Breakfast Club Bonus with Laura

How does that happen? Exactly three lines of each color, no more and no less. It must be destiny. Just like the chicks being relegated to the... Red Wings' locker room. Yup, you read that right. Here's the picture to prove it. See? It's destiny, I'm telling you, destiny!

The ice seems smaller when you're on it. The rink looks huge on T.V., but when you're on the ice and the seats are empty, it seems very much smaller. Maybe THAT's why those NHLers look like they skate so fast? Is it because the rink is actually smaller, so they can get from end to end much quicker because there's not as much distance to cover? Sounds like good rationalization to me. I need to cling to my illusions...

No illusions this morning, though. A little fog on the way in, perhaps, but no smoke and mirrors here. Just good fun hockey. No need to pretend, when reality is working its own kind of special magic. Lyle said it himself: we actually looked like we had some real hockey going on. The pictures say it all. A ton of fun. Thanks, guys, and see you next session!

Breakfast Club: Week Ten with Laura

Nothing like having your brain partially engaged. Yesterday it took me three tries to make a pot of coffee. If there was a prize for creative misuses of coffee beans and filters, yesterday was a gold medal performance (even the Bulgarian judge would have voted a nine). So showing up half-way through this morning’s session was just continuing my run. Kirk, on the other hand, was time-compressed and used my mid-practice arrival as his cue to bolt. Probably for something far less fun than hockey because he looked anxious as opposed to excited as he handed off Scottie O to my care.

Poor Scott. It’s tough when the front office trades a player without asking if you’d want that person as your line mate. Scott was gallant about the whole affair. Bless him but my coffee-flubbing psyche was still somewhere other than where it should have been. Thank goodness, Scott Wolter and Lyle Phair had toques for us as fabulous parting gifts – keep that skull warm and maybe something will regenerate between the ears, eh Laura?

Enough about me.

Today’s multi-station transitions and passing the tight puck control tag teaming was a great challenge, physically and mentally. Talk about needing to put it all together. The biggie? Looking. Looking and seeing and making that eye contact. None of the technique matters if you’re dancing with yourself. Hockey is a team sport. There’s no “I” in team, right? Same for the 2-on-0 round robins. It’s easy to try to score all by your lonesome. But require at least two passes and now we’re talking pacing your speed and adjusting up or down depending on your partner. Crash the new or hang high? Where do you want me, Scott? Don’t guess woman, take a look and see what his eyes are saying! When it all comes together, it’s a beautiful thing. And, no, bad hockey is not better than no hockey at all. You knew that, you didn’t need me to remind you. Um, yeah.

Who’s going to the Joe? Hopefully, me! That’s the plan. Think about it: how often would I get a chance to go in a real NHL locker room without a security guard hot on my tail? But, hey, seeing as I *am* one half of the BC blogging staff, maybe I can finagle me some press credentials and then barge in after the game with my laptop flying? Hmm, I never pondered the possibility until just now …

Either way, regardless of whether you see me lurking in the corridors of JLA tomorrow. I’m back for the January – March session. Bring a friend, why don’t you?

Breakfast Club: Week Nine with Kirk

Excellent day on the ice today. The big event was the videotaping of the
players stick handling and skating. This can be a humbling experience,
comments could be heard all over the rink, such as, that's not me, I bend
my knees more than that, why is the video playing back in slow motion and
my favorite from Scottie O, I look fat in my hockey pants. It's a good
exercise isn't it, to see yourself skating. I thought over the years, my
knees are finally bent now, not by looking at the video. Some knee bend but
not enough. When Lyle is telling us to bend our knees 15 times each
session, I'm thinking surely he isn't talking to me. Yeah, he's talking to
me also. Okay, Lyle was right.......excuse me....... I just had to give
myself an electrical shock for saying that. I think there are times when we
do have the correct knee bend but it's not consistent, when we get in an
uncomfortable situation on the ice we stand up. What happens when we bend
our knees properly and assuming the rest of our body posture is correct.
Our balance is improved and we control and fully use all four skate edges
much better. When this happens we feel more comfortable on our skates and
therefore we skate better. So, knee bend a simple concept that we probably
think we're doing, maybe not, crank it down another notch. Thanks to
Scottie the camera man also. Good thing he passed AV operations in high
school.

Lyle kept it lively between video shoots. I do like the rapid fire drills,
do it a few times then change sides or do another drill. Are you guys like
me? You may not want to admit that. I like to see the drill a couple times
before doing it. So I slide back in the line a few spots and let the
smarter guys go first. Sometimes by mistake I wind up going first, it's
certain you'll hear the whistle to stop the play, then all eyes on Kirk
while Lyle gently explains the drill once again to us slow learners. Can
you believe next week is our last week? Remember we skate at the Joe next
Thursday. See you guys at the winter session also. We are professional
adult rec players, we skate year round, it's in your contract. Oh, we
officially launched a Laura alert, has anyone seen her? Kirk out.

Breakfast Club: Week Eight with Kirk

Wow, I haven't skated or had any other workout in 10 days - crazy work
schedule, but mostly a case of the flu. Talking about zapping your energy.
Had to get back on the ice, the worst is behind me but I'm only 80%. That's
okay, I'll fly under the radar and take it easy out there. It did feel
awkward at first, 10 days of not skating is a lot for me. Lyle's a good guy,
he'll let me coast today. Besides it's time other guys step up and became
the class example of how not to do things correctly. What? Well, I didn't
get out of warm-ups without the Coach "informing" me I'm dogging it and to
kick it up a notch, thanks for noticing. Okay move onto plan B, which is
I'm busted, I have to go all out. Am I going to make it? I have no choice.

Outstanding drill plan today: passing, shooting and skating. How ‘bout the
one timers with Scottie today? Pass that puck right between the guy’s stance
and boom. Is there a better feeling than connecting on a one timer and the
goalie doesn't even have time to react? Yeah it feels good, but my great
shot percentage needs improvement. Shooter slide your hand down, good
stance and knee bend, weight transfer and let it fly. Practice that shot on
the move, you don't get many standing still shots in a game. If you can do
it on the move you can do it standing still for sure.

I think the highlight of the day was the backward skating. Lyle hit it hard
today. I like that a lot. Not only does it obviously improve your backwards
skating but it does improve your forward skating also. You develop an
overall better sense of balance and greater ability to work your edges.
Major wipeouts today, everyone had that snow on the uniform look. Can you
imagine if Scottie was skating today? You get that big moose whipping
around backwards no telling where that scud missile will land. Here again,
even the better skaters on the ice in our class need improvement on this
skill. You just don't practice it enough outside of class. Skating comes
first. The best skaters on teams are most often the best players also.

Oh, I felt pretty good after class. Something about sweating off the flu.
In fact it felt great to get the skate in. You know, I just don't have bad
days on the ice which is a big reason most of us come out to begin with.
Lyle kept it going again in high speed, wouldn't like it any other way.
Thanks to my blogging buddy Laura for covering for me last week. Notice I
spared the weekly Laura dig today, I owe her. See ya around the rink, Kirk
out.