The other day I was going through some comments left on the Facebook page for BDH, and I read some criticisms that I think were justified and warranted, and I wanted to address them.  That will dovetail into the announcement I have.  The main jist of the criticisms are “why isn’t there more coverage for *** team.”  I understand the frustration with that.  I originally announced the site as a “Texas hockey site”, and it although the teams I cover on the site are Texas teams, the coverage is certainly disproportionate.

It may not help many to hear this, but I have to defend myself by first saying I’m only one person.  I’m a big hockey fan, but I’m also a man with a family, and a full-time job, and other things vying for attention in my life.  I do my best to cover the team closest to my area and cover them well, and I think I do that with the Allen Americans.  I would have liked to have given more attention to the Texas Brahmas as well, but I have to say I’ve had a lot of trouble getting help from their PR department in arranging game visits and news.

Originally, I envisioned recruiting some assistance with the coverage of teams that aren’t in my area, but the two people I’ve talked with regarding this have moved on to other things, and weren’t able to provide further content for me.  So, I’ve decided to make some changes.

Starting today, Big D Hockey will begin coverage of the Dallas Stars minor league system, and that will be it’s only coverage.  This means, you can come here for news about the Allen Americans, Idaho Steelheads and Texas Stars (in addition to some occasional commentary pieces about the Dallas Stars).  In addition to being a more manageable number of teams for me to cover, with all of whom I have good working relationships, it will allow “Big D” Hockey to kind of make more sense again.  Once a Dallas Stars blog, the name didn’t make as much sense when trying to cover all of Texas hockey.  I bit off a bit more than I could chew, and I think this plan makes more sense.

I’d really like to thank the teams and media departments with the Texas CHL teams that were very cooperative and helpful.  The Laredo Bucks, the Odessa Jackalopes and the Amarillo Gorillas were all great about giving me help with player insights and club news.

I’ve gone on long enough now – I hope you will all continue to come to the site and find out more information about the Dallas Stars and their affiliates.  I’m really very excited about this change, and I think it will make BDH a much more interesting site to visit.  Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I’ll see you at the games!

Discounted tickets are available by clicking here, and following the site’s instructions.  There are some pretty nice discounts available to you – for a $23 center-ice ticket to the February 15th game against the Texas Brahamas, you will only be paying $16.75.  That’s a 27% discount.

Now, not all discounts are the same.  Some games offer more of a discount than others, so click around and take a look at a few games.  The bottom line is:  you will always pay less than you would at the box office, just by following the link here at Big D Hockey.  I hope you’ll use it lots and go enjoy some good hockey!  I have to give a big thanks to the Allen Americans for making this possible.

This brings me to an e-mail I received a couple of weeks ago (I’ve been meaning to mention it, but with the holidays here in the U.S. and being on vacation, things were slid to the back burner). I’ll share with you the majority of it:

A few days ago, the NHL donated 6 autographed items (including an NHL hat signed by members of the 08-09 Dallas Stars team) in support of my new initiative: “The Hockey Volunteer” , which has been founded to bring hockey to kids in underprivileged parts of the world and share happiness and the virtues of hockey with them, one puck at a time.

This dream venture officially began less than a month ago, but for me, it unofficially began 2 years ago when I was hired by the New York Islanders to work on their Project Hope initiative that focuses on Northestern China. Through Project Hope I got to see first-hand how hockey can vastly improve the lives of children, and I want to share that joy with children all around the world.

The first destination I will be traveling to will be in Ladakh, a region in the Indian (disputed) state of Jammu and Kashmir (yes, Kashmir) in the Himalayas. Over the past few weeks, support has been pouring in from all around the real and digital world, as coverage and donations have been increasing.

Upon my return, I plan to rapidly work towards expanding this program, and applying for grants from foundations, NGOs, governmental bodies, and increasing support from the NHL and IIHF.

My website (http://hockeyvolunteer.blogspot.com) describes in detail why I am doing this (my motivations, passions, and why Kashmir), the links to the ebay auctions, and links to the websites that have already shown support.

The gentleman doing this, Adam Sherlip, is trying to raise funds through auctions on his site, and through donations. The more money he raises translates into more equipment for these kids (they’re in need of sticks & skates). He accepts donations straight through his website, and he’s listed all of the items donated by the NHL on eBay, along with an autographed, Olympic game-used stick of Team USA star Angela Ruggiero.

I hope you’ll all take a few minutes to visit his site and lend support to this worthwhile initiative. Visit him at his site and if you’re on Twitter, follow him. Think about how much hockey has changed YOUR life, and imagine bringing that joy to an underprivileged child. Good luck with your work, Adam, and keep us posted here at Big D Hockey!