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.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
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....)
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