Mad skills from Jurco at CHL Top Prospects competition.
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Monthly Archives: January 2011
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Mad skills from Jurco at CHL Top Prospects competition.
#imahockeydad
For all my sad friends who follow and try to cheer for the hapless Leafs.
For all my sad friends who follow and try to cheer for the hapless Leafs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnsngTNeGTg Hockey Defined Methinks it’s time to inject a littl
Hockey Defined
Methinks it’s time to inject a little levity into the proceedings before we get all playoff serious. So here’s a little list of new age hockey lingo; complete with illuminating examples. These are a few of the more colourful and current words and phrases of today’s game that have been uttered in and around the Boy’s and the Devil’s games.
Spin-o-Rama – A 360 degree spin with the puck used to avoid an oncoming checker, fool an unsuspecting/over-committed goaltender or simply add flair to an otherwise non-descript penalty shot (see video above).
BD (Bar Down) – A quick shot that strikes the top crossbar of the net and deflects directly down into the net. A player who performs this feat is said to “go bar down”.
Sui (soo-eee) – A blind pass to a teammate which puts said player in a highly vulnerable (suicide-like) position and makes opposing body checkers salivate at the prospect of an unexpected hit.
One-Timer – A shot taken immediately off of an incoming pass. One-timers are highly effective as they generally catch goalies off-guard, but also require good hand-eye coordination to ensure accuracy and speed.
PK (Penalty Kill) – A situation whereby a team is shorthanded by one or two players because of penalties. Box and triangle systems are the norm to defend a zone in five-on-four or five-on-three situations, but in general, the key to any good PK is pure hustle.
PP (Power Play) – The more favourable alternative to the PK is the PP (Power Play). Having a one or two-man advantage is obviously a preferred status. Good, disciplined teams are able to capitalize with PP goals. The following, by an unnamed but not surprising NHL team, demonstrates how NOT to run a power play.
Top Shelf (Where Gramma Keeps the Peanut Butter) – A shot scored in either top corner of the net. Knocking the goalie’s water bottle high into the air adds a dramatic exclamation point to top shelf goals.
Toe Drag or Dangle – A nifty evasive move whereby the puck is pulled back slightly with the toe (front end) of the blade of the hockey stick causing a defender to lunge forward awkwardly while the toe dragger or dangler skates by him. Mad danglers appear to have the puck glued to their sticks. Stick work like this takes a fair bit of practice.
The Can Opener – A devious defensive maneuver, which involves placing the stick between an opposing players legs and then twisting (not unlike a can opener) typically causing the player to fall to the ice. You need to be sneaky quick to pull off this move, while avoiding detection by the ref.
Wrap Around – A goal scored quickly from behind the net before the goalie is able to get from one side to the other. The older and the bigger the players get, the tougher it is to pull off the wrap around.
Split the D – A burst of speed that enables an oncoming puck carrier to scoot between two defencemen and in on their goalie, which usually makes them look foolish. Finishing with by going bar down or top shelf is a preferred outcome.
The Flow or Hockey Hair – A wet and/or greasy slicked back long hairdo accentuated by the combination of post-game sweat and years of hockey helmet moulding. If you look up The Flow in a dictionary you’ll find a picture of Jeremy “JR” Roenick. Several on the Boy’s team have fashioned respectable flows.
This list would not be complete without the following penalty explanations from a fan fave, Denis Lemieux, keeper of da goal for da Charlestown Chiefs of Slap Shot fame. ”You do dat, you go to da box, you know. Two minutes, by yourself, you know and…you feel shame, you know. And then you go free.”
Feel free to comment with any of your favourites from the past or present.
#imahockeydad
Finishing on a high? note
The Boy’s team ended their regular season this past week with three games in a row against a team with a perfect record; an underwhelming 0-27-0. That’s right; zero wins, 27 losses and zero ties.
This team was unfortunately the victim of a flawed player selection process which allowed several players who should have been on the team at this level to forego trying out to play on a team at a lower level. These players effectively wanted to play at the lower level so they could win more games and maybe a championship at the end of the year against presumably weaker competition. The lower team these players were able to make is in second place in their division; while the other team, as mentioned, has a perfect winless record. In fact, coming into the final three games of the thirty game schedule, this team had only scored 14 goals (less than 1/2 a goal per game) and had given up nearly 200 goals. How much fun could these kids, some of whom had never played rep hockey before, be having. And we do try to keep coming back to this being the whole point of minor hockey — having fun.
