It's a good thing I don't have anything important to do today, because I've just wasted a fair amount of time reading through my own blog, looking for a post that I know is there somewhere, but I'll be damned if I can find it. It's one in which I mention talking to a young girl in the "women's locker room", a kid who was maybe about 12, and was getting dressed in ref's gear. I admired her gumption and then realized her dad was one of our (at the time) drinking buddies, who is also a ref. I've searched on "daughter", I've searched on "dad", "kid", "open hockey", "referee", all to no avail. I've been looking for it because I ran into her again today when I came off the ice after open hockey. I barely recognized her- it's been quite a few years since that day, and I think she's about 17 now. In fact, I only had a vague "I think I know this girl" feeling until she started talking and said her name in a story about how she can't hide in her room away from the relatives for very long before someone calls for her. Hopefully she didn't notice that until that point I wasn't exactly sure who she was, but she is quite a talker so maybe she didn't pick up on it. She did say that she always liked asking "older adults" what made them start playing hockey. "So, what made you start playing?", she asked. Damn. Thanks, kid.
Feeling old was apparently the theme of the day though. I'd completely forgotten this morning when I was scraping my windshield in the dark, getting ready to head to the rink, that duh... it's Thanksgiving. Which means all the college kids are home from school. It's probably a good thing, too, or I would have psyched myself out. I played a mediocre game. I had some pretty good saves, but I had some craptastic goals as well. I think the problem was mostly timing. A couple of those guys had the puck on their stick for about a nanosecond before letting a shot loose. I was the only goalie though, so I guess it was better than no goalie at all. And as such, I switched ends every ten minutes.
You know I hate that. I hate to admit it, but I get all mixed up when I have to do that. If I have a shift on the bench in between it's not too bad. But going right from one end to the other gets all my wires crossed and sometimes I have to remind myself that the other guys are the bad guys now. In fact when we were warming up, I saw a guy in a burgundy Spartak jersey, and thought about this incident from several years ago. Wouldn't you know it, I did almost the same damn thing, and even worse, it was the same damn guy! (Has to be. I've only ever seen one guy in a Spartak jersey, but he seemed a little young so maybe he was borrowing it). I'd started out in net for dark, and then switched to the light side after 10 minutes. I saw Mr. Spartak coming down the boards towards me, and forgot he was my enemy. Fortunately, it probably looked to everyone else like I just didn't get to my post fast enough- he fired and it hit my calf as my brain went "OH! Shit!" and I moved, too slowly, over to the post. Hopefully no one heard me yelling "got time" to him just seconds before that.
Seriously. What the hell is wrong with me. I don't get it. It's really embarrassing to be confused that easily. At least this time it was nowhere near as blatant. But I think it might have also had something to do with the fact that it was the same guy. My brain was already in that "hey remember the time you gave the puck up to the wrong guy?" mode so maybe that made it more likely to happen. Who knows. I also haven't played open hockey in an eon, so was kind of out of that rhythm. There's another session tomorrow morning, and as of now I stupidly plan on going to that one as well. I'm only on one team this year, so am on the ice once, maybe twice a week, as opposed to 3 or 4 times. I need to keep up the momentum or I'll get really out of shape. As it was, I was pretty gassed today after only an hour.
Part of that is my own fault. I've gotten extremely inconsistent lately with my workouts. In fact I feel like I'm letting Maria down. I don't know why, I just don't have the motivation or follow-through that I used to have. So I've taken her advice and made a list of my goals. I'm going to do it each week, and I'm admittedly starting pretty small this week. (The theory is, if I start small I won't scare myself off). The only problem is, I wrote "GOALS" at the top of the page... and then thought hey wait a minute. "Goals" are kind of the opposite of what I'm trying to achieve here. So I crossed it out and wrote "TARGETS". This week my goals are to stretch every day, and either work out or play hockey every day from now until Sunday. So here it is. If I'm not on the ice tomorrow morning, my ass better be in the gym. Sunday night I'll make a list for next week. This better work, because I'm pretty fed up with myself and my lack of motivation.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Why pre-game routines are important!!!
If you follow me on Twitter, you know that a few weeks ago, I let my gear out of my sight and it ended up hanging out at the rink unsupervised for a while, prompting me to vow never to let anyone else handle my gear again. It was an innocent mix-up, but still, I was very angst-ridden until "eco_panda" came to the rescue, stashing it aside and threatening bodily harm to anyone who touched it. (Actually I'm not so sure about the bodily harm part. But knowing her, she did). You'd think that would teach me to keep better track of my equipment, no? Well apparently it's not just other people I have to worry about.
I'm very particular about how and when I pack my stuff before a game. Any variation from this routine usually ends in disaster. Yesterday afternoon I didn't follow my regular steps and wouldn't you know it, I forgot something. Something really important. Unfortunately I didn't realize it until it was much too late.
I was half dressed, sitting in the locker room, when a feeling of unease came over me. "Something's not right", I said. A few people looked at me askance. "Did you forget something?", someone asked. I replied that I hadn't, but something just didn't feel right. Something about my gear. The girl to my right, who is new on the team, blurted out "Goalies!", then laughed and apologized and looked guilty. She explained that her ex-boyfriend was a goalie and I reassured here that I understood. Trust me, I know we're kind of out there. I shook off the weird feeling and continued getting dressed, and all was fine until I stood up to head out of the locker room and grabbed my mask, blocker, and .... wait a minute. OH MY GOD I FORGOT MY GLOVE. Panic set in. How was I going to play without a glove???? I ran (ok, no one runs in goalie pads... I hobbled quickly) out of the locker room and told GoalieHusband about my idiocy and asked him to check with the other goalie to she if she had an extra. And then I took off in the direction of the front desk in hopes there was some random gear lying around.
There was, but it was all for kids. I have small hands, but not that small. Someone suggested I talk to the guy in the pro shop. I was aboslutely mortified - what goalie forgets their freakin equipment? He didn't have anything either but offered me his own skater's glove. "I don't know if you want it, it's falling apart..." he said. I didn't care- the teams were already on the ice at that point, and the refs had waited as long as they were willing, and play had started. I grabbed the glove and headed back to the rink. I figured it was better than nothing, at least some protection for my hand.
Threadbare doesn't even begin to describe this thing. In fact when I handed the ref the puck after I'd covered it, he laughed at me. There was no palm. At all. The fingers were barely hanging on. It took every bit of effort to hold my fist clenched and by my side instead of holding it out in normal glove position. I figured I'd use it like a second blocker, Dan Blackburn style. That worked pretty well and that's how I played for the next period and a half. GoalieHusband had left to go to a teammate's house and get a glove from her husband, who just started playing goal. It was the 3rd period by the time he got back with it, but I used it anyway- the more protection the better.
The game itself was unusual as well. The team we were supposed to play backed out (which they do a lot) so we had the QCat "white" team come play. We split the teams up though, to make it more even. I can't even tell you who won or lost, because the other goalie and I switched sides at one point. All I know is, the other side pulled their goalie in the last half minute, and they evened up the score with 1.9 seconds remaining. We went to a shootout and I lost that too. The first shooter scored. I knew exactly what she was doing too, but I completely overthought it. I may also have been slightly rankled because she did the Anisimov gunshot gesture toward me before she took center ice. I decided not to bitch at her about it though, because she scored. Not much I can say- if it was a distraction tactic apparently it worked. Still, I am pretty peeved that someone on my own team would do that. I guess she thought she was being "cute", but I still think that's B.S.
Because of the holiday we have no practice this week. I've been on the ice way too infrequently lately, so I intend to make my annual appearance at the shit-show that is Thanksgiving Morning Open Hockey. That one's always good for a post-game blog post if nothing else.
PS - Here's a picture of the glove I wore for most of the game. You can see why I kept my hand balled in a fist!
I'm very particular about how and when I pack my stuff before a game. Any variation from this routine usually ends in disaster. Yesterday afternoon I didn't follow my regular steps and wouldn't you know it, I forgot something. Something really important. Unfortunately I didn't realize it until it was much too late.
I was half dressed, sitting in the locker room, when a feeling of unease came over me. "Something's not right", I said. A few people looked at me askance. "Did you forget something?", someone asked. I replied that I hadn't, but something just didn't feel right. Something about my gear. The girl to my right, who is new on the team, blurted out "Goalies!", then laughed and apologized and looked guilty. She explained that her ex-boyfriend was a goalie and I reassured here that I understood. Trust me, I know we're kind of out there. I shook off the weird feeling and continued getting dressed, and all was fine until I stood up to head out of the locker room and grabbed my mask, blocker, and .... wait a minute. OH MY GOD I FORGOT MY GLOVE. Panic set in. How was I going to play without a glove???? I ran (ok, no one runs in goalie pads... I hobbled quickly) out of the locker room and told GoalieHusband about my idiocy and asked him to check with the other goalie to she if she had an extra. And then I took off in the direction of the front desk in hopes there was some random gear lying around.
There was, but it was all for kids. I have small hands, but not that small. Someone suggested I talk to the guy in the pro shop. I was aboslutely mortified - what goalie forgets their freakin equipment? He didn't have anything either but offered me his own skater's glove. "I don't know if you want it, it's falling apart..." he said. I didn't care- the teams were already on the ice at that point, and the refs had waited as long as they were willing, and play had started. I grabbed the glove and headed back to the rink. I figured it was better than nothing, at least some protection for my hand.
Threadbare doesn't even begin to describe this thing. In fact when I handed the ref the puck after I'd covered it, he laughed at me. There was no palm. At all. The fingers were barely hanging on. It took every bit of effort to hold my fist clenched and by my side instead of holding it out in normal glove position. I figured I'd use it like a second blocker, Dan Blackburn style. That worked pretty well and that's how I played for the next period and a half. GoalieHusband had left to go to a teammate's house and get a glove from her husband, who just started playing goal. It was the 3rd period by the time he got back with it, but I used it anyway- the more protection the better.
The game itself was unusual as well. The team we were supposed to play backed out (which they do a lot) so we had the QCat "white" team come play. We split the teams up though, to make it more even. I can't even tell you who won or lost, because the other goalie and I switched sides at one point. All I know is, the other side pulled their goalie in the last half minute, and they evened up the score with 1.9 seconds remaining. We went to a shootout and I lost that too. The first shooter scored. I knew exactly what she was doing too, but I completely overthought it. I may also have been slightly rankled because she did the Anisimov gunshot gesture toward me before she took center ice. I decided not to bitch at her about it though, because she scored. Not much I can say- if it was a distraction tactic apparently it worked. Still, I am pretty peeved that someone on my own team would do that. I guess she thought she was being "cute", but I still think that's B.S.
Because of the holiday we have no practice this week. I've been on the ice way too infrequently lately, so I intend to make my annual appearance at the shit-show that is Thanksgiving Morning Open Hockey. That one's always good for a post-game blog post if nothing else.
PS - Here's a picture of the glove I wore for most of the game. You can see why I kept my hand balled in a fist!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Back in the 21st century
I was one of those people all excited about that new TV show "Revolution". You know, the one where all the lights go out and there's no more electricity? Being somewhat of an apocalyptic-fiction nut, I'm familiar with the "electro-magnetic pulse" precursor to the Endtimes, and was really looking forward to seeing the series. Nevermind that I completely forgot about it and haven't seen a single episode- I certainly didn't expect to be living it. But for the last 13 days, including a nor'easter and sub-freezing temperatures, I found myself wondering if I maybe should have made a better effort to watch that show. Or to at least prepare our household for an extended lack of power. We have no fireplace, and our range is electric, not gas, so when the power goes out, we have exactly zero options available to us for heat. (Ha. Ok, maybe not zero. Wink wink nudge nudge). We were however extremely lucky to have friends with either woodburning stoves or actual working electricity, who housed our sorry asses on and off for the last two weeks. We spent the first few days at home, but once the temperature inside hit 41* we grabbed the cats and headed for my parents' house.
We are so, so, lucky. And during those few days when I really was losing it and having breakdowns over the slightest things, I was trying so very hard to remember that. We may not have had power, but we had a house that was still standing, and without any damage at all. Neither of our cars were crushed by trees either, as we witnessed just down the street, and played itself out all over our area. And while we were sorely inconvenienced for two weeks, here we are back in our house. Not like some folks, who won't be able to go back for 6-8 months. And now that I'm back into my more normal routine, I am going to find a way to help out others. But that really knocked me for quite a loop. I've never heard wind like that in my life. Ever. And that was only a category 1. But after last year's "Snowtober" storm (when we were out for a mere 6 days), and the myriad powerful storms we've seen since then, I think it's a fair bet to say this is going to be the new normal for a while.
Lest this post descend into politics, let me get to the hockey. Ah, that's right, there really hasn't been any for the last two weeks. We had a game scheduled for Sunday the 28th (the day before the storm), but the wind was already picking up and a lot of rain was expected, so since the rink is right on the water, it was called off pre-emptively. (PS - that rink has since been destroyed). There was practice a few days later, but by then, getting gas was a 2-4 hour endeavor, and we didn't want to drive the 50 miles round trip, not knowing when we would next be able to fill up. (We also both have quite a commute to our respective jobs). The one glimmer was the game down in Delaware. The white team had a game scheduled in New-ark the Saturday after the storm, and although I had misgivings about making the trip given the circumstances, I think it was what we all needed. Most of us were without power, one teammate had lost both the cars in her driveway, and people in general needed something "normal" after a week of insanity. Those of us without power booked rooms at a hotel and had a night of absolute luxury. (Truly, the ability to go to the bathroom with the light on should never be underestimated). We played a very well matched game and ended in a 1-1 tie. My sister and her family came to watch, which was awesome, because they also brought me a "no power care package". Including a card drawn by my niece, featuring a bird on power lines, and rows of light bulbs. Yeah, it made me cry. You wanna make something of it?
There was a practice scheduled for several days later but, oh hey, Nature wasn't done with us yet. Nor'easter time! It didn't drop as much snow on us as was predicted, but what did fall was very slippery, so practice was cancelled. (Yes, you can tell we don't live in Buffalo). And there were no games on the schedule for this weekend, so you can bet I'm raring to get back on the ice this week. To be honest, my mind wasn't anywhere near the rink these past two weeks, though the game in Delaware did turn out to be a welcome distraction. Now that life is getting back to normal, I'm looking forward to practice and games, and games, and clinics, and practice, etc. At least now I know I'll be able to wash all that stinky hockey laundry without a problem.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
A loss, a tie, and shirts vs skins
Hockey weekend started with a surprise party on Friday night for one of our own who is getting married. It was the most dressed up we've ever seen each other, and it was quite odd. The Mayor and her husband picked GoalieHusband and I up and we drove to the restaurant. We were all spiffy and felt like "real adults", going out for an evening. Fortunately, you can dress us up, but you can't make us act mature. The happy couple was surprised, and made sure to share some of their bacon-themed gifts with everyone. The bacon flavored jelly beans were NOT a hit. At all.
