5 things

This post is inspired by the lovely and talented Diana Laurence, author extraordinaire and the partial inspiration for this blog. (she is the author of the former e-zine "Hockey Snacks", which I think I've referenced before) She recently wrote an entry listing 5 things that she is happy to have done and I think it's a brilliant idea. So brilliant, in fact, that I am going to emulate it- both here (hockey related things), and on my personal blog (livejournal), with a range of things I've done in my life that are not necessarily hockey related. :)

So, without further ado- 5 hockey-related things I'm glad I got to do: (in no particular order)

1. Skate on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa "The World's Largest Skating Rink".
My sis and I took a trip to Canada's capital back in March of 2007 for the sole purpose of skating the canal. We picked the perfect time to go, the weather was great and it was the last weekend the canal was open that season. We skated the full length (15.6 KM total) in one evening. It was a crazy workout and it was very cold but I'm quite happy to say that I have done it. I have since returned to the canal- the same sister and a friend and I competed in a Winterlude Triathlon there in 2009- we competed as a team, I skated 8km on the canal, Renee' (sis), ran 5km on the canal and Brenda (friend) did a 3km cross-country ski. We didn't exactly own the race, but none of us finished last in our category and we had fun. :)

2. Creating my own ice surface in my front yard.
I don't know how many of y'all follow me on facebook (if you don't, feel free to add me!) but if you do, then you will know of the trial it was to make this happen. A little bit of history is in order here. I moved to WNY in the late summer of 2003. I moved in with my sis and her family, who had just purchased a place out in the sticks- a tiny town called Delevan (about halfway between Buffalo and Olean, on Rt. 16) We've got a nice house and a decent bit of land- and a pond! I was very excited about the pond, because it gets and stays cold here for long periods of the winter. I was sure it would freeze and we could skate.. right? WRONG! The darn thing refuses to freeze properly and has been a thorn in my side for years. To make a long story short, I've given up on the pond. I tried a "jiffy rink" kit that I bought a Canadian Tire a couple of winters ago, but it never worked right. This year I decided to take matters into my own hands. I did tons of research and formulated a plan. It was January (typically the coldest part of the winter) and we had over a foot of snow on the ground. No problem. I cleared away the top layer of a huge section of the yard and prepared to work- the job was wetting down the snow that was left with the hose, then stomping it down into packed ice until I had a nice base. Then it was a matter of smoothing that out with misted on water in the cold of night. I worked on this for several freezing nights and it was coming along nicely (though hard hard work, especially since I had to drag the hose inside every night so it wouldn't freeze) Then I went to Dallas for the weekend, and it was in the 40s while I was away. I was a bit stressed but the snow was still here so I kept working on it the following week. THEN it rained for 3 days and ALL THE SNOW MELTED! I wanted to cry from frustration. But I had one more idea.
I had saved some old 4x4 pieces of wood from a fence with the idea of useing them to create a mini-rink. Then I tried the other plan but since that was done, and we were down to bare grass, I figured I'd try this one last plan and if it didn't work, I'd concede that it wasn't going to happen. So I bought a tarp from the hardware store (20x25') and laid out my boards, stapled the tarp to them to make a frame, then started filling it with water. Basically, after several days of filling and then having to add snow to level it out, I had ice. It was super bumpy and I had to go out with hot water and a shovel and do a bit of manual zamboni work, but I was able to create an ice surface in my yard. It was very small but still skateable. And now I know that this method can actually work here so next year I will make it bigger! I am still immensely proud of this accomplishment.

3. Attending the Winter Classic II in Chicago.
Sure, it wasn't Buffalo (couldn't make that one) but it was an incredible game between 2 teams I like with a fantastic rivalry. I went with my sister (who is my best friend and hockey buddy) and a great friend and we had a wonderful time. The weather was perfect, the game was intense, the fans were loud and crazy and it was everything I could have asked for. And the best part was that it was a surprise. I didn't know about it until 3 days before when my sis told me we were going. I will never forget that day. It was truly a special experience.

