The regular season is now half over. Hockey player’s team has now played 18 games and are the owners of a 7-11-0 won, loss record. They are currently in 8th place, 3 points back of the 7th place team with a game in hand. And one of the games that HP’s team plays this weekend is against the 7th place team!
The season so far has gone, by and large, pretty well. The team is competitive in all of their games and they even beat one of the better teams 4-2!
Hockey Player is having a good season. I have said to him many times that he is going to learn a lot more this year then he did all of last year. He is considered to be one of the better players on the team and seems to be well liked by his teammates.
His points total this year is 7 goals and 3 assists for 10 points.
They played in a tournament over the weekend and did well. They went 2-1 during the pool portion of the tournament but ended up loosing 2-1 in overtime in the quarterfinals. Hockey Player scored twice in the four games and was named player of the game in one of them.
It looks like his Christmas present is going to be one last kick at his old team. Stats padding for all of the kids on the team!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Hunting for the elusive W
It is always nice to get that first win out of the way.
It is even better when it comes against the old team that you really didn’t like, and were more then happy to leave, and Hockey Player scores his first goal of the season.
I was really quite nervous before the game. To make it worse I didn’t get HP to the rink in time for the team warm up because of a screw up on my part about when the game was supposed to start.
But as I sat there I was worrying that maybe the old team had gotten a bunch of really good players? And maybe, just maybe the coach has suddenly gained a new understanding of how to teach hockey to a group of young players.
Naw!
HP’s team was on them right from the drop of the puck. I don’t think that the old team even got a shot on net in the entire first period. The final shot total was 41-9 in favour of HP’s team.
I thought that HP played a strong game. He was excited about playing his old team and skated hard right from the start of the game and made a number of smart plays. His game sense is improving. When he scored his goal, banging in a rebound, he gave an arm pump to celebrate. I could tell that he was excited to have scored that one.
Friends, whose son had played with HP for the last 4 years, called last night after the game wanting to know how the big rematch had gone. They were all glad to hear that the “good guys” had won. We talked for quite a while and we both ended up gushing about how happy we were with out current situations compared to last year.
It is like having been in a bad relationship and now you have gotten out of it, and have found someone else and you are very, very happy with the new situation. I am not exaggerating!
The boys have a practice tonight and then nothing until games next Saturday and Sunday.
It is even better when it comes against the old team that you really didn’t like, and were more then happy to leave, and Hockey Player scores his first goal of the season.
I was really quite nervous before the game. To make it worse I didn’t get HP to the rink in time for the team warm up because of a screw up on my part about when the game was supposed to start.
But as I sat there I was worrying that maybe the old team had gotten a bunch of really good players? And maybe, just maybe the coach has suddenly gained a new understanding of how to teach hockey to a group of young players.
Naw!
HP’s team was on them right from the drop of the puck. I don’t think that the old team even got a shot on net in the entire first period. The final shot total was 41-9 in favour of HP’s team.
I thought that HP played a strong game. He was excited about playing his old team and skated hard right from the start of the game and made a number of smart plays. His game sense is improving. When he scored his goal, banging in a rebound, he gave an arm pump to celebrate. I could tell that he was excited to have scored that one.
Friends, whose son had played with HP for the last 4 years, called last night after the game wanting to know how the big rematch had gone. They were all glad to hear that the “good guys” had won. We talked for quite a while and we both ended up gushing about how happy we were with out current situations compared to last year.
It is like having been in a bad relationship and now you have gotten out of it, and have found someone else and you are very, very happy with the new situation. I am not exaggerating!
The boys have a practice tonight and then nothing until games next Saturday and Sunday.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Another "good effort"
Another game, another good effort and another loss. The coaches, while happy with the effort level generally, are starting to hint that bottoms are going to be stuck to the bench if the game plan is not adhered to with a little bit more enthusiasm.
The team got off to another slow start, the second time in 2 games, and it really puts the boys behind the eight ball. Throw out the first period from the last two games and we had a pair of ties instead of a pair of losses.
