Today we learned the NHL strike is not any closer to being resolved and in fact they have cancelled all remaining games for this calendar year and the Winter Classic which was to be the  Red Wings and the Leafs. 

Sponsors of the NHL are also now taking a hard look at their own situations and deciding on whether or not to pull the blog.

But I say…kudos to Kraft Hockeyville for re-allocating their hockey advertising dollars to develop youth programs in hockey across Canada.  Essentially they are running a contest that will award 5 hockey volunteers $100,000 to the program of their choosing to develop hockey in their communities. A number of other prizes will be awarded as well.  So I say good for them… this is a great opportunity to do a great thing for developing hockey programs across Canada.  Awesome!

I understand they are promoting the Kraft brand and all that, but this is good for hockey… not just the NHL. Kraft is  recognizing  the commitment folks are making to their community at the grass-roots level.

You can read about it here in the Globe and Mail

Here is a short tribute video…

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

by Col. John McCrae

“Lest We Forget”

Nothing to do with hockey really except that we can enjoy the freedom to play any sport we wish.

We owe that to the thousands who died to protect our freedoms.

This is a great book and I looked at it over and over again.  It is mostly about Ken growing up in Etobicoke and on through his first couple of years as a Montreal Canadian.  Of course it also talks about the great Canada Russia series of 1972.  Ken retired in 1979 but his achievements in such a short career are unparalleled.

Ken Dryden Stats

Ken Dryden – Kid’s Book

Images are from the book “Ken Dryden”

By Fred McFadden
Copyright 1976

Fitzhenry and Whiteside Limited

Super People Series

 Sports Illustrated Covers

Ken Dryden is my favorite goalie of all time.  Here are a few pics of how I remember him.

I will have more on Ken Dryden in coming posts…

This photo shows a classic Ken Dryden pose.

In the crease

Great Mask

I tried forever to get a Ken Dryden hockey card but I never had any luck.

This is his 1972 card.

1.  It is an awesome experience to be able to play hockey with your grown up son; Let me explain…So…. our league is quite small (only four teams – red (our team) blue, green and yellow,  I was quite excited to play as we were playing against yellow ( a bit of a rivalry) and more importantly my son Alex got the call to play for us too.  Alex  is on our sub list which means if someone can’t make it then we call upon our sub’s to fill in.  So Alex got the call.  Now, we have played hockey together before, but I’m not getting any younger and he has a bit of a drive, so to have the stars align and have us play together was pretty cool.  It was a great game.  We were actually up 5-0 with not too much time left and Alex scored at least one (assisted by my bro) so we were having a pretty good night.  The yellow guys got a couple of quick ones and a flukey goal and we ended up winning 5-3.  My first win for the year!   I was trying really hard not to think shut out but i think i jinxed it.  Which leads me to point number two….

2.  Don’t tell your goalie he almost has a shut out when there is still time on the clock.  My friend Arnie skated by during a face off in our end and mentioned “the #29 jersey is really working for you tonight Burndawg” (which was meant as a compliment) and then I made a large groan and told him the shut out was over.  “Ah Arn” said Bill, “you had to say it eh?” As a goalie you can’t even think “shutout”.  If it happens, it happens, but you can’t plan for a shutout during a game.  Of course you always want a shut out but it doesn’t happen by planning for it.

3.  If you are a goalie you HAVE to show up for your game (or make sub arrangement)  Because our league is only four teams we play 2 games back to back.  Our game was the first time slot and the blue vs green game was to go right after ours.  We came off the ice and the green captain says to me “our goalie is awol, can you play?”  I suggested the other goalie but he was already subbing so it was up to me.  Now, no one wants to play hockey when there is only one goalie so it fell on me to play a second game.  I was exhausted from the first game but I said i would play… and it was fun but the lesson is … for all you wanna be beer league goalies… you HAVE to commit.

4.  Playing a second game (because the other goalie doesn’t show) means you don’t get to eat pizza/drink beer with your buds and the son you got to play with (but I’m not bitter) and recall all the great moments of the night’s game…. “NOUGH SAID!!”

see article here

Some fun goalie moments to  watch… seeing as there is no NHL (Go Dogs Go)

A good friend is a team captain and I was actually “traded” to join his team.  Yup…. made the big trade from “blue” to “red”.  (or in my mind i have been traded from the Leafs to Les Canadiens)  This trade comes with a bonus clause as well.  If we have more than 6 people come after the game up to the bar we get some great deals on the pizza and wings.  Who knew?!?

Back to the game… Playing against “Green” will be a challenge this year.  They are fast!  Quick move out of the corner and into the  front of the crease and before I know it it’s 1-0 for the bad guys.  I’m feeling a little bad because I think it’s a soft goal.  A few minutes later a slap shot beats me top blocker side…. ah nuts!  We are down 2-0 and not quite half way.  We score 2 and tie it up and I’m feeling like it’s a new game… Now smarten up,  Put those goals behind you and stay sharp!
Only a couple of minutes left…. scramble in front of the net …. shot!… blocked by defense… falls to Green stick on my glove side….. He shoots…. can’t …… get…. over…. Scores!     Ah Dangnabbit.

We lose 3-2 with no time left.  Great game … good pace … a few laughs with the Green guys too.  We shake hands and hit the showers.  Well, next week we play Yellow.  They are a big, strong team.  I don’t want to disappoint.