4. Teaching myself about hockey and how to ice skate.
I am a huge proponent of learning by doing. When I started to watch hockey, I didn't have a mentor guiding my every step, I didn't have anyone to ask, or even the internet to research things. I did it the old fashioned way- I went to the bookstore and bought every scrap of hockey literature (which wasn't much in Dayton, OH in the summer of 1994) I could get my hands on and started reading. I memorized players and stats and trying to soak up everything I could and counting the days till October. This zest for hockeyness has not left me. I still regularly read books about hockey- trying to learn as much as possible about what happened before my time, and I try to keep up with current news of the game. (it's much easier now, in Buffalo and with the internet, though I have less time to devote) Pretty much everything I know about hockey (and that's quite a bit, if I do say so), I learned on my own- by watching, and listening, and reading, and talking. I love the game, I couldn't live without it and I certainly wouldn't want to try. And I have an ownership in my fandom that I earned through lots of time and energy.
Along with the learning came a desire to DO. I knew that actually playing hockey wasn't really an option (not many teams in the area and whatnot) so I did the next best thing. I taught myself how to ice skate. I'm sure it was funny to watch. I was a very good rollerskater back in the day, but it had been some time since I had been on skates at all. I was 13 years old and I'm sure quite awkward, but I didn't care. My sister and I used to go to the open skate on Saturday nights and just have fun. I basically flailed around until I figured it out. It took awhile, but I was patient and I loved it. I watched the other kids (the hockey players of course) and tried to do what they did. I fell all the time but I didn't care. I used to race my sister's boyfriend from blueline to blueline. We went all the time and I got pretty decent at it. Eventually I moved on from awkward to an okay skater. I fell less and felt less out of control. But it never stopped being fun. I got figure skates for my 14th birthday (but I should have just asked for hockey skates, I dunno what I was thinking..) and finally got hockey skates for my 16th birthday. (still the best birthday gift I ever got and I still have those skates, they fit me like a glove) We still skated almost every weekend, all through high school. Soometimes friends would come and sometimes not, but it was always 'Nee and I. We had fun and it was a time to just exist and occasionally pretend that I was someone who could actually play hockey.
In college, I took a hockey skills class. It was awesome- counted for credit even. We did a lot of skating drills then actually got into the hockey. There wasn't much I didn't know already, though I was able to refine my skills in turning around and such, and I finally learned how to do a hockey stop. I took the class again the next year, and 'Nee joined me (even though she went to a different school) It was better the second time because the class as a whole was more advanced with the skating to start. We got into some strategy and did faceoffs and a few line changes even. (over the boards, I fell down on my first try jumping over. It was hilarious.)

I still skate whenever I can. I take my 4-yr old nephew skating about once a week, trying to share with him what I learned. I have rollerblades and try to get out on them fairly often when the weather is nice, but nothing is as great as the feel (and the sound) of blades on ice.
(phew, that got long)

5. Visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame
This may sound a bit lame, but the HHOF is super cool. I have been a few times, but could go a few more, there is something special about that place. And the neatest thing is how small the hockey world really is. I went to the HHOF in 2007 with my sister (of course, do you notice a trend here?) and as we looked around at all the displays, I kept running into names of players that I was familiar with. They change the displays often, but have equipment and jerseys and whatnot from minor leaguers of all levels and jr. hockey players as well. I found several items from players that I had met and known through my minor league hockey jobs and watching games at that level. It was kind of uncanny, actually.
And then there was the Kelly Cup (trophy for the ECHL) I worked for the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL in 2005-06. We got to host the Kelly Cup one night as part of a tour. Unlike Lord Stanley, Kelly came unaccompanied, in a plain box with scant literature or a lengthy history. (he was only about 5 years old at the time.) So the task fell to me to be the 'keeper of the Cup" for the night. I embraced it with relish, being the hockey nut that I am. I found a bit of info about it and made up some little fliers. I did not wear the nasty gloves (not clean and crisp like Phil Pritchard's) that came with it, instead letting my fingers leave marks. LOL Our coach and one of our players had won the Kelly Cup back in 2003 so their names were on there and that was kinda cool for our fans. It was a bit cheezy but I enjoyed my night with the Cup. I had some bittersweet memories about it, having seen the Greenville Grrrowl win it on MY ice in Dayton back in 2002 but that was just another story to tell.
Anyway so that was in the HHOF and I thought it was cool cuz I had touched it and knew some folks whose names were on it.. and then of course THE STANLEY CUP is there as well. You can get pictures with it and touch it and hear some history if you want to. Totally worth the trip right there.
I highly suggest you make the trip to Toronto and check out the Hockey Hall of Fame, if you haven't done so.