Hockey Player has a 2-hour practice tomorrow afternoon, a game against one of his former teams on Sunday and another practice on Monday.
The team got off to another slow start, the second time in 2 games, and it really puts the boys behind the eight ball. Throw out the first period from the last two games and we had a pair of ties instead of a pair of losses.
Hockey Player has a 2-hour practice tomorrow afternoon, a game against one of his former teams on Sunday and another practice on Monday.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Good efforts
I suppose at some point the boys will think that a "good effort" is not enough and won’t be happy with anything less then a win but for now everyone, parents, coaches and players, seem to be happy with the "good efforts" even if we do get those wins.
Hockey Player’s team played their first 2 games this past weekend and at face value they lost both games but they played 2 of the better teams from last year and they played both of them hard. One game went down to the last 10 seconds and the other was, except for the first period, an even game.
There is much to be hopeful about in this young season.
A practice tomorrow and then our next game is on Thursday- against another of the top teams.
Hockey Player’s team played their first 2 games this past weekend and at face value they lost both games but they played 2 of the better teams from last year and they played both of them hard. One game went down to the last 10 seconds and the other was, except for the first period, an even game.
There is much to be hopeful about in this young season.
A practice tomorrow and then our next game is on Thursday- against another of the top teams.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Little Hockey Player
Now the real wrinkle in the family schedule comes when I start coaching my other son’s team. Right now, I am “just a parent” on Hockey Player’s team, and really, I am quite happy to be “just a parent”. Mind you I do find myself “coaching” in my head during the games that I have watched, getting’ antsy when someone tries to shoot the puck up the middle of the ice instead of around the boards, for instance, but I do know my role on this team.
I heard someone say it beautifully as to what the role of the parent is; “Your job is to drive the player to the rink and get them there on time!”
Little Hockey Player wants to play select hockey this season. He did play select 2 years ago but didn’t make the team last year. I volunteered to coach the team for this coming season and as you know; “Coaches kid always makes the team!” The association will have its first “open skate” this weekend where anyone and everyone that is of the right age can come out and skate for an hour. I declined to run the skate myself and have hired Outside Guy, former NCAA player, to come out and do it for me. I know him quite well and have used him in the past and I think that he is very good with kids of this age; he’ll make it fun. I have asked Outside Guy to “use” Hockey Player during the hour to demonstrate and help set up the drills etc.
The drill for Little Hockey Player, once his season gets going, is that he will have 1 select game a week, 1 select practice a week and 1 house league game a week. The house league game and select practice both happen Saturday mornings so that makes the schedule easier to follow and only “ruins” one day. The games could be scheduled any time during the week, except Saturday, and could be at any number of arenas around the city- that is a whole post unto itself!
I heard someone say it beautifully as to what the role of the parent is; “Your job is to drive the player to the rink and get them there on time!”
Little Hockey Player wants to play select hockey this season. He did play select 2 years ago but didn’t make the team last year. I volunteered to coach the team for this coming season and as you know; “Coaches kid always makes the team!” The association will have its first “open skate” this weekend where anyone and everyone that is of the right age can come out and skate for an hour. I declined to run the skate myself and have hired Outside Guy, former NCAA player, to come out and do it for me. I know him quite well and have used him in the past and I think that he is very good with kids of this age; he’ll make it fun. I have asked Outside Guy to “use” Hockey Player during the hour to demonstrate and help set up the drills etc.
The drill for Little Hockey Player, once his season gets going, is that he will have 1 select game a week, 1 select practice a week and 1 house league game a week. The house league game and select practice both happen Saturday mornings so that makes the schedule easier to follow and only “ruins” one day. The games could be scheduled any time during the week, except Saturday, and could be at any number of arenas around the city- that is a whole post unto itself!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Tournament redux
One tournament in the books and now the regular season beckons.
I wasn’t 100% accurate with my pre-tournament predictions, in that we didn’t win a game, but all of the games that we did lose, and we lost 2, were within the 4 goals or less prediction.