So just a quick side note… I did acquire a new piece of equipment at Hockey Life.  They put the numbers on the jersey for me.   Have a look and tell me who this jersey belonged to.  Tribute next blog.

Choose skates which supply a comfortable and snug fit and are not too tight. You need to have the ability to feel them all over the feet from your toes to your heels and your instep to your ankle. In plain english, there ought to be support for each and every part of the feet. If you sense that your toes are squeezed together or if you have to force your feet into the skates, they are almost certainly too little for you. On the other hand, if your feet slide in as easily into your skates as they’d slide into your slippers, they’re probably somewhat too big.

Skates that are a bit too small for you could be fixed by the professional at your local Players Bench. He can easily stretch out the skates for you by using a couple of different techniques, depending on your needs. If just a small part needs to be stretched, like the ankle, he’ll employ a technique called punch fitting. However, if the whole boot needs to be stretched, he can easily use power stretching to stretch out the boot by as much as one full size. Certainly, you can avoid this if you purchase the right size skates in the first place.

Regrettably, there’s no such fix for boots that are a little too large. To prevent picking out unsuitable boots, you should ensure that your toes are in comfortable contact with the front of the boot. If you have good contact whenever you are standing on both your feet with the skates laced, you’ll have a great fit. While accomplishing this, your heel needs to be supported by the rear of the boot and you can do this by kicking your heels up against the floor. The pro at your ice hockey shop can easily supply a terrific deal of assistance and instruction to make sure that you pick the proper pair of ice hockey skates for your feet.

How many of us have imagined (like I did growing up on Cedar St in Guelph ON in the 70′s and into the 80′s)being our  favorite hockey stars.  For me it was Ken Dryden hands down but Bernie Parent and Tony Espisito would do in a crunch.  Later on it would be Mike Palmeteer for the Leafs but I still love to hate the Leafs… (put that in your pipe) My kid brother had to be Wayne Gretzky and there could never be two of any one player.  If Ricky or Johnny was Wayne Gretzky then you had to be Darryl Sittler or Tiger Williams.

Our nets were made from chicken wire and often we only had one ball and if Cam had to go home for supper … so did the ball.  My goalie pads were made from old mattress foam with a couple of holes poked through for the laces.  An old ball glove was your catcher mit and you were lucky to have a goalie mask.

These are what we used to wear out on the street….if we were lucky.  Other wise it was the old foam mattress.

but we didn’t have a net like this one; what a great idea… do you remember when?  ……The guy who shot it wide was the guy running down the street…. well, not any more.  At fine retailers every where.

Its 6:30 am on Friday morning and I am the first guy in the dressing room… that’s the thing about goalies; first in and last out.  I need at least 30 minutes to put my equipment on so that it’s just so.  There is a ritual and it becomes habit forming so that you really don’t have to think about it too much (unless you are caught up in the conversation and not paying attention)

Its been about 10 years now since I got the itch to play goalie and move from defense.  Which is kinda strange for someone who is about to turn 47.  Call it my mid life crisis. … the opportunity came up when the fire hall boys (I was a part-time fire fighter in Ancaster) needed a goalie and I had access to equipment from a friend.  So I suited up and loved it, the rest is history.

I have always enjoyed playing net as a kid on the street playing ball hockey and now I had an opportunity to try it for real.  Eventually I bought the gear I was borrowing and have slowly upgraded to where I now have the gear I want that covers my whole body (the first pieces were a little small and left me vulnerable to impacts of the vulcanized rubber kind.. which we can talk about later… but let me tell you.. I have had some beeeyooootee bruises)

So here we are … now, you have to remember we are all about ritual and habits and step 1 is laying out all the gear and hogging as much of the bench as you can … goalies need a lot of room.  The dressing room will fill up soon but this is MY corner

Here is a little video about putting your gear on… Putting on your gear with a few helpful hints that I will incorporate as well.

A couple of things I add…. I wear volleyball knee pads under my pads and I’m not ashamed to admit it.  It really helps when dropping into the butterfly (or my attempt at the butterfly ) And another tip… tape your laces… nothing worse than laces coming loose under your pads… there is no time in a shiny game to adjust equipment.

First we need to pull out the ol’ equipment and check it over.  First step … check the bag for mice!  No mice… excellent!

The first thing I notice is that familiar smell of sweaty hockey gear.  They say the nose is the one sense that can remember the longest or furthest back and this smell takes me back to the days when it was all new.  The locker room, the hockey bags, the amonia, the sounds and smells of the arena… popcorn, hotdogs, the winter chill through the front doors..it’s all good.

But I digress…. looks like the skates need a sharpening.  Other wise everything is in good shape and ready to go.  Well, a new stick would be nice but it may have to wait.  Birthday suggestion perhaps

Here is a picture of secondchancesports where I sometimes buy or repair  my equipment … They sell new and used.  Goalie stuff is pretty expensive so when it makes sense to buy used I will look at that first.  I also shop at hockeylife.  Last years equipment upgrade was a new trapper which I bought new and I’m still trying to work it in.

Today Scott from Second Chance Sports is going to sharpen the skate blades by putting  a 1″ radius curve on the blades … good for the guys like me who still like to have a bit of an edge and can still slide.  Typical radius is 5/8”  … Here is a helpful guide if you are wondering how sharp your goalie skates should be.

A couple of rolls of tape for the skates and we are good to go.

