Ms. Conduct

Up for air, finally

2012-01-09T07:04:00.000-06:00

I drive home from hockey each night I play, thinking, "Oooh! I should write about this (or that) (or the other thing) in my blog!" And then I realize, no, I don't have time. I have to get my Wednesday story at Hockey Wilderness done. I have to get my Sunday story at Backhand Shelf started. I have to get interview notes ready for my InGoal magazine pieces on Matt Hackett and Bob Mason. And by

Oh hey there...

2011-11-27T14:45:00.001-06:00

Played against Scott TFCG Monday night and he said he still reads the blog. If you're in his boat, sorry I've been so absentee. (Again.) Things look to settle down pretty soon, so hopefully I'll be back here more. Monday's game was kinda messed up though. My ankle has been hurting when I play, so that's been bugging me pretty much since I got back from vacation. It's making some of my movements

Check yourself, Ryan Miller

2011-11-15T05:14:00.001-06:00

So I've watched Lucic's hit on Miller a few times now and, while I may be angering the goalie gods to say it, I think Miller has as much responsibility here as Lucic. Maybe more. Looch has said he was barreling in, looked down at the puck, then looked up and Miller was just RIGHT THERE all of a sudden. His instinct was to put an arm up and protect himself. Watching the video, I sorta

750 words on why I'm speechless

2011-10-12T13:39:00.000-05:00

I have lots of words in me, but sometimes I just don't feel like I can adequately express how grateful I am to get to play hockey. Or to just have hockey in my life at all, but playing it seems to create my most heartfelt moments. But I can try... I don't know anything in life that would make my heart feel as full as hockey does. There was a time, early in my goaltending career, where I went to

Tea with Ms. Conduct

2011-10-09T11:09:00.001-05:00

This week felt like 3 weeks waiting on "my day" to post on Backhand Shelf, but it's finally here! I wrote about how, just because I like to look at hockey players asses, that I'm not entirely unserious about hockey. And how there are lots of more gals in the same boat. So get off your damn judgmental high-horses about us, judgey people! Anyway, here ya go. Please check it out and, hopefully,

Backhand Shelf

2011-10-03T12:02:00.001-05:00

It's here! It's here! Super excited that the new blog has come to life over at theScore.ca and encourage you to go check it out and make it part of your regular hockey reading routine. The fabulous Justin Bourne writes most of it, so you know it's going to have his characteristic wit and the experience of having "been there" as a pro player. I'll be posting every other Sunday starting this

Victory, Namaste, Backhand Shelf, Delights

2011-09-28T02:16:00.000-05:00

I have a lot to say tonight and THANKFULLY I've got that dreaded curse of rec hockey: The adrenaline rush that won't. go. away. There's nothing else like this, in my experience. You're just so ON while you're playing, that it takes hours to turn it OFF. No matter how tired your body and mind are, there's that second layer of energy pumping in your veins that always wins the insomnia game. It's

Bring it, Buffalo Socks....

2011-09-15T15:37:00.000-05:00

Back when I was just coming out of my funk, I was thinking I should create a Goalieometer – a visual reference akin to the Department of Homeland Security Terror Threat Alert, to indicate where my head is at in goal. I didn’t have time until yesterday, while waiting around the new house for phone and internet to get installed. Behold…. I’ve spent the last 6 months or so in at the Sad

Tragedy

2011-09-07T16:51:00.001-05:00

So much tragedy has befallen the hockey community this summer, it's nearly impossible to believe. I know I haven't written about it here because so many other people have written more and better about these things than I can. Especially when it's been individuals. I haven't known any of them personally, so while the losses are heartbreaking, what can I really say that hasn't been said? I cried

No drama, lots of shots

2011-09-07T01:05:00.000-05:00

Decidedly less drama tonight at women's league, which I was grateful for, to be honest. Though I do think the incident last week finally kind of gelled the team, and gave us a solid "us against them" mentality that's scrappy and fun to be around. It took me a while, but I adore this team. A great mix of personalities, but overall, everyone is lively and funny and fierce. It's all about tone at

STOP THE NEXT PUCK

2011-08-31T01:41:00.000-05:00

So, I'm not gonna lie. I've been in the dumps about my game lately. Like, as way down in the dumps as I've ever been. I've dreaded coming to the rink. I've had to lie to myself that hockey is fun. I was to the point of wondering what's next for me and how much could I get for selling my pads. Of course, every time I think about that, I eventually get to, "Well, you still have to get exercise, so

Houses & the Hockey

2011-08-23T09:20:00.001-05:00

I feel like I should post something, but I don't have a lot to say over here lately. I've been playing, but poorly, and it's not much fun lately. Monday games have been a bit of a chore. Women's league, we're 0-5, and it's not like we have a bad team, so... maybe it's the goalie? I dunno. I'm just in the dumps and not enjoying the game much and, even worse, not caring very much. I feel like I've

2 down, 1 to go

2011-08-02T23:56:00.002-05:00

Ahhh, feeling like myself again in nets. Meaning, the more frequently I play, the more I'm on a roller coaster. Monday night, I was happy with my game. It was one of those "drive home with the windows down and music blasting" kinda nights. Didn't do anything spectacular, but I just felt like I got some saves I wouldn't have normally and my confidence was good and I was seeing the puck well. I