The first game we lost 3-1 and we didn’t get beaten by a more skilled group of individuals but rather we got beaten by a group of individuals that played as a team. I remember watching them in the warm ups and thinking that, from a skill stand point, they looked just like our kids.
But they had obviously played together last year, or the majority of the team had anyway, and it showed in the way they played on the ice. They played a better positional game and moved the puck much better than Hockey Player’s team.
We actually had Hockey Player sit out the second game because of concerns at school. He missed the last half hour of class to play in the first game and he would have had to miss a whole hour to play in the second game, and my wife and I thought that was too much for him to miss. We wanted to send the message that school has to come before hockey.
The second game was one that I thought they might win but ended in a 2-2 tie. The funny part was, because the other game in their pool ended in a tie, they actually had a chance to advance to the play off round if they could win their 3rd game.
My wife took HP to the 3rd game and she said something that I have felt for quite a while; that this year won’t be a repeat of the debacle that was last year because the kids all try hard. The score was 5-2, with the 5th goal being scored into an empty net. HP got an assist on one of the goals.
The season starts this weekend and the first two games are against two of the top teams from last season. Nothing like jumping into the deep end with both feet and all of that!
I wasn’t 100% accurate with my pre-tournament predictions, in that we didn’t win a game, but all of the games that we did lose, and we lost 2, were within the 4 goals or less prediction.
The first game we lost 3-1 and we didn’t get beaten by a more skilled group of individuals but rather we got beaten by a group of individuals that played as a team. I remember watching them in the warm ups and thinking that, from a skill stand point, they looked just like our kids.
But they had obviously played together last year, or the majority of the team had anyway, and it showed in the way they played on the ice. They played a better positional game and moved the puck much better than Hockey Player’s team.
We actually had Hockey Player sit out the second game because of concerns at school. He missed the last half hour of class to play in the first game and he would have had to miss a whole hour to play in the second game, and my wife and I thought that was too much for him to miss. We wanted to send the message that school has to come before hockey.
The second game was one that I thought they might win but ended in a 2-2 tie. The funny part was, because the other game in their pool ended in a tie, they actually had a chance to advance to the play off round if they could win their 3rd game.
My wife took HP to the 3rd game and she said something that I have felt for quite a while; that this year won’t be a repeat of the debacle that was last year because the kids all try hard. The score was 5-2, with the 5th goal being scored into an empty net. HP got an assist on one of the goals.
The season starts this weekend and the first two games are against two of the top teams from last season. Nothing like jumping into the deep end with both feet and all of that!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Possibilities
We had our last practice before the tournament and I was struck by the difference between the team that Hockey Player is on this year and the horror show of which he was part last year.
Well there are lots of differences- for instance, watching the practice last night I think that it is always nice to see the kids moving, and moving with some enthusiasm and sense of purpose, instead of standing around having someone talking at them or dragging their back ends through a bunch of disconnected drills. But the one thing that got me, on the eve of the team playing some meaningful games, was the sense of optimism amongst the parents about the season.
Now, who knows how long that will last? We will loose more then we win this year, I think that much is certain, and the bright and cheery sense of optimism could easily be replaced with some nasty grumbling and cynicism over a prolonged loosing streak. But right now there is a sense that there are a lot of possibilities ahead for the boys.
Well there are lots of differences- for instance, watching the practice last night I think that it is always nice to see the kids moving, and moving with some enthusiasm and sense of purpose, instead of standing around having someone talking at them or dragging their back ends through a bunch of disconnected drills. But the one thing that got me, on the eve of the team playing some meaningful games, was the sense of optimism amongst the parents about the season.
Now, who knows how long that will last? We will loose more then we win this year, I think that much is certain, and the bright and cheery sense of optimism could easily be replaced with some nasty grumbling and cynicism over a prolonged loosing streak. But right now there is a sense that there are a lot of possibilities ahead for the boys.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Tournament predictions
A practice tomorrow night and then Thursday we are into our first tournament of the season and a chance to see the team in action for real.