So there it is.. my rambling trek through memory lane, hockey style. There are many other hockey-related things that I am glad to have done or taken part in, but I think I've written enough for now. What about you?

a Treatise on hockey fandom- or Don't Question Me!

(this got a little rambly along the way, but bear with me, I do have a point. Somewhere.)

I call myself a hockey fan.
I would even go as far as to call myself a hardcore hockey fan.
I've been watching hockey for 15 of my 28 years.
The game wasn't born and bred into me, I came to it on my own. (with a little help from my sis and a boy named Lance Links)
I've been to hockey games in many exotic locales (Las Vegas, NV; Baton Rouge, LA to name a few).
I've cheered on teams at the ECHL, AHL, NHL, and college levels.
I own 12 hockey jerseys- 3 of which are game worn.
I have an entire shelf of hockey books and a wish list probably longer than my arm of the ones I still want to own.
Name me almost any city you want (of a certain size, or anywhere in Canada) and I can tell you if they have hockey and many times what the team name is and what league they are in.

I think you get the point- I. LOVE. HOCKEY.
There are many facets to this love, not the least of which is my well-documented enjoyment of the personality and attractiveness of players, which just keeps things interesting. (However, that is just gravy to the meat of hockey, which takes place on the ice.)

Hockey is a game of contrasts:
Brutality and grace
Cold surfaces and hot sweaty players
Tiny puck- big net/goalie
The speed of an up-ice rush and the almost slow-motion of a perfectly timed play
The physicality and anger exhibited by players on the ice versus their off-ice, charitable, kind, gentle selves. (this has been true for many of the players I've known personally and it is always the most striking.)
The heated rivalries of playoff series which end in handshakes and hugs

Why do I write all of this? What does it even mean? What's the point of throwing it out there? I guess it's a defence of sorts.. a way of saying that while I may be silly and flip and all fluff sometimes in this blog, hockey runs in my veins like fire and I'd be lost without it. (let's not talk about the 04-05 season that wasn't. I think I literally went through a hockeyless-related depression during part of that year.) With me, though you may not know it from the writings, it really is all about the game. THE GAME. Everything else is entertainment for sure, but The Game is where it all begins and ends.

Watching hockey (live or on tv), listening to games, and reading about past and present hockey stories from all walks of life and all levels of the pro game is one of the things that keeps me going. Something happened to me 15 and a half years ago; hockey sunk its hooks deep in my soul and hasn't let go. There have been times when I've tried to shake the NEED for the game, but it would not relinquish its hold. I've been to some awesome places because of hockey. I can't even tell you how many friends I have because of hockey fandom that I wouldn't know otherwise. Whatever IT is, I have IT, and I'm teaching the game to my nephews and will eventually (should I have any) teach it to my children. It's that important. It's a vital part of who I am.

With all of that said, I did not watch this year's Winter Classic.

