinion, Tom at Canucks Corner, Michael at Confessions of a Hockey Fanatic, Charlie and Jason at Predators Den, PJ at Sharkspage and of course James Mirtle… Thanks guys and othe readers out there who may visit but rarely comment.