Serious Research Findings on Hockey vs. Baseball Players

2011-07-27T13:55:00.003-05:00

I've been doing some "research" on Twitter, following various professional athletes who are either: On my teams Goalies Funny or otherwise interesting, as in potentially a trainwreck, or Just plain good at Twitter This includes both hockey and baseball players, though the baseball players are limited to Blue Jays because all the other baseball players are lame, except Lyle Overbay. So I follow

Hot and Cold

2011-07-27T05:10:00.000-05:00

Oh, hey there! You know what sucks? Not having my Monday night drop-in. You know why? Because I stink up the first period at Women's League on Tuesday after not seeing a shot for a week. A least it was only 3 goals last night instead of 4 like the week before. Maybe next week we can hold 'em back and get a win and get that ugly 0 out of the win column. :\ But yeah, first period, I stunk.

Dirty Minds

2011-07-18T21:33:00.000-05:00

I really need to find a way to make money writing humorous-but-dirty stuff about hockey players. I feel like it's my calling. Some day I'll write a super-trashy hockey novel and make all my hockey girlfriends read it, but somehow keep Mr. C from reading it. He'd be scarred for life. My latest picks for the 5-Hole Fantasy League are particularly scandalous and another former B-Sens player, Jason

Meine Torhüter ist nach Deutschland

2011-07-17T21:56:00.000-05:00

I can climb down off my pins and needles now. I have to say, it's not really the answer I wanted. In my sweet dreams, he signed with San Antonio. :) But that'll just have to be a dream, as Brusty has signed with the Straubing Tigers of the DEL. Nothing but good wishes, naturally, to Barry and Los Tigres. I'm particularly amused that brust in German is "breast." So, the translations that

Up Up Up

2011-07-12T11:59:00.000-05:00

Okay, feeling better since my last post. I've spent nearly every minute since then getting our house ready to put on the market. It's been a ton of work but I feel so much better having most of it done. Only about, um, 30 things left on my to-do list. Ha! No hockey last week, and now my Monday night group is canceled for the month due to low attendance. I'm hoping the cancellation will light a

Quick Hits: Happiness; Soupy; Headcase; House; John Lynch

2011-07-07T19:25:00.000-05:00

I have this theory that people who need lots of pithy, inspirational quotes in their lives are, deep down, the most miserable. Of course, they generally seem like balanced, happy people, so I think my theory is probably bullshit, but it makes me feel better for rolling my eyes at their pearls of wisdom. I'm not remotely a miserable person, even though I think some people think I am if they

Adios, Marty; Burnout; Camp Brusty Wrap-up

2011-07-06T05:42:00.002-05:00

I wish I'd written on this the other night when it happened. I love to write in those giddy moments where everything is great and anything is possible, which is exactly how I felt after learning that Martin Havlat is no longer a Wild. I was ready to do obscene things to Chuck Fletcher to show my gratitude, not only for unburdening the team of a guy who clearly didn't want to be there, but for

Serenity now

2011-06-29T05:55:00.001-05:00

I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. All the stuff that's been running me ragged and keeping me up at night is starting to settle down or go away and it's all been so worth it. Camp Brusty has 2 more days left. I've been out on the ice for one of the days (and have the sore glutes to prove it) and plan to be out the final two. First night, I just needed to not have

Roaches from heaven...

2011-06-21T00:00:00.001-05:00

Here's a list of stuff: House buying is a real ass pounding. House buying in a flood plain with plans to build an addition is an ass pounding with your head against a wall. Sorry for the disturbing visual but that pretty much explains my last 3 or 4 days. And it's only just begun. I suck at goaltending. But I had fun tonight. Made some big stops. Let in some stinkers. I like when the skaters are

Aimless, but that's okay...

2011-06-12T11:06:00.000-05:00

How have I not written here since the season ended? Shell shock, I guess, even though I saw it coming. Honestly, you could feel it in the building Tuesday night. It didn't feel like magic was about to happen. I guess it's one of the hazards of trading your sports soul for a press pass, you are obligated to identify and accept as reality things that you might not as a pure fan. As a fan, I

XM Home Ice Tuesday night

2011-06-07T10:30:00.000-05:00

Home. Have been since 2:30 a.m. Saturday night. Pretty amazing to leave Binghamton at 9:30 and be home to Houston by 2:30. Charter is THE way to fly. I'm spoiled forever and ever now. Guys should get paid LESS to play in the NHL since they get to fly that way all the time. Had a good time in Bingo, as I've written. My liver was really glad I came home. I sweated out some seriously weird stuff at

Looking for the silver lining...

