That was the biggest surprise for us. I really thought there might be a protective effect of learning to check early.... That's what lots of hockey players said. That's why they started the pilot project. It was actually intended to make the kids safer.

Learning to check earlier didn't mean they had fewer injuries later.

It's certainly part of the hockey culture.

I thought Ben has gotten better and better each week. The biggest thing with Ben is just learning the basics of offensive line play. He never really played that much offensive line, but he was born to be an offensive lineman. He has a bright future in this game. He's such a good person; he works hard, and he's smart.

I thought there would be a little learning curve, but they're athletic, they're strong, they all jump really, really well. They're not playing like freshmen. They're not playing like freshmen at all. They're going to be scary in the next few years … I'm including this year in the next few years.

I expect a guy to think of something creative and interesting. He needs to put some thought into it instead of buying just a box of chocolates. A girl appreciates it more if he tries.