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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 include his name are pretty hilarious. Ohhh, Breasty....

My mission when the season starts is, naturally, to find some fantastic online feed of their games so I can watch him. I'll do my best to have a little update here now and again when I can figure out what's going on. Saw on the Tigers' Facebook page that fans have already found the KennedySMASH video and are fully on board with the signing. As they should be. Lucky bastards. *sigh*

Auf Wiedersehen und viel Glück!

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Roaches from heaven...

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 tired and impatient. I don't like when skaters put pity shots on me because they're so convinced they'll score if they put a real shot on me. Screw you.
• The ice was AWFUL tonight. I pushed over to make a save and ended up halfway to the boards, the ice was so wet 10 minutes into the game. Goal.
• A roach fell on to the ice from the ceiling while we were playing. Can you imagine if that thing fell down and into your gear? Don't imagine it. I just did and it was a nightmarish and embarrassing scene. But that's hockey in Houston, baby! Skating in puddles and big ol' roaches out on the ice with you.
• Camp Brusty starts SUNDAY! I'm very excited. Not only to see Brusty, though I won't lie, that's most of it. But to see the camp come to fruition after months of working toward it. Looking forward to turning it over to Sean and Brusty and enjoying the sight of all those goalies bouncing around the ice. :)
• Camp is pretty much full. We exceeded my expectations for registrations, so I'm pleased about that. But that means I'm probably not going to get on the ice unless the herd thins a bit. I don't want to take away instruction time from paying students. Maybe I'll hop on later in the week.
• But frankly, I'm not in shape for it. I've played about 4x in the last 6 weeks and that's just an hour drop-in. Goaltending and training just haven't been a high priority between playoffs and house hunting and work. And with women's league not starting until July, there hasn't been much opportunity.
• Did I mention Brusty will be in town? :D Yaaaay! I'm fond of him.
• Channeled him a bit tonight. Big Bird came in on a breakaway but he got a little too close, took a little too long, so I jumped out there and jabbed the puck away from him as he was skating across the slot. His teammate gathered it up and I had to dive back and try to get my stick on it. I'm actually not sure if I did or if he hit the crossbar or what. Sounded like my stick but I was in flight and didn't entirely see where the puck went. But it didn't go in the net, so suck on that, boys!
• My elbow really hurts. I hate to get a doctor involved and I keep hoping massage will work it out, but I dunno. My whole forearm is jacked up. Bet I can still pick up a pint of beer though. #playinghurt
• Vicodin. Yay!
• Guy at the rink tonight appeared to be wearing a set of Brusty's old gear. TPS pads, Vaughn blocker and glove. Green, gold and cream from 2008. Rec goalies don't wear TPS pads, so it caught my eye. And then I stared at him a lot. I so associate TPS pads with Brusty that pretty much any goalie in them, I'm salivating. Though this guy actually was pretty good, and really bailed his crappy team out a lot. Good work, Not-Brusty!

Okay, that is all.

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Looking for the silver lining...

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 green. I'm sorry boys. I got cocky there...

Anyway, it's been a crazy week of working two jobs, basically, and moonlighting as a lush. Gone to bed sober one night this week and it turns out I still felt like shit the next day, so... why bother?

Good things about today though:

1. I had some mac and cheese at lunch
2. I got to ask BEAUTIFUL Cody Bass a (dumb) question at the post game presser. He smiled real big when he answered me. I blushed. He's really pretty and I'm looking forward to him shaving that Yosemite Sam beard off.
3. Lehner walked up some stairs next to me at morning skate and I got to ogle his ginormous thigh muscles. (Seriously, the boy is walking on redwoods. Not the usual goalie birdlegs.)
4. Didn't get completely hammered at Dill's tonight, so maybe I won't feel like puking during morning skate interviews tomorrow.
5. My first round of picks for my Five Hole Fantasy team came out today. It's basically a fantasy hockey league for next season where we don't really care who wins as long as our team is drop-dead gorgeous. NHL and AHL boys in the mix, plus one "Ice Man," who is basically a non-hockey hottie cheerleader guy. Mainly it was an excuse to wax poetic about Brusty to a new audience.