2011-06-04T02:15:00.002-05:00

Aw shit. Pretty bummed about the Aeros loss tonight. It's one thing for the other goalie to get a shutout, but it was a pretty lackluster shutout. Not many good chances on him to at least give me the satisfaction of having seen a great goaltending performance. Oh well. It's my fault because I wrote glowing things about them today, which is a surefire way to make them suck. Plus I didn't wear

The Dream goes to Binghamton

2011-05-30T19:03:00.001-05:00

Haven't really written much since The Dream came to be. I've been thinking a lot about that because... well... I write. About everything. But especially hockey, Brusty, and things that generally rock my world. Which The Dream is entirely about. But I think I finally figured it out yesterday. I write to "process" or to make you guys laugh or make myself laugh or to solidify something that I

Finding my Zen and tonight's drop-in

2011-05-24T01:30:00.000-05:00

Babies, I am crazy Zenned up for game 7. Totally at peace with how it goes either way, since it dawned on me that Brusty's coming to Houston in a month anyway. And I'll see a helluva lot more of him then. It just would be SUPER fun to have Joy and the rest of the Bingo crew I've gotten to know this season down here in our fair city. Not to make it sound like I don't care if the Aeros get to the

Exhaling. Resetting.

2011-05-20T06:27:00.000-05:00

Sorry gang. I've been holding my breath for 3 days, hoping my next post here would be celebrating The Dream coming true. But my ridiculously high expectations were dashed Wednesday night in dramatic fashion and I've since had to exhale and reset. It's taken me until today to be honestly, completely happy for Bingo, which seems crazy and probably is, given my strong affinity for so many people

Peaks and Valleys

2011-05-11T13:02:00.000-05:00

The Hockey Gods are a funny bunch. Monday night, I spent half of goalie clinic fighting back tears of frustration about my game. After clinic, I couldn't even talk to Scott TFCG or I'd cry in front of everyone. I had to go right to the bathroom, which thankfully was empty, and sob for a few minutes. I managed to gather myself long enough to put my gear together and get to the car, but once

A little update on a quiet blog

2011-05-06T15:25:00.000-05:00

Been ages since I wrote here, as I've been having a tough time in goalieland and just got sick of hearing myself whine about it. Also, the Aeros are at home all week, and we're house hunting (close to making an offer, I think) which is unbelievably all-consuming. I haven't even had time to get a pedicure! <---- If I read that from someone else, I'd be like, "Ugh, you're a brat." But seriously, a

Wrapping up my bi-polar week in net

2011-04-27T00:32:00.000-05:00

So, I wrote a big long whiny post about Monday night, but decided it was too whiny even for me. It was really tedious, so you're welcome for sparing you. But it suffices to say that I was absolutely fucking awful at drop-in. FUCKING. AWFUL. I think at some point I let in 10 shots in a row. I was as close to tears on the ice as I've ever been. I was standing there wondering how I was going to get

Not so quick hits: Birthday Edition

2011-04-25T09:01:00.002-05:00

The dream lives! Don't ask me who I'd root for if the Aeros and B-Sens, by some miracle, ended up playing each other for the Calder Cup. Honestly, I'm pretty sure it would be the Aeros. I know where my bread is buttered and what an honor and treat it would be to cover a Championship team. But that's way way WAY ahead of this Round 2 point we're both at now. All I can say is, Get well soon,

Losing Weight

2011-04-19T00:32:00.001-05:00

Ahhhhhh, what a night! Monday nights with goalie clinic AND drop-in are so hard. I mean, it's over 2 hours on the ice, with an hour in the middle to sit there in my sweaty clothes and get cold and tired. It suuuuucks. Clinic tonight was great, though I swear, sometimes I feel like I'm just starting. One of the drills, I just couldn't do. A simple stick save drill and I just couldn't do it for

You know it's a bad night in goal when you're the other team's MVP

2011-04-12T23:53:00.010-05:00

Let's start with this: I love my team. There's not even a "but" coming. I just love them. We were missing some of our best players tonight against Captain Danglemitts' team (who was not there, fortunately), but they had all their best players except her. So it was a shooting gallery in my end. I saw 28 shots in 42 minutes of play and stayed really busy, especially in the first and second. I

Quick hits: Playoffs?!, InGoalMag piece, Fantasy

2011-04-11T01:24:00.000-05:00

It's playoff time, bitches! I'm a little bit WOOO! and a little bit "OMG I have to write about EVERY game??" Because seriously, I'm used to having time to craft and tinker over stories. But game stories? No time for that. Plus, it all feels very jinxy having to start writing before the game is over. When I'm covering for Andrew for the Chronicle, it's like pulling teeth to open that blank page

Shutout. For Realsies.

2011-04-06T01:46:00.000-05:00

I remember back when I had that shutout that I lost ultimately in the shootout. I was moaning about it to Scott and he said something that stuck with me: Everybody wants that first shutout, but you'll find that it wasn't your best game and there are games you let goals in that you're a lot more proud of. And he's right. We got a shutout tonight 100% because my girls played like rock stars and

Either side of 4 a.m. pretty much sucks

2011-04-05T04:26:00.000-05:00

Well fuck. I got home at 11:20 and decided against a Benedryl to help me fall asleep sooner because I didn't want the hangover. Whaddaya know, here I am at 4 a.m. wide awake. Like THAT'S not gonna leave me with a hangover... Dumbass. Might as well write, right? Thought tonight was going to be pretty tough. Scott TFCG's goalie clinics are starting back up for the summer. The great thing is that

