I'm going to break some news to you that something my friends and family well know, but few E! News fans do: I am unusually obsessed with hockey.
The evidence of my icy disorder:
- I played college hockey and wrote a memoir about my season playing pro
- I still play pickup games whenever I can
- I watch the NHL Network more than any other sports channel
- Both my son and daughter play the sport
- I coach young goalies at the nearby ice rink
- I'm a member of the NHL's L.A. Kings entertainment advisory board
- You're as likely to see me at a hockey game as you are at a Hollywood party
Some people are shocked when they learn of my secret double life. For example, my E! News nightly update producer Dave has described this video of my first professional hockey win back in 2002 as "random and bizarre," perhaps finding my more popular celeb news maven TV persona too much of a clash with my more closeted after-hours hobby.
Even so, the fact remains that I am, before anything else, a hockey guy. I try to bring the competitive spirit, focus and determination I learned as an athlete to the daily battle that is making a living in Hollywood.
You E! News viewers should all just count yourself lucky that while I am bringing you the scoop, I never do it wearing a protective groin cup because, well, that would be extremely awkward. For all of us.