I'm just back from my first game with my new hockey team - the Calgary Crunch! It wasn't an auspicious debut, we lost 3-1 and I was on the ice for the first two goals against but it was really good fun. I had to play defence which I took as a vote of confidence from the captain after our practice games that he didn't think I was totally useless, with luck I'll play on the wing in the future. The game was close and the other team were very well organised and playing at a pace I hadn't been near since I was 18. I was generally pleased with my performance and as a team we rallied magnificently in the final period, pulling a goal back and putting the opposition under all manner of pressure at the end. We even pulled the goalie with 45 seconds to go and threw on another forward - just like on the telly!

The great thing is that I think I've found the perfect team to play on. My team-mates are really friendly and they play with just the right attitude: they play hard but want to have fun so moaning about the refs/team-mates/the oppo seems to be at a minimum. We've got games pretty much every week so that should keep me in some kind of shape over the winter.

A new team means a new number however. My lucky number 10 has been bagged by an existing player. I've chosen #31 as that is the sum of my parents' birthdays: 13 May + 3 October. Let's hope that brings me some luck in future.