Saturday's game was much anticipated by all three teams. It was QC Blue vs QC White, and the Red team came out to cheer us on. I got to play the first game of the season for the White team, since Bacardi was in Rhode Island for the weekend. It was a blast. And even though we lost 5-0 (I swear one of those goals should not have counted), we played great against the Blue team. GoalieHusband was running the bench, and came into the locker room afterwards and said "I'm going to use a big word.... The score was not indicative of your play". Haha. He said "dick". It was actually a really fun game, in spite of the score. I made a few pretty decent saves, and my glove made a few saves on its own. Nice to see it's back for the season. Afterwards we all hung out for quite a while- I was pretty shocked when we left the rink and the clock read 1:00 a.m.
But two hockey related events aren't enough for one weekend, and we got up the next day to transfer the smelly gear from our car to Gionta182's and head south. To Delaware. It was a long rainy drive, but at least we got to listen to decent music. Gionta182 and GoalieHusband and I don't have the exact same taste in music, but it's a lot more similar than the general locker room population it seems. I'm not sure how the Golden Girls theme song became standard Blue team locker room pre-game fare, but there you go. Different strokes for different folks. Wait, that's a whole other TV show.
We played a pretty good game, but it was obvious about halfway through the 2nd period that we were pretty gassed. Our second game of the season, coming back to back after our first game, which was against our higher level sister team, had left most of us with not a whole lot in the tank. Except apparently for @pinballkillsyou, who hadn't played the previous game, but was skating with a pretty decent hangover, and managed a hat-trick. (Or two goals... depending on which score sheet you go by: what they called on the ice, or what they actually wrote down. #beerleaugeprobs) Even Gionta182 was somewhat subdued, even though she hadn't played the night before either. She chalked it up to getting the feel of the league, but we all know what the problem was: the pink tape on her stick. Breast cancer awareness is a great cause, but there was more than one double-take when we saw her taping her stick up in the locker room. She didn't get the nickname "#&(*)@!" for nothing.
That game ended in a 4-4 tie, which felt (at least to me) more like a loss. We were up 3-0 at one point, but they came back to tie it, and even though we scored a go-ahead goal, they pulled their goalie and tied it up again with about 30 seconds left. I played ok but I should have had that last goal, and 1 or 2 others that were screwed up bounces. Stuff isn't bouncing off my stick blade anymore, but in the last two games weird bounces off my blocker have gone in. Must examine this phenomenon. Practice would be a good place to do that, which leads me to.....
Last night. I learned a pretty valuable lesson too: one must eat properly on practice days. A day of very light consumption topped off by a Celeste microwave pizza and a bunch of BBQ potato chips does not provide much in the way of energy for practice. I ended up swooning in the crease and sat out a good 10 min of practice, stripped down to my shirt while my body righted itself and got its bearings. Fortunately I was recovered enough to participate in the Shirts vs Skins Scrimmage.
Yes, shirts vs skins. I certainly never expected to play a game of shirts vs skins in hockey, much less in women's hockey, but there we were at the end of practice, scrimmaging with the Blue team. After splitting up the players, GoalieHusband (or maybe someone else?) declared that one team keep their jerseys on and the other remove theirs. It was pretty hysterical. I was on the jersey-sporting side, but I yelled down to the other goalie that she had to take her jersey off too. She played the rest of the scrimmage in her chest protector. I was actually standing there in my crease just laughing, watching people skate around in various stages of undress. (Some of our skaters don't wear shirts under their chest protectors).
I'm off this weekend, as Bacardi is back and taking both White games this week. Next weekend we're both in the net; a Red and White game for each of us. I think. This scheduling thing is a little difficult to get used to, especially for someone like me who likes to have everything defined and mapped out. We've managed to split up all the games for this month and will deal with next month as it gets closer. I guess that's a pretty good compromise. So, no hockey for me this weekend. At least, not unless we end up at the rink anyway to cheer on the White team...
Saturday's game was much anticipated by all three teams. It was QC Blue vs QC White, and the Red team came out to cheer us on. I got to play the first game of the season for the White team, since Bacardi was in Rhode Island for the weekend. It was a blast. And even though we lost 5-0 (I swear one of those goals should not have counted), we played great against the Blue team. GoalieHusband was running the bench, and came into the locker room afterwards and said "I'm going to use a big word.... The score was not indicative of your play". Haha. He said "dick". It was actually a really fun game, in spite of the score. I made a few pretty decent saves, and my glove made a few saves on its own. Nice to see it's back for the season. Afterwards we all hung out for quite a while- I was pretty shocked when we left the rink and the clock read 1:00 a.m.
But two hockey related events aren't enough for one weekend, and we got up the next day to transfer the smelly gear from our car to Gionta182's and head south. To Delaware. It was a long rainy drive, but at least we got to listen to decent music. Gionta182 and GoalieHusband and I don't have the exact same taste in music, but it's a lot more similar than the general locker room population it seems. I'm not sure how the Golden Girls theme song became standard Blue team locker room pre-game fare, but there you go. Different strokes for different folks. Wait, that's a whole other TV show.
We played a pretty good game, but it was obvious about halfway through the 2nd period that we were pretty gassed. Our second game of the season, coming back to back after our first game, which was against our higher level sister team, had left most of us with not a whole lot in the tank. Except apparently for @pinballkillsyou, who hadn't played the previous game, but was skating with a pretty decent hangover, and managed a hat-trick. (Or two goals... depending on which score sheet you go by: what they called on the ice, or what they actually wrote down. #beerleaugeprobs) Even Gionta182 was somewhat subdued, even though she hadn't played the night before either. She chalked it up to getting the feel of the league, but we all know what the problem was: the pink tape on her stick. Breast cancer awareness is a great cause, but there was more than one double-take when we saw her taping her stick up in the locker room. She didn't get the nickname "#&(*)@!" for nothing.
That game ended in a 4-4 tie, which felt (at least to me) more like a loss. We were up 3-0 at one point, but they came back to tie it, and even though we scored a go-ahead goal, they pulled their goalie and tied it up again with about 30 seconds left. I played ok but I should have had that last goal, and 1 or 2 others that were screwed up bounces. Stuff isn't bouncing off my stick blade anymore, but in the last two games weird bounces off my blocker have gone in. Must examine this phenomenon. Practice would be a good place to do that, which leads me to.....
Last night. I learned a pretty valuable lesson too: one must eat properly on practice days. A day of very light consumption topped off by a Celeste microwave pizza and a bunch of BBQ potato chips does not provide much in the way of energy for practice. I ended up swooning in the crease and sat out a good 10 min of practice, stripped down to my shirt while my body righted itself and got its bearings. Fortunately I was recovered enough to participate in the Shirts vs Skins Scrimmage.
Yes, shirts vs skins. I certainly never expected to play a game of shirts vs skins in hockey, much less in women's hockey, but there we were at the end of practice, scrimmaging with the Blue team. After splitting up the players, GoalieHusband (or maybe someone else?) declared that one team keep their jerseys on and the other remove theirs. It was pretty hysterical. I was on the jersey-sporting side, but I yelled down to the other goalie that she had to take her jersey off too. She played the rest of the scrimmage in her chest protector. I was actually standing there in my crease just laughing, watching people skate around in various stages of undress. (Some of our skaters don't wear shirts under their chest protectors).
I'm off this weekend, as Bacardi is back and taking both White games this week. Next weekend we're both in the net; a Red and White game for each of us. I think. This scheduling thing is a little difficult to get used to, especially for someone like me who likes to have everything defined and mapped out. We've managed to split up all the games for this month and will deal with next month as it gets closer. I guess that's a pretty good compromise. So, no hockey for me this weekend. At least, not unless we end up at the rink anyway to cheer on the White team...
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Season of Change
Shame on me for letting the blog go "dark" for a few months. But the old adage about absence making the heart grow fonder appears to be true- at least in terms of my hockey journey. It's been several months now since the terrifying night GoalieHusband's playing days ended, and since I decided to take a little break. I think it did me a world of good. I've come back from the time off with renewed hunger, impatiently straining at time's leash to get back on the ice and in the swing of a season again. I've decided to continue my break from the Instructional League, mostly for financial reasons. We have a kitchen remodel (of necessity, not vanity) looming over our heads in the next few months, so the more pennies saved the better. As much as I will miss playing with the guys (and with guys in general), it's something I need to do right now. And as it stands, it doesn't look like I'll be hurting much for ice time anyway, with the new structure of the QCats teams. This is another reason I didn't write over the summer- I had some very mixed feelings about how this season would turn out, and was hesitant to express them. But here it is, opening night of our season, and writing seems to go hand in hand with the cycle of schlepping gear, playing games, relaxing in stuffy locker rooms with a cold beer, and long road trips on Sunday afternoons. As such I guess I ought to welcome you to the new world of the red white & blue Cats.
Over the past season or so, our two adult teams began realizing that our numbers were swelling beyond the confines of two reasonable rosters. There are also several girls' teams, the oldest being U19, and we started to see girls who "grew up" in the organization coming back from college still wanting to play. It became pretty obvious that we needed to expand, and a lot of thought and meetings and organization went into how we would do it. Somehow I ended up part of this committee. I know, I know, they really had to twist my arm. The end result is that we now have three adult teams, two of which play in a league, and the other remains a "club" team. This is the team formerly known as the "D" team, which has been my team. The "C" team will continue to play in the league they've been part of for the last few years, and our new team will play in the same league, one division down. The league designates levels by color: red, white and blue, with red being the novice level, white the middle, and blue the highest. It's taken everyone a good month or so to get the hang of using colors instead of letters, but I think we've got it now. We're calling the "D" team the "red" team even though it's not part of the league, because if it was, red would be the level it would be in. (Technically there are several white divisions in the league, designated by number. Don't ask me why they did it that way)
Are you confused yet?
Red - "my" team, the D team
White - middle team comprised of some D players who wanted a bigger challenge, and some C players who felt this new team would be a better fit for them.
Blue - the "C" team, the young fast ones. Hehe.
Lucky for us, we already had 3 goalies amongst our 2 adult teams: me, "Bacardi", and "Dina". (The "Bacardi" nickname should be self-explanatory. "Dina" on the other hand, is not the real name of this goalie, but apparently that's what a lot of the girls call her because she looks like someone on Jersey Shore. I'm going to have to take their word on that one). Dina will play most of the blue games, and Bacardi and I are going to split the white and red games between us, with both of us subbing up on the blue team if need be.
Ok, admit it, NOW you're confused. Don't worry, it took us forever to figure it out too. Because Bacardi also runs the girls' teams in the organization, she ends up with schedule conflicts a lot more frequently than I do. Guess what that means for me - more games! Yay! For instance, tonight's game, our season opener. Since I think I've bored/confused you enough with league details, I'll skip the bizarre (but sound) logic that results in our blue team playing our white team in the first game of the season. Because Bacardi is away this weekend, yours truly will be in the white net, facing Dina and all the hot-shots on the blue team. We're making a party out of it, and the red team is coming to cheer us all on. (I have informed several team members that I expect their loyalty to be towards white tonight.) Tomorrow white is off to Delaware for another game. That's one thing about the league that is a bit of a drawback - most of the away games are quite a hike. I'm happy about this though, because it means there wasn't a mass exodus from the red team to the white team this summer; the red team still has a decent core of players and although we lost some of our best, we should still be able to compete.
It's been a little bit of a rocky summer, figuring this all out, and adding in the emotional factor of splitting up a team that has been extremely close for the last few years, and people unsure of where they will end up or what the season ultimately will look like. But I think for the most part, folks are excited about growing the organization, and realize that this inaugural season will undoubtedly have some kinks that need to be worked out, and we just have to roll with it. I'm really looking forward to being able to play some games in the league with the white team, and I'm happy I'll still get to play with my buddies on the red team. Really, I have the best of both worlds. And tonight should be very interesting. Me and hkygrl12 vs eco_panda and monx77, with lct29 & cohorts cheering us on. There is no way this is not going to be a blast.
Over the past season or so, our two adult teams began realizing that our numbers were swelling beyond the confines of two reasonable rosters. There are also several girls' teams, the oldest being U19, and we started to see girls who "grew up" in the organization coming back from college still wanting to play. It became pretty obvious that we needed to expand, and a lot of thought and meetings and organization went into how we would do it. Somehow I ended up part of this committee. I know, I know, they really had to twist my arm. The end result is that we now have three adult teams, two of which play in a league, and the other remains a "club" team. This is the team formerly known as the "D" team, which has been my team. The "C" team will continue to play in the league they've been part of for the last few years, and our new team will play in the same league, one division down. The league designates levels by color: red, white and blue, with red being the novice level, white the middle, and blue the highest. It's taken everyone a good month or so to get the hang of using colors instead of letters, but I think we've got it now. We're calling the "D" team the "red" team even though it's not part of the league, because if it was, red would be the level it would be in. (Technically there are several white divisions in the league, designated by number. Don't ask me why they did it that way)
Are you confused yet?
Red - "my" team, the D team
White - middle team comprised of some D players who wanted a bigger challenge, and some C players who felt this new team would be a better fit for them.
Blue - the "C" team, the young fast ones. Hehe.
Lucky for us, we already had 3 goalies amongst our 2 adult teams: me, "Bacardi", and "Dina". (The "Bacardi" nickname should be self-explanatory. "Dina" on the other hand, is not the real name of this goalie, but apparently that's what a lot of the girls call her because she looks like someone on Jersey Shore. I'm going to have to take their word on that one). Dina will play most of the blue games, and Bacardi and I are going to split the white and red games between us, with both of us subbing up on the blue team if need be.
Ok, admit it, NOW you're confused. Don't worry, it took us forever to figure it out too. Because Bacardi also runs the girls' teams in the organization, she ends up with schedule conflicts a lot more frequently than I do. Guess what that means for me - more games! Yay! For instance, tonight's game, our season opener. Since I think I've bored/confused you enough with league details, I'll skip the bizarre (but sound) logic that results in our blue team playing our white team in the first game of the season. Because Bacardi is away this weekend, yours truly will be in the white net, facing Dina and all the hot-shots on the blue team. We're making a party out of it, and the red team is coming to cheer us all on. (I have informed several team members that I expect their loyalty to be towards white tonight.) Tomorrow white is off to Delaware for another game. That's one thing about the league that is a bit of a drawback - most of the away games are quite a hike. I'm happy about this though, because it means there wasn't a mass exodus from the red team to the white team this summer; the red team still has a decent core of players and although we lost some of our best, we should still be able to compete.