Surprise Ice

2011-03-30T12:42:00.000-05:00

Phew. 3 games(and wins) in three days for the Aeros... Stressful ones, too. And then straight to Austin for me after Sunday's game to take care of some work stuff. As I mentioned last week, I thought I was not going to be playing at all this week but one of the women's league goalies was sick. So I got the call on the way home from Austin, right around Brenham, to come out. No problem. Tired as

Gameday Food, Hot Thighs, Tonight's Win

2011-03-23T00:13:00.002-05:00

I spend a week or so every spring thinking my dog is dying because he won't eat the food I sit out for him. He of the unquenchable appetite... surely if he doesn't want food, he's on death's door. But he finally ate the rest of yesterday's food and a delicious dental bone, so my worrying seems to be for naught. This was going on as I was wolfing down my 3 oz of whole grain spaghetti with butter

Not-so-quick hits: Like wall, pad rotation, Blue Jays

2011-03-22T02:10:00.000-05:00

Good night in goal tonight. Been a while since I fell headfirst into the zone and stayed there for a while, but I sure did after letting a few too many in early on. I wasn't particularly frustrated by the goals or anything. It was some breakaway stuff and a screen and maybe one where I just couldn't get over. Nothing horrible. And then finally, I just got locked in. Man does that feel good. One

I has a trophy

2011-03-16T22:39:00.000-05:00

Ahhh.... blissful 4 days without the pads on. I love playing and I'm so so SO grateful that I get to do it, but like a lot of awesome things, I was teetering on the edge of too much. Especially since I was running for several days on too little sleep. I ended up taking a sick day today and sleeping for probably 6 hours on and off through the day. Needed the rest badly to head off yet another

Let's Talk Zebras

2011-03-14T15:33:00.000-05:00

There are some parts of hockey that I probably will never have an appreciation for, such as why anybody would subject themselves to being a referee. I know a lot of people feel that way about goaltending, but at least as a goalie, you have the satisfaction of playing the actual game. I'm not sure where referees derive their satisfaction other than staying out of the way and not getting yelled at

Long, boring, as-if-you-cared post

2011-03-14T00:38:00.001-05:00

Daylight Savings Time can kiss my round goalie ass. ----------------------- So, what was looking to be a fairly sedate weekend turned super duper busy at 3 p.m. yesterday when I got a frantic email from one of the folks at the Paddy Dillo tournament down at SLICE. One team lost their goalie, who is a doctor specializing in radiation and had to leave for Japan (as good a reason as any to ditch a

On an island...

2011-03-07T13:51:00.000-06:00

The Aeros are tough to write about right now. Tough to appreciate, even though rationally, I know they're doing the best they can in a bad situation due to injuries and call-ups. But right now, it's like having to write about a wounded animal that you can't help. You just have to watch it suffer and try to convey the whys and wherefores of the suffering to your audience. Here's hoping healthy

Don't Fear The Reaper

2011-03-02T14:14:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to write about last night's women's league game, but it's been hard to organize my thoughts into something cohesive. Lemme try though... We lost 5-2. It was Captain Cornerpicker's team and she was actually there for the first time since the horrible spiraling nightmare game a while back. I think only one of their good players was out (didn't miss her, either). We were without

Quick Hits: Havlat, Grease, Khudobin & Aeros Goaltending

2011-03-01T02:45:00.000-06:00

Dude. I gotta fucking learn to poke check. That's all I'm saying about drop-in tonight. -------------------------- Still amused at the reaction to my last post. Apparently you're a bad person if you call out laziness in a player on the team you support. But a surprising number of people have agreed with me. It's just that the ones who didn't agree took it pretty personally. If I had $1 for

Martin Havlat is Overrated

2011-02-24T23:09:00.000-06:00

Remember that scene from Office Space where Peter is at the hypnotherapist's office and he asks if there's a way the doctor could hypnotize him to not realize he's been at work all day. Like, he could just come home and think he'd been fishing all day? That's how I feel about Martin Havlat. I appreciate that he's a proficient scorer, assuming he's happy and his pillows are properly fluffed and

Badgers win it

2011-02-23T01:44:00.001-06:00

I almost don't even want to write about tonight's women's league game, because every time I write about good things, I suck for a while. But we won, I think the final was 5-2. Our captain gave me the MVP prize, which I thought was very nice, but it was such a team win and she acknowledged that she wished she had a whole barrel of MVP prizes. The girls showed up, played their hearts out, won puck

Gear Notes & Save Strategy Question

2011-02-22T01:17:00.001-06:00

Lots of stuff to talk about after tonight's fun drop-in, so I'll just dive in. First up is the heart rate monitor. I finally managed to do it correctly and got readings for the full 1:20 that we were on the ice. The beats per minute data seems solid: 155 average and 179 max. It's wasn't a super strenuous game but I didn't have any long lulls either. The part that doesn't add up is the calories

Trusty for Brusty, Lusty for Boobies, Gear Tweak

2011-02-20T20:30:00.002-06:00

First of all, good lord. I couldn't be happier that Brusty's getting an arena full of adoration from Binghamton fans these days. But this made me laugh (of course, I want one, but it still makes me laugh): T-shirt being sold by the B-Sens. I kinda don't have words for it. Magic. So, today we were at brunch and some boy, I dunno 7 years old or so, walks by our table with his family. And for