A true story of adventure, betrayal, perspiration, psycho-sociological interaction, and, of course, schizophrenia

IN THE BELLY OF THE BEAST

 A true story of adventure, betrayal, perspiration, psycho-sociological interaction, and, of course, schizophrenia

          John?!, the frantic young man bellowed to another telephone’s answering machine.  Where the phughk are you?  You better get down here quick!  Cursing, he hung up.  His anxiety increased.  He hit redial on the phone, and got the answering machine again.  John, you better get your ass down here!  Where the heck are you?!  There’s this old guy reeking of whiskey who’ll be our goalie if you don’t get here soon!

          I don’t really hate the Frozen Reservoir Dogs.  I’m supposed to, I think.  They are the Detroit Red Wings of the Glacier Arena novice hockey league.  Things are not antagonistic between my team, the Bombers, and the other teams we play.  However, it seems that there is more than just a hint of that when we play the Dogs.  And, to be among them, hang out with them, to be one of them, I imagine would definitely qualify as consorting with the enemy.

Last season their previous incarnation, named the Rovers, “lit us up” two of the three regular-season times we played them.  But the Bombers prevailed in the championship game.

That was last year.  The new Bombers lost our first two games, which were played fairly close.  The Froze Rez Dawgs had played three games already (we had a ‘bye’) and were on a roll.  They beat a team which we lost to, 11-2.  So, I was a little apprehensive when we played, but things in our hockey world often were so weird that I thought we might have a chance.  No way, 11 – 1.

After that loss, and one more the following week to another winless team, I started to think the Bombers would be better off without me.  I left a message with the arena hockey director, inquiring if there might be a potential goalie on the substitute list.  If so, I was going to suggest that whoever he/she might be play half the remaining games.  This way, I’d get an idea of how much of what appeared to be a ‘long lonely season’ was my fault.

Actually, I wasn’t feeling too guilty.  Our defense was pretty porous.  Quite often I faced attackers (yes, sometimes plural) alone with no teammates nearby.  (This changed after game four.)  The Bombers team captain called me at the same time I was trying to reach the hockey director regarding a half-replacement.

“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way,” Joe began.  “I know another guy who would like to also play goalie for our team.”

Before he could continue gauging my feelings, I headed him off at the pass.  “I had the same idea, Joe.  I called the rink to see if there were substitute goalies not with any team.”

And — the team had, of all things, a practice (!) before the next game.  I met the new goalie, Brandon.  Not only did he have his own pads, he had goalie skates.  I had no idea that they made skates specifically for goalies!  Brandon was to play the four remaining early Tuesday games, and I would be goalie for the four games scheduled at 10 p.m. on Mondays.

Our next game was the following Monday.  In our previous encounter with that opponent, the game was close, a 4 – 3 loss for us.  This time our defense was much quicker, and, apparently, so was our offense.  We cruised to a 13 – 3 victory.  After the game, I felt the closest to ‘swell-headedness’ (and walking, if not on air, then with 1 or 2% less gravitational attraction) that my short goalie career would allow.  I had never felt sorry for the other team before.  I also learned that, after 14 games, I’d been wearing the leg pads on the wrong leg all the while.  (That isn’t really surprising.  It took me several games to get somewhat familiar with putting all the stuff on.  The first two times I tried to put the leg-pads on upside down!)

The following week our game was Tuesday, so I watched Brandon and the Bombers post another lopsided win.

The week after that we were to play the Frozen Reservoir Dogs again.  (We play each of the other teams in our 5-team league three times each.)  Based on our recent performances — plus the fact that the team we had just beat took the Dogs to overtime recently, and the Dogs lost their only game so far this season the week before — I felt that we might show them a thing or two, especially as Brandon would be our goalie.

Did I already say that “things in our hockey world often were … weird”?  In my brief season-and-a-half career, strange occurrences still could, and would, emerge.

The week before, I sort of missed feeling like I was on the team.  I was the dutiful mascot — taking post-game team photos and then passing out beer in the locker room.  This week I considered suiting up anyway, skating around during the pre-game warm-up, then sitting on the bench with the team.  And, there was the chance that one goalie (or the other) might get injured or something and I’d be there to step right in.  Yes, the thought occurred that the other team might need a goalie.

Suiting up would look silly, and probably be confusing to my teammates.  (Even though I know “real teams” have a spare goalie, just in case.  But in our recreational leagues, I’m fairly sure nobody has a ‘spare’ goalie suit up.)  I sat briefly in our locker room, noting that Brandon showed up earlier than his previous game.

I went out and talked to some members of the Dogs.  Another Dog player appeared and talked to two teammates nearby.  Their goalie, John, had apparently called him a few minutes ago with the news that he wouldn’t make it to the game.  His grandfather had fallen seriously ill and John was on his way to Rangely, about 90 miles away, to be with him.  “Sorry for the short notice.”

Apparently, none of the nearby Dogs, now about six in number, wanted to play goalie.  A couple turned to me, and I volunteered just before it seemed they would have extended the offer.

“You realize I’m with the other team.  Is this all right with everybody?”  Everyone nearby was unanimous — and nobody wanted to be goalie.  I went into their locker room and queried the few players still suiting up.  No-one was opposed to the idea.

At the time I didn’t know it, but there was one player who had a problem with my being their goalie.  I didn’t know this until AFTER the game.

I hurried to my car to get my stuff (helmet, breezers, skates) and continued hurrying to get a set of pads and stick from the Glacier’s storeroom.  As I was hurrying to get the equipment I passed a couple of my … teammates.  Yes, I’m going to sound like I’m confused.  Which teammates?  In this case, my usual, former, Bombers teammates …  Mike (who gets my vote for Bombers “monster”) chuckled as he saw me leaving the Dog’s locker room.  “Are you lost?”