At the other side of the rink was the Boy’s team, having to finish their regular season and enter the playoffs against a team who would provide little competition. The first meeting of the year saw our boys record a 7-0 win.
In game one of the final three, the first good scoring chance came seven seconds in as a quick shot beat the goalie, ringing off the cross bar behind him. A few minutes later the boys let their guard down and Team 0-27-0 counted the first marker on a weak shot. The tying goal would not come until there were only three minutes left in the first period. A second would be added before the first frame ended. But the opposing goaltender proved to be sharp (you have to figure he’d had plenty of practice in the previous 27 contests). He made some spectacular saves. At one point our goalie slapped his stick on the ice in approval. Yet, the game ended with our boys on the the right side of a 6-1 score.
What was not positive in the first game was the loss of a player to a two-game suspension on a questionable major boarding penalty. In games like these you hope to escape with no suspensions and no injuries. The player in question was one of the lastever intentionally commit an illegal play. Rumor has it this particular player’s dressing room nickname is “knuckles” in parody of his non-aggressive demeanour.
Game two would be quite a different affair. If the boys held back in game one, they certainly didn’t in this second match, as the scoreboard revealed 6-0 after one period. They continued to skate, pass and shoot to win. We found out later they were shooting on a temporary back-up goalie who was two years their junior – not the keeper they encountered in the previous game. The final score was 18-0. The game proved to be nothing more than a stat-padding exercise; akin to a scrimmage in practice. There was certainly little to no cheering from the home side. Not a fun game to watch.
The regular goalie would return for game three, backstopping his squad to a 9-2 loss, which saw his team score the first goal again. Their netminder had another strong game that could have just as easily had a score of 20-2 if not for his heroics. One player from the Boy’s team even went up and gave him kudos after he stoned him with a great glove save. This game also found the now 0-29-0 team floating two players up near their opponent’s blue line for at least half the game in an attempt to generate a breakaway or two, which indeed it did on a couple of occasions.
And so the regular season ended for our boys in third place with a record of 16-5-9. A far cry from 0-30-0. The Boy, for his part, commented after the second game that he didn’t think he could handle losing every game as they did; though we heard they did win a game in a tournament against a U.S. team, who were obviously themselves misplaced. He wondered how some of them could be laughing during these beatings, but what else could you expect them to do at this point.
The playoffs start in just a few days with the boys taking on the sixth place team; a good regular season rival who they will need to be on their toes against. Let’s hope the final three games didn’t serve to develop bad habits and lacklustre play. The boys and coaching staff are looking forward to a strong run. The playoffs are a whole new season, where anything can happen for the teams who are best-focused and disciplined.
Let’s also hope the players from the team with the perfect record haven’t lost their love of the game altogether. Maybe between all the goals against they were able to have some fun.
#imahockeydad
Finishing on a high? note
The Boy’s team ended their regular season this past week with three games in a row against a team with a perfect record; an underwhelming 0-27-0. That’s right; zero wins, 27 losses and zero ties.
This team was unfortunately the victim of a flawed player selection process which allowed several players who should have been on the team at this level to forego trying out to play on a team at a lower level. These players effectively wanted to play at the lower level so they could win more games and maybe a championship at the end of the year against presumably weaker competition. The lower team these players were able to make is in second place in their division; while the other team, as mentioned, has a perfect winless record. In fact, coming into the final three games of the thirty game schedule, this team had only scored 14 goals (less than 1/2 a goal per game) and had given up nearly 200 goals. How much fun could these kids, some of whom had never played rep hockey before, be having. And we do try to keep coming back to this being the whole point of minor hockey — having fun.
At the other side of the rink was the Boy’s team, having to finish their regular season and enter the playoffs against a team who would provide little competition. The first meeting of the year saw our boys record a 7-0 win.
In game one of the final three, the first good scoring chance came seven seconds in as a quick shot beat the goalie, ringing off the cross bar behind him. A few minutes later the boys let their guard down and Team 0-27-0 counted the first marker on a weak shot. The tying goal would not come until there were only three minutes left in the first period. A second would be added before the first frame ended. But the opposing goaltender proved to be sharp (you have to figure he’d had plenty of practice in the previous 27 contests). He made some spectacular saves. At one point our goalie slapped his stick on the ice in approval. Yet, the game ended with our boys on the the right side of a 6-1 score.
