Hedberg Studying His Moose-Viking Forebears

Oh, the serendipities and ironies of life.

I complain all the time about how bland and unimpressive and just all-around Full of Fail the AJC is, but they pull out a rare Epic Win with this article, which might feature the greatest headline in the newspaper's history:

History and crime engross Thrashers goalie Hedberg

Oh YEAH! Clicking most eagerly and expecting a Dashiell Hammett-esque tale of Moose wrangling with gangsters, crooked cops and femme fatales in search of some lost priceless artifact, possibly a golden sheepherder's staff from tenth century Iceland, I was only slightly let down by the actual article. Only slightly because it turned out to be a reasonably interesting interview with our favorite Moose-Human about what he's been reading lately. As Mike Knobler (R.I.P.) reported long ago, Hedberg is quite the reader, especially on road trips. My favorite part of the interview:

Do the other Thrashers read much?

A few guys are reading, but a lot of guys are playing video games and cards. The reading bunch is a minority right now.

Educate them, Moose! If you can, that is. Some of your colleagues might be past the point of no return. Surely Enstrom is salvageable.

Reading on. I wonder why I find his answer to this question so interesting:

Do you ever read to unwind after a tough game?

Yeah, I do. Sometimes it’s the first thing I do when I get home or back to the hotel.

The idea of Johan Hedberg relaxing in a plush hotel room with a good book is the most comforting thing I can imagine. What does this mean?

One final note: Did you know there was such a thing as the Swedish Mafia? We can all learn something from erudite mooses.