Today I... (Part 2)

[Gigantor The Goalie]

I'm a college guy but am an extra goalie for an organized pick-up session. Got a call yesterday from the guy who runs it to ask me to play tonight. He usually just sends out a an email to everyone else on the list for goalies but he told me that they wanted a goalie that plays at a high level which I thought was a surprising compliment. I also might become a regular too which would be nice. Would love playing hockey once a week all year around.

EDIT: So I went out and played tonight. Boy did I play. I don't if it was the core workouts or just something clicked in my head but I was on fire. There were a lot of sure goals that I would normally not save but tonight I got them all. The guy who runs it was joking that I was putting on a show so I could become a regular. I honestly wish though I knew exactly what happened so I can have more games like that.

 

[SCritical]

Today I have whip lash from a shooting clinic. I can't figure out for the life of me how it happened because obviously we didn't do much skating. I only fell once, when I went to shoot and slipped over the back of my skates onto my back. I wasn't moving and I didn't hit my head so what the hell.

 

[Summer Rose]

Went to a referee development camp. Lined two scrimmage games (3-man system) and then was the referee for the third.

Wish I'd been the referee in the first one, I was tired enough already before it even started. Also cut my finger with my own skate blade trying to wipe the snow off. Felt pretty stupid after that one.

 

[Jarick]

Last game of the season today, so no St Patty's day shenanigans. Only 9 skaters showed up, so we ran 6 forwards and 3 D. We're second-to-last and played one of the top teams. Down 3-0 in the first, we tied it up and played them HARD and guys were pulling out skill I haven't seen before.

Late in the second I took a shot and the rebound came out hot and hit me in the foot, then next shift I jumped the boards and landed on that foot funny and couldn't push off the toe. Dang. So instead of being the burner I wound up doing a lot more passing and chipping the puck deep.

Last shift in the game, I forecheck deep, goalie hacks me and I take his stick in the corner. We keep possession, I bump a guy off the puck, spin around another, come in and the goalie is down, empty net, I miss high and wide.

Story of the year.

We lost 4-3 but it was a great game to end the season.

 

[TLow97]

Just finished up our season, lost 4-2 vs the 1-loss first place team.

This was my first year playing since I was 16 (29 now) and I felt like I got better as the season weren't on. Played a level above where I graded out, too. Definitely need to focus on weight loss over the summer.

There were plenty of frustrations, mostly of which I aired out in the "vent" thread. Hopefully with a year playing together (and some tier shifting) we will see more success next year.

 

[windycity]

Also, it's just ridiculous (and fun) to watch NHL'ers screwing around on a sheet of ice. Zucker and Cal Clutterbuck were saucing the puck perfectly smooth and flat two thirds the way of the length of the ice. Drops a few feet in front of the tape. No big deal. Doing the triangle puck handling drills at about three times the speed of us beer leaguers.

And it's not like Clutterbuck is the most skilled guy (relatively speaking in the NHL) so imagine watching a Crosby or a Malkin close up. During the lockout, some of the Hawks practiced at our hometown rink, it was riduculous how good those guys are going at 50-75%. Toews is awesome.

 

[Jarick]

Yeah it's amazing to see the disparity in talent between top NHL'ers and grinders, and then you see the talent disparity between the grinders and "good" rec leaguers. Also, trying to project high schoolers into their NHL potential is mind boggling. I have no ability to do so.

 

[Frankie Spankie]

Had some bad luck despite scoring a goal and winning in overtime this morning.

I blocked a shot with my knee, fortunately didn't hurt. Blocked a pass with the inside of my foot which I'm still feeling now 5 hours later. Also went with a diving block for a shooter who had a wide open net. I got a piece of it off the shoulder but it went in. I wonder if I didn't get a piece of it if it still would have gone in. Great game overall but I wish I had some better luck myself.

 

[Ozz]

Today I'm dreading tomorrow's schedule regarding our playoffs. We play in a Sunday league but it got split up between Sun/Thurs. Playoffs are pushed to all Thursdays. Sucks for me, I travel weekly and return on Thursday. So I'll be working nearly a full day Thurs (on top of 10-12 hour days on Tues/Wed, plus a full day and travel on Mon), flying home, and walking through my door roughly an hour before I have to leave for the rink. Hoping I can pile in some carbs before/during my flight home and crack a nice energy drink en route to the rink to make myself feel normal. Sleeping on the flight won't happen. Normally it's not much of a concern but it's the playoff semi-finals and a game between 2nd/3rd seeds.

The opponent: a great team who usually wins their division or at least plays in the finals. I'd wager a bet they've lost in the playoffs to us more than any other team in the past few years. We usually have the upper hand on them overall but they did beat us in a weekend tourney this past winter, so we're still reeling from that.

This season's history: they railed us 8-0 when we were missing half our players, our goalie, our only remaining speed guy got sick and left, and I was feeling awful the whole game too. In a rare scene we basically gave up once the 3rd period hit. A couple weeks later when we met again with our full team, we put up 8 on them as well and beat them by 3 or 4.

It's gonna be a good one!

 

[bigbadbruins1]

purchased new graf goaler 750 skates... my bauer supreme 3000's blades finally bit the bullet and broke... I like new things

 

[Ozz]

Today I'm dreading tomorrow's schedule regarding our playoffs. We play in a Sunday league but it got split up between Sun/Thurs. Playoffs are pushed to all Thursdays. Sucks for me, I travel weekly and return on Thursday. So I'll be working nearly a full day Thurs (on top of 10-12 hour days on Tues/Wed, plus a full day and travel on Mon), flying home, and walking through my door roughly an hour before I have to leave for the rink. Hoping I can pile in some carbs before/during my flight home and crack a nice energy drink en route to the rink to make myself feel normal. Sleeping on the flight won't happen. Normally it's not much of a concern but it's the playoff semi-finals and a game between 2nd/3rd seeds.