It's been a little bit of a rocky summer, figuring this all out, and adding in the emotional factor of splitting up a team that has been extremely close for the last few years, and people unsure of where they will end up or what the season ultimately will look like. But I think for the most part, folks are excited about growing the organization, and realize that this inaugural season will undoubtedly have some kinks that need to be worked out, and we just have to roll with it. I'm really looking forward to being able to play some games in the league with the white team, and I'm happy I'll still get to play with my buddies on the red team. Really, I have the best of both worlds. And tonight should be very interesting. Me and hkygrl12 vs eco_panda and monx77, with lct29 & cohorts cheering us on. There is no way this is not going to be a blast.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Playoff scrimmage
I'll be completely honest and say that ever since GH's injury, I haven't had much anticipation or excitement for games. It's not just my conflicting feelings about going to games alone. I'm in a different office now, 60 miles from my house. At this time of year with no youth hockey going on, we get extremely early ice times. As much as I bitch about 11:20 pm starts, 7:30 is way too early. There's no time to decompress from work and shift into a different mindset. Not to mention having to fret about getting there on time while sitting on the Parkway.
Last night was supposed to be the first playoff game of our Spring session. (Yes, it's still "Spring" session. And the Summer session apparently starts at the end of July. Only at this rink...) Fortunately I was working from home yesterday, so I didn't have the commute issue bothering me. And I found that for the first time since his injury, I was really looking forward to a game. Unfortunately it ended up not counting for anything.
Originally we'd had a bye week this week. All other teams played, but we and one other team had the week off and then an early game next Tuesday. The problem with that was that the second playoff game was scheduled for 11pm that same night. So if we won, we'd have to hang around and play again in a few hours, while our opponent would have had a week's rest. I emailed the league coordinator and he apologized and changed the game to this Tuesday night. Apparently he forgot to also schedule refs and a timekeeper. So we set the clock and played three 20-minute running time periods of essentially open hockey. It was good exercise, and better than not playing at all, but awfully disappointing. Now I have to email the league guy again and find out if they're going to give us a make up game, and if so when. Bet your bottom dollar it's next Monday night, with another game the following night.
So, we have at least one more game together before that's the end of the Hawks. Senator isn't playing this summer and neither am I. "Cap" is going to play with @hkygrl12's team, because they are an awesome bunch of people. I'm glad she had space on the team for him, at least he'll be playing with people he knows. Senator will probably come back in the fall, but I have no idea what I'm doing. It looks pretty doubtful for me, with a kitchen remodel coming up. (We'd planned to do this next year but a problem caused by a leaky water line pushed the project up several months). At least I will have the Cats. And I already miss them all and want September to be here, even though things will be very different with the organization expanding from two to three teams next season. There will be plenty to write about there, I'm sure. Until then, I guess I better get my butt back to Sunday morning open hockey. Last year it was a ton of fun. I just have to get motivated to get up early and go play hockey with a bunch of guys way above my skill level. I know, I know, it's good for me. Someone kick my ass next week and remind me to go, ok? That is, unless we have a Monday night game and Tuesday night game scheduled...
Last night was supposed to be the first playoff game of our Spring session. (Yes, it's still "Spring" session. And the Summer session apparently starts at the end of July. Only at this rink...) Fortunately I was working from home yesterday, so I didn't have the commute issue bothering me. And I found that for the first time since his injury, I was really looking forward to a game. Unfortunately it ended up not counting for anything.
Originally we'd had a bye week this week. All other teams played, but we and one other team had the week off and then an early game next Tuesday. The problem with that was that the second playoff game was scheduled for 11pm that same night. So if we won, we'd have to hang around and play again in a few hours, while our opponent would have had a week's rest. I emailed the league coordinator and he apologized and changed the game to this Tuesday night. Apparently he forgot to also schedule refs and a timekeeper. So we set the clock and played three 20-minute running time periods of essentially open hockey. It was good exercise, and better than not playing at all, but awfully disappointing. Now I have to email the league guy again and find out if they're going to give us a make up game, and if so when. Bet your bottom dollar it's next Monday night, with another game the following night.
So, we have at least one more game together before that's the end of the Hawks. Senator isn't playing this summer and neither am I. "Cap" is going to play with @hkygrl12's team, because they are an awesome bunch of people. I'm glad she had space on the team for him, at least he'll be playing with people he knows. Senator will probably come back in the fall, but I have no idea what I'm doing. It looks pretty doubtful for me, with a kitchen remodel coming up. (We'd planned to do this next year but a problem caused by a leaky water line pushed the project up several months). At least I will have the Cats. And I already miss them all and want September to be here, even though things will be very different with the organization expanding from two to three teams next season. There will be plenty to write about there, I'm sure. Until then, I guess I better get my butt back to Sunday morning open hockey. Last year it was a ton of fun. I just have to get motivated to get up early and go play hockey with a bunch of guys way above my skill level. I know, I know, it's good for me. Someone kick my ass next week and remind me to go, ok? That is, unless we have a Monday night game and Tuesday night game scheduled...
Sunday, June 17, 2012
End of an Era
If you're a regular reader, you know about GoalieHusband's concussion-related travails. In perfect frankness, he's been playing on borrowed time for some time now. There was a period of time about two years ago, after what was then the latest of his mishaps, that I very strongly implored him to stay off the ice, and he very reluctantly relented. After many months passed and he'd been feeling better for a long time, it was easy to forget why I made that request in the first place, and when he ventured back into open hockey, I worried but kept quiet, and the sky didn't fall. Then that wasn't enough and he came back to the team and played in the league again. For a while, things were fine. Then there started to be nights where he'd take a light hit and be dizzy. Then nights when I'd be the one driving home because an innocent hockey mishap, which happens to everyone all the time, left him dizzy and foggy-headed even after the game. Then there was the game when we were all leaving the ice after the handshake line, and he was still sitting on the bench, grimacing in pain, slightly disoriented, and had to be helped off the ice and back into the locker room.
And then there was three Tuesdays ago.
My disgust for what happened is causing me to consider taking some time off from this league. I'm getting burned out, getting tired of the unacceptable bullshit that is par for the course in that league (the more things change, the more the stay the same), just tired. Would the situation have been as serious if GoalieHusband didn't have this history of concussion? I doubt it. But that doesn't make what happened any more acceptable. In my eyes, anyway. And if I'd been thinking clearly I'd have filed some kind of report with the rink so that I could pursue it in some way now. But following a stretcher off the ice and trying to stay calm was taking up most of my mental capacity that night.
I'm not going to go into all the details of what happened and what led up to it, but the short story is that the game was chippy, and some back-and-forth between a player and GoalieHusband resulted in them both down on the ice, GoalieHusband facing away from the other player, and the other player sucker punching him in the head. Several times. From behind. Both of them were given double minors for roughing, and at the time he seemed ok. He finished the period, between periods I checked on him. I knew he wasn't quite right, but I felt like asking him to sit out the rest of the game was overkill. (He wouldn't have anyway). It wasn't long into the 3rd period however, when he took himself off the ice, and collapsed on the bench. Fortunately a teammate noticed what was going on just in time, and caught him and laid him down on the bench.
By the time I got there he was conscious (barely) and talking (slurring). We insisted on an ambulance despite his protests. The first guy to show up I guess was a campus cop, but he had some kind of kit with him, and put an oxygen mask on him since his pulse was low and he couldn't keep his eyes open. He was responding to questions, knew where he was, but it was terrifying seeing him like that. Eventually the EMTs got there, talked to him for a few minutes, and got him onto a stretcher. During all this time I'd been stripping my gear off at the bench, and ran back to the locker room for my pants so I didn't have to sit in the ER in my jill and hockey socks.
And our teammates were amazing. They assured me they'd put the big pile of gear at the bench into my bag for me. They brought GoalieHusband's clothes and wallet out for me to take to the hospital with him. And since I was riding over in the ambulance, they drove our truck over so we'd have a way home when it was all over. (I do hope the hockey gods took note of the fact that the truck is filthy, and was blaring Rammstein. That's a true friend. Although I did notice, when I got in it later, that the music was not turned off. Heh). When I emailed a teammate the next day to thank her for all she'd done, she said something really interesting: "these days, when so many of us don't live close to family, it's up to friends to look after each other". That really resonated with me, and not just in terms of my hockey friends. I'd been texting @byndblueshirts from the ambulance because I was scared and just needed a friend to lean on. I put a brave face on for GoalieHusband and everyone else, but I was terrified. Just having someone to reach out to and admit that to helped.
We were sitting in the parking lot in the ambulance for quite a while. They made me sit in the front though, so I couldn't really tell what was going on. I could see and hear enough to see that they weren't in any state of urgency, and could hear GoalieHusband still talking. I guess they were taking his gear off, and put him on a backboard and cervical collar just in case. (I found it odd that they didn't do that when they first put him on the stretcher, but did it later). Because of the long delay and lack of overall urgency I was kind of surprised that when we did get underway it was with lights and sirens, and a police car behind us. But by the time we did get to the ER, he was much more alert, more coherent, and talking more normally. He was still in rough shape, but nowhere near as frightening as it had been before.
They did a CAT scan and didn't find anything, so the doctor diagnosed him with syncope (fainting) and mild concussion and released him. He stayed home from work for two days, though it really should have been three, and gradually the fog lifted enough to return him to a semi-normal state. But it's been three weeks and he's still having headaches, light sensitivity, and fatigue.Everything's moving in the right direction; less intensity and frequency, it's just taking a while. The longest he's had effects has been 4 or 5 days, and I think this time he understands that this is his brain being damaged and he needs to stop putting himself in harm's way.
A few days after the incident, without any prompting from me, he said "I'm coming to terms with the fact that I probably won't ever play hockey again." I never knew one sentence could make me feel so much relief and heartbreak at the same time. I loved being on the ice with him. No one ever defended me more staunchly (well, @gionta182 and @lct29 come very close), and it was wonderful to share this thing we both love. I think of how I felt when I was injured, a mere two months off the ice and I was climbing the walls, and I can't even imagine what it feels like to have that taken away for good. He's going to have to find other avenues though, and I think coaching is one. He's so passionate about coaching the QCats, and is thinking about going to get his 3rd level USA Hockey coaching certification now. He's also a writer; he's been working on a book for years now, a book that has morphed into a trilogy, and while it's not my genre (fantasy), I can tell it is excellent. He's got enough brain cells left to work on that and another project he's just been inspired to start, so I think eventually he'll be ok. I do expect some stages of grumpiness though, and that's ok. I'd be grumpy too. But as much as I love sharing hockey with him, I also love sharing the rest of life with him as well, and I'm glad that we will be able to do that. That was quite a close call.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Things I Learned At Nationals
It's been about a week and most of us Cats still have that giddy feeling, though the real world has slowly crept in to bring us back down to earth. But before all the magic is gone, I figured I should record a few things I learned.
- Walking through the airport en masse in your hockey jerseys looks really badass.
- My hockey bag weighs 58 lbs, though how much of that weight is sweat is unknown.
- Geckos do not like to be picked up.
- An athletic sock makes a great beer cozy.
- A Bentley convertible is a chick magnet.
- Manatees are very friendly and like to have their bellies rubbed.
- Having a lens fall out of your glasses is a great goalie delay tactic.
- A triple overtime game will draw every person in the rink into the stands.
- Eight pina coladas won't erase the pain of a fractured finger and severed tendon, but being a National Champion will, at least for a little bit.
- In a pinch, frozen broccoli can be used in place of ice cubes in a vodka tonic.
- Do we have the best team on the entire planet? Bitch, please.
- Walking through the airport en masse in your hockey jerseys looks really badass.
- My hockey bag weighs 58 lbs, though how much of that weight is sweat is unknown.
- Geckos do not like to be picked up.
- An athletic sock makes a great beer cozy.
- A Bentley convertible is a chick magnet.
- Manatees are very friendly and like to have their bellies rubbed.
- Having a lens fall out of your glasses is a great goalie delay tactic.
- A triple overtime game will draw every person in the rink into the stands.
- Eight pina coladas won't erase the pain of a fractured finger and severed tendon, but being a National Champion will, at least for a little bit.
- In a pinch, frozen broccoli can be used in place of ice cubes in a vodka tonic.
- Do we have the best team on the entire planet? Bitch, please.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
NATIONAL. CHAMPIONS.
Flipper is crashed on the couch with a Stella. GoalieHusband is standing in the lanai watching bad golfers (with a Magic Hat). Flipper's husband is snoring in the easy chair. And I'm getting a quick blog post in before we all converge on the hot tub and ease our aching muscles and joints. (Also with a Magic Hat).
When we got up this morning and headed to the rink for our 8 a.m. game, we never imagined we'd still be playing at 10:20. When we were sitting in the locker room all groggy, we never imagined we'd have a player with a broken finger shoved in an ice bag after the 1st overtime, when they forced us off the ice to resurface it. (She refused a splint, because then she wouldn't be able to get her finger into her glove). But what was not ever a question in my mind, was that we would come out of this as champions. As we walked into the rink this morning, I turned to Flipper and said "You know we're going to win this, right?" She grinned and nodded.
We played the only team we lost to this weekend, ironically the team from Westchester NY, who we play all year long. When we played them on Friday afternoon, it was an extremely chippy affair which we lost 4-3 after scratching and clawing our way back from a 3-0 deficit racked up in the first few minutes of the first period. They came out strong, and we had a weak first period. But after that we got into the game and nearly tied it. Finding out that they were the team we'd be facing in the championship game just made it that much sweeter.
At this point I'm so exhausted I can't remember many details, other than Jullee's broken finger, a concussion-prone player going hard into the boards in the 6th period and panicking us all when she immediately grabbed her head, only to buy us time, a few miraculous toe saves, and what felt like millions of amazing saves by the goalie on the other end. But three minutes and 58 seconds into that period, "Bentley" won the puck in a battle down in the corner off to the goalie's right, and dished it out to "Poutine", who was waiting in the slot and slammed it home. Players poured off the bench, and I booked down to the other end of the ice to jump into the pile. My joy was tempered by sympathy for the other goalie, who was on the ice just behind our jubilant knot of players, but I pushed that aside and celebrated with my girls. (I did end up turning to her and telling her I thought she played an absolutely amazing game, but of course she was in no mood to hear it right then).
I have to say, USA Hockey does it right. They had a pile of white hats with the logo and "National Champions" on the side. They gave each of us an acrylic puck with the same sentiment, and a large duffel bag that says USA Hockey on one side and NATIONAL CHAMPIONS on the other. We have all decided that we are going to use those bags as our carry-ons on the plane on the way home.
