Quick Hits: NHL gets it right!; goaltending; milk

I've had a lot of sugar in the last hour so forgive my randomness...

First of all, even though Riser thinks it's not enough of a suspension, I'm delighted that the NHL actually gave Cody "Hockey Spice" McCormick 2 games for cross-checking Cal in the head.

Bitch. Don't be messing with my boy. I'll cut you.

I really really really really really hate the Avs. Skunky little bastards. The way things are going, they're gonna outpace the Ducks for my #1 hated team before long.

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Been off the ice for a while with vacation and all, so I put on the gear yesterday and banged around in it. Did a few up and downs and just generally got used to having it on again. And today I went to Memorial City and worked on my backwards skating from the face-off circles to my posts and from the slot into the net. I haven't quite learned how to STOP while going backwards, so most of the time, I overshot it and would have caught myself in my own net had there been a net on the ice. Dork.

Also, on goaltending, I'm very slowly reading through Ken Dryden's "The Game," which is arguably the greatest hockey book ever written. There's a chapter in which he goes through his game day and then in-game mental and physical processes. I was heartened to see that the goaltender experience is fairly universal. Either that or Dryen and I are just really in sync and should probably go have a beer sometime (call me, Kenny!).

He talks about going through the gate from the bench to the ice and thinking, "Don't fall!!" (Seriously, it's a chore to go through the bench gate in goalie gear.) He talks about how, when that first shot on goal doesn't come for a while, it becomes too big an "event" in your mind and shakes your focus a bit. Here's a quote that spoke to me:

"And whenever we get a penalty, whenever I see them come this way, I get the same unnerving twinge of panic, my mind nagging the same doubts, my body finding the same phony ready posture. I can't get comfortable. I'm not bored, but I'm not enjoying this very much."

Anyway, genius book and I kinda have a hero-worship thing going for The Honourable Mr. D. Thank goodness he's not a scout, that's all I'm saying.

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I've found another reason to love Canada. The dairy farmers of Canada are pushing Chocolate Milk as a sports drink. What have I been saying? Chocolate milk is the BEST thing post-workout. Moo, bitches!

I swear I feel 100x better on Monday morning when I have a big glass of chocolate milk after my hockey game (and no beer) than when I don't. I know, that's heresy for a beer-leaguer but I'm willing to put my neck out for this.

My other milk excitement for the day is that my CVS now carries Horizon Organic Milk. I may never go to the grocery store again!