Catching up, popping up

2011-02-18T10:18:00.000-06:00

It's the rare week that I'm too busy to blog, but this was one of those weeks. With a big release at work last night, covering the Aeros for the Chronicle yesterday, and getting ready to do a story for theAHL.com, it's been a busy one. But I did play Wednesday night just to keep the rust at bay and it was a mix of frustrating and decent. The frustrating was getting scored on in that hole over my

Pics from a Wild night

2011-02-15T15:29:00.000-06:00

Sorry if the title suggests there will be boob pictures or something along those lines. It wasn't THAT wild. It was... Minnesota Wild. But thanks to Chris "Lead Foot" Jerina for the pics, so many of which are totally swoon-worthy that I'm afraid this post will get too long. (It threatened to. Here's the rest of the pics.) Clutterbutter's hair had me going. I've never really had "those" kinda

Great night at the X and beyond

2011-02-13T02:07:00.000-06:00

Well, after being a Wild fan for 4 years, I finally got to see them play at home and it was everything I hoped it would be. I'll just bullet point this thing because I'm fried after a very long day: I still think "Let's Play Hockey" is a little cheesy, but it was awesome that the local Aeros players go to do it. I'm sure that was cool for them. Clutterbuck had another STELLAR game for me. The

Okay! I get it!

2011-02-09T01:09:00.000-06:00

My angles suck! I'm drifting to the shooter! 4-1 loss tonight. And Captain Nightmare wasn't even there. Their new forward was though. She looks like one of the high school girls I see practicing Mondays before drop-in. She's good. Luckily, we got a new gal who is Canadian! Woohoo! She was really good and all over the place. And hasn't played organized hockey in 15 years. You'd never know it. I

On a boat... in a bad way

2011-02-08T08:21:00.000-06:00

I wrote this whole big post yesterday after finishing up Open Net by George Plimpton looking back at how far I've come since I first strapped on the pads (as opposed to usually just being in shock and awe at how far I still have to go). I talked about how I don't really get sore after I play like I used to and a whole list of other indignities that quietly mock a new goalie. And I wrapped up

Thank you, Hockey Gods

2011-02-02T01:24:00.000-06:00

I played an attentive, focused game tonight, and the girls in front of me were awesome, and it all resulted in a nice little 2-1 win. While I'm very happy for the win, I definitely feel like on my part at least, there was a lot of luck. Like the hockey gods were throwing me a bone. You know those saves where it really could have gone either way? If you'd not gotten your toe over that extra inch,

Quick hits: Porn, All Star, Split-T, Training, Writing, Blingee

2011-01-31T18:58:00.000-06:00

If you're still not checking out Going 5-Hole, the best source for goalie pornaholics on the internet, you're missing out. It's swoontastic. And speaking of swoontastic goalies (you know where this is going, right?) The best part is when he mentions Cody Bass. ;) ------------------------------- The AHL needs to get it together on the Skills Competition now that the NHL's competition is so

NHL All Star Skills Chatfest

2011-01-29T16:15:00.000-06:00

Having a little chat with the boys over at Hockey Primetime for the NHL All Star Skills Competition. Join in starting at 5:45 CT. HPT Live: NHL Skills Competition

Open Net; Feeling Good

2011-01-26T22:44:00.002-06:00

I'm reading Open Net by George Plimpton, about the time he played in net for the Bruins during training camp and then played a bit in an exhibition game. Not quite halfway through and I find it... not hard to read but not written like I want it to be written. But I'll reserve further judgement until I've finished. However, I loved this line about when a goal is scored and I had to share it: The

Hammered at both ends

2011-01-25T00:43:00.001-06:00

Do you know how long I've been waiting for a drop-in where I was super busy all night so I could use that title? First half of drop-in, the white team took it to me. Then Jason and I switched ends and the white team was getting a little tired so the dark team took it to me. It. Was. Awesome. I felt like myself again. Which, I guess for most goalies would be like, "OMG WHAT HAPPENED TO MY GAME?

Public skate, Icy revenge, GoaliesGoaliesGoalies

2011-01-24T00:49:00.001-06:00

I hate leaving up such a negative post for so long, but nothing has come along to replace it yet. The lack of novice league on Saturdays is cramping my bloggy style, bitches. But I do love the lack of guilt now that I'm not taking up every Saturday with hockey. I did get a little ice today though, as Coach Stalin had new skates she wanted to test out before her game tonight. So we hit the public

BALLSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

2011-01-19T02:44:00.000-06:00

Goaltending is not easy, but it's not nearly as hard as I've been making it this week. Teh Suck continued fast and furious tonight at women's league. I'm pretty disgusted with my game. I know it's a team game, but I also know when I lose a game or when my team loses a game, and I lost this game. No two ways about it. The other team's captain lit me up exactly like she did last time I played

Black Hole Drop-in

2011-01-18T10:57:00.000-06:00

Ooo baby, did I ever stink last night. Kinda figured I might, after missing 2 weeks and then being sick. Seemed like I was half a second behind on every shot. Everything leaking through me and under me. Total blood bath apart from a few good saves. Luckily, one was so good, it kinda counteracts a lot of the bad. Just a nasty glove save that was as sexy as they come. Babies for everyone!

