Stanley and I decided at the end of last year to do a couple of dates, and we had so much fun we said let's make a commitment.

Last year was kind of a down year for us. We weren't out there for 200 dates last year, like usual. Don [Herron, the band's fiddle, pedal-steel and mandolin master] was off playing with Bob Dylan, Shaw was spending most of his time in Arizona, and I was in Nashville writing songs and doing my own thing.

Certain Stanley Cup traditions remain intact, including the handshake line between players who had been belting one another for a couple of weeks.

Stanley Cup hockey comes around every year, when games start to count in multiples of best-of-seven series, and the players seem to put more attention into every pass, every check, every annoying little trick.

There is no guarantee that Stevie is done this year. We just want to win the Stanley Cup. But if there is one thing that could motivate us more, it would be the opportunity to give Steve one more Cup before he goes out.

It was something I enjoyed doing and decided to give it a couple years, though I'm not making a lot of money now either!