There is a lot of excitement and anticipation on the part of the parents and coaches about how the boys are going to do, not just in the tournament but also in the season in general. The tournament will take care of itself and is really only a stepping-stone into the season and league play. Whether or not they know how to run an effective penalty kill, for instance, is less important then seeing how, or if, they compete and the process of them playing together and becoming a team.
There is excitement from the kids because they should get their game jerseys at the practice tomorrow night and then they can start to look, I.E. feel, like a real team.
A buddy of mine, who has a son on, and he is the manager of, another team in the same division as Hockey Player’s team, which also happens to be in the same tournament, said to me that expects to have most of the parents on his team in a state of shock by the end of the tournament. He said that 75% of the kids from his team came from select/ house league programs last year and might be in for a rude awakening playing at a level higher then they played last year.
We have maybe half of our team from select/hl programs, and the difference in skill level shows, but the kids work hard and they are willing to compete.
My prediction for the tournament is that the team goes 1-2, with no loss by more then 4 goals.
There is a lot of excitement and anticipation on the part of the parents and coaches about how the boys are going to do, not just in the tournament but also in the season in general. The tournament will take care of itself and is really only a stepping-stone into the season and league play. Whether or not they know how to run an effective penalty kill, for instance, is less important then seeing how, or if, they compete and the process of them playing together and becoming a team.
There is excitement from the kids because they should get their game jerseys at the practice tomorrow night and then they can start to look, I.E. feel, like a real team.
A buddy of mine, who has a son on, and he is the manager of, another team in the same division as Hockey Player’s team, which also happens to be in the same tournament, said to me that expects to have most of the parents on his team in a state of shock by the end of the tournament. He said that 75% of the kids from his team came from select/ house league programs last year and might be in for a rude awakening playing at a level higher then they played last year.
We have maybe half of our team from select/hl programs, and the difference in skill level shows, but the kids work hard and they are willing to compete.
My prediction for the tournament is that the team goes 1-2, with no loss by more then 4 goals.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
The Dawn of a new season
The dawn of a new hockey season is upon us. Hockey Player’s team plays a tournament the weekend of Sept 11-14, guaranteed 3 games, and then the regular season starts on Sept 20th and the team will play 4 league games by the end of the month.
I really feel that Hockey Player is going to have a better experience this year then he did last year. Well, I think that, after having watched a few practices, that he has learned more already this year then he did all of last year.
Hockey player has been penciled in as centre, which is great because that is the position that he thinks, is the one to play! But I have told him that this not like the team that he was with last year and that he will only get to play that position if he does a good job and works hard.
One of the things that his coaches have pointed out to him is his fitness and, specifically, how he needs to get more fit. This is going to the hard part, pushing him to do some running to get where he needs to be. But it will be up to him.
I really feel that Hockey Player is going to have a better experience this year then he did last year. Well, I think that, after having watched a few practices, that he has learned more already this year then he did all of last year.
Hockey player has been penciled in as centre, which is great because that is the position that he thinks, is the one to play! But I have told him that this not like the team that he was with last year and that he will only get to play that position if he does a good job and works hard.
One of the things that his coaches have pointed out to him is his fitness and, specifically, how he needs to get more fit. This is going to the hard part, pushing him to do some running to get where he needs to be. But it will be up to him.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Summer 3 on 3
Well, I did say that I was going to try and not draw too many conclusions for the upcoming season based on what happens in summer 3 on 3 hockey but of course, I made them anyway.
The first thing that I noticed was that this is going to be a different team then last year. The boys, by and large, really seem to want to play and try hard. This was not always the case last year.
They seem to have a pretty good head for the game and do look to make a pass as opposed to trying to be the superstar and do it all by themselves. In the first game that I watched I thought that the boys might have been guilty of over passing the puck!
Some of the basic skills are rough but hopefully they can be taught these things and everyone can have a satisfying season.
