Today when going through my daily morning blog, newspaper and other news-related readings I realized the time is finally upon us. It is the time that all hockey fans dread, a handful of weeks that we hope will pass faster than ever.

The weeks sandwitched between the Draft and the start of training camps are those devoid of excitement and suspense. Why? Because hockey’s vacation in the summer months. Even though free agency is upon us and development camp is just around the corner, my beloved sport takes a hiatus. There is no news, no inspirational postings. Empty is my day of the anticipation of an upcoming game that night.

I suppose that being a fan of the Hershey Bears, I have nothing to complain about on this front. We in central Pa have grown quite accustomed to long seasons and short summers. I think, however, that the excitement of winning The Cup makes the sudden drop-off in news and activity that much steeper. For weeks I have been flooded with reports from across the nation (and continent, actually) about our, well, greatness. Championshipness if you will.

But now…nothing. All is quiet on the hockey front.

So this begs the question: what do fans do in the offseason? Resume our daily life of work and try and find other ways to entertain ourselves? (Or perhaps I should say resume work for those of us who quit their jobs to fly to Texas to watch the greatest comeback the league has ever seen.)

I have never been more convinced that this is the very reason why baseball was created – to fill the hockey offseason with a sports distraction until the ice hardens once again.

In this spirit, go Braves and let the offseason pass as swiftly as the season always travels.

Sports superstitions extend across all genres of games and are practiced by fans and players alike. A hockey goalie and a quarterback go through drastically diverse warm up routines before a game, but it is likely that each has a very particular—and often quirky—pregame ritual.

Fans, in a futile attempt to believe that they can in some way affect the outcome of the game, have similar superstitions. Outlandish or ordinary, fans have done their part in ensuring their team a victory once these tasks are fulfilled. And if this particular ritual is not followed and their team loses, attribute the L not to poor play or a missed call, but to the fact that one aficionado did not throw away his ticket or wear the proper t-shirt.

Last Sunday the Hershey Bears did something that they have not done since Nov. 28—lose a game at home.

And, as fate would have it, last Sunday a fan close to my heart did something she has not done since Nov. 28—not have a Magic Hat beer before a home game.

Now it was not this fan’s blunder that a Magic Hat 9 was not consumed before the game. The Friday prior to The Loss she learned that the Giant Center was replacing her beloved beer with a less felicitous beverage. That’s when we knew the streak was in jeopardy.

The blessing of the Magic Hat was a windfall of sorts and was a tradition that garnered its roots in last year’s Calder Cup playoffs. The No. 9 started to be drunk at games; the Bears won. It continued to be consumed; the Bears won a Calder Cup.

The equation was as easy as one-plus-one. Drink Magic Hat. Win games. How dare a fan even consider breaking such a profitable tradition?

So the superstition lived on until Sunday, the evening that just happened to end a league-record winning streak.

Now those with a more, shall I say, reasonable mind would attribute the loss to more tangible circumstances. Poor refereeing, poor defense, an overall lack of energy by the home team, an opponent that has caused the Bears headaches all season. These are all logical reasons for the loss.

But superstitions are illogical, which is what makes fandom such an obsessive pastime. For the Bears sake, however, let’s hope that the curse of the Magic Hat was broken tonight. Or that some superstition is able to take its place before Friday night.

Last weekend, Hershey had a defenseman who notched five assists in two games. He is undrafted and was a free agent signing out of college at the beginning of this season.

That player is Zach Miskovic.

When Miskovic entered Washington’s development camp this past July, it was unknown where the blueliner would start his pro career. In an organization rich in defensive talents, it appeared that there might not be enough room in Hershey for Miskovic. Throughout the past couple of months, however, Miskovic has made a strong case not only to stay in Hershey, but to become one of the organization’s brightest new stars.

Miskovic learned to love the game of hockey form an early age. He grew up as a mini-rink rat in River Forest, Ill., following his brother around hockey rinks before finally learning how to skate himself. His father would take Miskovic public skating prior to watching the local high school hockey games.

