There are three things in life that Syracuse Crunch forward Eric Neilson admits can cast shadows into his otherwise sunny world.

He hates cold, soggy McDonalds french fries. That’s his favorite brand of the junk food, but apparently a couple of times he got them home and found his order drained of heat and crispiness. Yuck.

Putting gas in his vehicle brings him down, too. More specifically, filling it up in the United States. The stations in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where Neilson comes from, let customers pump the gas first and then pay, opposite of the routine here. Neilson is a trusting soul and he likes it when others see the good in him that he finds in them.

And shaving. That’s an obvious one when you look at Neilson’s bearded face. He hates cutting head hair so much that this year he promises to let his coif grow unfettered all season long.

That’s it. The full list of irritants in Neilson’s life, or at least all those he’ll burden others with.

Scratch away at what should be an obvious mood-wrecker – such as limited playing time – and you might as well try to puncture a puck with a Q-tip.

Neilson, 29, soaks his limited role as a Crunch enforcer and fourth-line grinder in his infectious optimism. He played in just 39 games for Syracuse last year and has dressed in only one of the Crunch’s first five games so far this season.

Yet Tampa Bay values him as a classic energy guy, someone who knows how to turn the happy, motivational vibes in the locker room up to full blast. And Neilson has a reciprocal appreciation of the organization. As a free agent last summer he said he had opportunities to sign elsewhere but once Tampa Bay made him a pitch there wasn’t a chance he was changing jerseys.

“I obviously want to play. You want to help the team in any way possible,” Neilson said. “I’m 29 years old. I can still step on the ice and work my (behind) off in practice.”

As an ambassador of cheer, Neilson has value far beyond that of another practice body and sometimes-watchdog. After practice Thursday he shared a half-dozen tips on how to live life with a laugh:

– Be patient

“One thing I learned early on in life is understanding what you can control and what you can’t. Every day you have a choice. It gives you a more positive outlook.

“I don’t control if I’m in the lineup every night. All I control is how I react after that.”

– Create your own positive surroundings

“I like to treat others the way I’d like to be treated. I’m a big believer in that. Then you create good relationships.

The good people are in your life. Then you are hanging around good people. You are in a happy place.”

– Have a short memory

“You have to learn, as a professional hockey player, to turn that page. I don’t hang on things. I let them go and I move on.”

– Exploit the moment

“I live day-to-day. I’m very spontaneous. What if tomorrow never comes? Live today to the fullest. If you say you are going to do something, do it.”

– Don’t spread the gloom

“Nobody has good days all the time. For me, it’s having that conscious effort, when I’m having those bad days, to not show it.

“Other people feed off (negativity). It’s just like positivity. It’s so much more fun to be laughing and smiling and enjoying life.”

– Make the lives of others better

Neilson is a one-man dynasty when it comes to community work. His charity efforts have earned him his team’s man of the year award for each of the last five years, and with five different teams.

“You don’t do it for recognition,” Neilson said. “That’s what makes me happy. I get enjoyment out of seeing someone laugh, or helping anyone with any simple, stupid thing.”