The first thing that I noticed was that this is going to be a different team then last year. The boys, by and large, really seem to want to play and try hard. This was not always the case last year.
They seem to have a pretty good head for the game and do look to make a pass as opposed to trying to be the superstar and do it all by themselves. In the first game that I watched I thought that the boys might have been guilty of over passing the puck!
Some of the basic skills are rough but hopefully they can be taught these things and everyone can have a satisfying season.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Hockey and the dog days.
We have already had our first taste of hot and muggy, humid weather and hockey is still in the air.
The new team has decided to play 3 on 3 for the summer as a way of allowing the kids to get to know each other and to "keep them skating".
Unfortunately, Hockey Player has not been able to participate in any of the games because he has been too busy playing lacrosse. But the scheduled tournament this weekend has been cancelled so he will be available to play. I will try and not to read too much into this summer hockey as an omen of the season to come.
The new team has decided to play 3 on 3 for the summer as a way of allowing the kids to get to know each other and to "keep them skating".
Unfortunately, Hockey Player has not been able to participate in any of the games because he has been too busy playing lacrosse. But the scheduled tournament this weekend has been cancelled so he will be available to play. I will try and not to read too much into this summer hockey as an omen of the season to come.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
King for a Season
Now I have chance to update the blog on what happened to Hockey Player.
We did go the AA tryout and Hockey Player wasn’t a step or two behind the other players, he was a good 4 or 5 steps behind. All of the kids there could really skate and they could all shoot the puck. Needless to say, he wasn’t asked back.
He tried out for, and made, a minor peewee A team. It is a first year team but I got a really good feeling about the guys who were going to be running the team and that it wasn’t going to be a repeat of last years fiasco.
The team held its tryouts over two days. On the first day there were over 30 kids on the ice and there was the inevitable discrepancy of talent. Some of the kids were quite good and some were weak. I was beginning to think that it was going to be a repeat of last season, where the necessity of filling a roster takes priority over keeping a sufficient level of talent on the team.
But this also assumes that there is a shortage of talent out there and you have to take whatever comes along and one of the things that had struck me from the tryouts that I had attended was the strong turnout that these teams were able to drum up. There is definitely no shortage of good hockey players available.
The second day of tryouts brought out another 30 kids, some of whom were asked back from the day before, and some who were showing up for the first time, and the level of talent was much improved over what it was the day before. So much so that I was actually worried about whether Hockey Player was even going to make the team-even though he had kind of been offered a spot before the tryouts began.
They did ask HP to join the team and the differences between last year and this new team were already apparent from even before he signed his card. The signing was taking place in an empty dressing room and there was the team’s GM and his wife doing all of the administrative type stuff. While HP was waiting to sign, the GM’s wife was having him try on jerseys, with his shoulder pads on, to make sure that it would fit properly and that they would look good when they stepped on the ice for their first game. It was a nice touch.
The team wants to play 3 on 3 during the summer to keep the boys skating and help them to get to know each other better.
We did go the AA tryout and Hockey Player wasn’t a step or two behind the other players, he was a good 4 or 5 steps behind. All of the kids there could really skate and they could all shoot the puck. Needless to say, he wasn’t asked back.
He tried out for, and made, a minor peewee A team. It is a first year team but I got a really good feeling about the guys who were going to be running the team and that it wasn’t going to be a repeat of last years fiasco.
The team held its tryouts over two days. On the first day there were over 30 kids on the ice and there was the inevitable discrepancy of talent. Some of the kids were quite good and some were weak. I was beginning to think that it was going to be a repeat of last season, where the necessity of filling a roster takes priority over keeping a sufficient level of talent on the team.
But this also assumes that there is a shortage of talent out there and you have to take whatever comes along and one of the things that had struck me from the tryouts that I had attended was the strong turnout that these teams were able to drum up. There is definitely no shortage of good hockey players available.