Miskovic’s journey to the professional ranks began in Cedar Rapids, a junior team of the United States Hockey League. While the decision to leave home at 17 years old to play hockey was a difficult one for Miskovic, his three years with the team from 2002-05 turned out to be extremely beneficial. The defenseman received excellent instruction from Cedar Rapids head coach Mark Carlson and continues to train with RoughRiders’ strength and conditioning coach Dave Williams to this day.

“It was a tough decision to move away from home, but overall in the end I am really glad I went out there,” Miskovic recalls. “It really prepared me well for college as well as pro hockey.”

After spending three seasons at Cedar Rapids, Miskovic accepted an offer to play hockey and go to college at St. Lawrence University. The university was a perfect fit for him to develop both on and off the ice.

On the ice, Miskovic’s time at St. Lawrence transformed his playing style and opened a pathway that would eventually lead him to Hershey. When Miskovic played in the Illinois system locally before attending Cedar Rapids, he crossed paths with Chicago native Steve Richmond. Richmond, now the Capitals player development scout, followed the defenseman’s play through college and invited Miskovic to the Caps’ development camp following his freshman year.

“I grew up playing against and on some of [Richmond’s] teams, and he watched me play in college my freshman year,” says Miskovic. “He got in touch with me and asked me as a late invitee to the camp. Ever since then we have been in touch; he’s been following me throughout every season, just keeping tabs on me, explaining what I need to improve on and helped me out along the way. He just helped me develop alongside my college coaches.”

The instruction that Miskovic received at that camp revolutionized his approach to defense. Although playing multiple roles while in the USHL, Miskovic developed into an offensive threat on the blue line during his stay at St. Lawrence.

“They told me they wanted to see me be more offensive, as well as my college coach saying the same thing,” Miskovic says. “So being offensive just sort of became more consistent in my play throughout college. I consider myself a late bloomer. I knew I had offensive capability; it just became more prevalent in college.”

Miskovic took the instruction to heart, and his offensive numbers skyrocketed in his final two years at St. Lawrence. Following his junior season in 2007-08, Miskovic scored eight goals and 21 points. The following season, Miskovic notched 16 goals, tops among all NCAA defenders. During his senior year he scored five power play goals, was tied of the team lead in goals, and was a first team All-ECAC selection. Miskovic was also named the Saints’ MVP in his memorable final year.

“It was a great four years and a great group of guys I graduated with,” says Miskovic. “I have to give them a lot of credit. The coaching staff gave me a lot of opportunities. I was proud, but it’s a little bit of a sad moment to be leaving there.”

In a sport filled with injuries and missed games, Miskovic has been remarkably consistent. The defenseman never missed a game through his seven seasons with Cedar Rapids and St. Lawrence. He graduated from St. Lawrence with a school record 154 consecutive games played.

Miskovic’s excellent play at St. Lawrence along with his impressive performance at Washington’s 2008 development camp landed him a pro contract with the Caps following his senior year. While the 2008 camp solidified him a contract within the organization, it was this summer’s string of training camps that landed Miskovic in Hershey.

In an organization extremely deep in defensive talent, Miskovic knows that it is an uphill battle for an older rookie who has never been drafted. The blueliner impressed at camp, however, and has remained with Hershey since the start of the season. Despite being 24-years old and just entering the professional ranks, Miskovic recognizes that many players began their NHL careers as a free agent signee out of college.

“We have some really good skilled young defensemen,” says Miskovic. “Coming in as late as I have is a definite challenge, but it’s just a different path that a lot of players are starting to take these days. I see it as an even playing field; if they work hard, I work hard. It’s a good stepping stone to learn from each other and build and grow together. We’re all looking for the same goal —a chance to play in the NHL.”

Although new to the Washington organization, Miskovic has found himself at home in Hershey so far this season. Picking up where he left off offensively at St. Lawrence, Miskovic brought his offensive aptitude to Chocolatetown. The defenseman has eight points in 16 games, including notching five assists in two games this past weekend.

One of those eight points is Miskovic’s first professional goal that he scored against the Manchester Monarchs on November 7.

“It’s good to finally get that one definitely out of the way,” says Miskovic. “It was just a great play by [Keith Aucoin], I have to give him all the credit. I was just going to the net and he got me the puck, and all I had to do was put the puck in the open net. I was really gripping the stick hard to make sure I didn’t miss.”