“Good news.  I think I’m going to be their goalie.”  I figured this would cheer up the Bombers because they had our ‘good goalie,’ and the other team would have the worst goalie in the league.  Not that I wouldn’t try, though.

Individually, I thought that all the Dogs were nice guys.  The usual good-natured bantering in the locker room.  Nothing derogatory about the team they were to play.  I asked if anyone had a dark jersey, and Tim said that he had a spare.  Later I asked Tim to assist me with tightening straps on the leg-pads which I couldn’t easily reach.  He stayed a few more minutes to be ready to help with anything else.  Finally, when it was just my helmet remaining, I thanked him and said that he could leave.

I didn’t know until a few days later that he played mandolin in the same jazz group my brother plays in.  This may be just a somewhat interesting (?) bit of trivia, but I suspect he knew I was his band-mate’s brother.  If so, it was just as well he didn’t say anything.  He was a much-appreciated goalie-equipment assistant — a position I usually find a ‘volunteer’ from among the Bombers before each game.

I started to begin feeling … conflicted.  Prior to then I had been hurrying too fast to feel much of anything.  ‘Conflicted’ gave way to mild schizophrenia.  However, pretty soon after this weird and strange turn of events got underway I thought that “Either way, I win.”  If the Bombers win, that should be what I really want — where my allegiance lay.  However, if the Dogs won, well, I would be part of the winning effort, and get another “W” in my very thin W-L (up to that point no “T”s) column.  And, I think it is just ‘human nature’ that whatever team one was on, a normal person would prefer winning to not.

Betty recently started working at the Glacier.  This night she was sitting at the entry/ticket counter.  She knew I had shown up to watch, but got a clue that I was possibly going to play when a dark-blue-clad player rushed up to the counter.  He asked, no — he probably demanded to use the phone because he had “an emergency.”

Betty told me of this incident after I got home.  She said that if she wasn’t a Glacier employee, she would have told him off AND been real tempted to shove her fist down his throat.

We’ve had a few days to put things in perspective.  At first she was outraged that some stranger would say disparaging things about her husband.  I pointed out to her that it was probably true.  She is married to an old man who smells like whiskey (“and cigars,” she was quick to add).  Except the frantic Dogs player was wrong about the whiskey part.  It was wine.  I had had a couple glasses of wine before the game.  Whiskey is for after the game.

However — if the player was so upset about the substandard replacement goalie — why didn’t he (or get someone else to) volunteer for the position?  As I said, I personally heard no murmurs to the contrary.

During my previous game against the Dogs, something happened to me which hadn’t happened in a hockey game.  And it was something which hadn’t happened to me in all other aspects of my life for quite some time.  There was a point where I was going after a player with the intention of getting into a fight.

In the game a few weeks back, after scoring the first half-dozen points from out and away from the goal, they started bringing the puck in.  The player (sometimes plural) would smash into me, we’d fall down, ending up in a heap IN the goal.  A couple of them would ask if I was all right, and then they’d skate away.  A couple of them wouldn’t.  There was one guy in particular who, upon realizing he’d scored as he and I and sometimes another were lying in a heap in the goal, would start whooping it up.  He would NOT ask how I was.

The last time he did this, I guess I just snapped.  My immediate reaction was to go after him as he started to skate away, exulting loudly.  Fortunately, I was slow in getting started.  I tried to reach out after him, and also tried to trip him with my stick.  Just as I had gotten on my feet and was closing in on him, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

The referee was standing behind me, wagging a “no no” with his index finger.  Darn.  Maybe next game, I thought.

I told Tim, and various others, about this.  It was part of my schtick,  the more-or-less constant commentary — to talk about something, anything, just talk.  I think I also told them, as a team, that I hated them (on “general principle”).  No-one seemed to pay any more attention than the Bombers would before our games together.

Like I said, each individual seemed like a nice guy.

Out of the locker room, feeling stranger than usual.  Probably due to the dark blue (think ‘Darth Vader’), rather than cheery yellow jersey.

Before I joined “my team,” — the Dogs, I did my usual stumbly skate around the arena.  Stumbly because when I first get on the ice, it’s like my skate bottoms are banana peels.  I attempted a half-assed shot at the Bomber’s goalie, Brandon, and we bumped into each other, acting tough for a few seconds.  The frivolity continued as I skated through the Bomber’s half of the ice, doing faux checks hits and bumps into a few until-this-game teammates.  Chris came at me with his stick across his chest, gave me a light whack, and skated away.

The Dogs had a shot-on-goalie ritual which in itself was much more organized than anything the Bombers do.  The Bombers have no pre-, during, or post-game rituals.

They stood in a semi-circle, each with a puck, about 15 yards out.  They were waiting for my acknowledgment.  I pointed at the player on the left, and he dutifully skated a few glides towards me and shot the puck.  Then I pointed at the next player, and he either shot from where he stood or came in a few yards before shooting.  I stopped most the shots.

An interlude of skating around our half of the ice, then back to practicing stopping shots in the goal, and the ‘game on’ buzzer sounded.

I feel the same at the start of any game.  Surreal.  Apprehensive.  A slight bit scared.  Of course.  This game, so far, was no different in those regards.  But, of course this was different.  I was more, for lack of a better word, schizophrenic than usual.

