Binge-Watching and Hangovers in the Lounge

I'm back behind the bar, so to speak, having finally caught up with the games of this season.

Taking an extended trip across southern Europe two weeks into the new NHL season is not the best way to drop the puck. When I left, the Kings had lost their first three games, prompting concerned Lounge patrons to ask in person or write me about the reasons for the deep dive: Darryl Sutter's message not getting through, age catching up and passing many of the Kings, lack of talent, gravity (what was once up must come way down).

When I returned, the Rangers had come back to the pack along with the Canadiens. The Ducks and much of the Pacific Division were engaged in an extended slumber and the Kings, well, they were in the lead of the conference and playing a style of game that had them causing others to look at them with some amount of respect rather than disgust.

Quite a turnaround. But for me, being away from the game and the continent for almost a month, this meant I had to get back in the game with extended shifts.

And just to mix things up a bit more, I cut the cable cord. (More on that later).

With a renewed commitment to the game and a superior Internet speed plan, I went through a lot of games in one sitting. (The great thing about Game Center Live is that the day(s)-old games come without commercials. And the between-period nonsense can be sped through easily. Hence, block out some time and three games are done.)

And, here is a nice little nugget in all of this, I have rediscovered my love for hockey on the radio, or at least, a radio broadcast delivered over the Internet. Game Center Live does not have blackouts for radio casts, which means I can listen to any game live. And I can listen to them as described by either team's announcer. And in the case of Ottawa and Montreal, I can listen in French, should I choose. (One last parenthetical item, I hope. Nothing beat a playoff broadcast last season on Montreal's English radio cast. An ad for the pharmacy chain Jean Coutu is delivered with the proper amount French inflections for the the store name, the street names and cities that surround Montreal. All fine, in my book. More power to the English speakers who can dip into another language with some ease. But after the ad runs, the intro to the between-periods show, sponsored by Jean Coutu, lets you know that Chris Nilan would be give his thoughts on the period. From there, you get mangled French names and, for that matter, English names and terms properly mangled to suit those who grew up in New England. What a treat.)

There is a lot to listen to out there. And for the rest of the season, I will give you some tips on what to listen to. No quarters needed.

And here's one final tip. Trader Joes' Triple Ginger Brew and Trader Joe's Kentucky Bourbon is a fine, cost-conscious bourbon and ginger combination for the winter. Just make sure that you refrigerate the heck out of the Triple Ginger Brew, perhaps to help avoid some issues with bursting bottles.

To be safe, I wore what could be described as a modified bomb disposal outfit -- for those of a certain age, recall Ralph Kramden of "The Honeymooners" with a makeshift spacesuit made of pots, oven mitts, chest protector, etc. -- and opened three bottles with no problems.

Yes, I'm going that extra mile to bring hockey, and an endless pour of bourbon and ginger, to you this season.

The Lounge is open.

As I Get Older, Life Gets Better

It was April 5, 1978. I may have been a particularly tough day at school, or not. That I do not remember.

What I do remember was being tired of reading. I just wanted to rest my mind a bit, but I was not sleepy. I decided to grab my headphones and fire up my stereo. But not music. This time, I would work the dial and find WCCO-AM.

There I was, plopped in my bed, basking in the blue light coming from my stereo tuner. I was listening live to the last game of baseball's Opening Day, Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners. I, a 16-year-old on a Wednesday night in small-town Colorado, had nothing better to do than pull in a night game from the Kingdome. (Go ahead, click on the link and then click on "VIEW GAME" on the top right corner of your screen.)

It was not quite a transistor radio experience that many now talk fondly of. And with headphones, it is pretty tough to do anything but stay flat on your back and stare at the ceiling.

That was then. Now, I can take my phone and watch a late hockey game from the coast.

Last night, it was the Edmonton Oilers at the Los Angeles Kings. In full color and sound.

A much better experience, even though the Kings could have bothered to bring their offense to the Staples Center on Thursday night.

The screen of my iPhone is not the same as the roaring HD big screen in the Lounge, or even the medium HD screen, but it gets the job done when you want to just drop out of sight for a while and watch your game from the comforts of a big bed, big pillows and big blankets (you forgot to mention blankets, Mr. Gabriel).

The NHL's GameCenter Live package allows subscribers to watch games on desktops, laptops, smartphones, iPads and, I assume, other tablets. For those with one TV set dedicated to the locals, the GameCenter Live option allows for more screens for today's modern household, which I assume contains a smartphone and tablet as well as a desktop or laptop, or both. GameCenter Live also serves as a DVR and archive service for games.

On a second note, certain cable providers allow you to turn use your smartphones and tablets to watch all the channels you can get on TV, so long as you are within your house.

Either way, the smartphone as a hockey TV allows you to one up on those who could only get the audio when they sneaked a transistor radio into bed with them to catch the late game. You get video, and in the big picture, that just made life that much better. Much better than the "VIEW GAME" baseball experience, which can be fun, but is not anywhere near the same.