[Red Slinger]

I've kind of been preparing myself for this for a while but it still stings. Like most of you in this thread and obviously elsewhere Leonard was part of my life, particularly during my most formative years. His music, poetry and books were part of my education as a young man, both formally and not. I feel like a little part of me is gone, and it also feels kind of selfish to even look at it that way. I never met the man but I did see him perform. But it wasn't his performance or writing that stood out, although they were both good if not great. His soul was aspirational and somehow encouraged other souls to aspire through his art. I was always touched that whether he was singing about love, death, sex, art, beauty, politics, pain or himself that he always did it with the voice of the soul, if that makes any sense. His art was unique in many ways and he had the singular ability to mingle in that twilight where the ethereal meets the real. It not only feels like we lost Leonard but also that we lost something else forever that I wish I could express. I'm sure he could.

The other messed up emotion I'm experiencing is much more personal. Inevitably when listening to his music I would think of another 82 year old, wise, playful, kind Jew: my dad. They even looked a little bit alike. So, I'm feeling a little weird about this at the moment. I'm going to have to give the old guy a hug and tell him I love him.

My apologies if this was too personal for a hockey forum. I didn't intend to give a eulogy, stuff just came out. I'm certainly going to miss him like I miss a passed love one, but in a more confused way. But what a life.