A couple of the defensemen assured me early on that they’d do their darnedest to deflect all the shots and threats they could.  They adhered to this promise pretty well.  Tenacious.  The Dogs scored the first goal, and the Bombers seemingly tied the game a short while later.  That goal, scored by Bomber ‘monster’ Mike, was discounted.  Another player in the crease, I think.  Of course Mike complained.

The Dogs kept it up, and at the end of period one the score was 4 – 1.  I may have had five or so saves, and the Dogs defense continued their assurance that they would keep me out of trouble.

Things got a bit more interesting in the second period.  A few minutes into the next round of play, a player from each team got whistled for a mid-rink altercation.  The Bomber player dutifully went to the box, while the Dogs player skated away as if it didn’t concern him.

Within seconds of the brief fight, I went to the Dogs guy to just chat — but my intention was to defuse him from whatever aggravation he might still have to vent.  I congratulated him on a spectacular save he had made a few minutes earlier.  I was completely out of the goal and the Bombers made an on-ice slap shot which Mr. Fighter stopped by sliding on his side with his stick extended at arm’s full-length — the very tip of the stick stopping the puck.

My calming-influence chat did not accomplish the desired effect.  When the Dogs player realized he also had to go to the box, he skated by the Bomber’s bench.  Bomber Rich “pulled one of the oldest tricks in the book” and said something derogatory to Mr. Dog as he skated by.  Incensed, Mr. Dog tried to dive into the Bomber bench to attack Rich, and the refs intervened.  This time was expulsion from the game AND a 5-minute major penalty. *

“Oh great,” I thought.  What a thing to do to the team.  We’re a player down for three minutes (remember, the Bombers had a guy in the box for the next two minutes).  The Bombers put one in during the penalty time.  There was another Bomber goal later on and the scoreboard read 5 – 3 at the start of period three.

Well, now, as usual, I’m sweating.  In more ways than the usual.  Actually, I start perspiring as the pads and jersey come on in the locker room.  I sweat all through the game.  Thanks to the contacts, I don’t have glasses to wipe nor slip off, and maybe ’cause of the contacts the sweat doesn’t sting my eyes.

And, my sense of self-identity has been subsumed into the universal void.  I’m integrated into the Dogs.  I’m one of them, now.  In the Belly of the Beast.

The Bombers continued to close the gap.  The Dogs defense, which was stingy earlier in the game, started to fray.  Bomber Mike in particular capitalized on some one-on-ones with the goalie.  After every goal, a couple Dogs defenders would skate over to me and apologize.  The Bombers rarely, if ever, did that!  “My bad.”  “I should-a stopped that.”  “Sorry.”  Even if I felt that a goal was, indeed, my fault, they still apologized.

With two minutes to go, the score became 5 – 5.  The intensity of play increased.  After an icing call there was a face-off just to my left.  Bomber Chris, waiting for the puck drop, looked right into my eyes.  I remember the captain of the other team in my previous win this season, doing the same thing.  It was as if each guy was gauging me.  Telegraphing.  Part of picturing the puck in the goal?

I avoided being scored on in that instance, and a couple more.  And, I thought:  “I don’t want to do overtime.  Somebody score.”

The Dogs put one in, and the 6 – 5 stood at the end of the game.  I felt somewhat elated but also a little guilty.  Post-game hand-shake.  Most the Dogs congratulated me.  Then and later, some of the Bombers claimed that they had never seen me play so well.

The Dogs were mildly jubilant in the locker room.  Some of them turned to me and asked how I now felt about them.  I thought a short while, then stated: “I still hate you guys.”  I think everybody laughed.

I went in the Bombers locker room.  I guess it was force of habit, but they really were (and are) MY TEAM.  It seemed everyone booed and threw trash and wads of tape at me.  I held my middle fingers up, jeered back at them, and left.

Things were back to normal the following week.  The Bombers (and I) were “run over” by the next team we played.

* “Mr. Fighter” is/was one and the same as the fellow who was apprehensive about the substandard goalie.  Of course I didn’t know this until well after the game.

Winthrop beat Medway/Ashland 3-1 on Wednesday.

The score was tied 1-1 in the third period when the father of  a Winthrop player was caught pointing the laser at the Medway/Ashland goalie. Winthrop assistant superintendent Lisa Howard went into the stands and ordered the parent out of the arena.

Parents of the Medway/Ashland players say the laser was pointed at several girls and asked that the game be replayed.

A spokesman for the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association says ordering a replay or forfeit is unlikely.

     (Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

"There goes my hero... watch him as he goes..."

I came across this awesome video yesterday, thanks to our very own Kyle Suddarth and my ability to spend way too much time watching stupid videos during my downtime at work. The video stars Clark, 3-time MVP of the Saskatchewan Moose Lodge Hockey League (otherwise known as the prestigious SMLHL), and his brave transition from playing goalie to playing shortstop for a baseball team during hockey’s off-season. He’s so brave. GO BEARS!!

. 

I don’t know about you, but after watching that video, my groin has never felt better.

-ivan.

During his 10 NHL seasons, Jason LeBarbera used his mask to illustrate his love of wrestling and hard-rock music, adorning his lids with images of Metallica, Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder, wrestlers like Undertaker and Brett “The Hitman” Hart.

This season, the Phoenix Coyotes backup goalie is using his mask to pay tribute to someone he never met yet holds a great deal of respect for: NFL star turned war hero Pat Tillman.

