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Colliton Interview

Tuesday April 22nd - It's 3 a.m. and my truck is absolutely jammed with everything I have to bring back to Alberta. Hopefully I didn't forget anything, but at this point I don't think it matters because I could not fit another thing in here. I'm hoping to make it through Chicago, IL before their rush hour and while it's going to be close, I think I can do it. Murphy's Law applies because while 3:30 a.m. should be early enough to avoid New York traffic but instead, I run into a massive traffic jam on the I-95 around Norwalk. Traffic is stopped in ten-minute increments and then we go a mile at normal speed before being stopped again. This pattern continues for almost an hour before I get off and am able to drive on Main St. in Greenwich for quite a while. Somehow I am able to get around the traffic and its clear sailing the rest of the way through the city.

3 p.m. Central Time - After brief stops for gas and a bite to eat at one of the various rest stops on the I-80, I approach the Metro area of Chicago. I've decided to avoid I-90 and I-94 through Chicago so I switch to I-294 just near the outskirts. This uneventful part of the trip is usually the most stressful. Thankfully I am able to navigate successfully through the suburbs with the only hiccup coming in the form of paying a toll that I didn't have to and taking an extra 15 minutes to get back on the Interstate. I'm hoping to get to Madison, Wisconsin in time to watch the two Stanley Cup Playoff Game 7's between the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers in the East and the Calgary Flames and the San Jose Sharks in the West. I can finally breathe a big sigh of relief as I have Chicago in my rearview mirror.

8 p.m. Central Time - I'm checked into my hotel in Madison, WI and I've managed to find a restaurant that's showing the games. I have a big steak and even though it's not Alberta beef, it's still pretty good. I watch the first game as Philadelphia wins in overtime and then the first two periods of the Calgary game before I go to bed. It's been a long day.

Wednesday, April 23rd – Today went really smooth, as I woke up at 8 a.m. Central Time, ate breakfast quickly and got on the road. I didn't really have anything eventful happen to me except I covered a lot of ground. I drove from Madison, WI to Dickinson, North Dakota. So, because uneventful is boring, I'll tell you what I did to pass the time. First of all, I just got XM Radio for my truck. The major reason I purchased it was because I heard George Strait was getting his own channel for two months. So basically I listened to that channel for the entire 40 hours. The only time I changed it was when I was listening to the hockey channels, and that was only 15 minutes at a time before I'd get irritated and go back to George.

Also, I had several welcome phone calls with a few of the boys, which always helps the miles go by. Blake Comeau phoned me while Bruno Gervais was chirping me in the background. Those French I tell ya! Tim Jackman called to talk playoffs, and I also got the "I'm almost home" texts, calls from B.C. boys Matt Keith and Jeff Tambellini, respectively. Even though the season is over, it’s always special to hear from your teammates.

Thursday, April 24th – I'm up at 7:30 because of the time change and so I figure I might as well get going. I go downstairs for the continental breakfast offered by the hotel I’m staying in and then head out to my truck. As I'm checking my tires I see that my back left tire is flat as a pancake. Lovely. I have a CAA card (same as AAA for you Americans) so I call for a tow-truck to change my tire. It's absolutely freezing outside so I go back inside the hotel and wait for the tow-truck to arrive. It's almost nine before I get on the road but I'm just grateful that I made it to the hotel last night because obviously I'd hit something yesterday.

2 p.m. Mountain Time - I decided to take a different route this year, I usually go through Montana but this time I decided to take a different road. It's called the Montana Hi-Line also just Montana Number 2. It's a nice drive, with lots of farmland and ranch country, and not many other vehicles on the road, which makes the drive easy. I can just enjoy my XM channel #17, Strait Country.

6 p.m. Mountain Time - I ended up having trouble at the border because my contract is up and I have Connecticut plates on my truck. Luckily, the border agent was helpful and I only ended up being delayed 45 minutes or so. Once in Alberta, I can turn off my navigation system because I know this country well. Going through Lethbridge and onto Blackie, where I stop at my parents and say hi because they haven't seen me since Christmas. From there I arrive at my house in Calgary at about 9:30 p.m. and the adventure is over.