Goalie infidelity & other stuff

2011-01-16T22:11:00.000-06:00

"I'm telling Brusty you're cheating on him." I got that from both Drew and John Saturday night in the midst of my breathless adoration of Josh Tordjman in goal for the Aeros. You can read about that here at T3I. But no weepy confessions of goalie infidelity here. On my personal goalie roster, there's only one starter. And speaking of Brusty, he stirred the shit again tonight, retaliating for

The rest of the trip: Snow and an avalanche of boos

2011-01-12T07:00:00.002-06:00

Most of my trip was spent in Brattleboro, VT where my best friend from college lives. Our lives have gotten busy and we don't keep up like we did when we were younger, but we don't really miss a beat when we get back together. I got to meet her twins, who are a year and a half old. I got them saying, "Hockey!" so I consider that a significant advancement in their development as youngsters living

Vacation Report: Brusty Day

2011-01-11T09:32:00.000-06:00

I'm baaaackkkkk.... Back from the land of quaint houses and 2-story-tall piles of parking lot snow. It was a good trip, but I ended up coming home a day early because I was flying stand-by and there's a blizzard coming to the East Coast today and Wednesday. I wanted to make sure I could get outta dodge before the planes started filling up. Worked out well because I also managed to get myself

Cross-promotion and Drop-In

2011-01-04T00:40:00.000-06:00

First up is a little piece I wrote for T3I that was out of the usual game report nonsense I usually do there. I kinda liked it. Maybe you will, too. Goalies in particular... -------------------------- I sucked balls at hockey tonight. Not literally, of course. Don't know why I feel I need to clarify that but... anyway... Kinda wanted to have a good one since I don't play for 2 more weeks, but

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T21:22:00.000-06:00

I'm a little late welcoming in the new year, at least bloggy style. I try to just look at it like another day, except with maybe a day off from work attached to it (didn't even get that this year), but usually on NYE, I get that creeping feeling of time, and thereby, life ticking past me too quickly. Yuck. In my 20s, I was always very proud to say I didn't have any regrets in life, but I kinda

Goalie Porn and when a win keeps you up at night...

2010-12-29T08:15:00.000-06:00

First of all, I want to point you guys to a new blog that started yesterday (but in the making for a LONG time) that is 100% pictures of goalies doing sexy things, like being incredibly bendy or doing that water bottle thing or smiling or making glove saves or whatever. It's all goalie porn, all the time and it's been a long time coming. Check it out at http://GoingFive-Hole.blogspot.com. They

Ozzie and Drop-in Tilt-a-Whirl

2010-12-28T11:34:00.000-06:00

Chris Osgood isn't one of my favorite goalies, but 400 wins in the NHL is a tremendous accomplishment. My friend Justin, who has taught me SO much about watching goalies but still has more goalie knowledge in his pinkie finger than I ever will, has a great post on Osgood today. Even though I'll admit to being lumped into the masses of underappreciators when it comes to Ozzie, I obviously relate

Back to business...

2010-12-26T22:38:00.000-06:00

Hope all you crazy kids had a good Christmas, or at least a good few days off if you don't roll Christian-style. Mine was good. Very low key since we stayed home. Not a drop of hockey to play, which means I was stuck with the dreaded REAL WORKOUTS. You know how I hate that. But it's okay. Had to balance out the apple pie... Got back in the swing of things today with the Aeros game, which you

Last Dance

2010-12-20T07:25:00.000-06:00

I wrote this yesterday but got busy on the post below about applying graphics to my goalie mask, and I failed to publish this one... I'm still buzzing today after an awesome game at novice league last night. As I mentioned earlier this week, it was my last game for a while in that league. I've had my ups and downs there, but I'd really grown fond of my team the last couple of seasons and had a

First run at applying vinyl graphics

2010-12-20T06:57:00.001-06:00

Ages ago, we had a post on InGoal Mag about companies starting to experiment with using vinyl applications to "paint" goalie masks. I was pretty excited about that possibility because I've never been sold on shelling out $500 for the paint job of my dreams. But it wasn't really a mainstream thing. Just a couple of sign-making companies in Quebec dabbling in it. Not the sort of thing you can just

Kassian dream, Subbing, Shaft saves, Mall hockey, S&M

2010-12-16T09:04:00.002-06:00

There needs to be a word for those little dreams you have between snoozes on your alarm clock. You know what I'm talking about? I guess you remember them more because you wake up so quickly after them. They need a name. I had a funny one this morning. In fact, I woke up laughing, which is the second best way to wake up, IMO. I dreamed that I was in goal and Matt Kassian was shooting on me and I

Badger Attack! and Brusty article (updated w/ PDF)

2010-12-15T11:59:00.001-06:00

Awww, I love women's league. The gals are awesome and, while I'd love to say that my team is the awesomest, I think any of the teams would be a blast to play on. But my team probably is the awesomest. At least at the bar after a win. That free pitcher of beer was a drop in the bucket compared to the parade of pitchers and car bombs that came after it last night. God bless 'em. What fun. The

I has a team

2010-12-14T12:02:00.000-06:00

I corrected my post yesterday after a flurry of emails came out from the Women's League folks that filled me in on what's actually going on with the league. The bad news is, there's only 3 teams again. The good news is, there's 3 full-time goalies, so we each got our very own team! Now, I know I've had a team in Novice League all this time but players switch sides if needed and it's more of a

Fly, little birdie...