“To see him, as a professional athlete, stop doing what he had worked his whole life toward to do something he thought was right — join the Army and go over and do what he did — is a pretty amazing thing,” LaBarbera said. “Nobody else can say that. It’s a pretty special thing he did, so this is a representation of what he did and everyone that’s fighting over there.”

Tillman was a fan favorite in Arizona, first with Arizona State and later with the NFL’s Cardinals. He became a national icon when he left behind millions of dollars and a newlywed wife to join the Army shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Tillman was killed by friendly fire in 2004 and his life, the way he lived it and how it ended, became an inspiration to people around the world.

LaBarbera never met Tillman — his first season in Phoenix was 2009-10 — but his story resonates, in part because he’s heard so much about Tillman living in the Valley of the Sun, but also because he has many of the same values.

“Barbs is just a classy guy, one of the best people you’ll ever meet, just is a good man,” Coyotes captainShane Doan said. “To be able to honor someone as iconic as Pat in the Valley and in the country just shows Barbs’ class. It’s been a few years and to just bring that to the surface and remind everybody what true sacrifice is, is remarkable.”

LaBarbera came up with the idea of a Tillman-inspired mask over the summer and traded concepts with Toronto-based artist David Arrigo, who has painted masks for numerous NHL goalies.

The design they came up with is impressive.

The left side of the mask features a large image of Tillman’s face from the now-iconic photo of him in an Army Ranger beret overlaid with images of Tillman playing football and hugging his brother, Kevin.

The right side features a soldier and a military aircraft. The front — which protects the neck — has a yellow ribbon in the middle, Phoenix’s howling Coyotes logo on one side, a paw print on the other.

The backdrop of the entire helmet is covered with a red-and-white camouflage of sorts that includes stars and maple leaves (LaBarbera is Canadian).

“You come up with a theme, a kind of idea of what you want it to look like and go back and forth,” LaBarbera said. “I think it turned out well.”

LaBarbera also decided to take the tribute to Tillman a step further.

For every win he gets during the 2011-12 season, he plans to donate $420 — Tillman’s number was 42 — to the Pat Tillman Foundation. It was started by Pat’s widow, Marie, and provides support to military service members and their families.

“The Pat Tillman Foundation thanks Jason LaBarbera for his unique tribute to Pat and his creativity in bringing awareness to the sacrifices of all military families and veterans and we’re honored that he selected the Tillman Military Scholars program as his charity of choice,” Marie Tillman said.

LaBarbera broke out the mask at practice this week and numerous teammates stopped to take a look and ask him about it. The new lid has generated a pretty good buzz online, too, with fans and sites all over heaping praise on LaBarbera’s choice and Arrigo’s design.

It has, in other words, blown up just like LaBarbera had hoped.

“As another professional athlete, there’s thousands of us around the world and he was the only one who could do what he did,” LaBarbera said. “It’s a pretty amazing thing. I couldn’t even imagine doing that. I don’t think anybody could imagine doing that.”

At least now, with his mask, LaBarbera can keep the image of Tillman and what he did in people’s minds.

story by: Associated Press

photo courtesy of: David Arrigo

Serpent Mask. Cherokee. Artist: Deliskie Climbing Bear. Wood pigment and paint. Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. Object # 29-19-10/98448.

The question of masks and how they define or confuse the gaze is intriguing to me. “Gaze” I’m using here to mean the act of intentionally looking at something. As humans we tend to look at faces, specifically at eyes. “You might be the recipient of another’s gaze, for instance, because you are a potential meal, a mate, or simply because you are someone with whom they would like to interact.[2]

Understanding that the meeting of eyes in a gaze can signal either attraction for friendship, or even attraction before a fatal conflict. It has been important for survival to be able to immediately interpret what was intended in the gaze. We developed a system for catching an eye, instantly evaluating friend or foe, and reacting in fight, flight or flirt. [3].

So a mask—especially when the eyes are not observable—acts to confuse the viewer’s ability to interpret what signals this other human is projecting from their eyes or face, and the viewer fixates on the mask itself.

As we consider masks and their purposes whether ceremony, sacrifice, (execution’s mask also comes to mind), titillation, or Halloween festivities, we can consider how the primary objectives of masks are to:

1) Disguise the wearer.

2) Distract the viewer through feathers, noisemakers, ornamentation, paint, and design.

3) Connect the wearer with his/her local tribe or culture.

4) Add elements of the personality or role of the wearer, such as a medicine man or jester.

5) Add emotion to the interaction: flirtation, frivolity, solemnity, fear, etc.

Oceania Mask of Papua New Guinea. Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. Object # 03-11-70/62402.

It struck me that contemporary hockey goalie masks, do all of these things. The design of the mask: 1) hides the face of the goalie and his eyes; 2) tends to distract the other players; 3) relates to the theme, name or mascot of the team; 4) has a personal meaning for the goalie, and 5) amplifies the terror implied in the fierceness of the wearer.

As you look at the Sports Illustrated link of the top 10 hockey goalie masks of the decade, consider how the goalie masks have unintentionally adapted some of the design elements illustrated in these dramatic masks I’ve included here from the collection of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. These masks are some of my favorite of the over 900 masks in the Collection of the Peabody Museum.

But back to the core idea of what is a mask, in my mask research there were ongoing discussions about women and masks. In many cultures masks are primarily worn by men.

Malaggan Mask. Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. Object # 95-44-70/48744.