Flipper keeps saying "Who's better than us?" and grinning and answering her own question with "No one!!!"
This one tastes really, really, good, and is going to last us a nice long while.
When we got up this morning and headed to the rink for our 8 a.m. game, we never imagined we'd still be playing at 10:20. When we were sitting in the locker room all groggy, we never imagined we'd have a player with a broken finger shoved in an ice bag after the 1st overtime, when they forced us off the ice to resurface it. (She refused a splint, because then she wouldn't be able to get her finger into her glove). But what was not ever a question in my mind, was that we would come out of this as champions. As we walked into the rink this morning, I turned to Flipper and said "You know we're going to win this, right?" She grinned and nodded.
We played the only team we lost to this weekend, ironically the team from Westchester NY, who we play all year long. When we played them on Friday afternoon, it was an extremely chippy affair which we lost 4-3 after scratching and clawing our way back from a 3-0 deficit racked up in the first few minutes of the first period. They came out strong, and we had a weak first period. But after that we got into the game and nearly tied it. Finding out that they were the team we'd be facing in the championship game just made it that much sweeter.
At this point I'm so exhausted I can't remember many details, other than Jullee's broken finger, a concussion-prone player going hard into the boards in the 6th period and panicking us all when she immediately grabbed her head, only to buy us time, a few miraculous toe saves, and what felt like millions of amazing saves by the goalie on the other end. But three minutes and 58 seconds into that period, "Bentley" won the puck in a battle down in the corner off to the goalie's right, and dished it out to "Poutine", who was waiting in the slot and slammed it home. Players poured off the bench, and I booked down to the other end of the ice to jump into the pile. My joy was tempered by sympathy for the other goalie, who was on the ice just behind our jubilant knot of players, but I pushed that aside and celebrated with my girls. (I did end up turning to her and telling her I thought she played an absolutely amazing game, but of course she was in no mood to hear it right then).
I have to say, USA Hockey does it right. They had a pile of white hats with the logo and "National Champions" on the side. They gave each of us an acrylic puck with the same sentiment, and a large duffel bag that says USA Hockey on one side and NATIONAL CHAMPIONS on the other. We have all decided that we are going to use those bags as our carry-ons on the plane on the way home.
Flipper keeps saying "Who's better than us?" and grinning and answering her own question with "No one!!!"
This one tastes really, really, good, and is going to last us a nice long while.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Ahhhhh.... vacation!
It's not even 8 a.m., and I'm flopped on the couch with my netbook, enjoying the peace and quiet of the morning. As a matter of fact, the only thing this relaxing scene is missing, is a nice cup of coffee. Pardon me, I'll be right back...
Ahhh, much better! So, here we are, in Florida for Nationals. Flipper (@lct29) and her husband and GoalieHusband and I are staying in a lovely 2 BR condo overlooking a golf course. It's the perfect arrangement, because although KK has a condo and generously invited as many people who wanted to, to stay there, it's pretty much organized chaos over there all the time. Which, in moderate doses, is fun. But the four of us like our quiet time. Flipper's husband is a morning person too, and yesterday when Flipper came out and saw us both sitting quietly on the couch reading, she said "Oh my God, I've walked into a library".
But this is pretty much the only place where we're quiet. I really have to apologize to the people on United flight 1223. We were pretty rowdy on the way down. Hey, the flight attendant announced us over the P.A. at the beginning of the flight. With an introduction like that, you're off to a great start. We also all wore our bright red jerseys, and turned lots of heads walking through the airport en masse. A few random Canadians even came up to talk to us.
Since our first day was a travel day only, no games, we made the trek from the airport to the condos and descended upon KK's living room for the Bruins game. I was itching to watch it, because there'd been a buzz on twitter that Rask might be starting. (Which I thought was insane, starting a goalie just back from injury in a Game 7, but hey, I didn't want to miss it.) There was pizza and beer and merriment, but it was all quite tame. Flipper's husband was surprised, and I think just a little disappointed, after having been warned for months that things can get a little crazy down here. But travel day is like that. We called it a night a few hours after the game ended, and most of us were laying on the couch like slugs, in various stages of drowsiness.
The next day we got a nice early start, since our game was in a rink over 60 miles away. (The great thing about the condos is comfy and inexpensive accommodations, but the drawback is a long drive to the rinks). Fortunately that was our only game in that rink. We got there ridiculously early, signed in, browsed the USA Hockey t-shirt table, and eventually made our way to the locker rooms to get changed. Everyone was greeted with a custom skate mat, with our logo and "National Cats 2012" on it. The player we call "Bentley", for the gorgeous powder blue luxury car she has down here, had had the mats made for us as a surprise. But it was like Christmas in that locker room, because not only were the mats handed out, but Flipper and her cohort had had t-shirts made, since they were such a big hit at last year's tournament. These shirts are just as awesome. Anything that says "GET IN THE CAR, BITCHES!" on the sleeve gets my vote.
It felt like an eternity, but we finally got onto the ice for our first game. We played against the Lady Everblades, a Florida team we hadn't faced last year. We played very well, and for most of the first period I didn't have much to do. We scored first, a gorgeous shot from the point that made the back of the net balloon out. Although I had long stretches of inactivity, there were several scrums and a few breakouts that kept me busy. Unfortunately on one of those scrums, they scored. There were just way too many of them in front of the net and although I made an initial save (or two?), they were successful on the ensuing scramble. I was pretty frustrated, because with so few shots, I felt I shouldn't be letting anything in. Fortunately, we scored again to gain the lead, and it ended at 2-1. There was a big cooler full of LaBatt's waiting for us in the locker room, and we hung out in there for quite a while afterwards. (Can I just say one thing about that locker room? Best. Rink shower. Ever.)
We headed back to the condos, with the plan of meeting up at a bar on the beach, but 30 miles into the trip, GoalieHusband realized he'd left his keys at the rink, and still had the locker room key in his pocket. Since we aren't playing any more games at that rink, we had to head back to get them. Note to self: If you're not the driver, don't hand your keys over for the locker room key. Way too easy to forget. We got back with just enough time to hit the supermarket for a few necessities (read: beer) and head over to KK's for the Rangers and Devils Game 7 double-header. As Flipper put it, we had the trifecta of hockey awesomeness, with a win for the Cats, Rangers and Devils all in the same day.
Now I'm just waiting for the others to wake up, and we'll head over to Waffle House for some breakfast with the rest of the group. Game time today is 4:45. Tomorrow we play at 10 a.m. Sunday, if we make the championship game, is at 8 a.m. Good thing the goalie's a morning person, eh?
Ahhh, much better! So, here we are, in Florida for Nationals. Flipper (@lct29) and her husband and GoalieHusband and I are staying in a lovely 2 BR condo overlooking a golf course. It's the perfect arrangement, because although KK has a condo and generously invited as many people who wanted to, to stay there, it's pretty much organized chaos over there all the time. Which, in moderate doses, is fun. But the four of us like our quiet time. Flipper's husband is a morning person too, and yesterday when Flipper came out and saw us both sitting quietly on the couch reading, she said "Oh my God, I've walked into a library".
But this is pretty much the only place where we're quiet. I really have to apologize to the people on United flight 1223. We were pretty rowdy on the way down. Hey, the flight attendant announced us over the P.A. at the beginning of the flight. With an introduction like that, you're off to a great start. We also all wore our bright red jerseys, and turned lots of heads walking through the airport en masse. A few random Canadians even came up to talk to us.
Since our first day was a travel day only, no games, we made the trek from the airport to the condos and descended upon KK's living room for the Bruins game. I was itching to watch it, because there'd been a buzz on twitter that Rask might be starting. (Which I thought was insane, starting a goalie just back from injury in a Game 7, but hey, I didn't want to miss it.) There was pizza and beer and merriment, but it was all quite tame. Flipper's husband was surprised, and I think just a little disappointed, after having been warned for months that things can get a little crazy down here. But travel day is like that. We called it a night a few hours after the game ended, and most of us were laying on the couch like slugs, in various stages of drowsiness.
The next day we got a nice early start, since our game was in a rink over 60 miles away. (The great thing about the condos is comfy and inexpensive accommodations, but the drawback is a long drive to the rinks). Fortunately that was our only game in that rink. We got there ridiculously early, signed in, browsed the USA Hockey t-shirt table, and eventually made our way to the locker rooms to get changed. Everyone was greeted with a custom skate mat, with our logo and "National Cats 2012" on it. The player we call "Bentley", for the gorgeous powder blue luxury car she has down here, had had the mats made for us as a surprise. But it was like Christmas in that locker room, because not only were the mats handed out, but Flipper and her cohort had had t-shirts made, since they were such a big hit at last year's tournament. These shirts are just as awesome. Anything that says "GET IN THE CAR, BITCHES!" on the sleeve gets my vote.
It felt like an eternity, but we finally got onto the ice for our first game. We played against the Lady Everblades, a Florida team we hadn't faced last year. We played very well, and for most of the first period I didn't have much to do. We scored first, a gorgeous shot from the point that made the back of the net balloon out. Although I had long stretches of inactivity, there were several scrums and a few breakouts that kept me busy. Unfortunately on one of those scrums, they scored. There were just way too many of them in front of the net and although I made an initial save (or two?), they were successful on the ensuing scramble. I was pretty frustrated, because with so few shots, I felt I shouldn't be letting anything in. Fortunately, we scored again to gain the lead, and it ended at 2-1. There was a big cooler full of LaBatt's waiting for us in the locker room, and we hung out in there for quite a while afterwards. (Can I just say one thing about that locker room? Best. Rink shower. Ever.)
We headed back to the condos, with the plan of meeting up at a bar on the beach, but 30 miles into the trip, GoalieHusband realized he'd left his keys at the rink, and still had the locker room key in his pocket. Since we aren't playing any more games at that rink, we had to head back to get them. Note to self: If you're not the driver, don't hand your keys over for the locker room key. Way too easy to forget. We got back with just enough time to hit the supermarket for a few necessities (read: beer) and head over to KK's for the Rangers and Devils Game 7 double-header. As Flipper put it, we had the trifecta of hockey awesomeness, with a win for the Cats, Rangers and Devils all in the same day.
Now I'm just waiting for the others to wake up, and we'll head over to Waffle House for some breakfast with the rest of the group. Game time today is 4:45. Tomorrow we play at 10 a.m. Sunday, if we make the championship game, is at 8 a.m. Good thing the goalie's a morning person, eh?
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Ants in my pants
I get all agitated the day or so before I go on vacation. GoalieHusband says I have ants in my pants. And goalie pants are big. They fit a lot of ants. Fortunately I've been focused so much on work that I haven't thought much about the trip, but now as departure looms closer I'm in full fidgety mode. I'm not packed yet, but I'll have plenty of time to do that tonight, as I wait around for game time.
Yep, the Silverhawks have a game tonight, at 11:20pm. Normally with such a late ice time I'd take a nap in the evening. No chance of that today. I'll be packing my clothes, and four games' worth of underthings, but my gear is going to have to wait. We'll get home probably a little before 2 a.m., and I'll hang the gear up in the basement, but it's going to get all packed up all over again several hours later. Wooooo is that bag going to be ripe. I didn't even get a lock for it this year; hockey stank is in a theft deterrent class all its own.
We fly out tomorrow afternoon, and I'm bouncing off the walls with excitement. We'll be settled in our condos in plenty of time to catch the Bruins game, which is a damn good thing, because there's a slight possibility Rask might be playing. (If him being the first player on the ice for practice this morning is any indication, that is. I'm not familiar with Bruins goalie pecking order in terms of getting on the ice.) Even better, our first game, which is on Thursday, is in the afternoon. Which means when the Rangers/Sens game starts, my ass will be firmly planted in front of a TV. I will join in with the partying after the game is over- no way am I missing this one! Hopefully Flipper and her husband (with whom we're sharing a condo) will be amused, and not annoyed, by all the shouting that is sure to occur.
As I did on the April Showers trip, I will be taking the GoalieHousehold netbook along, and posting about our games and revelry. But first things first. The Silverhawks face off against PBR. Yes, that is really their name. We seriously can not lose to a team named after a crappy beer. Really, why not just call your team "Urine Colored Water"? Then again, our name isn't so spectacular either, since it makes it sound like we're the house team for the old age home.
Alright. Focus. First Silverhawks, then flying (aaaaah!), then tournament (and playoff hockey!). BOO YAH!
Yep, the Silverhawks have a game tonight, at 11:20pm. Normally with such a late ice time I'd take a nap in the evening. No chance of that today. I'll be packing my clothes, and four games' worth of underthings, but my gear is going to have to wait. We'll get home probably a little before 2 a.m., and I'll hang the gear up in the basement, but it's going to get all packed up all over again several hours later. Wooooo is that bag going to be ripe. I didn't even get a lock for it this year; hockey stank is in a theft deterrent class all its own.
We fly out tomorrow afternoon, and I'm bouncing off the walls with excitement. We'll be settled in our condos in plenty of time to catch the Bruins game, which is a damn good thing, because there's a slight possibility Rask might be playing. (If him being the first player on the ice for practice this morning is any indication, that is. I'm not familiar with Bruins goalie pecking order in terms of getting on the ice.) Even better, our first game, which is on Thursday, is in the afternoon. Which means when the Rangers/Sens game starts, my ass will be firmly planted in front of a TV. I will join in with the partying after the game is over- no way am I missing this one! Hopefully Flipper and her husband (with whom we're sharing a condo) will be amused, and not annoyed, by all the shouting that is sure to occur.
As I did on the April Showers trip, I will be taking the GoalieHousehold netbook along, and posting about our games and revelry. But first things first. The Silverhawks face off against PBR. Yes, that is really their name. We seriously can not lose to a team named after a crappy beer. Really, why not just call your team "Urine Colored Water"? Then again, our name isn't so spectacular either, since it makes it sound like we're the house team for the old age home.
Alright. Focus. First Silverhawks, then flying (aaaaah!), then tournament (and playoff hockey!). BOO YAH!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Silverhawks debut (again), and watching Rinne
Back when the core of us who shifted from outdoor roller hockey to indoor ice, we joined the Instructional League and were given the name Silverhawks. The league at that time gave out new names to each team each season, and most seasons we had some form of "Hawks" in our name. Now that the leagues have gotten so skewed and the D league is ridiculously faster than it used to be when we moved up, we're back in the Instructional League (which is also quite a bit faster than it used to be), and when we needed a name, Silverhawks seemed the natural choice. We didn't want to stick with "Hawks", because we'd end up with "Hawks AIL" on the schedule since there is still a Hawks in the D league. Plus it has the added advantage of conveying our old fart status.