What was not positive in the first game was the loss of a player to a two-game suspension on a questionable major boarding penalty. In games like these you hope to escape with no suspensions and no injuries. The player in question was one of the lastever intentionally commit an illegal play. Rumor has it this particular player’s dressing room nickname is “knuckles” in parody of his non-aggressive demeanour.
Game two would be quite a different affair. If the boys held back in game one, they certainly didn’t in this second match, as the scoreboard revealed 6-0 after one period. They continued to skate, pass and shoot to win. We found out later they were shooting on a temporary back-up goalie who was two years their junior – not the keeper they encountered in the previous game. The final score was 18-0. The game proved to be nothing more than a stat-padding exercise; akin to a scrimmage in practice. There was certainly little to no cheering from the home side. Not a fun game to watch.
The regular goalie would return for game three, backstopping his squad to a 9-2 loss, which saw his team score the first goal again. Their netminder had another strong game that could have just as easily had a score of 20-2 if not for his heroics. One player from the Boy’s team even went up and gave him kudos after he stoned him with a great glove save. This game also found the now 0-29-0 team floating two players up near their opponent’s blue line for at least half the game in an attempt to generate a breakaway or two, which indeed it did on a couple of occasions.
And so the regular season ended for our boys in third place with a record of 16-5-9. A far cry from 0-30-0. The Boy, for his part, commented after the second game that he didn’t think he could handle losing every game as they did; though we heard they did win a game in a tournament against a U.S. team, who were obviously themselves misplaced. He wondered how some of them could be laughing during these beatings, but what else could you expect them to do at this point.
The playoffs start in just a few days with the boys taking on the sixth place team; a good regular season rival who they will need to be on their toes against. Let’s hope the final three games didn’t serve to develop bad habits and lacklustre play. The boys and coaching staff are looking forward to a strong run. The playoffs are a whole new season, where anything can happen for the teams who are best-focused and disciplined.
Let’s also hope the players from the team with the perfect record haven’t lost their love of the game altogether. Maybe between all the goals against they were able to have some fun.
#imahockeydad
"Aerial Tic Tac Toe" Goal
“Aerial Tic Tac Toe” Goal
Link
Missed it by that much!
Another weekend, another tourney for the Devil and her team. Tournaments are good tools for team building, working on line combinations and in-game tactics and gauging team strength against competition they don’t normally get to see.
In this tournament, the girls started with a game against a very familiar rival. Coincidentally, or not, their closest local competitor has turned up in three of the same tournaments; this in addition to an exhibition game and four scheduled regular season games. This will be the same team the girls will have to go head-to-head against in their quest to play in the provincial championships. In five previous games so far this year, these two teams have skated to a virtual draw with either one-goal wins for either team or ties. Game one of this tournament was no different. Our girls unfortunately came out of the gate a little slow and fell behind by one and then two goals. They would turn the play around in the third period, but were unable to tally more than one goal against. They dropped this latest challenge 2-1.
In round robin tournament play, losing game one generally forces a need to win the next two, depending, of course, on the strength of the other teams in your division. With a win at stake, the coach set a strict curfew for his players, who were scattered in hotels around the small host city. Not a problem for the Devil, who was wiped out from the school day, a 90 minute drive, followed by an 8pm hockey game. This was likely the case for her teammates as well.
The next morning, the Sharks came out with a vengeance against what seemed to be a stronger competitor. After giving up the first goal despite dominating the play, the girls came storming back. They scored three unanswered markers of their own; renewing their chances of advancing to the playoff round.
However, in order to reach the playoffs, they would have to contend with a decidedly larger and reportedly even stronger team. Indeed, as the puck dropped for game three, the Sharks were at a noticeable size disadvantage. That being said, the girls certainly didn’t back down. They were all well aware of what they needed to do in order to move on. For two periods of scoreless hockey, the Devil and her mates skated as hard as they’ve skated all year. They battled in the corners, stood their ground in front of the net at both ends of the rink and had a few good scoring chances. Unfortunately, in the third period, their strong opponent was able to break through with a first goal. Undaunted, but slightly overmatched, the Sharks never gave up. Their counterparts, who would eventually go on to become tournament champions, scored two more times.
As the game neared its conclusion, the manager informed the team that they needed one goal to have a chance to move on. That goal never came.
And indeed, as it turned out, the girls would end up in a three-way tie for second place in their division. A tie-breaker would ultimately determine that they would miss making the semi-finals by a single goal. Ironically, they would give way to the team they beat in their second game, who happened to have a better goals for/goals against differential. Such is the tournament format, where a slow start can come back to bite you in the proverbial ass. A tie or win in game one against the weakest of the three teams they faced would have done the trick.