Margaret Thompson Drewal[4] in discussing masks used in the West African rituals of the Yoruba people, defined the term as “to mask is to conceal something.”

She then suggests that pregnancy acts as “full body masks,” with the mother-to-be masking the child developing within her. Drewal states, “Metaphorically speaking, woman was the original mask.”[5] Interesting thought. Makes me think, as a woman, how our female bodies and our behavior may act as masks.

What do you think about masks?

Here are some resources for more information:

Click on this link to see more masks in the collection of Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Click the “Search the Collection” link and then “perform a search.” I searched for “masks.” I was OK with 900+ in my result. Feel free to narrow your search to “African” or whatever suits your interest.

Large Wooden Mask of Ni Kwai. Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. Object # 37-77-50/2744.

Clan Mask: Mountain Hawk and Ancestor of the Kwakiutl people. Northwest Coast of North America. Courtesy of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. Object # 17-17-10/87191.

How are things in North Carolina Tony – sunny and busy I hope?

Hi Chris! Hope all is well with you. Things are great here in NC, sunny and 73. I am very busy these days, as people are finally figuring out that Masked Expressions is offering the highest of quality paintjobs at half the price of many other mask-painting companies. As you know, I believe in quality and making people happy!

I believe it! How long have you been doing the Masked Expressions business now, and when did you figure out you have a knack for this line of work?

Masked Expressions has been in business now going on 16 years. I figured out that I should be doing this when I was working for my father, who has pretty much done everything that can be done in the custom painting world. Bill Horn, a goalie for the Greensboro Monarchs ECHL team here was one of the guys who helped me with the idea. He and I became good friends – he would hang out at our shop and one day he said, “Why don’t you do this?” He saw me trying to get other goalies masks for my dad to paint and said, “This is your gig man, how about doing my mask!” From there he introduced me to a couple other guys and then I just went crazy with the idea. I was also lucky – the Florida Panthers moved their American Hockey League team here and that is where I met Kevin Weekes (whom I did maybe 10-12 masks for) and several others. Then the Carolina Hurricanes moved here, and that is where I met Wally Tatomir, the Team’s equipment Manager. He and I made good friends and I created many goalie masks for them, including Trevor Kidd, Tom Barrasso, Arturs Irbe, Kirk McLean, Cam Ward and many minor league guys.

Wow – that’s quite a list already! I assume working with players like that made it a little easier (as opposed to scarier) to get into this business?

It was never scary to me doing this; I loved Hockey since I was a kid! During that time in the late sixties / early seventies my dad was friends with the Eastern Hockey League team the Greensboro Generals. They gave me my first pair of skates at 5 years old. They were always hanging out at my dad’s shop working on their cars too. My dad says he wished he knew the goalie mask craze would be the way it is today so he could have been first to start that – he admits the idea did happen but nothing was ever done.

Funny…a very wise man once told me to buy Yahoo! Stocks when they first went public…and I said, “Who the hell would buy into a company called Yahoo???” Since you started, do you have any idea of how many masks you’ve completed?

I could never give a number as to how many masks I have painted because it’s just too many and I have no way of counting!

Are there any that easily stand out or come to mind?

I am proud of all the masks I have done, but one I am very proud of was a mask for Jerry Bruckheimer – he does a lot of the big movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and hit TV shows like CSI and others. I am a big fan of his work and he is a Hockey fan, and I was lucky enough to paint a mask for him that sits on his desk in a glass case of the Pirates of the Caribbean (see the attached photo).

And, if you HAD to pick an all-time favourite…?

One of my favorite masks was for Kevin Weekes while with the Florida Panthers – it had big Palm Trees and the Cat on top peeking out between the trees while the hot sun was behind him. Simple, but looked great even from a distance.

What would be the ‘weirdest’ or strangest mask you have ever done?

I have done some weird paintjobs, but my theory on that is what is weird to me might not be weird to you? Whatever the customer wants or likes is fine with me. I do see a lot of interesting ideas come my way, some challenging. I remember in the beginning a good customer came to me and wanted a mean Snowman. I thought, OK… I started the work and realized how do you make a Snowman mean – I always see them happy! I was unable to create that artwork and lost that customer, now I can do that and I just laugh it off.

What actually goes into the design process – can you describe this a bit for any goalies thinking of having this done? And maybe touch specifically on how the design is arrived at?

I spend good quality time with each customer to decide all of the details for the final artwork. I make a lot of notes and we match colours, and I always like to use as much existing art reference as possible. I believe that goalies want to show their personality on their mask…It shows if you are aggressive, or like happy things, or you just want the mask to match your gear.

Do you see this evolving into another branding opportunity for advertisers? Hell, logos are now everywhere in arenas (and hockey video games), so what’s to stop it from the mask?

I had the idea of painting goalie masks using brand names and logos during the late nineties; I thought teams and goalies could get paid to have Coca Cola, Pizza Hut or anything on the mask to help sell products, but goalies did not like that since it had nothing to do with them!

For us “Beer-League Guys,” what can we expect in terms of turnaround time, cost ranges and warranty stuff (if it chips and I can’t paint, then what?!?)

Turnaround times for custom paintjobs now range around 2-4 weeks on average, and maybe a extra week or two for very detailed jobs. Prices vary, but an average is $300-450 U.S. Of course more is spent at times, but I try to keep the prices down as much as possible. I guarantee quality on every paintjob, even single colors, and offer free touch-ups on normal wear and tear.