The second day of tryouts brought out another 30 kids, some of whom were asked back from the day before, and some who were showing up for the first time, and the level of talent was much improved over what it was the day before. So much so that I was actually worried about whether Hockey Player was even going to make the team-even though he had kind of been offered a spot before the tryouts began.
They did ask HP to join the team and the differences between last year and this new team were already apparent from even before he signed his card. The signing was taking place in an empty dressing room and there was the team’s GM and his wife doing all of the administrative type stuff. While HP was waiting to sign, the GM’s wife was having him try on jerseys, with his shoulder pads on, to make sure that it would fit properly and that they would look good when they stepped on the ice for their first game. It was a nice touch.
The team wants to play 3 on 3 during the summer to keep the boys skating and help them to get to know each other better.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Home stretch
We are in the home stretch.
AA tryouts start this weekend and I am going to be taking Hockeyplayer to one "just for the skate". I don't think that he is ready for AA, he may be someday, but I don't think he is right now. I would like him to see how things are done, the way the players work, the level of their skills etc. The tryout we are going to was a 500 team last year and the coach said that they were going to have openings on both forward and defense.
A are next weekend and I am trying to keep all of our options open. There are really only 2 teams that I think he might sign with, Up and Coming team and Brand New Start Up team. Up and Coming's tryouts start on Thursday so I can get an idea of where Hockey Player fits, or doesn't fit, in their plans.
Stay tuned.
AA tryouts start this weekend and I am going to be taking Hockeyplayer to one "just for the skate". I don't think that he is ready for AA, he may be someday, but I don't think he is right now. I would like him to see how things are done, the way the players work, the level of their skills etc. The tryout we are going to was a 500 team last year and the coach said that they were going to have openings on both forward and defense.
A are next weekend and I am trying to keep all of our options open. There are really only 2 teams that I think he might sign with, Up and Coming team and Brand New Start Up team. Up and Coming's tryouts start on Thursday so I can get an idea of where Hockey Player fits, or doesn't fit, in their plans.
Stay tuned.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Crazy Season
The crazy machine is in full gear. It must be try out season.
Actually the tryouts don’t begin until later this month but I know for a fact that several teams are already chosen for next year and some are even practicing. So much for the rules! Now I know that the teams will try to get around the rules by having, say, a parent run a skate instead of a coach, or a team that still has ice time available, will invite a couple of kids for a skate. All of this is against the GTHL rules but it does happen.
Hockey Player is going to a camp tomorrow because he doesn’t have school and then he has a full day camp on a Saturday; A “Pre Tryout Camp”.
I start to sound like a gambling addict with the camps and skates before tryouts; “Just one more. That’s what he needs. Just one more skate to keep him sharp and impress the coaches.”
Actually the tryouts don’t begin until later this month but I know for a fact that several teams are already chosen for next year and some are even practicing. So much for the rules! Now I know that the teams will try to get around the rules by having, say, a parent run a skate instead of a coach, or a team that still has ice time available, will invite a couple of kids for a skate. All of this is against the GTHL rules but it does happen.
Hockey Player is going to a camp tomorrow because he doesn’t have school and then he has a full day camp on a Saturday; A “Pre Tryout Camp”.
I start to sound like a gambling addict with the camps and skates before tryouts; “Just one more. That’s what he needs. Just one more skate to keep him sharp and impress the coaches.”
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Try out angst
The silly season is coming hard and fast. The season of sleepless nights, phone calls to coaches, and the anxiety about where Hockey Player is going to be lacing up his skates next season.
Last season I was quite nervous, as he was making the jump from Select to GTHL for the first time when the try out season came. This year, with a years experience under his belt, and having led his team in goals scored, and coaches who remember seeing him play, I feel quite a bit more confident about his chances of being on a better squad then the start up team that he just finished with.
But it is a great big lottery when it comes to trying out for a new team because there are so many forces at play, so many internal dynamics involved that we, as outsiders to the team, will never really know until you have lived with the team for a season.
I am trying to keep hockey player skating right up to the try outs and hoping for the best.