2010-12-13T12:55:00.001-06:00

Two days shy of my two-year goalieversary, the email I knew would come eventually finally came: "Someone wants to try goal. How would you feel about stepping away from novice league for a season?" My answer wasn't exactly an emphatic YES!, but it was definitely Yes, with 100% willingness to sub when needed. And it might only be for one season, after which, I'll likely be glad to take the spot

Quick Hits: Fantasy, Ugly Jerseys, Vinyl Mask Art, Poodlecize

2010-12-13T00:33:00.000-06:00

My fantasy team really did have a fantasy day today. I had 7 skaters active (no goalies). 9 goals, 5 assists, +12. Whatever I fed them for breakfast, they're eating every day now. Just sorry Corey Perry had to blow up against MY team, but whatever. Between my +8.5 and the guy behind me with -6, I've finally got a bit of distance there and made a nice gain on the guy in the #1 spot. I'm coming

I told you so, Binghamton

2010-12-11T02:08:00.001-06:00

I almost tweeted it today, but I held back. Sometimes the hockey gods teach you to just STFU and not make silly predictions. And sometimes I actually listen. But what I wanted to say was that I had a really good feeling about both the Aeros game and Brusty's game against Albany tonight. Used to, when I had a good feeling, I was usually wrong. More and more, my intuition is getting righter. Maybe

Quick Hits: 'Come on, man!' Edition

2010-12-10T11:50:00.000-06:00

So I was sitting there watching Sabres v. Sharks because Miller's in goal for my fantasy team last night (man, is that guy good. Just clean, focused, sharp. Show-off.) And they show this Degree antiperspirant commercial featuring Ryan Miller that talks about how the deodorant kicks into gear when you really need it like when you're being the best goalie in the world. I had to laugh because a)

Drop-in,baseball, travel, etc.

2010-12-07T01:27:00.000-06:00

Oh man... I wish I could always feel like I do after a great time in goal. Or after one strong drink. Or BOTH. Nah. That's just being greedy. Anyway, drop-in was a blast tonight. Had some nice stops and some crap goals but honestly, you see enough breakaways and 3 on 1 or 4 on 1 and it's like, whatever, I'm gonna do something goofy here and see what happens (goal, pretty much every time). Had

Brain Dump: Hip wiggles, Panthers, Hiller and more

2010-12-02T00:01:00.001-06:00

My poor blog has been all boring game recaps and Brusty-gushing for a long time now. I figured out it's because I toss my random thoughts on Twitter and don't really ever do anything else with them. I'm not sure they're even worth expanding on, but when you're bored with your own blog, you know you gotta do something. Hopefully I'll be doing brain dumps like this a little more often. ----------

Chewing on some positional thoughts....

2010-12-01T11:24:00.000-06:00

Here's a goalie thing I've been thinking about for a few days and something I'm finally piecing together as a reason I get burned sometimes: You know how when the puck is beside or behind your net and you're on the post, but then it gets passed either up the boards or even somewhere in the slot? The reaction you SHOULD have is to make the appropriate depth change as you square up to the puck's

Red takes the victory

2010-12-01T02:26:00.000-06:00

And green, gosh darn, we lost. And it was a weird-ass game, too. The other team only had 6 players, while my team had all but one (so almost a full bench). You'd look at that + the offensive prowess of the green team and go, "Okay, easy win." And I probably did do that a little. But the other team had all their best players, so it was like playing the top line (both front and back) all night.

Down with the sickness

2010-11-30T01:06:00.000-06:00

I spent most of the day lolling around in bed as the beginning of some unfortunate illness has begun to sweep over me. Fever, sore throat, tired as hell. It really ramped up in the afternoon and I was not feeling like strapping 40 lbs of gear on and getting peppered for an hour+ at 9:15 tonight. But I'm glad I did. It was a fun game and I played well most of the time. Something about not

Camp Brusty launch and this week's games

2010-11-24T05:35:00.000-06:00

Before I get to my games, I'm excited to finally announce the kick-off of Camp Brusty! I've mentioned it before but I'm doing the local organizing/promotion end of things for THE goalie camp here next summer coached by Sean Murray of Pro Formance Goalie School in Vancouver and Brusty (who also coaches for them in the summer). Here's the link: PFGS Houston There aren't many things I'd take on

Hextall-riffic & Feeling Good

2010-11-21T01:15:00.001-06:00

My theory of Limited Luck is holding up. All my teams lost tonight and I played really well (until I didn't -- more on that later). But at least Brusty kept it interesting, making 40 saves and salvaging an OT point for the painfully inconsistent Baby Sens. Not only did he kick ass in goal, he gave the Wolfpack's Tim Kennedy some serious business for running one of the Sens into the boards behind

Fun night but I need a nap

2010-11-18T12:13:00.000-06:00

No wonder I'm playing so shitty. I've got this theory that everything can't possibly all go right at the same time and that there's only so much good luck to go around. And last night, the Wild won, the Aeros won, and Brusty got a shutout. So the only logical explanation for my sieviness lately is that all those jokers are stealing my good luck. :) It's okay though. Brusty can have all of it he

Darn. Still a Sieve.