I was really nervous going into our game on Monday night. I haven't been in the role of team organizer before, and this season that task fell to me. We have three groups of people forming this team; former Hawks, a few Quarry Cats, and a few guys no one knows that the rink put on our team to give us enough players. Being the mother hen that I am, I was nervous about everyone getting along, and hoping that the "new guys" would be cool and not d-bags. We lucked out in that department; they seem like good guys. We had to scrounge around for some extra yellow jerseys, since not everyone had one, but we made it work.
Unfortunately our first game was kind of what I expected it would be, with everyone getting used to each other. We lost 7-1, and I think I've played better. A few of those goals my head just wasn't focused the way it should be. But I'm not beating myself up over it. I think we have a decent team, and once everyone becomes more familiar with each other I think we'll do just fine.
And speaking of obnoxious yellow jerseys, I've found another goalie that I just love to watch. Until it's Tuukka-time again, I'll have my eye on Pekka Rinne. He is just pure energy. I am pretty sure he's made of lightning. The other night while watching the Predators I was transfixed, and tweeted "Does Rinne ever stop moving?" One of the things about Rask that I've never quite been able to put my finger on is the way he moves. Rinne has it too, only with more electricity. But it's not wasted energy, he doesn't wear himself out. Rather it's like he feeds off it. It's a kinetic chain of goalie awesomeness. I was pretty satisfied with myself when just a few minutes later, goalie scout extraordinaire @TheGoalieGuild tweeted similar observations in his article "Rinne and the Trait of Constant Motion". (Go read it. He explains it way better than I ever could). Anytime I'm on the same page as Justin I feel pretty smart.
These playoffs have featured some really excellent goalie-watching. Unless you're watching Pittsburgh/Philly, that is. But hey what those games lack in goaltending they make up for in bloodshed, and we all need hockey to go back to the goonery of the 70's/80's, right? But that would be another post. For now I'll just leave it here, and be excited that I have 7 playoff-filled days before I get on a plane for Nationals. Only a week away! It seems like an eternity, with my focus still largely on work crap. I am so looking forward to this trip. Yay hockey!
I was really nervous going into our game on Monday night. I haven't been in the role of team organizer before, and this season that task fell to me. We have three groups of people forming this team; former Hawks, a few Quarry Cats, and a few guys no one knows that the rink put on our team to give us enough players. Being the mother hen that I am, I was nervous about everyone getting along, and hoping that the "new guys" would be cool and not d-bags. We lucked out in that department; they seem like good guys. We had to scrounge around for some extra yellow jerseys, since not everyone had one, but we made it work.
Unfortunately our first game was kind of what I expected it would be, with everyone getting used to each other. We lost 7-1, and I think I've played better. A few of those goals my head just wasn't focused the way it should be. But I'm not beating myself up over it. I think we have a decent team, and once everyone becomes more familiar with each other I think we'll do just fine.
And speaking of obnoxious yellow jerseys, I've found another goalie that I just love to watch. Until it's Tuukka-time again, I'll have my eye on Pekka Rinne. He is just pure energy. I am pretty sure he's made of lightning. The other night while watching the Predators I was transfixed, and tweeted "Does Rinne ever stop moving?" One of the things about Rask that I've never quite been able to put my finger on is the way he moves. Rinne has it too, only with more electricity. But it's not wasted energy, he doesn't wear himself out. Rather it's like he feeds off it. It's a kinetic chain of goalie awesomeness. I was pretty satisfied with myself when just a few minutes later, goalie scout extraordinaire @TheGoalieGuild tweeted similar observations in his article "Rinne and the Trait of Constant Motion". (Go read it. He explains it way better than I ever could). Anytime I'm on the same page as Justin I feel pretty smart.
These playoffs have featured some really excellent goalie-watching. Unless you're watching Pittsburgh/Philly, that is. But hey what those games lack in goaltending they make up for in bloodshed, and we all need hockey to go back to the goonery of the 70's/80's, right? But that would be another post. For now I'll just leave it here, and be excited that I have 7 playoff-filled days before I get on a plane for Nationals. Only a week away! It seems like an eternity, with my focus still largely on work crap. I am so looking forward to this trip. Yay hockey!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The twilight of the Cougarhawks
I have to hand it to @hkygrl12 and @eco_panda, they have put together quite an awesome team. It was a ton of fun to play with those guys (and gals) this season, and all of us are bummed that we won't be together again for the Spring session. The Cougars have several (about 5) regulars coming back to the team and so there isn't enough room for all of us to stay. So last night was our final game together, a consolation game between two losing teams of playoff games. Which is to say, it didn't mean much, and started out as just a ton of fun. I even wore my brand spanking new glove that I'd had for all of about 3 hours, figuring a game that didn't "mean" anything was as good a time as any to try it out.
And it was a smashing success. It needs some more breaking in, but I think it will definitely be ready for Florida. It needs to mold to my hand a little more but once it does it will be perfect. I'm already a little in love with it, because it makes awesome saves all by itself. Seriously. It's got a little goalie-brain of its own in there. I made a wicked save toward the end of the game, one that got lots of cheers from the bench. Cheers, and then jeers. The jeers were for GoalieHusband, who had deflected it perfectly from its trajectory, which I had covered, to one that was going up and over my shoulder. But The Glove flicked out and snatched that sucker out of the air like a frog slurping up an unsuspecting fly. It surprised even me. The puck even nestles perfectly in the pocket, getting a nice little goalie hug. See? I told you I'm in love with it
As for the game, it started out perfect, exactly the kind of game I was expecting and looking forward to; a laid back affair that was fun, yet still competitive. There was even quite a bit of jawing between some of us and one of the refs, a drinking buddy of ours from a few years back. Unfortunately the other team didn't seem to have quite the same expectations. I think they thought our game was the prelude to the Stanley Cup playoff games about to begin. They were chippy, even with each other, and there was no end to their bitching and moaning. More than once, my D and I looked at each other with a "what is WITH these guys?" look on our faces. One guy was particularly consistent with the complaining and yapping, aimed at one of my D for standing up for me. He yapped as he set up for the face off, continued yapping at the drop of the puck, and followed her into the corner, still carrying on. I took that opportunity to inform him that I hadn't heard that much bitching since I was in a women's locker room. I don't think he heard me though. He was too busy chasing eco_panda and trying to insult her by calling her "DUUUUDE". Because that's so highly offensive.
Though we'd gone up 4-2 at one point, we ended up tied 5-5 at the end, and when the buzzer went off, we were on the penalty kill. There was some discussion as to how to resolve the tie, and though I was praying for a straight shootout (knowing our guys would smoke the other goalie... sorry goalie gods), they gave us a 3 minute OT first. Unfortunately they took advantage of the extra man and scored before the power play was over. Dang. Not how I wanted to end that game, not at all. We made up for it in the parking lot afterwards though, as anyone who saw my tweets can attest. I was the unofficial secretary of MBN that night, chronicling all the new rules we had to create based on the crassness of the conversations (thank you GoalieHusband).
It will be interesting playing against this team next session. As Cap put it, at least we know there's one more team that's not a bunch of complete d-bags now. I have taken the reins in organizing what will be known as the Silverhawks, a nod to our first ever instructional league team. There aren't enough of us to have a full team, so we'll have a few free agents added to the roster, but hopefully they won't be d-bags either. I'm actually kind of nervous about the whole thing. I've never stepped into this role before, and I'm anxious about the team not doing well, or people not getting along. I guess we'll see - the season starts next week already. Hope that glove is ready for more action.
And it was a smashing success. It needs some more breaking in, but I think it will definitely be ready for Florida. It needs to mold to my hand a little more but once it does it will be perfect. I'm already a little in love with it, because it makes awesome saves all by itself. Seriously. It's got a little goalie-brain of its own in there. I made a wicked save toward the end of the game, one that got lots of cheers from the bench. Cheers, and then jeers. The jeers were for GoalieHusband, who had deflected it perfectly from its trajectory, which I had covered, to one that was going up and over my shoulder. But The Glove flicked out and snatched that sucker out of the air like a frog slurping up an unsuspecting fly. It surprised even me. The puck even nestles perfectly in the pocket, getting a nice little goalie hug. See? I told you I'm in love with it
As for the game, it started out perfect, exactly the kind of game I was expecting and looking forward to; a laid back affair that was fun, yet still competitive. There was even quite a bit of jawing between some of us and one of the refs, a drinking buddy of ours from a few years back. Unfortunately the other team didn't seem to have quite the same expectations. I think they thought our game was the prelude to the Stanley Cup playoff games about to begin. They were chippy, even with each other, and there was no end to their bitching and moaning. More than once, my D and I looked at each other with a "what is WITH these guys?" look on our faces. One guy was particularly consistent with the complaining and yapping, aimed at one of my D for standing up for me. He yapped as he set up for the face off, continued yapping at the drop of the puck, and followed her into the corner, still carrying on. I took that opportunity to inform him that I hadn't heard that much bitching since I was in a women's locker room. I don't think he heard me though. He was too busy chasing eco_panda and trying to insult her by calling her "DUUUUDE". Because that's so highly offensive.
Though we'd gone up 4-2 at one point, we ended up tied 5-5 at the end, and when the buzzer went off, we were on the penalty kill. There was some discussion as to how to resolve the tie, and though I was praying for a straight shootout (knowing our guys would smoke the other goalie... sorry goalie gods), they gave us a 3 minute OT first. Unfortunately they took advantage of the extra man and scored before the power play was over. Dang. Not how I wanted to end that game, not at all. We made up for it in the parking lot afterwards though, as anyone who saw my tweets can attest. I was the unofficial secretary of MBN that night, chronicling all the new rules we had to create based on the crassness of the conversations (thank you GoalieHusband).
It will be interesting playing against this team next session. As Cap put it, at least we know there's one more team that's not a bunch of complete d-bags now. I have taken the reins in organizing what will be known as the Silverhawks, a nod to our first ever instructional league team. There aren't enough of us to have a full team, so we'll have a few free agents added to the roster, but hopefully they won't be d-bags either. I'm actually kind of nervous about the whole thing. I've never stepped into this role before, and I'm anxious about the team not doing well, or people not getting along. I guess we'll see - the season starts next week already. Hope that glove is ready for more action.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
You Be The Judge
Yesterday, I informed my friend that I am not a complete goalie whore, and had a story to prove it. Her response? "I know you're not, because you don't slobber over Maaaaaarrrtyyyyy". She has a point. However, that didn't stop me from telling her my story. But she had a completely different take on it, so I bring it here for you all to be the judge.
I've known for a while now that I really need to invest in a new glove. Mine is, in addition to it's layer of slime on the inside, completely discolored with sweat on the outside, missing several key pieces of lacing, and rusted where there are metal eyelets. This is not a high quality glove. I got it on clearance maybe 4 years ago, in an effort to replace the one I'd bought without thinking, which was slightly smaller than a satellite dish. It served me well, but it's past time to upgrade. So, off GoalieHusband and I went to the local Hockey Monkey, for a little shopping.
I'm not completely married to a brand, but I do tend to like Vaughn. My pads, pants and blocker are all Vaughn and I love them. Naturally, I figured I'd be in the market for a Vaughn glove as well. Since I have dainty girly hands, senior size is too big (hence the satellite glove), so we were looking at intermediate sized gloves. I went straight for the Vaughns, but they didn't fit quite right. The break in the palm was just a tad off. I tried a few other brands and styles, one of which fit perfectly. I didn't settle on it then and there though. The problem? It was a ghastly bright yellow-orange. The tag said "Bauer RX8 SE - Bruins". For a split second my brain went "OOOOOOOOO! Bruins!" and then the logical part took over. That glove would just look hideous with the rest of my gear (and jerseys).
I am not one of those goalies who is all nutso about their gear being perfectly matched. My pads and blocker are both Vaughn, yes, but my pads have a maroon graphic whereas my blocker has black. So it really wouldn't bother me if the glove was white with black, black with silver, etc. But..... gold??? Talk about an eyesore. And imagine that with my black and red, or predominately red Quarry Cats jerseys. Ewww. It would look right at home with the gold-yellow Hawks jersey but we never know from season to season what we're doing, so that's not something to bank on.
And so, I didn't buy it. It was the only one in the store, so I went online and ordered it in a different "colorway". I got the Chicago 2 color... closest to what wouldn't look awful with the rest of my gear and jerseys. I told my friend this story, and pointed out that I could have just scooped it up because it was "Tuukka-colored" but did not, and therefore I am not a complete goalie whore. Do you know what she said? She said "That doesn't prove you're not a goalie whore, that just proves you're a chick who is worried about her gear not matching."
Now. I know plenty of boy goalies who are pretty particular about their gear. Not all of them, mind you, but most of them. So I leave it to you readers to decide. Proof of logic trumping fandom? Or proof that I'm really just pretty girly after all?
(I do feel the need to point out that neither Rask nor Thomas uses a Bauer glove, so I'm not sure what the deal is with the whole "Boston" thing. Rask uses a Vaughn and Thomas uses a Piku..... but somehow I don't think this statement is helping my "I'm not a goalie whore" cause that much so I'll just shut it right now....)
I've known for a while now that I really need to invest in a new glove. Mine is, in addition to it's layer of slime on the inside, completely discolored with sweat on the outside, missing several key pieces of lacing, and rusted where there are metal eyelets. This is not a high quality glove. I got it on clearance maybe 4 years ago, in an effort to replace the one I'd bought without thinking, which was slightly smaller than a satellite dish. It served me well, but it's past time to upgrade. So, off GoalieHusband and I went to the local Hockey Monkey, for a little shopping.
I'm not completely married to a brand, but I do tend to like Vaughn. My pads, pants and blocker are all Vaughn and I love them. Naturally, I figured I'd be in the market for a Vaughn glove as well. Since I have dainty girly hands, senior size is too big (hence the satellite glove), so we were looking at intermediate sized gloves. I went straight for the Vaughns, but they didn't fit quite right. The break in the palm was just a tad off. I tried a few other brands and styles, one of which fit perfectly. I didn't settle on it then and there though. The problem? It was a ghastly bright yellow-orange. The tag said "Bauer RX8 SE - Bruins". For a split second my brain went "OOOOOOOOO! Bruins!" and then the logical part took over. That glove would just look hideous with the rest of my gear (and jerseys).
I am not one of those goalies who is all nutso about their gear being perfectly matched. My pads and blocker are both Vaughn, yes, but my pads have a maroon graphic whereas my blocker has black. So it really wouldn't bother me if the glove was white with black, black with silver, etc. But..... gold??? Talk about an eyesore. And imagine that with my black and red, or predominately red Quarry Cats jerseys. Ewww. It would look right at home with the gold-yellow Hawks jersey but we never know from season to season what we're doing, so that's not something to bank on.