Last season I was quite nervous, as he was making the jump from Select to GTHL for the first time when the try out season came. This year, with a years experience under his belt, and having led his team in goals scored, and coaches who remember seeing him play, I feel quite a bit more confident about his chances of being on a better squad then the start up team that he just finished with.
But it is a great big lottery when it comes to trying out for a new team because there are so many forces at play, so many internal dynamics involved that we, as outsiders to the team, will never really know until you have lived with the team for a season.
I am trying to keep hockey player skating right up to the try outs and hoping for the best.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Down down into a burnin' ring of fire
Just the old Johnny Cash song, Hockey Player's team is going down! We are the only team without a win in the "Tournament of Loosers". You might almost say that we are the #1 looser in the Tournament of Loosers.
Oh well. Just a couple of more games and then a practice or two and then try outs.
I have been making calls on behalf of Hockey Player and finding that a surprising number of the other teams and coaches remember him and are interested in him playing for their team next season. I am going to be calling a couple of them to come out to one of the team's last couple of practices and they can watch there.
I love the irony of coaches from other teams coming to our practices to watch Hockey Player so he can play somewhere else next year!
Oh well. Just a couple of more games and then a practice or two and then try outs.
I have been making calls on behalf of Hockey Player and finding that a surprising number of the other teams and coaches remember him and are interested in him playing for their team next season. I am going to be calling a couple of them to come out to one of the team's last couple of practices and they can watch there.
I love the irony of coaches from other teams coming to our practices to watch Hockey Player so he can play somewhere else next year!
Friday, March 7, 2008
Ups and Downs
It’s kind of funny how the world seems to be brighter, or not, depending on how well hockey player does.
For instance, last night he was at shooting practice, something that we have only just started doing, and he was looking really good. He is developing a really nice swing. And this is on top of him being on a 3 game goal-scoring streak. So it is now with a sense of “we’re getting somewhere” that we were driving home last night and it was a good feeling.
An example of when the world is not bright was on the weekend in our first“Clancy” game.
The team came out very flat against a team from the other division, who incidentally finished with the identical record as we did, and lost 3-1. They were a very beatable team and we should have won. Hockey player got the goal for our team and could have had two others- one was a breakaway where he shot at the goalie and another on a one timer that he didn’t get good “wood” on.
I came away from that game really down, feeling like I had been misled, teased, thinking that we should have had a better result.
The second Clancy game was a better effort. It was a physical game played at a fast tempo, everything that you would want in a play-off game. Unfortunately, we lost 3-2. We, the team, have too many weak links in our chain for them not to just be so blatantly glaring. But it is an old story- we have too many kids on the team that really don’t belong playing at this level.
Hockey player scored the first goal on a nice bit of hustle to get to a rebound. He got rocked a couple of times but got right back up. He will take a hit to make a play but he won’t, or is very reluctant to, initiate contact.
For instance, last night he was at shooting practice, something that we have only just started doing, and he was looking really good. He is developing a really nice swing. And this is on top of him being on a 3 game goal-scoring streak. So it is now with a sense of “we’re getting somewhere” that we were driving home last night and it was a good feeling.
An example of when the world is not bright was on the weekend in our first“Clancy” game.
The team came out very flat against a team from the other division, who incidentally finished with the identical record as we did, and lost 3-1. They were a very beatable team and we should have won. Hockey player got the goal for our team and could have had two others- one was a breakaway where he shot at the goalie and another on a one timer that he didn’t get good “wood” on.
I came away from that game really down, feeling like I had been misled, teased, thinking that we should have had a better result.
The second Clancy game was a better effort. It was a physical game played at a fast tempo, everything that you would want in a play-off game. Unfortunately, we lost 3-2. We, the team, have too many weak links in our chain for them not to just be so blatantly glaring. But it is an old story- we have too many kids on the team that really don’t belong playing at this level.
