Tracking my route to Columbus actually goes all the way back to the beginning of last season in Ottawa.

I was looking for a long-term deal. It wasn't happening because they wanted to sit on it and wait a little bit. As the year went on, and we got close to the trade deadline, I started wondering about my possibilities of being traded.

Loving it -- off the ice

For starters, the city itself is fantastic. I live 15 minutes outside of town, and it's very spread out, which is my lifestyle. I don't want to open up my side window and look into my neighbor's house. I like the room between houses, and that's what we got here in a town called Powell. Then, schooling was a major issue. We have kids, and my oldest one was going into first grade. I was very concerned about schooling, and my wife, as soon as we thought about Columbus, she got on the internet and started looking at schools in the area and read up on them. Having two boys, hockey was an issue, too, because we wanted them to play. We looked at the minor hockey system, and we were extremely pleased with that, too. -- Ron Tugnutt

Sure enough, it happened -- which was a big surprise to me -- but I went to a place (Pittsburgh) that I really enjoyed. It was a great change for me. The Penguins organization was outstanding for me. The players and the playoff run we had was something I was definitely looking for, so I was pretty excited about that opportunity.

But after the season, I knew this was probably going to be my last contract. I felt the most important thing was to take care of my family, and to do that I needed a long-term deal.

I was hoping to re-sign with Pittsburgh, but they had Jean-Sebastien Aubin, who is a very good, young up and coming goalie who they didn't want to hold back for three or four years. So therefore, they felt they wanted to sit and wait until after free agency and see if I didn't get any takers. Then, they could get me at their price -- more or less.

Come the beginning of July, the phone started to ring, and we had a few options to look over. Then, I got a call from Doug McLean to come to Columbus and take a look at the city. He called it a diamond in the rough and said I'd be really pleased with the city.

We flew down to Columbus on July 3, and I signed on the fourth. The city was fantastic, and they gave me exactly what I was looking for. I looked at the roster and talked to Doug -- I really felt that this was the right place for me.

Yes, they offered me the most years, and because of that, they offered me the most money. But we hadn't really even gone back to other teams. It happened in four days, so obviously, it happened quite quickly. But I looked around and looked at the available jobs for first-string goalies, and this was the best situation to get ice time as well. At the time, Sean Burke was trying to find a job. Garth Snow was trying to find a job. I didn't want to lose the opportunity of getting this contract in Columbus.