Show up at the hotel and argue with the staff about the room that you reserved back in November. Get it all sorted out. Go to your room and drop your shit in a corner. Put on your favorite hockey jersey and go find the bar! Look for the scruffiest characters there, yup, those animals. There they are, prime specimens of the species Beerinus Vectoralis (The Northern Separator) a rare breed of air traffic controller, approximately 400 in number, distributed from Anchorage down to California to Miami, to Newfoundland, parts of Europe and Russia. They are identified by their call: "Hey, get me another beer, dammit!" Actually, you will find these folks to be friendly and easy to talk to. What I like about the tournament is that a lot of us don't spend a lot of time talking about the job. I don't know about you but I get tired of explaining what I do for a living to people I meet. At least for me this is a welcome break. Many of the folks who spend time getting to know the people from the other teams build relationships that last a lifetime. When you have been going for a few years, it almost seems like you can start up a conversation right where you left off the year before. Anyway, if you are new there, tell folks where you are from and don't be afraid to join in. This is one of the few organizations I have ever come across which won't make you feel like an outsider, there are no cliques here. There are language barriers at times, but if you want to drink vodka with the Russians, you just go right up and ask them, you will only regret that the bed won't stop spinning the next morning!

Hockey comes way too early the next morning, even if your game is at noon! But no matter how you feel, you can't let the team down. Get that stinky gear on and hit the ice. The cold air will do you some good. Hopefully you know what happens during a hockey game so I won't go into the details. If not, you may want to think about another activity like a union convention or some other thing. After hockey, a lot of folks find time for a nap before heading out for more social activities, some of them organized by the tournament. That nap, by the way, is in a room with two sets of wet, reeking hockey gear strewn about the room, so choose your roommate carefully. Friday night is the banquet. I won't go into any details here, just have fun! Go home Saturday or Sunday, any later and the locals will buy you a ticket home.