So, other than meeting a few Twitter gals and the above items, the day kinda sucked. Even my nap was full of nightmares I couldn't seem to wake up from.

And it's my last night in Binghamton. Back to real life earrrrrly Sunday morning when we land back in Houston. It's been a great experience here and I've actually gained some good confidence at this beat writer thing. Tonight, when Yeo's press conference started, he looked at ME for the first question. It's a small thing but it meant a lot to me.

Anyway, I'm exhausted and surprised I haven't started getting sick yet. Always do when I burn the candle at both ends like this. Maybe the alcohol is killing the germs. :P

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The Dream goes to Binghamton

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 can't quite get a grasp on. Writing about something makes it tangible for me.

This is completely different though. It really is The Dream. And dreams are ephemeral. I don't have words for it because there aren't words. It's real, it's like vapor. If I try to bottle it or give it shape, it loses its essence.

So, with that, I'm just letting the dream "be" in terms of writing about it.

In terms of living it, however, I've got that sucker by the throat. I've got it so by the throat that I'm writing this post on the plane with the Aeros headed for Binghamton.

Yep, 25 honey badgers at the back of the plane, determined to hoist the cup. Coaches, doctors, trainers, staff. And me. How the fuck does that happen?

Nevermind how. It just does, at least this time. So my principle concern is making the most of it. I don't know that I'll ever have another chance like this.

(I wrote the above bit on the plane and suddenly the wifi cut out, so I'm finishing now that I'm at the hotel, which smells like boiled cabbage and makes it clear why the team sprung for a charter...)

That said, the view out my window is fantastic. I'll tweet a picture tomorrow when the sun isn't in the perfect spot to glare it all up. Follow me on Twitter for constant-to-the-point-of-annoying updates of everything going on here in Bingotown. At least everything that won't get me in trouble to say.

It's supposed to be "humid" here tomorrow. I can't wait to see what they call humid, but there is a LOT of water in this area. Rivers everywhere, so I'm kinda buying that humid could actually mean pretty humid.

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Okay, one last comment on the dream: I would love to know the odds of these teams playing each other in the finals. And I don't just mean the straight odds of any eastern team playing any western team.

I mean the odds of the random team that picks up MY goalie playing MY team in the finals. And throw in some further unpredictability because if Mike Brodeur and Pascal Leclaire hadn't spent all season going to the doctor, he would have been playing for Elmira.

Granted, the Leclaire injury was pretty much 100% predictable, but still... Oddsmakers, mathematicians, have your way with this one.

I'm gonna guess that it's lottery-winning sorts of odds.

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Finding my Zen and tonight's drop-in

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 cup finals, but The Dream is Bingo v. Houston. It's a personal thing. The Calder Cup is an Aeros fan thing. We all want that, naturally, but it's not personal. Bingo is personal. And I guess maybe that gets more to the point of why I've been a basketcase about this series.

Anyway, tomorrow is just going to be me soaking it all in, since it could be the last home game and I don't want to look up with 1 minute left and have spent the whole game in Totally Insane Mode and not appreciated and reflected on the season at all.

Or the Aeros could just crush Hamilton's skulls early and I could do all that appreciatin' next round. Your choice, boys.

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Played drop-in tonight. I feel like I've regressed a year and a half in that group. Back when I first started, I would suck at the beginning and then as I got more comfortable, I'd start to stop most everything.

Same thing tonight. About 45 minutes in, I finally started stopping the puck reliably. Until then, I think every other shot went in the net.

Never mind that it was a festival of breakaways up until then, too. Not much fun.

I was going to break down and do clinic before, too, since this is my only night on the ice this week. But I got tied up with stuff at home and couldn't get to Sugar Land in time. So as penance for missing clinic, I made myself work on backside pushes when the game was over.

Thanks to Scott, I finally realized that the part I wasn't doing right was having my skate perpendicular to the direction I'm pushing. It's a very unnatural angle for my foot to be in, so I have to think really hard about that push foot when I do it. It's very slow and I don't go very far, but that little tip made all the difference in doing it at all without just spinning in circles.

I also spin less when I push mostly with the toe of my skate blade, but that's another thing I have to be really deliberate about, so it's going to be a long time before that move is game-ready and natural.