And so, I didn't buy it. It was the only one in the store, so I went online and ordered it in a different "colorway". I got the Chicago 2 color... closest to what wouldn't look awful with the rest of my gear and jerseys. I told my friend this story, and pointed out that I could have just scooped it up because it was "Tuukka-colored" but did not, and therefore I am not a complete goalie whore. Do you know what she said? She said "That doesn't prove you're not a goalie whore, that just proves you're a chick who is worried about her gear not matching."
Now. I know plenty of boy goalies who are pretty particular about their gear. Not all of them, mind you, but most of them. So I leave it to you readers to decide. Proof of logic trumping fandom? Or proof that I'm really just pretty girly after all?
(I do feel the need to point out that neither Rask nor Thomas uses a Bauer glove, so I'm not sure what the deal is with the whole "Boston" thing. Rask uses a Vaughn and Thomas uses a Piku..... but somehow I don't think this statement is helping my "I'm not a goalie whore" cause that much so I'll just shut it right now....)
Monday, April 2, 2012
Pure Poetry
Last year we stayed in a teammate's condo when we were in Florida for Nationals. It's a fantastic arrangement. There's just no way you're not going to have fun when a whole team is crammed into two condo units. One unit had a very large screened-in patio in the back, facing a lake. In the lake there was an alligator. No lie. I saw it myself. This is why no one was allowed to sleep on the patio. There were also, despite all the screens, dozens of geckos running around in the patio, to my complete delight. This was all well and good when we were just hanging out, but as the week wore on we began spreading our equipment out in the sun to dry. Several people were concerned that they'd pack up their gear and get to the rink only to have a gecko pop out of the bag. Or worse, find a gecko corpse in the bag, having been asphyxiated by the hockey stank.
The condos, as great as they were, were unfortunately quite a distance from the rink. It was a roughly 45 minute drive each way, and to amuse ourselves during the commutes, @lct29 (Flipper) and I began composing haikus. This kept us entertained for several car rides, and we still crack up even now when we think about them. Here were our two best:
Oh mini lizard
Stay out of my hockey bag
No dirt naps allowed!
-by me
Governor concerned
Beer supplies dwindling
Liver rest needed!
-by Flipper
The practice of making up haikus stuck, and we still will randomly email them to each other, usually when we are at our most stressed out. Flipper even was on a haiku-a-day streak for quite a while, but both of us had kind of forgotten about them for the last month or so. Until today. In the midst of my harsh return to reality at work, towards the end of another draining day in which I'm expected to continue working when no one knows anything about anything, I got an email from Flipper. She must be having the same kind of day I am, because she chronicled the entire tournament, using haikus. I got her permission to share the joy with all of you:
Game on Friday Night
Decide to hit road early
No slug-Cats on ice!!!!
Cats win the first game
Goalie kicks ass in shoot-out
Friday night curse ends!!!
Sleepy Cats on ice.
BUT Goalie loves the morning!
Hell's Belles fall to Cats.
Second game of day
Cats win a nail biter
See it on You Tube!
New game ritual
Meow mix song with Goalie*
Hey...it really works!
Cats like to party!
But we like to win games more
Early night for most.
Another shut out
Claudia gets a hat trick
The Cats win it all.
*We have a tradition that before the start of each period, we get into a group at the bench, someone yells "Cats on three! 1 - 2- 3 " and we all yell "CATS!" Once in a while as we're skating away someone will add a "meow!" which sometimes sounds suspiciously like "beer!". Well this weekend, I was moved by the Hockey Gods to sing the "Meow Mix" song to Flipper as we skated back to our positions on the ice to start the period. From that point forward, we sang it after every "CATS" chant. I know it was divine inspiration, because we won all our games. So from now on, we must always sing the "Meow Mix" song to each other. It cracks us up to no end, which is probably a good thing. I find myself wondering if it will catch on, and the entire team will start doing it. I think if that happens, the refs will surely find some kind of penalty to give us for making their ears bleed.
The condos, as great as they were, were unfortunately quite a distance from the rink. It was a roughly 45 minute drive each way, and to amuse ourselves during the commutes, @lct29 (Flipper) and I began composing haikus. This kept us entertained for several car rides, and we still crack up even now when we think about them. Here were our two best:
Oh mini lizard
Stay out of my hockey bag
No dirt naps allowed!
-by me
Governor concerned
Beer supplies dwindling
Liver rest needed!
-by Flipper
The practice of making up haikus stuck, and we still will randomly email them to each other, usually when we are at our most stressed out. Flipper even was on a haiku-a-day streak for quite a while, but both of us had kind of forgotten about them for the last month or so. Until today. In the midst of my harsh return to reality at work, towards the end of another draining day in which I'm expected to continue working when no one knows anything about anything, I got an email from Flipper. She must be having the same kind of day I am, because she chronicled the entire tournament, using haikus. I got her permission to share the joy with all of you:
Game on Friday Night
Decide to hit road early
No slug-Cats on ice!!!!
Cats win the first game
Goalie kicks ass in shoot-out
Friday night curse ends!!!
Sleepy Cats on ice.
BUT Goalie loves the morning!
Hell's Belles fall to Cats.
Second game of day
Cats win a nail biter
See it on You Tube!
New game ritual
Meow mix song with Goalie*
Hey...it really works!
Cats like to party!
But we like to win games more
Early night for most.
Another shut out
Claudia gets a hat trick
The Cats win it all.
*We have a tradition that before the start of each period, we get into a group at the bench, someone yells "Cats on three! 1 - 2- 3 " and we all yell "CATS!" Once in a while as we're skating away someone will add a "meow!" which sometimes sounds suspiciously like "beer!". Well this weekend, I was moved by the Hockey Gods to sing the "Meow Mix" song to Flipper as we skated back to our positions on the ice to start the period. From that point forward, we sang it after every "CATS" chant. I know it was divine inspiration, because we won all our games. So from now on, we must always sing the "Meow Mix" song to each other. It cracks us up to no end, which is probably a good thing. I find myself wondering if it will catch on, and the entire team will start doing it. I think if that happens, the refs will surely find some kind of penalty to give us for making their ears bleed.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Safe words, and post-tourney bliss
I would have blogged about our third game on Saturday night, but I was spent. (And we were partying). It was incredibly intense. We scored first, but then they got two goals I beat myself up pretty badly about. It held at 2-1 for quite some time, well into the 3rd period. I was thinking to myself, we CAN NOT lose this game, we just CAN NOT. Play was mostly in the other end, but the two goals against came off breakouts by the same speedy little forward both times. But with 3 minutes left, we scored to tie it. And then with about a minute left, we had a breakaway of our own and scored for the win. The whooping and hollering sounded like a championship game itself, but the relief was immense. Those two goals put us into the final game, to be played at 9:50 Sunday morning. With that in mind, we enjoyed ourselves at the Saturday night league-hosted party, but kept our merriment to a compressed schedule. I'd say most of us were in bed by 11pm.
That's not to say there wasn't plenty of blog-worthy ridiculousness. All day I've been remembering things I wanted to blog about, but 4 hours behind the wheel aren't conducive to note-taking. The best story though, certainly can not be forgotten. There was a raffle of gift baskets as a fund raiser for the tournament and their selected cause (a local young girl with leukemia), and one of our players had put a copious amount of tickets into the "spice" undergarments basket. (It's a womens' line of hockey undergarments. These particular items were a sports bra and coordinating velcro shorts in a saucy red and black tiger print). Our player, we'll call her "M", was lucky enough to win the basket. Now, "M" and another player, "F", are both openly gay and can be quite graphic about their exploits. They're also two of the biggest horn dogs on the team. "G", a happily married heterosexual mother of two, who is just a little shy when it comes to hearing all their stories, got caught between them. M was holding her prize, and G got sandwiched between M and F, in slightly more than a friendly hug. The next thing you know, G is yelling "baseballs!!!! baseballs!!!" and M and F are literally rolling on the floor with laughter. Apparently, "baseballs" was G's 'safe word'.
At this point I had the following thoughts: "G has a safe word???? Wow, I am totally lame in comparison". And then "Wait.... G has a safe word and both M and F know it?!?!? Whoa..." Fortunately for my self-assessed coolness-factor, we found out the next day that G had said previously that she needed a safe word for when M and F start getting into "uncomfortable" territory. One of them told her "baseballs" would do. I know, it makes the story much less lurid, but it made me feel a little better.
This was revealed in the locker room as we prepared for our championship game. M was conspicuously absent for quite a while, and when she arrived, we understood why. Someone had been indulging in juuuust a tad too much Scotch the night before, it would seem. M was not in good shape. I guess she sweat it out of her system though, because she ended up having a good game. We all did... although I didn't really have to do much at all. I'm not positive of the shot total, but I'd be stunned if I had more than 12 or 15. We went up 2-0 very quickly, within the first 3 minutes or so. Their goalie seemed awfully shaky, and we took advantage of that. At the end of the first it was 3-0, and we scored another in the second. An empty net goal in the third sealed it, and we won by a score of 5-0.
We were pretty surprised. We'd been expecting a game similar to our first one; somewhat chippy, and pretty challenging. We hadn't faced this team previously in the tournament, as the final was the top team from each of two separate divisions. Given that our previous games were all quite close, we're confident we won't get boosted up to the next level based on that final game score alone. We played in that level last year, and scored one goal in all three games combined. So, while this game was a pretty easy one for me, I was happy to be playing on a Sunday morning, instead of packing up the hotel room in a leisurely fashion and lingering over the breakfast buffet.
Now I'm home, and I've uploaded the post-game celebration pictures to Facebook and basked in all the comments and "likes". I cooked GoalieHusband and I a nice dinner and we're watching the Ranger game on DVR. (No one spoil it please). What a fantastic weekend, and so sorely needed. We don't want it to end. But it's back to the office tomorrow, although I'll have a pretty damn good picture to put on my desktop monitor. And in four short weeks, it's time for the debauchery of Nationals down in Florida. Tournament season RULES!
That's not to say there wasn't plenty of blog-worthy ridiculousness. All day I've been remembering things I wanted to blog about, but 4 hours behind the wheel aren't conducive to note-taking. The best story though, certainly can not be forgotten. There was a raffle of gift baskets as a fund raiser for the tournament and their selected cause (a local young girl with leukemia), and one of our players had put a copious amount of tickets into the "spice" undergarments basket. (It's a womens' line of hockey undergarments. These particular items were a sports bra and coordinating velcro shorts in a saucy red and black tiger print). Our player, we'll call her "M", was lucky enough to win the basket. Now, "M" and another player, "F", are both openly gay and can be quite graphic about their exploits. They're also two of the biggest horn dogs on the team. "G", a happily married heterosexual mother of two, who is just a little shy when it comes to hearing all their stories, got caught between them. M was holding her prize, and G got sandwiched between M and F, in slightly more than a friendly hug. The next thing you know, G is yelling "baseballs!!!! baseballs!!!" and M and F are literally rolling on the floor with laughter. Apparently, "baseballs" was G's 'safe word'.
At this point I had the following thoughts: "G has a safe word???? Wow, I am totally lame in comparison". And then "Wait.... G has a safe word and both M and F know it?!?!? Whoa..." Fortunately for my self-assessed coolness-factor, we found out the next day that G had said previously that she needed a safe word for when M and F start getting into "uncomfortable" territory. One of them told her "baseballs" would do. I know, it makes the story much less lurid, but it made me feel a little better.
This was revealed in the locker room as we prepared for our championship game. M was conspicuously absent for quite a while, and when she arrived, we understood why. Someone had been indulging in juuuust a tad too much Scotch the night before, it would seem. M was not in good shape. I guess she sweat it out of her system though, because she ended up having a good game. We all did... although I didn't really have to do much at all. I'm not positive of the shot total, but I'd be stunned if I had more than 12 or 15. We went up 2-0 very quickly, within the first 3 minutes or so. Their goalie seemed awfully shaky, and we took advantage of that. At the end of the first it was 3-0, and we scored another in the second. An empty net goal in the third sealed it, and we won by a score of 5-0.
We were pretty surprised. We'd been expecting a game similar to our first one; somewhat chippy, and pretty challenging. We hadn't faced this team previously in the tournament, as the final was the top team from each of two separate divisions. Given that our previous games were all quite close, we're confident we won't get boosted up to the next level based on that final game score alone. We played in that level last year, and scored one goal in all three games combined. So, while this game was a pretty easy one for me, I was happy to be playing on a Sunday morning, instead of packing up the hotel room in a leisurely fashion and lingering over the breakfast buffet.
Now I'm home, and I've uploaded the post-game celebration pictures to Facebook and basked in all the comments and "likes". I cooked GoalieHusband and I a nice dinner and we're watching the Ranger game on DVR. (No one spoil it please). What a fantastic weekend, and so sorely needed. We don't want it to end. But it's back to the office tomorrow, although I'll have a pretty damn good picture to put on my desktop monitor. And in four short weeks, it's time for the debauchery of Nationals down in Florida. Tournament season RULES!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Two down, one... two?... to go
The down-time between games on Saturday: it's never enough time to really take a good nap, but it's just enough to make you wish you could. So here I am, blogging after a nice burger (protein!) and beer (carbs!) and the hotel restaurant.
Friday night's game was a very intense one. It was fast, and it got progressively chippier as the game went on. The other team scored first, a goal I really wanted back. It started out as a screen, but I yelled and Flipper moved out of the way just in time for me to pick up the shot, but I didn't get my pad down in time and it slipped underneath it. Very frustrating. That score held through the second, and most of the third, but fortunately The Mayor managed to poke in a rebound no one else seemed to see. Hallelujah. I would have felt like complete and total ass if we'd lost that game on that one goal. It would have completely sealed the "Friday night game curse" for me. But, as there are no ties in this tournament, we went straight to a shootout. No problem. I was definitely in the zone, and I knew I had it. I stuffed all three of their shooters, and our last shooter scored, off a series of sweet moves that had the goalie going too far to her left. It was an easy goal at that point.
I can't even express how relieved I was that we got that Friday night game monkey off our backs. And I was very happy to have had a hand in our comeback, after allowing that crappy goal. I think I grinned all the way back to the hotel. After showers, we all met up in one of the rooms, which had been upgraded to a suite, so there was plenty of room for us to all hang out. It was subdued revelry though, as we had a game at 11:00 the next day.
