In April 2008, the Yahoo! Sports “NHL Experts Blog” – and what a gloriously hubristic name, that one – was rebranded as Puck Daddy when I was hired as its editor.

Was that the first choice for a name? No.

The first choice was “The Zamboni Pony,” but luckily I tricked my bosses into believing it was a trademarked term that couldn’t be used as the blog’s name, and thus avoided a life being called “The Zamboni Pony himself” on various radio hits.

Instead, I became “Puck Daddy,” even as I explained that it’s like how the guy from Hootie and the Blowfish isn’t named “Hootie.” Over and over again. Now, I see it as like being Doctor Who, in that the next editor of the site will eventually take the moniker and I’ll just go as Stick Father or something.

The blog quickly became one of the most popular in hockey, taking a frequently irreverent (and painfully American) view of the NHL and fan culture. I’ve been honored to cover significant events like the Stanley Cup Final, the Winter Classic and three Olympics. I’ve been thrilled to have a space to create and do interesting work, whether as an interviewer, a columnist or a podcaster. And I’ve been overwhelmed by the reaction to the site, both positive and critical, because it means what we’re doing matters to someone.

But most of all, I’m so satisfied that Puck Daddy is a platform to spotlight the work and views of others around the hockey world. Why should any of us be the lunatic on the soapbox when there’s so much more room on that soapbox for other lunatics?

To read some of the posts I’m most proud of from Puck Daddy, along with a few other bits of hockey writing on the digital side, head over to Clips.