Hockey

So I have had a go at Hockey and I am now hooked!! I am absolutely useless at it and it turns my legs to jelly after a little while. One of the guys at the firehall was kind enough to lend me his gear for a game. The first game I had was with the A shift Toronto firefighters from around the district. It’s called pickup hockey, there is no ref and no face offs just good clean fun. I was a bit wobbly when I first got out on the ice but after a bit of skating it was all coming back to me. The skating is not the problem though.....its the freaking stick. First of all I thought I would be right handed(left hand up right hand down) but once I was out on the ice, it was uncomfortable to skate that way so I figured I am actually left handed for hockey. Doesn’t sound right but think of the stick as a big broom and then picture how you would use that broom, usually holding the end of the broom with your preferred hand and guiding it with the other. After coming off and on a few times changing sticks from right to left and then back to right and then finally back to left handed I had an opportunity to guide the puck from our end and then make a pass hopefully to one of our players. This was very ugly...OMG I couldn’t keep it in front of me for a start....I over took the puck....who does that?? Finally in my own graceful way I guided the puck back to in front of me and then thought I should just get rid of this thing before I make MORE of a fool of myself. Now the only reason the puck didn’t get stolen is because the other team was letting me have a go. Anyway I gingerly try to flick the puck as it gets too far out in front of me and of course I miss it!!! So I catch up to it and by the time I have gathered myself to have another try I am starting to overtake the puck again!!ARRRGHHH!! finally on the third try I get rid of this FREAKING rubber disc. After a few more goes it gets a bit easier but I am still very gumby. After about half hour I was starting to fatigue and just randomly falling over when nothing was going on around me.....SHAME!!!!


As Erin was at the cat shelter I had Jack with me, He was by himself but seemed to love watching from the stands. When we finished he had to go out a different way and I was going to meet him at the bottom of the stairs, because I had skates on still I couldn’t go in to get him. So It looks like Jack has the navigation skills of his Mother....He went down the wrong stairs and because I wasn’t there to meet him he started to get upset. Meanwhile when he didn’t make it to the door I was at and knowing he was probably getting scared I was trying to get my skates off quickly with the little energy I had left so I could go and find my poor little man. He had held himself together quite well but he was starting to worry and get a bit sad....oh!!

After the game Bob asked if anyone had spare gear that they could lend me for a year. Turns out the goalie had a full set of playing gear from when he had a go out of the goals. So thanks to the generosity of the firefighters over here I can enjoy hockey each time without hassling anyone for spare gear.

When we were at Alvinston we watched Pat’s Nephew play hockey (under 9s ) They could skate circles around me. Anyhow I saw a move that I thought was my style of hockey, and not too technical either. I turned to Erin and said “that’s a bit of me that move”

A shift pick up hockey is every 2 weeks which is a really long time so I did some searching and I found some random pickup hockey at a different place so I organised to join in, it had been a week since my first attempt at hockey. I put on my new borrowed gear and hit the ice.....Holy WTF is wrong with these skates????? Turns out the skates have been sharpened with a concave in them!!! OMG they have so much grip....but now I can’t stop!!! After a few minutes I learnt how to stop again but it requires a lot more concentration than before. This time I was a little more useful on the ice but because of the stopping problem I hit the wall a few times....and other players hahahaha. Anyway it was the perfect time to pull out my new move....they had the puck they had just entered our third, it was just me and him. He was coming down the left side and I was chasing, a little bit behind but on the inside. As he lined up to take a shot at goals I dove out in front sliding on my gut like a penguin between him and the goals.....As I slid past him I waved my stick at the puck trying to tip it to no avail. I didn’t see what happened after that because I had other things to worry about....like the wall I am heading for head first!!! Now while this move may not have been very effective I still think it is better than me trying to tackle the player because I’ll be stuffed if I can even get near that freaking round rubber disc. Now when I think about it the kid slid on his knees and he seemed to get up easier than me...I will keep working on it.

Until next time.