I’ve only won in the lottery once. It was 1982, and I won 85 Finnish markka. It was so much money that even though it was pouring, I rode my bike to the post office to collect it. I’m not surprised that I haven’t won since, though. The last time I bought a lottery ticket was in 1984.

The iPod shuffle is like lottery, and I think I won last night. I was on my way to a hockey game and decided to do the shuffle. And I hit the jackpot. Here are the seven songs I got, and I didn’t even have to jump over any songs. This is gold.

1. Ghostbusters
The movie came out in 1984, and I was in high school. I totally fell in love with the Ghostbusters, had a major Bill Murray period (even did the silly Peter Venkman hop/dance for a while), and developed a habit of drawing the Ghostbusters logo on the blackboard (they were still blackboards) before most of the classes. At least once a day.
This song took me from home to the subway station which is proof of what a great tune it is. It usually takes me 8-10 minutes to walk to the subway, but this song is only 4:03.
Now, who are you gonna call?

2. Hungry Heart
This again, takes me back to high school. I missed it when it was the first single off Bruce Springsteen’s “River” because I was too busy being all new wave/rockabilly rebel in Finland. I know, doesn’t really mix, but I pulled it off. My best friend was upset with me because I turned from a 50s rock’n’roll dude and wanna-be Fonzie to a new wave fan over a weekend. That’s what a hockey team’s road trip can do to you.
However, two girls in our class, Tiina and Asta, played “The River” in the classroom as part of their obligatory annual presentation on a free ranging topic. The River sent me to Hungry Heart… “and I just kept going.”

3. Lucky
I have nothing against Britney Spears, but I am not a huge fan, either. I was surprised myself when I was listening to this one.
“She’s so lucky, she’s a star/But she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart, thinking/If there’s nothing missing in my life/Then why do these tears come at night”. Now, if that’s not a cry for help, what is? My listening to the song? Ha, ha. Very funny.

4. Pretender
Not the great one. Aaaaahh … back in high school. Even though Hanoi Rocks is a Finnish band, i was first introduced to them in, that’s right, 1984, when we had a Canadian exchange student living with us. Terry left after the summer of 1985, but Hanoi Rocks stayed.
I have a very vivid memory of taking a math exam, walking out of the classroom and getting this song in my brain.
When I was in New York last November for a profile on Henrik Lundqvist (yeah, it’ll be out soon), the immigration officer took a look at my passport, then smiled and said: “Oh, Hanoi Rocks country. Cool!”
Then we agreed that Mike Monroe is the best rock singer ever to come out of Finland. Ever.

5. Without Expression
When Tiina and Asta had had their presentation, I went to Kempas. Mika Kempas, a guy in our school who had all Springsteen albums. And Huey Lewis and The News. And John Cougar Mellencamp. He was still Cougar back then.
Kempas and I would sit in the first row in our psychology class and compete in making anagrams of words we found in the book. In the afternoons, we’d listen to music. I borrowed “Scarecrow” from Kempas, and found Cougar.
This song actually made my playlist in the late 1990s when I was courting my ex-girlfriend. She’s my wife now.

6. Faith
“Well, I guess it would be nice/If I could touch your body/I know not everybody/Has got a body like you.” Back in 1984, I secretly – that is, without telling the guys on the hockey team – bought Wham’s “Make It Big.” George Michael is simply a genius, and not only because I danced to “Careless Whisper” with Kata on our prom night. I loved “Make It Big”, but apparently, our dog, Riku, didn’t. He puked on the cover.
“Faith” came out when I was already in college and it was universally agreed that George Michael is a genius. This is actually an album I don’t own, but it’s on his greatest hits album which I do have. Ya gotta have faith-ah!

7. Urgent
Not the best song on the album – “Break it up” is – but a fine tune that I blasted off the stereo of my first car: a baby blue Volkswagen Beetle, year 1966. And the stereo of my second car. And the third. And fourth.
The Foreigner album, “4,” that this one is on, is one of the great “four” albums. Like Led Zeppelin’s “IV”, and Toto’s “IV”.

And then I was at the rink and saw a man with a body like mine play pro hockey.