THIS is why I play hockey

Monday morning open hockey was one of those sessions that makes me grin like an idiot behind my mask and just revel in how much I love playing hockey, and love being a goalie. The group of high-skilled guys who end up at our rink every summer when their partially-outdoor rink shuts down was there, as usual. I absolutely love playing with these guys, there's nothing more exhilarating than being in the middle of a really fast, really intense game. It always brings my level of play up a few notches. (Almost always. Sometimes I just flat out suck ass.) Also, it being a holiday, the benches were so full there wasn't room for me to sit on my off-shift. I know the skaters hate that, but I love it, because that means the intensity of the game doesn't wane over the course of the two hours as guys tire out.

The energy level was really high, GoalieHusband was out there with me, and I was kicking ass. So much so that Ringleader even complimented me towards the end of the session. That's high praise- he doesn't throw compliments around. I realized after my first shift what a difference attitude makes. Yes, I know, this is nothing new. I know GoalieBrain already knew this, but sometimes it just takes something to hammer it home once in a while.

On Friday morning, while I was on the bench waiting for my first shift, Ringleader was alerting the other D to one of the opposing forwards. "Don't let him shoot, and if he does, stay out of his way," he warned them. "He's got a pro-quality shot." Naturally, right after he said that, the guy let a blistering wrister loose. Okay, I thought. Duly noted.

Unfortunately, the warning to the D (and seeing evidence right afterwards) had the effect of making me play scared against this guy. I'd see him coming down the wing with the puck and flinch inwardly, thinking "oh shit...", and of course, he scored. Every time. (Well, every time but twice. Once I got lucky and it glanced off my shoulder, and once towards the end of the game I managed to get in front of it and not be killed.) But yesterday was totally different. When I saw this guy was there again, I resolved to specifically play him more aggressively than necessary, to overcome the fact that I was playing way too timidly against him.

It worked like a charm. First shift, the first shot I saw was from this guy. I stepped right up on him and made the save. The D in front of me said "wow! great save!" I was thinking it was a pretty routine save, but the fact that I'd grown some balls was what made it pretty cool. I took another shot from him again soon after, with the same result. I wonder now if that set the tone for the morning, and I played with more confidence because of that. I also had no worries rattling around in my head, for the first time in a little while, so I'm sure that made a difference as well.

Those guys are going back to their other rink soon, and I'm really going to miss playing with them. There's one guy in particular that is just amazing to watch. I didn't even know his name until this week, because everyone simply refers to him as "The Big Russian". Of the several Russians in this group, this guy stands out. He's huge. He looks like a pro out there, not only because of his skill, but because of his size. He's built like a brick shit-house, as GoalieHusband learned this weekend after unwittingly slamming into him and bouncing off like a sack of corn. (And GoalieHusband is pretty big himself). He sometimes wears a practice jersey from a KHL team, so I wouldn't doubt if he was in their system over there at some point. I know it's bordering on goalie sacrilege to be in such awe of a forward, but I could really watch this guy all day.

Oh, and I found out how old Ringleader really is: 57. Wow. I'll be happy if I'm playing for another 5 years. Still playing at 57? That would be awesome.