Have you ever noticed that every time we leave town for an overnight trip, Waterloo Region gets blasted with snow? I remember after our first trip to the Soo, cleaning off my car in the parking lot at The Aud at 6:30 in the morning after riding the bus all night. Spotter helped me clean my car off that morning. How many OHL head coaches would do that?

This time around, we couldn’t dodge the bad weather ourselves. It was quiet to Kingston but, as we left Belleville for Ottawa after the game on Saturday night, we were in a steady rain. By the time we reached Ottawa, it was a steady snow and the nation’s capital was every bit a winter wonderland this morning. We’re making great time on the way home now. The roads are clear and the mood is lighter after a solid effort in an overtime loss to the 67’s.

A lot of familiar faces on this trip. Branden Morris, despite being out with an injury, hopped on the bus in Belleville to say a quick hello before the game with the Bulls. I got to chat with Mike Mascioli, who’s feeling the way all junior players feel as the end of their overage year is in sight. Mike was always one of my favourite interviews. He’s well-spoken and gives thoughtful answers. He hasn’t changed and we had a good chat on Saturday. Mike is just hoping for a playoff berth to extend this ride just a little bit longer. And in Ottawa we chatted with Shane Prince as the June draft approaches and he approaches 90 points on the season. Of course, who could forget Neil Hoch? He was part of the training staff here in Kitchener before taking the reins with the 67’s. A genuinely good person…who now also happens to be 4-0 against the Rangers as a member of Ottawa’s organization.

Since we only visit these cities once a year, I guess it stands to reason that Gabriel Landeskog was the main attraction. I honestly lost count of the number of media requests he was inundated with. I had him scheduled for our postgame show today, too, but I figured he’d had enough. Gabriel signed autographs for all who asked and that made him the object of some good-natured chirping from his teammates. As Matt Tipoff boarded the bus to come home, he called out, “It must be nice to be famous, eh Gabe?” Yup, it’s tough to be in the spotlight. Gabe seemed to take the weekend in stride, though.

We’ve got a packed bus coming home and I’m pretty sure Eric Ming is reading over my shoulder as I type. Should I say something mean about him? Actually, forget being mean. If any of Eric’s former teachers are reading this, you should know that the native of the Ottawa area used to play hooky from school to go skating on the Rideau Canal. But it was his mom’s idea. That’s all I’ve got. Besides, how can I chirp a guy that scored another goal this weekend? And a nice one to boot.

At least one good movie on this trip so far. We just finished “127 Hours.” That was one of the best movies I saw last year. I recommend it, if you’re into good movies. Hey, maybe if the hockey thing doesn’t work out, I could become a movie critic. “Reviews From The Road” — we can shoot it on a bus. I think it’s a pretty good gimmick. Plus, I just checked with Minger. He agrees that “127 Hours” was a good movie. That would make the review “two thumbs up.”

We should be rolling into Kitchener a little after 10 PM. Home sweet home. It’s funny how long a 3-day trip can feel.

See you at the rink.