Which was today. Everyone was all pumped up, going into a Saturday game that actually meant something. (If you lose on Friday night, the chances of making the final game are virtually nill.) We wore our black jerseys again, since we felt so bad-ass in them the night before. We ended up winning, by a score of 2-0, but it was nerve-wracking for me. The play was in the other zone most of the time, and we kept getting close calls, but nothing was going in. Then they had a breakaway on me and I pulled one of those toe saves that everyone on the bench loves. After that, it was still pretty one-sided on our part but we still couldn't score. Finally, in the third period, we got one. And I had a sneaky feeling that we were going to need two, that something weird was going to happen, a strange bounce or completely bad luck. There was one save I made where the puck bounced up strangely, but fortunately it landed on the side of my pad, instead of out in the middle of the crease for anyone to pick off.
So, we have one more game this afternoon, and if we win, we have the final game tomorrow morning. Which is at some obnoxious time like 9a.m. But first we have to win this afternoon. The team we're playing lost to this morning's opponents 1-0, so it could be a pretty close game. And afterwards is the big party here in the hotel atrium. Flipper and The Mayor have a room right on the ground floor, with a sliding door opening onto the patio of the atrium, so we'll be in perfect position to refresh our beer without having to pay an arm and a leg at the bar. And there may even be some swimming, since the pool is open this year. I wonder if they'll have the mechanical bull again???? Beer, swimming, and bull-riding. What could possibly go wrong? ;)
Friday night's game was a very intense one. It was fast, and it got progressively chippier as the game went on. The other team scored first, a goal I really wanted back. It started out as a screen, but I yelled and Flipper moved out of the way just in time for me to pick up the shot, but I didn't get my pad down in time and it slipped underneath it. Very frustrating. That score held through the second, and most of the third, but fortunately The Mayor managed to poke in a rebound no one else seemed to see. Hallelujah. I would have felt like complete and total ass if we'd lost that game on that one goal. It would have completely sealed the "Friday night game curse" for me. But, as there are no ties in this tournament, we went straight to a shootout. No problem. I was definitely in the zone, and I knew I had it. I stuffed all three of their shooters, and our last shooter scored, off a series of sweet moves that had the goalie going too far to her left. It was an easy goal at that point.
I can't even express how relieved I was that we got that Friday night game monkey off our backs. And I was very happy to have had a hand in our comeback, after allowing that crappy goal. I think I grinned all the way back to the hotel. After showers, we all met up in one of the rooms, which had been upgraded to a suite, so there was plenty of room for us to all hang out. It was subdued revelry though, as we had a game at 11:00 the next day.
Which was today. Everyone was all pumped up, going into a Saturday game that actually meant something. (If you lose on Friday night, the chances of making the final game are virtually nill.) We wore our black jerseys again, since we felt so bad-ass in them the night before. We ended up winning, by a score of 2-0, but it was nerve-wracking for me. The play was in the other zone most of the time, and we kept getting close calls, but nothing was going in. Then they had a breakaway on me and I pulled one of those toe saves that everyone on the bench loves. After that, it was still pretty one-sided on our part but we still couldn't score. Finally, in the third period, we got one. And I had a sneaky feeling that we were going to need two, that something weird was going to happen, a strange bounce or completely bad luck. There was one save I made where the puck bounced up strangely, but fortunately it landed on the side of my pad, instead of out in the middle of the crease for anyone to pick off.
So, we have one more game this afternoon, and if we win, we have the final game tomorrow morning. Which is at some obnoxious time like 9a.m. But first we have to win this afternoon. The team we're playing lost to this morning's opponents 1-0, so it could be a pretty close game. And afterwards is the big party here in the hotel atrium. Flipper and The Mayor have a room right on the ground floor, with a sliding door opening onto the patio of the atrium, so we'll be in perfect position to refresh our beer without having to pay an arm and a leg at the bar. And there may even be some swimming, since the pool is open this year. I wonder if they'll have the mechanical bull again???? Beer, swimming, and bull-riding. What could possibly go wrong? ;)
Friday, March 30, 2012
On The Road Again
Ever since I was about 5 years old, my family has been making annual pilgrimages to Cape Cod for a week in the summer. My mom's side of the family is from there, so we have a big 'ol reunion every year. It's a blast. One year, when my sister and I were still living at home in the summers, during our college years, we had to take two cars because my Dad had to leave halfway through the week to go to work. My parents were in one car, my sister and I were in the other. It was the mobile equivalent of the "kids' table" at Thanksgiving dinner. That trip remains to this day one of the best in my memory.
One thing that made it especially memorable was our method of communication between the two cars. My Dad had the brilliant idea to purchase a set of walkie-talkies. They were clearly intended to be nothing more than toys, as they were both bright yellow plastic, one with a red knob on the end of the antenna, the other with a yellow one. They didn't work unless the cars were very close to each other, and to conserve battery life, we left them switched off until we needed to communicate. The signal to turn your walkie-talkie on was someone from the other car waving their walkie-talkie out the window. It was nothing short of fantastic.
Fast forward holy crap is it really something like 20 years- and Flipper (@lct29) The Mayor and GoalieHusband and I are on our way up to a tournament in Massachusetts. Flipper and The Mayor are in one car, and GoalieHusband and I are following behind. Cell phones have eliminated the need for ridiculous walkie-talkie displays out the car windows, but the content of the messages wasn't much more mature. In response to an "Are we there yet????" text, The Mayor proceeded to text us every two miles to tell us how many more miles of the trip were yet to be traveled. There were also several Beavis & Butthead-esque exchanges, as well as lots of speculation as to where exactly my hands were, if they weren't both on the steering wheel.
I'm not sure I believe in coincidences, but let's just pretend for a moment- by coincidence, my sister happened to call just as we were heading up I-495. I told her where we were, and that I'd been thinking about that trip we made up to the Cape so many years ago. She laughed and said "Oh, the time we were rocking out in the car the entire time?" Yep. That was the other thing that made it so memorable. A complete performance of Bohemian Rhapsody at as high a decibel level as that 1995 Neon would allow.
So here we are. Relaxing for a bit before heading over to the rink for our first game, which is at 9:40. We're aiming to get there early, so we have time to check in, and oggle all the gift baskets available for "auction". (It's a tricky-tray type thing.) I just remembered that last year there were several Bruins baskets. One of them had several Tuukka-signed items in it. I bought tickets for it, but didn't win. If there is anything even remotely Tuukka-associated this year, I'm buying butt-loads of tickets for it. That puppy will be MINE.
Time to log off for now... lines are being arranged, and I have to bring my jersey in from the balcony over the pool where I hung it the minute we got here.
GO CATS!!!
One thing that made it especially memorable was our method of communication between the two cars. My Dad had the brilliant idea to purchase a set of walkie-talkies. They were clearly intended to be nothing more than toys, as they were both bright yellow plastic, one with a red knob on the end of the antenna, the other with a yellow one. They didn't work unless the cars were very close to each other, and to conserve battery life, we left them switched off until we needed to communicate. The signal to turn your walkie-talkie on was someone from the other car waving their walkie-talkie out the window. It was nothing short of fantastic.
Fast forward holy crap is it really something like 20 years- and Flipper (@lct29) The Mayor and GoalieHusband and I are on our way up to a tournament in Massachusetts. Flipper and The Mayor are in one car, and GoalieHusband and I are following behind. Cell phones have eliminated the need for ridiculous walkie-talkie displays out the car windows, but the content of the messages wasn't much more mature. In response to an "Are we there yet????" text, The Mayor proceeded to text us every two miles to tell us how many more miles of the trip were yet to be traveled. There were also several Beavis & Butthead-esque exchanges, as well as lots of speculation as to where exactly my hands were, if they weren't both on the steering wheel.
I'm not sure I believe in coincidences, but let's just pretend for a moment- by coincidence, my sister happened to call just as we were heading up I-495. I told her where we were, and that I'd been thinking about that trip we made up to the Cape so many years ago. She laughed and said "Oh, the time we were rocking out in the car the entire time?" Yep. That was the other thing that made it so memorable. A complete performance of Bohemian Rhapsody at as high a decibel level as that 1995 Neon would allow.
So here we are. Relaxing for a bit before heading over to the rink for our first game, which is at 9:40. We're aiming to get there early, so we have time to check in, and oggle all the gift baskets available for "auction". (It's a tricky-tray type thing.) I just remembered that last year there were several Bruins baskets. One of them had several Tuukka-signed items in it. I bought tickets for it, but didn't win. If there is anything even remotely Tuukka-associated this year, I'm buying butt-loads of tickets for it. That puppy will be MINE.
Time to log off for now... lines are being arranged, and I have to bring my jersey in from the balcony over the pool where I hung it the minute we got here.
GO CATS!!!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Witty Comebacks, and Women's Locker Rooms
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Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Autopilot (warning: navel-gazing ahead)
I hate "abandoning" my blog. Especially after something like the "goaliespeak" post, which (so far) has had 206 hits. Up 'til then I think the most hits a post has had has been around 35, so although I am somewhat ashamed to admit it, that made me feel a little proud that so many people found their way to the blog, and apparently stuck around, if the uptick in hits on other posts is any indication. I briefly considered making it a point to write something every day, so as not to lose anyone's attention. But I like keeping it real, and if I have nothing to say, I have nothing to say.
Particularly during times like these. I find that any time I start to succumb to stress, my natural instinct is to head for cover. Facebook, Twitter, my goalie message board, even blogging all seem overwhelming. I know I've alluded to it here a few times, but things at work are downright awful. I've been with this company for 15 years, and started here straight out of college. I don't know any other job or industry. Many of these people, though I do bitch about them, are like a fucked up extended dysfunctional family in some ways. And just over a month ago, we entered Chapter 11 as part of the process of being acquired by another company. It's been bad here for a long time, but never this bad. There was a round of layoffs last week, with another looming this week. We no longer exist as a company but we haven't been purchased by anyone yet. This extended period of limbo, of not knowing who will get to stay and who will be cut loose, is extremely trying for all of us. Coming to the office every day gets harder and harder when you have nothing to do and no direction and no word from anyone, but know bad news is coming at some point. That my paycheck actually hits my bank account on payday is no small miracle, and for that I am very thankful.
As a result I have been running on autopilot lately. It's gotten progressively worse over the last week or so. The only way to get through it (other than drinking heavily, which I will not allow myself to succumb to) is to just numb out. That, and live from hockey game to hockey game, though I have to admit after the final week of 5 times on the ice in 6 days, I may be a tad burned out. BUT.... the Cougars have a game tonight, and a tournament is a mere four days away. I've managed to shake myself free of the inertia enough to focus on those things and enjoy what I can. It took me until just this afternoon to come to that realization. Maybe it's the Buddhist CD I'm listening to in the car. Maybe it's my brain finally screaming awake after a period of being zoned out. Whatever it is, I'm back. At least for a few days. And I SWEAR, this time I will blog the tournament as it happens. I know, I know, I say that every time. But I have to really do it. There are so many funny little details that get left out when I do a post-tournament wrap-up. It should be an interesting experiment.
So..... LET'S GO COUGAR(HAWK)S!!!! This is a playoff game. (I know! Already???!) This season went far too quickly and I'm going to miss playing with these idiots next season, so I know I have to grab hold while I can. BOO. YAH.
Particularly during times like these. I find that any time I start to succumb to stress, my natural instinct is to head for cover. Facebook, Twitter, my goalie message board, even blogging all seem overwhelming. I know I've alluded to it here a few times, but things at work are downright awful. I've been with this company for 15 years, and started here straight out of college. I don't know any other job or industry. Many of these people, though I do bitch about them, are like a fucked up extended dysfunctional family in some ways. And just over a month ago, we entered Chapter 11 as part of the process of being acquired by another company. It's been bad here for a long time, but never this bad. There was a round of layoffs last week, with another looming this week. We no longer exist as a company but we haven't been purchased by anyone yet. This extended period of limbo, of not knowing who will get to stay and who will be cut loose, is extremely trying for all of us. Coming to the office every day gets harder and harder when you have nothing to do and no direction and no word from anyone, but know bad news is coming at some point. That my paycheck actually hits my bank account on payday is no small miracle, and for that I am very thankful.
As a result I have been running on autopilot lately. It's gotten progressively worse over the last week or so. The only way to get through it (other than drinking heavily, which I will not allow myself to succumb to) is to just numb out. That, and live from hockey game to hockey game, though I have to admit after the final week of 5 times on the ice in 6 days, I may be a tad burned out. BUT.... the Cougars have a game tonight, and a tournament is a mere four days away. I've managed to shake myself free of the inertia enough to focus on those things and enjoy what I can. It took me until just this afternoon to come to that realization. Maybe it's the Buddhist CD I'm listening to in the car. Maybe it's my brain finally screaming awake after a period of being zoned out. Whatever it is, I'm back. At least for a few days. And I SWEAR, this time I will blog the tournament as it happens. I know, I know, I say that every time. But I have to really do it. There are so many funny little details that get left out when I do a post-tournament wrap-up. It should be an interesting experiment.
So..... LET'S GO COUGAR(HAWK)S!!!! This is a playoff game. (I know! Already???!) This season went far too quickly and I'm going to miss playing with these idiots next season, so I know I have to grab hold while I can. BOO. YAH.
The lost post (as in blog post, not post-my-best-friend)
I wrote this a week ago but forgot to hit "publish". Woopsie.
If you've been a longtime reader, you know that I have always been a little shaky with handling the puck. (If you're new, well there you go, I just told you). I haven't mentioned it much in the last year or so, but it's something I've been making a concerted effort to work on. I got past the complete deer-in-headlights stage where I was petrified to even try because it would invariably end up in the net, and now I'm fairly confident and even have a clue what I'm going to do with the puck once it's on my stick. Last night I even passed to a teammate who was up near the blue line! Go me. However, as with all learning processes, there's always that time now and then where things don't go quite as planned. I guess I was feeling a little cocky after that pretty pass in the 2nd period, because in the 3rd I gave my entire bench a heart attack. In my defense, there was no one around for miles when I went out to get the puck as it came into our zone on a power play. I was all "oh, no big deal, I'll just mosey out here and get it, and-" OMG WHY IS GOALIEHUSBAND SCREAMING "MAN ON!!"???!
A forechecker had come flying out of nowhere and the puck squirted out into the slot. Both of us raced for it, and I swear it was one of those slow-motion moments, in which I got to the puck a fraction of a second before he did through nothing more than sheer force of will. I was even gritting my teeth and maybe even growling a little. I went flying on my belly as I poked it and somehow he ended up on the ice too, crashing into me. All I cared about was the puck was off in the corner, far away from any green-clad players. As I got up and retreated to my crease, he skated by and said "Sorry man," then did a double-take and said "uh... girl?" Ha. Dude, if I'm going to be offended by being called "man", I think I'm in the wrong sport. Funny thing is, that's the second time that happened in that game. The first time was after a Mack truck barreled into my head while I was crouched over a puck to freeze it. I was in a little less of a good humor at that point though.