It would have been nice to make the semis where there is always a chance to proceed further in a single game knock-out situation. In fact, the team our girls beat in their second game went on to play and lose to the team from the third game in the Championship final. The Sharks were obviously in the tougher of the two tournament divisions. There was definitely no disappointment for the coaching staff or the players based on how the team performed against increasingly stiff competition. Its heartening to see how they can play at their full potential. The challenge with this team, as with all teams in all sports, is realizing that potential on a consistent basis.
I believe this ends the tournament schedule for both the Boy and the Devil. At least tournaments I know about at this point. Sometimes end of season tournaments are added depending on how long a team’s playoff run is. And so, we’ll hope there are no more tournaments this year, signalling a long and prosperous post-season run for each squad. There are still a handful of regular season games for both teams, which will ultimately determine their rank and playoff match-ups. Plenty of fun and games yet to come.
#imahockeydad
Missed it by that much!
Another weekend, another tourney for the Devil and her team. Tournaments are good tools for team building, working on line combinations and in-game tactics and gauging team strength against competition they don’t normally get to see.
In this tournament, the girls started with a game against a very familiar rival. Coincidentally, or not, their closest local competitor has turned up in three of the same tournaments; this in addition to an exhibition game and four scheduled regular season games. This will be the same team the girls will have to go head-to-head against in their quest to play in the provincial championships. In five previous games so far this year, these two teams have skated to a virtual draw with either one-goal wins for either team or ties. Game one of this tournament was no different. Our girls unfortunately came out of the gate a little slow and fell behind by one and then two goals. They would turn the play around in the third period, but were unable to tally more than one goal against. They dropped this latest challenge 2-1.
In round robin tournament play, losing game one generally forces a need to win the next two, depending, of course, on the strength of the other teams in your division. With a win at stake, the coach set a strict curfew for his players, who were scattered in hotels around the small host city. Not a problem for the Devil, who was wiped out from the school day, a 90 minute drive, followed by an 8pm hockey game. This was likely the case for her teammates as well.
The next morning, the Sharks came out with a vengeance against what seemed to be a stronger competitor. After giving up the first goal despite dominating the play, the girls came storming back. They scored three unanswered markers of their own; renewing their chances of advancing to the playoff round.
However, in order to reach the playoffs, they would have to contend with a decidedly larger and reportedly even stronger team. Indeed, as the puck dropped for game three, the Sharks were at a noticeable size disadvantage. That being said, the girls certainly didn’t back down. They were all well aware of what they needed to do in order to move on. For two periods of scoreless hockey, the Devil and her mates skated as hard as they’ve skated all year. They battled in the corners, stood their ground in front of the net at both ends of the rink and had a few good scoring chances. Unfortunately, in the third period, their strong opponent was able to break through with a first goal. Undaunted, but slightly overmatched, the Sharks never gave up. Their counterparts, who would eventually go on to become tournament champions, scored two more times.
As the game neared its conclusion, the manager informed the team that they needed one goal to have a chance to move on. That goal never came.
And indeed, as it turned out, the girls would end up in a three-way tie for second place in their division. A tie-breaker would ultimately determine that they would miss making the semi-finals by a single goal. Ironically, they would give way to the team they beat in their second game, who happened to have a better goals for/goals against differential. Such is the tournament format, where a slow start can come back to bite you in the proverbial ass. A tie or win in game one against the weakest of the three teams they faced would have done the trick.
It would have been nice to make the semis where there is always a chance to proceed further in a single game knock-out situation. In fact, the team our girls beat in their second game went on to play and lose to the team from the third game in the Championship final. The Sharks were obviously in the tougher of the two tournament divisions. There was definitely no disappointment for the coaching staff or the players based on how the team performed against increasingly stiff competition. Its heartening to see how they can play at their full potential. The challenge with this team, as with all teams in all sports, is realizing that potential on a consistent basis.
I believe this ends the tournament schedule for both the Boy and the Devil. At least tournaments I know about at this point. Sometimes end of season tournaments are added depending on how long a team’s playoff run is. And so, we’ll hope there are no more tournaments this year, signalling a long and prosperous post-season run for each squad. There are still a handful of regular season games for both teams, which will ultimately determine their rank and playoff match-ups. Plenty of fun and games yet to come.
#imahockeydad