Hockey player scored the first goal on a nice bit of hustle to get to a rebound. He got rocked a couple of times but got right back up. He will take a hit to make a play but he won’t, or is very reluctant to, initiate contact.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
King Clancy
We are headed to the “Clancy”. AKA; The Tournament of Losers.
The King Clancy tournament is open to non play-off "A" teams from the GTHL, SHA and MHL. It gives the kids something to play for at the end of the season but it also gives them a chance to keep skating as we approach try out season.
It will be interesting to play against teams from the other leagues and see how we stack up against them.
The King Clancy tournament is open to non play-off "A" teams from the GTHL, SHA and MHL. It gives the kids something to play for at the end of the season but it also gives them a chance to keep skating as we approach try out season.
It will be interesting to play against teams from the other leagues and see how we stack up against them.
Monday, February 25, 2008
The End
`The regular season is now officially over. We played our last game and played well but lost to “Up and coming” team 1-0. “UAC” team is headed to the playoffs and have beaten all of the top teams over the course of the season so it there is some potential for upsets.
But getting back to our game, the team played well but once again it is obvious that the team, while we have a number of good players, is missing the real skill players, the one that can score and score reliably, that the good teams have.
Hockey player is, I think, the leading scorer on the team, which I think illustrates the problem with the team. Hockey player is a good player, and I think that someday, if he continues playing, he could become quite good, but he shouldn’t be the leading scorer. On a good team Hockey player is a 2nd, maybe 3rd line, player. It’s like playing Pavel Kubina as a top 4 defenseman. On a good team, you need someone who is better then Hockey player.
But getting back to our game, the team played well but once again it is obvious that the team, while we have a number of good players, is missing the real skill players, the one that can score and score reliably, that the good teams have.
Hockey player is, I think, the leading scorer on the team, which I think illustrates the problem with the team. Hockey player is a good player, and I think that someday, if he continues playing, he could become quite good, but he shouldn’t be the leading scorer. On a good team Hockey player is a 2nd, maybe 3rd line, player. It’s like playing Pavel Kubina as a top 4 defenseman. On a good team, you need someone who is better then Hockey player.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
My first post
Well here it is not even the end of February and the current season is almost over. It seems hard to believe that it is coming to an end.
My son is playing GTHL; A, for the first time and it has been an instructive experience for all of us to say the least.
The team, last in their division, has definitely improved over the course of the season, and probably should have won a couple of more games then they did over the course of the season if the talent level on the team was more consistent and if a couple of bounces had gone our way. But the last game of the regular season is just around the corner and, obviously, we are not making the play-offs.
It is not too soon to be thinking about tryouts for next season. There are several teams that I would like to see hockey player play for next year. Right now I have a preference for the community based teams, the ones that have their own house league and Select programs, rather then the private ones that seem to be devoid of the sense of community that I think is so important to minor hockey.
High on my list of requirements for a team for next year would be one that wins more then it looses. This getting’ blown out almost every game, because there are too many kids on the team that have no business playing at this level, really stinks. I have to give hockey player all kinds of credit for not letting any of the crap that goes on around the team bother him or affect the way that he plays.
My son is playing GTHL; A, for the first time and it has been an instructive experience for all of us to say the least.
The team, last in their division, has definitely improved over the course of the season, and probably should have won a couple of more games then they did over the course of the season if the talent level on the team was more consistent and if a couple of bounces had gone our way. But the last game of the regular season is just around the corner and, obviously, we are not making the play-offs.
It is not too soon to be thinking about tryouts for next season. There are several teams that I would like to see hockey player play for next year. Right now I have a preference for the community based teams, the ones that have their own house league and Select programs, rather then the private ones that seem to be devoid of the sense of community that I think is so important to minor hockey.
High on my list of requirements for a team for next year would be one that wins more then it looses. This getting’ blown out almost every game, because there are too many kids on the team that have no business playing at this level, really stinks. I have to give hockey player all kinds of credit for not letting any of the crap that goes on around the team bother him or affect the way that he plays.
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