I watched the first one, in 2008. It happened in Buffalo (which is near where i live and my current favorite team) but I wasn't at the game. I wasn't even in the state, as I went home to visit friends and fam in Ohio for a week after Christmas. However, I had some friends over and we watched the game in my parents' basement and had a wonderful time. It was the original "Sidney Crosby Day" and set the stage for a host of jokes that are still valid among the group and also was the formation of the "87 Club". The game itself, of course (who knew there was actually a game on?) looked absolutely perfect, with the Sabre faithful (and some Pens fans too) packed into The Ralph and the famous Buffalo snow falling quite heavily at times. It was unqualified success for the teams, the League, and the fans and it was a beautiful thing. I loved watching it and would have loved even more to be there.

Fast forward to December 25, 2008, when I learned that my sister had procured tickets for us to see (along with our dear friend Emmy) the Winter Classic Part II: Blackhawks v. Red Wings! Definitely one of the best Christmas Presents EVER! I have been a Red Wings fan since I started watching hockey, and by this time last year I was flirting with the idea of liking the Blackhawks so of course it was a brilliant idea. Plus, hockey in Chicago with great people on New Year's Day IN A BASEBALL STADIUM is just too cool to pass up, right? So of course we went. It was incredible and oh so much fun. The fans were amazing, the venue was fantastic, it was cold as anything but that didn't matter. It was glorious, definitely the coolest hockey game I have ever been to (and possibly ever will be to unless I see a Stanley Cup game 7 that ends in my team's favor or something). The atmosphere- everything, just can't be touched. It doesn't I can't go to games anymore but just that obviously this was special.

(side note, I watched the "making of" dvd the other night and it brought me to tears. Yes, I really am that sappy about hockey.)

Then they announced the 2 teams for the 2010 Winter Classic, and to be perfectly honest with all of you- I couldn't have been less excited about the choices. I really really really CANNOT STAND the Flyers. I rather despise them with pretty much all of my being. And I don't enjoy the Bruins much either. I don't hate them, per se, but I don't like them either. I feel like the Sabres have to play them a zillion times a year and the games are never interesting or exciting at all. So all in all, I was feeling an almost negative amount of enjoyment in that announcement. Really, the only way it could have been worse would be if it were the Rangers and Flyers. Suffice it to say that I had very little intention of even watching the game, and certainly no emotional attachment to it. I have often watched hockey just to watch it (particularly in the playoffs) even if it was teams I didn't care about. But I will rarely watch a game in which I dislike both teams, and don't even care about any individual players. (It doesn't happen often. I have dream lovers on almost every team and many fellas that I enjoy watching all around the League, but none of them happen to play for either of those teams.)

So in the end, here I was on New Year's day- having been to a Blackhawks/Devils (now there is a game I can care about!) game on New Year's Eve and out to a party till 5 am. I didn't even wake up till almost noon Chicago time (which was puck drop I believe) I woke up and enjoyed some warm (well cold in memory) rememberances of "a year ago at this time I was at Wrigley WATCHING HOCKEY!" and thought... maybe I should watch this game. Then I dismissed it and played on the internet till Emmy and 'Nee woke up and we ventured out to brunch at a friends' place.

Thus I did not watch one moment of the 2010 Winter Classic (though I did watch the clip of Bobby Orr and Bobby Clarke just for fun and because I was reading a book about Bobby Orr) and I am totally okay with that. Part of me feels the need to justify that not watching so as not to be taken as less of a fan. But the rest of me just doesn't care. Anyone that knows me realizes that I am a serious hockey fan. (and if you didn't know before, and you actually read through all that rambling stream of consciousness up there then you sure as heck know now!) From what I heard and read about the game, it wasn't terribly striking or even all that exciting (aside from the novelty) until late in the game. I'll take last year over that any day.

No way you can top my experience in 2009. NO. WAY. However, should they schedule better teams for next year (ahemHabs/Leafsanyone?) - and really I already told you the only way it could get worse and that can't happen- then I will most likely check it out come 2011 and beyond.

When it's all said and done, I am truly, irrevocably and eternally, a hockey fan.