On Monday night, I attended the Avalanche’s first preseason game of the year. Precisely one week before that, I was an hour away from boarding a flight back to Denver from Detroit to be back in town for the start of training camp. But I had no idea that a 30-minute conversation in those evening hours with the President of the National Hockey Now Network, Dan Kingerski, would lead me to where I am today.

It all came together that quickly.

Within a couple of days, I had accepted the job, Monday was my first day, and here I am, writing an introductory piece for the the many, many loyal followers of this website that my predecessor did an excellent job building.

It felt almost unreal to get my season credential during Monday’s morning skate and see Colorado Hockey Now written below my name. But the opportunity that presented itself was far too great to pass up. My seat in the pressbox is a few spots over, the credential might have a different outlet written on it, but the reality is, the job doesn’t change.

This is my sixth season on the Avalanche beat and I plan to do more of what I’ve done for a half-decade: Provide an inside look for the fans at the Avs’ journey toward the Stanley Cup. Complete with instant game analysis, thoughts from practice and press conferences, breaking news, and player assessments. I’ve also become a bit of an NHL encyclopedia over the years. I love diving back into past trades and analyzing player movement throughout the league. You can only imagine how exciting the trade deadline and free agency are for me.

I plan to also engage my wonderful readers with Q & A’s and I look forward to being involved in the conversations we’ll have in the comments section.

We’re all just crazy hockey fans after all.

For those who are just now getting to know me, allow me to introduce myself.

I was born in Canada to immigrant parents from Iraq and developed a love for hockey through my childhood years. By the time I was seven years old, the Avs were my favorite team and I suddenly became a crazed hockey fan who memorized player names, numbers, and stats during Colorado’s first golden era.

Funny enough, within a few years, my family moved to Detroit, where I spent several years making friends (and enemies) with hardcore Red Wings fans. Throughout high school, I took an interest in writing — eventually realizing that journalism was the route I wanted to take, and covering the Colorado Avalanche was the end goal. Things began to make sense in my head pretty quickly.

Eventually, I graduated from the University of Michigan with a journalism degree at just 19 years old and began to build connections in the hockey world. College was a rushed experience, but that’s fine. I wanted nothing more than to find my way to Colorado for this.

Fast forward to 2019, when I packed my life into the back of a truck and moved to Denver to cover the Avalanche for Mile High Sports. I had realized my childhood dream but it almost felt like a blur. Three years later, I was walking on the ice at Amalie Arena interviewing athletes who had just been crowned champions.

And here we are, again, less than three years since that memorable night in Tampa Bay. That 30-minute conversation with Dan last week seemed almost too quick at the time. But that’s been the theme for this entire journey. It’s all happened quicker than I had even imagined.

I just hope this next chapter captures your attention as much as it has mine.