IT'S MY WIFE'S BIRTHDAY

KENNEBUNK, Maine -- So many of you that I've run into in my dozen years as a Guerilla Stringer have said to me, "Gee, Dan,...your wife must be a saint."

 Exactly what they mean by that, I'm not sure, but they are absolutely right. She is a saint.

St. Deb.

I am one of those very blessed men who married way above his head. WAY ABOVE IT. It's one of my missions in this life to make sure that Deb never finds that out. But she has super powers, so I guess she already knows.

It is her birthday today. Not 22. Not 32. Not 42. (Ah, what the heck....).  I've got a nice birthday dinner planned (she loves my leeks and prosciuto in lemon alfredo sauce) with three of our six kids on hand. Ssssshhhh. don't tell her.

In honor of her birthday, I won't be covering a game today (although I did have one offered to me). She puts up with my absenses with great Godly patience, so the least I can do is stay home at least one night out of the year.

I have much to be thankful for, but I'm not the only one.

Take Kenny Smith, for instance.

The rock solid defenseman of the Portland Pirates came within a whisker of having a major artery severed, last Sunday against Albany, when he took an errant skate to the side of the head.

Visions of Clint Malarchuk sprang to mind as a pool of blood collected around Smith's head on the Cumberland County Civic Center ice. 

But thanks to some exceptionally prompt treatment from Pirate medic Angel Soutuyo, the damage was limited to the wound near his ear which took about 60 stitches to close. 

It was just last Feb. 24, that another Pirate defenseman, Jordan Smith, took a deflected puck in his eye, which immediately ended his career.

These incidents hit close to home with Pirate coach Kevin Dineen, who was on the ice in Columbus when 13-year old Brittany Cecil was struck and killed by a wayward Espen Knutsen slapshot that ricocheted into the crowd.

"I saw a little girl get hit with a puck, and walk out of the arena," Dineen told me following the Kenny Smith accident. "Then we found out a few days later that she had passed away from that puck. That's why they have the (hanging protective) nets, now. So every time the puck goes in the stands, you get a little jolt, espcially now when I see something like (this) happen. "

At first glance, it appears that the city of Albany caved in to the Carolina Hurricanes in order to get the 'Canes to move their AHL farm club to the Pepsi Arena, next year.

For starters, the affiliation deal, which was announced yesterday, is just for one season, with two one-year options. Now it could be a Walter Alston deal. A series of 20-something one-year contracts. But this reminds me of the photos you see taken at the reception of a shotgun wedding.

Moreover, Albany officials had been reluctant to have a split affiliation, but guess what? The 'Canes have the option of inviting in another club to partner with, just as they are doing currently with Colorado in Lowell. That arrangement is likely to continue.

One thing that WON'T continue is Tom Rowe's involvement with the Lowell Lock Monsters. Rowe, who is a good guy with a clamp for a handshake, has been part of the Monsters ever since the first shovelful of earth was turned on the Tsongas Arena construction site. He's been coach, assistant coach, general manager, governor, and I think I saw him popping popcorn there once after one morning skate. Rowe, who will be on the second year of a two-year deal with Carolina, will coach the Rats in Albany next year.

Two nights back, I was in Lewiston for Game 6 of the Quebec League series between Halifax and the MAINEiacs. The Mooseheads ended Lewiston's season that night, scoring three third period goals on MAINEiac goalie Jonathan Bernier that should have been stopped.

Bernier graded out as the top domestic draft eligible goalie in the Central Scouting mid-year rankings. Moncton coach Ted Nolan told me earlier in the year that Bernier was the best 17-year old goalie he's seen in a long time. So it was especially painful to see him beaten the way he was.

It will be interesting to see if Bernier's stock remains the same when Central Scouting's final list is issued prior to the June Draft.  My guess is that he will have slipped, although one beneficiary of that could be the Boston Bruins, who should be thinking about drafting a goaltender with one of their two-second round picks. 

Tout les meilleurs! Time to get the cake.