Attrition and injury are painful things.

Got word from my top forward a month ago that he'll be out the remainder of the season after a non-hockey related concussion he received back in September. I'm already down my top D until January with a torn knee ligament from last spring. Lost my number two forward to torn knee ligaments the week before Thanksgiving (US version). Number three D is basically down with a shoulder separation. Two more shoulders, several suspensions and a team rules violation left me with barely 3 lines of forward and 4 D, two of which are actually F's, for this past weekends games against our cross town rivals. My third line had guys that were in and out of the lineup all year, none of which had seen regular ice time. It was a home at home series, which means I only get last change for one of the nights.

The response from the players was remarkable. My 3rd line was only a minus 2 for the weekend, which was a victory in my book. We won both games, 4-3 and 5-4, amassing 9 goals from 6 different scorers. That's a terrific turn around from a team that has struggled to find the back of the net for the month of November. One more game to go before Christmas break. I think it's these moments that make you proud of your team.

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Shows that if you compete hard and manage the puck well good things happen. Congratulations.