Any final comments about where you see the business going, or maybe the next evolution of goalie mask design?

Not sure where the mask is headed, but I hope to continue going forward with this; I really enjoy working with the people and making new friends as I have done for a long time now. I am now also working with Kevin Marlowe, the owner of a brand new mask company called 21 Degrees LLC. They are making the all-new Phantom mask formally known as the NXI Phantom. These masks are going to be awesome – they have been some of the most popular masks on the market for years, and I am glad to see them coming back. I will be helping by housing all of the products as they are made, as well painting all colours, custom paintjobs and doing assembly and shipping all over the world. Most companies that sold these masks before are looking forward to selling them again; they were easy to sell because of the price, quality and safety!

The business also has another facet as well, where I paint motorcycle helmets (for example players such as Henrik Zetterburg and A. Fronzen from the Detroit Red Wings), and have also now painted the hood of a racecar, taking things into some new directions. However, the goalie mask will always be the mainstay of the business…

The Phantom was actually on my top-choice list of masks, but I was unable to find one locally at the time…I think that may be the mask Loungo wears? At any rate, Tony, I would like to thank you on behalf of the FarParker Team for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this interview with us – it was really fun and interesting, and I look forward to many more years of watching your work and success – best of luck!

Thanks Chris for being a great friend and a long time customer. I am glad I could answer these questions for you and will be glad to do so anytime! Thanks again!

Tony Jarrett

www.MaskedExpressions.com

Ice hockey is getting pretty popular these days. The game is just amazing and many young  people start to appreciate it.

So if you play ice hockey this is the best place for you. Lets have a look at some of the hockey store products and categories.

Of course we should start with the hockey sticks.

Sher-Wood 5030 Wood Stick [SENIOR] this is a cheap hockey stick which is pretty popular and it goes for less than 40 bucks.

Very important – the hockey skates. You know that the good hockey player needs good hockey skates. So here is a good collection of them.

I will show you my favorite but you can see the others by following the links.

I like the Easton hockey skates. They are comfy and well designed. Amazing ice hockey skates for a reasonable price.

The hockey pads are also pretty important. You know how rough the game can be – so you need protection. Hockey pads

The hockey helmets is really important too. So this is my proposal for a hockey helmet that I like.

The hockey gloves are amazing. You need to protect those golden arms that deliver precious goals.

And at the end lets pay some attention to the hockey goalies. They have a separate section here.

In attendance were players & goalies from across the league who had also reached this milestone, and it really was great being able to meet the guys I had both stoned and “let” score on me throughout the year, plus the elite from other divisions I don’t usually see.

The skills competition was obviously more geared towards the players, but when the goalies finally had their turn, the real fun started! The first set of action included a series of shooters firing pucks at me from about 15′ out in rapid succession. The first guy’s shots came in about as fast as a slug running from a salt lick, which actually turned out to be my demise… Shooter #2 was good. Really fricken good, and fired a Salo Special right off the bat. Damn thing hit me square in the trapper, and continued right through my hand into the net. Of course, this woke me up and I managed to save the rest of the shooters best attempts, but the damage had been done…

Following the shooting sequence was of course, the penalty shot event. I kept 4 of 5 out, and was hoodwinked by ONE shooter. My total was 2 against…goalie that won the competition? One shootout goal… Chalk this up to a Mason…Carey Price rookieism thing, so I suppose my focus this coming season will be on winning a re-invite to next year’s event. Scariest part though? The video release will be appearing on the HNA site any day…just don’t tell my friends!

I look ready, but was I really???

Okay.  I’ve heard them all, and yes – every once in a while I do just happen to make the odd save. I’ve been playing recreational hockey for about 12 years now as a goalie. I never learned to skate all that well, and figured I could be just as spectacular on ice as I had been the other 15 years on streets, ball hockey and lacrosse courts. Wrong. Goalies DO actualy have to know how to skate!  However bad I started out as though, it never once curbed my enthusiasm for the sport I have always loved, but never played “professionally.” Donning the mask, I instantly became A GOALIE, and as I’ve always told my teammates, “hell – it’s not how good I play, but how good I look playing.” Darth Vader is BAD, but he sure looks cool…!!

With years of media and Internet experience behind me, when the opportunity was presented to work with my good friend FarParker himself in producing an online community for the fun and betterment of recreational athletes, I instantly ran in the other direction. A few head shots to the cage later, the lights started turning on and I agreed to pursue the challenge with piss ‘n vinegar (4 cans of Canadian actually, but I digress…). The chance to exploit my love of hockey by engaging in a rewarding hobby such as FarParker.com has been a near dream come true. Actually, more like a work in progress, and not quite as intense as a personal training session with Luongo or Martin Brodeur, but pretty damned close.

So in an effort to learn more about what’s out there in the web comm world, I now venture into the arena of WordPress.  Here we go!  (But thanks for reading this…people usually don’t listen much to the goalies!!)

The team is formed by guys in different rockbands. Most of these guys exchanged their guitar and bought a hockeystick or combine the lust of Metal and hockey. And some beacme successful in bands like Enter the hunt, Corroded and Rough Diamond.
Their goal is to reach the major league by the year 3000.

Here is my hubby, Matt, in action. Hanson Brothers vs Kista HC.
Photo by Stefan Kyrk

— • —

Watch Matt making a glove save in slow-mo

Mattias Savage, in goal  –    Per Soläng och Mikael Rytterstam in battle

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