What really made my night though, was hearing about something that was said to a teammate. After a very frustrating game, which we lost 2-1 despite the fact that we actually scored 3 goals, a good number of us hung out on a glorious spring evening for a beverage or two. Hkygrl12 told me that a fellow teammate had been at clinic a few days before, and someone from another team in the league was there as well. That person stopped him and asked him "What have you been feeding your goalie??" I didn't get it at first. But then Hkygr12 explained that the goalie they'd had the season before was also female, but I guess made less saves. (Trying to be diplomatic. You know me and how much I love to toot my own horn.) This person apparently thought it was the same goalie, but much improved. (I'm cringing even writing this, feeling bad for the other goalie, who hopefully will never read this). I'm not going to lie, hearing that really made me feel good.
If you've been a longtime reader, you know that I have always been a little shaky with handling the puck. (If you're new, well there you go, I just told you). I haven't mentioned it much in the last year or so, but it's something I've been making a concerted effort to work on. I got past the complete deer-in-headlights stage where I was petrified to even try because it would invariably end up in the net, and now I'm fairly confident and even have a clue what I'm going to do with the puck once it's on my stick. Last night I even passed to a teammate who was up near the blue line! Go me. However, as with all learning processes, there's always that time now and then where things don't go quite as planned. I guess I was feeling a little cocky after that pretty pass in the 2nd period, because in the 3rd I gave my entire bench a heart attack. In my defense, there was no one around for miles when I went out to get the puck as it came into our zone on a power play. I was all "oh, no big deal, I'll just mosey out here and get it, and-" OMG WHY IS GOALIEHUSBAND SCREAMING "MAN ON!!"???!
A forechecker had come flying out of nowhere and the puck squirted out into the slot. Both of us raced for it, and I swear it was one of those slow-motion moments, in which I got to the puck a fraction of a second before he did through nothing more than sheer force of will. I was even gritting my teeth and maybe even growling a little. I went flying on my belly as I poked it and somehow he ended up on the ice too, crashing into me. All I cared about was the puck was off in the corner, far away from any green-clad players. As I got up and retreated to my crease, he skated by and said "Sorry man," then did a double-take and said "uh... girl?" Ha. Dude, if I'm going to be offended by being called "man", I think I'm in the wrong sport. Funny thing is, that's the second time that happened in that game. The first time was after a Mack truck barreled into my head while I was crouched over a puck to freeze it. I was in a little less of a good humor at that point though.
What really made my night though, was hearing about something that was said to a teammate. After a very frustrating game, which we lost 2-1 despite the fact that we actually scored 3 goals, a good number of us hung out on a glorious spring evening for a beverage or two. Hkygrl12 told me that a fellow teammate had been at clinic a few days before, and someone from another team in the league was there as well. That person stopped him and asked him "What have you been feeding your goalie??" I didn't get it at first. But then Hkygr12 explained that the goalie they'd had the season before was also female, but I guess made less saves. (Trying to be diplomatic. You know me and how much I love to toot my own horn.) This person apparently thought it was the same goalie, but much improved. (I'm cringing even writing this, feeling bad for the other goalie, who hopefully will never read this). I'm not going to lie, hearing that really made me feel good.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Wait.... it's over???? Already?!?
I still can't get over how quickly this season went. The QCats played our final game on Saturday, a win in which I saw 15 shots if I was lucky. Our unofficial record for the season is 12-5-5. That is pretty damn satisfying. We have one practice left, which GoalieHusband and @hkygrl12 have promised will be "fun", but will not reveal any other details. We're all hoping that "fun" means "no Herbies".
We have tournaments lined up for the whole off-season, and I'm definitely looking forward to them, but it's still a little sad for the season to be ending. We're going to feel pretty aimless the next few Sundays, with no games to hurry off to. I guess we can probably fill the void with firepit gatherings and other warm-weather type stuff. (Yuck. Warm weather.)
Fortunately, being the hockey whore I am, I am impacted a little less than the rest of my teammates, since Cougar(hawk)s games go year round. We've got another matinee tonight, and then a game at 11pm tomorrow night. We've also learned that several regular Cougar members are coming back for the Spring session, so our Cougar-Hawk blend is going to have to part ways since there isn't enough room for all of us on the same team. It's too bad, because this team has some pretty good chemistry. But, GoalieHusband and the other Hawks and I are already working on forming a team of our own. It looks like we'll even have a few QCats on the roster. We're tossing around the idea of calling ourselves the Hawks again, and busting out the snazzy yellow jerseys we all bought. More on that in the coming weeks.
On the NHL front, I'm still extremely mopey about Rask being hurt, so I went searching on Youtube for the pre-game interview he did on NESN last week. My perusing also revealed a nifty little video that I watched out of mild curiosity, but which ended up with a huge "A-HA!!!" moment. Bless Tuukka's crazy little Finnish heart, he solved my slimy-glove problem! (Ok, technically I guess his trainer solved it. Tomato, tomahto.)
We have tournaments lined up for the whole off-season, and I'm definitely looking forward to them, but it's still a little sad for the season to be ending. We're going to feel pretty aimless the next few Sundays, with no games to hurry off to. I guess we can probably fill the void with firepit gatherings and other warm-weather type stuff. (Yuck. Warm weather.)
Fortunately, being the hockey whore I am, I am impacted a little less than the rest of my teammates, since Cougar(hawk)s games go year round. We've got another matinee tonight, and then a game at 11pm tomorrow night. We've also learned that several regular Cougar members are coming back for the Spring session, so our Cougar-Hawk blend is going to have to part ways since there isn't enough room for all of us on the same team. It's too bad, because this team has some pretty good chemistry. But, GoalieHusband and the other Hawks and I are already working on forming a team of our own. It looks like we'll even have a few QCats on the roster. We're tossing around the idea of calling ourselves the Hawks again, and busting out the snazzy yellow jerseys we all bought. More on that in the coming weeks.
On the NHL front, I'm still extremely mopey about Rask being hurt, so I went searching on Youtube for the pre-game interview he did on NESN last week. My perusing also revealed a nifty little video that I watched out of mild curiosity, but which ended up with a huge "A-HA!!!" moment. Bless Tuukka's crazy little Finnish heart, he solved my slimy-glove problem! (Ok, technically I guess his trainer solved it. Tomato, tomahto.)
Friday, March 16, 2012
Shootouts everywhere
I neglected to write about any games last week mostly because I was busy sulking about them. There were three, a loss and two ties. The first game was last Friday night, the first of the Quarry Cats' two final home games, and we played a team that is more of a C/D mix than a true D team. We lost 5-2 and that was pretty darn good for the competition we were up against. My post-game locker room expletive-filled rant about one particular ref notwithstanding, it actually wasn't too bad morale-wise. We all knew we played decently against a much better team.
The next game was a tie, and that one actually felt more like a loss than the one before it. We were up 4-2 and with about 3 minutes to go the other team scored not once, but twice, to tie the game. We asked the refs for a shootout, and they gave us what seems to be the rink standard: a 5-man shootout. (Not sure what's up with that). Unfortunately, although I turned away the first 3 shooters, the next two found their mark, and we had two goals out of 3 as well. The refs wouldn't give us any more shooters so we ended in a tie. Not sure what the point of the shootout is then... but ok. Everyone (myself included) was kind of ticked at letting that one get away.
We had Sunday off and then on Monday night the Cougar(hawk)s were back in action for another matinee. (For my new readers, in our world, "matinee" means basically "any time before 9 pm") I don't feel I played my best game, even though two goals were complete screens. I'm supposed to have those anyway, right? Have to learn to find the puck no matter where it is, etc, etc. Fortunately we managed to tie that one up in the last few minutes, in mirror image to the QCat game two nights before; we were down 4-2 and tied it 4-4. UNfortunately, for whatever reason the refs didn't see fit to give us a shootout. Both I and the other goalie stayed in our nets at the final buzzer, and teams milled about waiting for a shootout, but one ref skated to the benches and said "That's it, you're done", much to everyone's chagrin. I can't say for sure but it may have something to do with the fact that it had gotten juuuuust a little chippy at the end there, with one particular guy from the other team really ticking off several of our players. (He really was a grade A d-bag).
So, from that wholly unsatisfying hockey weekend into a week full of work drama, stress (oh the life of a Chapter 11 proceeding), and germs. Yes, for the third time this winter I've come down with a cold. At least this time it seems to be a minor one. I was supposed to be off on Thursday but ended up working 6 of the more stress-filled hours I've had in my 15 years there, and was banking on the fact that when I woke up the next morning I'd feel better, and not worse. Good thing that was the case, because we had a morning game out in Westchester, NY.
GoalieHusband drove my germy ass and The Mayor to the rink, and I wasn't at all confident that I'd be able to stop much more than the most non-threatening of shots. I told the team beforehand that the game plan was "keep the puck in their zone" because not only was I sick, but I was having some kind of odd issue with my pads sticking to the ice (this later resolved itself). Bless my teammates, because they listened. I've never seen a better forechecking game than ours today. The puck was rarely in our zone at all, and when it was the D was sound. I didn't count shots but I couldn't have seen more than 15. The lone goal against came on a breakaway that I normally would have had in my sleep. I challenged, my angle was fine, but I just didn't react, and she beat me blocker side. Thankfully, we tied it up in the next period and the score stood at 1-1, even through the OT period they allotted us. With plenty of time left, they allowed us to go to a shootout. My teammates had to be a little nervous about that, knowing I was sick, and that I'd allowed that crappy breakaway goal. But by then I had my head on straight and I knew I could do my part.
We scored first, then their first shooter came in, went to the left, and shot towards the right. She thought she had me, too, until I flicked out my right leg like a snake's tongue and kicked her puck to the corner. Their goalie made the save on our next shooter, and then I got a freebie when their shooter completely flubbed it and didn't even get a shot off. Again our next shooter was denied, and their next one came at me pretty straight, but made a series of odd moves with her stick blade, above the puck. Really? Did she think I'd bite on that? SAVE.
That win felt good, because I'd felt pretty crappy about giving up that goal, after all that time spent in the other team's end. I've spent most of the rest of the day chilling (and fielding panicked calls from work), and I feel a million times better tonight than I did last night. Which is good, because we have to do it all over again tomorrow morning. We'll be in Bridgewater for our final game of the season. I can not believe that it is March freakin' 16th, and our season is over tomorrow. This season absolutely FLEW by.
No matter, though, because we have TOURNAMENT SEASON right around the corner, and plenty of Cougar(hawk)s games left to play. One on Monday and one on Tuesday, to be exact. And then our final practice on Wednesday. So that's five times on the ice in 6 days. I think I can live with that.
BOO YAH.
The next game was a tie, and that one actually felt more like a loss than the one before it. We were up 4-2 and with about 3 minutes to go the other team scored not once, but twice, to tie the game. We asked the refs for a shootout, and they gave us what seems to be the rink standard: a 5-man shootout. (Not sure what's up with that). Unfortunately, although I turned away the first 3 shooters, the next two found their mark, and we had two goals out of 3 as well. The refs wouldn't give us any more shooters so we ended in a tie. Not sure what the point of the shootout is then... but ok. Everyone (myself included) was kind of ticked at letting that one get away.
We had Sunday off and then on Monday night the Cougar(hawk)s were back in action for another matinee. (For my new readers, in our world, "matinee" means basically "any time before 9 pm") I don't feel I played my best game, even though two goals were complete screens. I'm supposed to have those anyway, right? Have to learn to find the puck no matter where it is, etc, etc. Fortunately we managed to tie that one up in the last few minutes, in mirror image to the QCat game two nights before; we were down 4-2 and tied it 4-4. UNfortunately, for whatever reason the refs didn't see fit to give us a shootout. Both I and the other goalie stayed in our nets at the final buzzer, and teams milled about waiting for a shootout, but one ref skated to the benches and said "That's it, you're done", much to everyone's chagrin. I can't say for sure but it may have something to do with the fact that it had gotten juuuuust a little chippy at the end there, with one particular guy from the other team really ticking off several of our players. (He really was a grade A d-bag).
So, from that wholly unsatisfying hockey weekend into a week full of work drama, stress (oh the life of a Chapter 11 proceeding), and germs. Yes, for the third time this winter I've come down with a cold. At least this time it seems to be a minor one. I was supposed to be off on Thursday but ended up working 6 of the more stress-filled hours I've had in my 15 years there, and was banking on the fact that when I woke up the next morning I'd feel better, and not worse. Good thing that was the case, because we had a morning game out in Westchester, NY.
GoalieHusband drove my germy ass and The Mayor to the rink, and I wasn't at all confident that I'd be able to stop much more than the most non-threatening of shots. I told the team beforehand that the game plan was "keep the puck in their zone" because not only was I sick, but I was having some kind of odd issue with my pads sticking to the ice (this later resolved itself). Bless my teammates, because they listened. I've never seen a better forechecking game than ours today. The puck was rarely in our zone at all, and when it was the D was sound. I didn't count shots but I couldn't have seen more than 15. The lone goal against came on a breakaway that I normally would have had in my sleep. I challenged, my angle was fine, but I just didn't react, and she beat me blocker side. Thankfully, we tied it up in the next period and the score stood at 1-1, even through the OT period they allotted us. With plenty of time left, they allowed us to go to a shootout. My teammates had to be a little nervous about that, knowing I was sick, and that I'd allowed that crappy breakaway goal. But by then I had my head on straight and I knew I could do my part.
We scored first, then their first shooter came in, went to the left, and shot towards the right. She thought she had me, too, until I flicked out my right leg like a snake's tongue and kicked her puck to the corner. Their goalie made the save on our next shooter, and then I got a freebie when their shooter completely flubbed it and didn't even get a shot off. Again our next shooter was denied, and their next one came at me pretty straight, but made a series of odd moves with her stick blade, above the puck. Really? Did she think I'd bite on that? SAVE.
That win felt good, because I'd felt pretty crappy about giving up that goal, after all that time spent in the other team's end. I've spent most of the rest of the day chilling (and fielding panicked calls from work), and I feel a million times better tonight than I did last night. Which is good, because we have to do it all over again tomorrow morning. We'll be in Bridgewater for our final game of the season. I can not believe that it is March freakin' 16th, and our season is over tomorrow. This season absolutely FLEW by.
No matter, though, because we have TOURNAMENT SEASON right around the corner, and plenty of Cougar(hawk)s games left to play. One on Monday and one on Tuesday, to be exact. And then our final practice on Wednesday. So that's five times on the ice in 6 days. I think I can live with that.
BOO YAH.
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