Miskovic developed off the ice at St. Lawrence as well. Along with the hockey program, Miskovic chose the university because of their academics. Originally the blueliner wanted to study engineering, but the program required taking courses at rival Clarkson College, making it impossible to play four years of hockey with the Saints. Miskovic is interested in architecture and ended up double majoring in mathematics and fine arts in hopes of possible perusing his hobby further down the road.

“Maybe, possibly after the hockey career going I might back to school for two years if I’m still in the groove to do it and get an architectural degree,” says Miskovic.

At St. Lawrence, Miskovic became a key player in the community. Foreshadowing his future as a Bear, the defenseman assisted in a fundraiser all too familiar to Hershey fans— a teddy bear toss. Miskovic also donated his time to other charity events while at college.

Miskovic has brought this giving spirit along with his on-ice talents to Hershey. On his free days, Miskovic reads to local school children and volunteers in the Hershey area.

“I try to help out as much as I can here with community service going to read to kids at the local military base or classrooms at Palmyra,” says Miskovic. “I really enjoy that stuff and try to lend a helping hand to all of the kids. I really enjoy helping out as much as I can around here.”

If you were to come across Washington Capitals forward Mathieu Perreault on the street, a professional hockey player is probably not the first profession that would come to mind. Standing at 5’10 and weighing 174 soaking wet, his slight frame likens him to a shortstop instead of an NHL center.

If effort could be transferred into size, however, Perreault would stand taller than Zdeno Chara when on the ice.

Perreault was chosen by the Capitals with their last pick in the 2006 draft, the same class that brought Washington stars such as Nicklas Backstrom and Semyon Varlamov. The center made his first major imprint on the organization playing in the AHL with the Hershey Bears last season.

In 77 regular season games with Hershey, Perreault totaled 11 goals and 39 assists. He also played in every Bears playoff game in their run to capturing a Calder Cup championship.

Despite winning a ring with the Bears last season, Perreault attended Washington’s annual development camp in July. Mathieu showed experience and growth from his first camp fresh after he was drafted, and he impressed coaches and fans alike throughout the week.

From the QMJHL to Capitals training camps and everywhere in between, Perreault impresses not with his size, but with his unwavering energy and effort on the ice. The Drummondville, Quebec native made such an impact on the powers that be in Washington that he was recalled to the NHL Wednesday.

It might seem like a stretch recalling a player to the NHL who just months ago skated in the organization’s development camp, usually reserved for recent draftees. Anyone who has watched Perreault play nightly in Hershey, however, knows he brings his high energy game every shift. Appearing on the ice seemingly everywhere at once, Perreault often only appears as a speedy streak of maroon flying across the ice. His speed and tenacity combined with amazing hands makes Mathieu a threat on the ice.

Now the Capitals have experienced the magic that is Matty. Watching Perreault play in his past three games it is clear that the call up was warranted.

In his NHL debut versus the New Jersey Devils last Wednesday, Perreault assisted on both of Washington’s goals and finished a plus-two on the night.

While it was in the Devils game that Perreault produced the most points, last night’s game against Florida was his greatest performance to date. He recorded just 10:26 of ice time, his least so far, but provided a goal that changed the momentum of a close game.

Down by a goal entering the third period, Perreault scored his first NHL goal just over two minutes into the final stanza. His tally sparked a five goal comeback that led to a Capitals 7-4 victory.

Perreault’s stay in the NHL is predicated on the health of center Boyd Gordon. Out indefinitely with what the team has deemed back spasms, Perreault’s time with the Capitals is seemingly limited.

Perreault has certainly made it difficult for the Capitals to send him back to Hershey. He brings his gritty and energetic play every shift, and although he has yet to gain significant ice time Mathieu takes advantage of every opportunity he can.

And for a little guy, Perreault is certainly bringing his big game to the Capitals.

I have introduced LtL to the world of Twitter. You can follow me here: http://twitter.com/lightingthelamp

Hello, and welcome to Lighting the Lamp. To learn more about me and my interests, please visit the About LtL tab at the top of the page. Thank you for visiting!