The opponent: a great team who usually wins their division or at least plays in the finals. I'd wager a bet they've lost in the playoffs to us more than any other team in the past few years. We usually have the upper hand on them overall but they did beat us in a weekend tourney this past winter, so we're still reeling from that.

This season's history: they railed us 8-0 when we were missing half our players, our goalie, our only remaining speed guy got sick and left, and I was feeling awful the whole game too. In a rare scene we basically gave up once the 3rd period hit. A couple weeks later when we met again with our full team, we put up 8 on them as well and beat them by 3 or 4.

It's gonna be a good one!

And a 5-2 win for us. Finals next week, we're now the top seed

 

[Glove Malfunction]

Today I played goalie for the first time ever. Our team's playoff position was already secure, so this last game didn't really mean anything. I used my 15 year old son's equipment, which actually fit me OK. It was hard making the transition to goalie skates, but into the second half of the game, I started feeling more comfortable. It was fun, and I'm hopeful I'll get the chance to do it again before too long.

 

[Glove Malfunction]

Congrats Ozz, good luck next week.

 

[Jarick]

That's got to be fun/nerve wracking! I haven't got to the point I want to try playing goal. It might be fun for kicks but I'm not athletic at all...just like to shoot at corners!

 

[neksys]

Today I played RW with two fantastic players. I am a plug. Got two of our three team goals just by planting myself in front of the net and letting them find me.

It's a real treat to play with players like that, and forces guys like me to really simplify our games - be patient with the puck, get good positioning, and stay open.

 

[sxHarr05]

Today I felt pretty good hitting the ice for S&P. Ended up playing 3v3, half ice with a goalie (always a nice surprise). Third oldest (40) and a bunch of 20-somethings. Only guy NOT playing in a league and only 2.5 months back into it after a LOOOONG layoff. Haven't skated that hard-or that well-in years. Played pretty well until the chill set in and the gut started churning. Yeah, I skated THAT hard. Took a breather and downed some H2O and back out.
One of the guys, who is a regular there and a heck of a player, runs the men's leagues. Suggested I attend the evaluation skate and enter the draft for C. Either their C REALLY sucks or I made a pretty good impression for a guy that was off the ice for 17 years. Or he was impressed I was willing to stand in front of one of his bombs (which he didn't actually pull the trigger on, he was so shocked).

 

[TheeNorthStar]

So i went to browse at a couple hockey stores.

And I never bothered to try the newer top of the line helmets because i have a pretty big dome piece and when i look at the top of the line helmet sizing guidelines, i was always like "Thats not gonna fit me, not going to even try it." cause in the past , they never have (9900 & the M11)

But today i ... tried on the Bauer re-akt helmet, and OH MY GAWD! That thing fit me like a GLOVE and man oh man was it comfortable.

I want it so BAD. but 200 bucks is not something i have to spend right now.. But its def on my hitlist.. It fits me WAY better than my 4500s.

 

[SCBruCrew4]

It wasn't today but it's my first time getting onto a computer so here goes.

Friday night, first game with a random group of guys and the one guy I do know invited me. Hands down my best game of hockey ever. And it wasn't cause I scored a silky goal or a hat trick or anything but rather the fact that defensively I played awesome and made smart hockey decisions. One guy had 3 breakaway chances (cherry picking) and I was broke up every chance he had. He was a good skater and could move but I angled him just right. First time he was coming down near the hasmark and I just immediately went down to the ice. Well because he was trying to power past me he now had to pull up and stick handle around me and my stick which allowed of defenseman to get back and steal the puck away from him. The next two times I caught up to him and just chopped at thepuck/stick blade and both time s I got it away from him and made a quick outlet pass. I knew it frustrated him cause of the profanities he was yelling lol.

Next, I have a Backstrom curve and because of this I have 0 backhand ability other than stickhandling lol. But anyways I got a perfect break out pass and immediately took it up ice where it turned into a 2v1. Their defenseman decided to cheat a little towards me and when he was maybe 7-10 feet from me I backhand sauced it perfectly, about 3 ft off the ice perfect sauce and the puck dropped right in front of my teamate who scooped it up and scored. The defenseman literally couldn't do anything about it, he tried, but he couldn't defend it. It was one of those really pretty assists where you give a fist bump and skate back to the bench and more people are talking about the pass than they are the goal lol.

Felt good to actually skate and play overall that well.

 

[Royal Canuck]

Ended my minor hockey career, lost 5-2 and got knocked out of the tournament.

Finished off in the penalty box.

 

[7toZulu]

Signed up for GameCenter Live finally. Ate a delicious Indian food lunch. Going to drop-in around 6, then coming home to have some Cherry Garcia! Best ****ing day evaaarr!!

 

[ShootsWide]

Just starting out and having trouble raising my wrist shot. My snap shot came rather naturally. I tried drawing the puck back less and I feel like I hit a break through in my mechanics. Now I can at least raise it a couple inches. And I can now pick if I want to hit the left or right side of the net with my snap shot. Gotta work on my accuracy but for a week of just shooting I feel good

 

[jameswrjobe53]

First post past 1000 posts. Today I did nothing

 

[Noel92]

Today, being a beginner, I was working on my wrist shot and went bar up and ceiling down.

I also visited TotalHockey on Saturday and got myself a nice, cheap beginner stick (Vapor X2.0) a shooting pad and some pucks so I hopefully don't have to deal with this anymore.

Nothing spectacular, but I'm hopefully making progress.

 

[TheeNorthStar]

Went to Total Hockey today to pick up some of these and try them out

Love being a Gold rewards member. the tacki macs were essentially free.

 

[Jarick]

Total Hockey is my new favorite store.

Where do you guys play?