2010-11-17T01:10:00.000-06:00

Lost 4-1 tonight. I could blame a very short-handed bench, but they actually were amazing and kept the puck away from me more than I had any right to expect. I can't even blame the Bingo jersey, as it was safely tucked away in the dryer after being washed today. I can only blame me. I don't FEEL unfocused but I clearly am. I'm not seeing the puck well and you don't let this many pucks in over 2

Drop-in Kills Bingo Sweater

2010-11-16T00:41:00.000-06:00

I never really quite understood what it meant for a goalie to be "fighting the puck" until tonight. Now I get it. I fought the puck. And the puck won. Nights like this, it's like I've handed out a "Free Goal with Every Shot!" coupon to everybody at the drop-in and they all cashed in. Hey, I made them happy, right? Never mind that I like 'em better when they're miserable. I dunno what it was. I

Friday night letter to the Wild boys

2010-11-12T16:33:00.000-06:00

Dear Wild, I don't get to see you as much as I used to. I've been busy keeping tabs on your little brother, playing my own games, and mentally fondling goalies all around North America. These things keep me busy. Also, you haven't been very good for a while. Like, more than a year. So, you haven't exactly given me cause to miss you. But occasionally I find a night like tonight where the Aeros

Purple victory and sportsmanship

2010-11-10T15:32:00.000-06:00

Man, I love me some victory beer after women's league but, damn, I had too much last night. That's what happens when a good looking Canadian goalie is pouring. I can't say no to any part of that. Needless to say, my purple gals got the win. I let in 2 goals, one of which I was completely screened on and if I can't see the puck leave the stick, because of my vision issues, it's pretty much just

Drop-in success and Girlfight

2010-11-09T14:00:00.000-06:00

Drop-in was just straight up rad last night. I had a few little flurries of suckage, but I saw a LOT of rubber and breakaways and odd-man rushes, so I don't feel bad about those. They're worth looking at though. Early in the game, I wasn't being patient enough and I wasn't moving my feet enough and, the one that most annoyed me (but also got me going) was one where, if I'd just battled and

Jaeger interview & goalie porn for the guys!

2010-11-08T15:10:00.000-06:00

First off, I wanted to pimp what I thought was a pretty interesting interview for InGoalMag with my boy Brett Jaeger, who's over in the UK playing for Coventry in the EIHL. We had a long chat last week (Skype is awesome) and it was interesting to learn about that league as it doesn't get much attention over here. I think it's good to hear from players who are not necessarily NHL prospects and

Pimping Maalivahti

2010-11-06T16:57:00.003-05:00

If you enjoy the rantings of an amateur goalie (like you mostly find here), please to read my girl Maalivahti (Finnish for "goalie" because she's crazy for the Finns) and her awesome blog. She had me giggling today with this: After randomly musing [on Twitter] about the way Lundqvist reportedly has his skates cut, I got this IM from [a friend]: "You understand that reading your tweets is like

BangBangBang: A brain dump

2010-11-03T19:30:00.001-05:00

I wrote some stuff about Aeros winger/Wild prospect Carson McMillan here, because my jaw dropped when I saw that he's tied for the Aeros scoring lead. WTF is that about? I think that's awesome for him, but possibly very foreboding for the Aeros. I also wrote some stuff about the Aeros for PHN. I'm told it's going live at 3 a.m. Thursday, so click the Pro Hockey News link at the top of the page

Glovey Glove

2010-11-02T06:56:00.001-05:00

I was all set for a good drop-in last night. Got the skates sharpened (though it's clearly time to go sharper... still felt like banana peels out there) and actually did pretty well at first. Then that fucking heart racing thing started that usually only happens when I've had caffeine. Man, that just drains me of all my energy seemingly in an instant. It isn't dangerous but it's just the worst

Quick hits: Weekend from Hell, Brusty, Holiday

2010-11-01T10:13:00.000-05:00

Criminy. Life is hard sometimes. This weekend was hard. Personal shit I won't get into here, but things seem to have evened out. At least I came out of the weekend with a brand new phone line, so I no longer have to yell over hum and static, and my internet will work consistently. And the Aeros won for the first time at home. Awesome to see finally. ------------------------ I capped the

Good things happen

2010-10-27T18:26:00.001-05:00

I'm just hours away from being finished with the biggest project of my career. Literally years in the making but a year and half of actual focused work (along with all my other responsibilities at work). It's been a learning process, but I'm proud of how it's turned out. Goaltending isn't like this project, where at some point I can just call it done and then switch to maintenance mode. It's a

Jon Gruden, next Wild coach?

2010-10-23T01:51:00.000-05:00

Crap. Supposed be up at 6:30 in the morning to drive to Austin for the UT vs. Iowa Farm College or whoever they make us play anymore. But much like games I play in, I still suffer from an adrenaline rush after good Aeros games and have a hard time sleeping. Beer? Why, yes, I believe I will. BRB Oh how nice. I feel like a pro for using the gap between the couch cushions as a cup holder. Here's