12/12/2009

2nd Night of Hanukkah / Chanukah... 2009

On the old site, I used to do something to celebrate Hanukkah (Channukah, חנוכה). Last year, I revived the tradition by presenting 8 days of Mathieu gifts for the 8 days of the holiday. This year, I thought I'd pick a key part of the holiday (a tradition, a symbol, something of historical significance) to share... and connect it in some way to Mathieu.

So, with that said... I present to you gift number 2:

The most well-known Hanukkah fact? It's eight days long. Why? So goes the lore, when rededicating the Temple, there was only enough oil to light to the ceremonial candelabrum for one day. And it would have taken 8 days to get more. Miraculously, the small amount of oil lasted that long. That is why candles are lite for eight days. Ta da!

Here are some significant instances of the number 8 for Mathieu:
  • It was one of the many jersey numbers he's worn (with the Montreal Canadiens, 1990-1993)
  • He scored 8 goals in the 1991-1992 season
  • 1997-1998 was his 8th full season in the NHL
  • The Atlanta Thrashers was the 8th team of his NHL career
  • 2001-2002 was his 8th trip to the NHL playoffs
  • His first goal of the 1990-1991 season was the 8th goal of his career
  • He had an even 8 penalty minutes in the 2007-2008 playoffs
  • We was with Montreal for all or part of 8 seasons
  • His eldest daughter just turned 8 years old

An aside: For those who are interested, here is a neat "what you need to know about Hanukkah" story from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune: Spinning Tales: A Hanukkah Primer. And don't laugh at the graphic. That was the first animated gif I ever made, back in 1997 or so (using Claris Works clip art and a semi-legal copy of Photoshop). It was hot stuff at the time. =) And special thanks to Spencer for his advice and Hebrew spellings of things.

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