I’m an all-around fanatic about all things hockey, and I am especially proud to live in the hometown of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. I grew up in Arizona, where my hometown had exactly one ice rink. Being trapped in a desert my whole life means I discovered hockey the old fashioned way: by watching it on TV. Specifically, by watching the U.S Men’s Olympic team beat the Russians en route to the gold medal. Flash forward nearly 30 years to 2009, when I finally realized something even more embarrasing than being a hockey fan from Arizona: I didn’t know the rules, plays or even what a hat trick was. So in 2009, I launched 87in107 to share my experiences as I learned all 87 rules in the NHL Rulebook in 107 days leading up to the Olympic opening ceremonies. One thing led to another, and these days I am proud to be one of Paul’s bloggers. When I’m not watching, thinking or blogging about hockey, I’m learning how to cook, tasting wine and hiking in the Columbia Gorge.  That is, of course, when I’m not in my season ticket seats at Portland Winterhawks games or blogging about them on http://www.oregonlive.com/hawks