Still working on getting up on my dumb leg quickly. Somewhat sharp pain in my knee when I do it but it's getting easier all the time.

Camp Brusty is just about a month away, so I'm getting excited about that. Can't WAIT to get on the ice with my goalie. I'm soooo temperamental (emphasis on the mental) with anybody coaching me.... it will be funny to see if and how quickly I want to tell him to fuck off. It will take a lot, I suspect. You can't stay mad at this face:

Beauty.

Anyway...

What was I talking about?

Oh yeah, Camp Brusty. Ha. Awesome.

History will be made Tuesday night, gang. How exciting is that?

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Not so quick hits: Birthday Edition

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, Corey Locke. Keep the dream alive, squirt!

Of course, if Lehner cements the starting role in Bingo (ride the hot goalie, right?), there really is no question of my loyalty but I'd totally sneak down to the backup goalie corner and marvel at Brusty's hair.

Bonus tongue!
Photo courtesy of Tracy Hicks/White Raven Creations/Press Photo International

No kidding, I've had at least 5 pictures of the BACK of him randomly sent to me by various friends/enablers, because the flow is so bitchin'. I love my hockey friends so much. :)

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Today's my birthday. 35 again. Shut up. I'm staying 35 until someone outright laughs at me when I tell them my age. I figure I can be 35 for a good 10 years if I keep after the Oil of Olay and sunscreen and stop smiling.

:) <--this is all you get

I'm spending my birthday working my tail off to meet a couple of deadlines (worked most of Sunday, too), then working my tail off on the ice at goalie clinic and then drop-in.

Likely have a playoff game Tuesday night at women's league, too, so hopefully I'm not hurting too badly after Monday.

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Speaking of which, my buddy and awesome goalie writer Kevin Woodley, tweeted this last night:


I sorta half read the quote. Then I went back and half read it again. And then I really read it. And then I started choking back tears.

At least for me, that really does boil it down to what matters on the inside for a goalie. And for me, they're sometimes hard to remember. And I guess what's amazing is that a guy playing at the highest level has to remind himself of these things, too.

"Don't fear failure." I'm mortified of failure. Failure = embarrassment and embarrassment is honestly my biggest motivator and my biggest inhibitor. I play with too much fear, and 90% of that is fear of failure.

"Compete 100%." Um yeah. Nobody's going to be making any dramatic movies about my competitive spirit. I'm getting better though. Contrary to the "just play and have fun" spirit of women's league, my experience there as actually upped my competitiveness. Because I have a team and stats and playoffs and all that "evidence" of my success or suck-ess, it's easier to get in the zone.

"Play for others." This one makes my head swim a little. Goalie is so solitary, playing a game within the game, with your own (and usually quite different) mental and physical needs and demands. It's easy to get and stay wrapped in your little cocoon of goalieness and not really connect with what everyone else on the ice is experiencing. My best games have come when I AM engaged in the experience others are having, but not worried about it.

"Enjoy the process." This is the one I have the least trouble remembering, but man, when the shit starts flying and I'm knocking pucks into my own net, all my mind can think is "Fuck the process." But screwing up and being miserable and watching the clock IS part of the process. It's just the part I don't like and want to minimize.

God, I feel like I need therapy after writing that. But, I dunno, I felt like that "quote" was worth sharing. I was surprised how strong my reaction to it was.

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Nothing real special going on today. Monday birthdays are kinda lame other than I get to see a shit ton of rubber, so that's cool. My real birthday gift is my trip to Dallas Wednesday and Thursday to see my Jaybirdses! Yay!

It's funny because my Dad is as excited as I am. No other way he's getting to go to Dallas and see HIS favorite team two days in a row. But Mom's putting up with it because it's what her lovely daughter wants. Any wonder I'm such a brat... ;)

He's also excited because it's dollar hot dog day on Wednesday. I'm bringing Tums...

Also, crushing pretty hard on Snidey, that foxy meat mixer... can't wait to get my gawk and giggle on.

GO BLUEJAYS!!!!

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Shutout. For Realsies.

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 kept the puck away from me, not because of any grand effort on my part. I saw maybe 10-15 shots tonight in 42 minutes of play. I was bored, honestly, and I played just fine and handled the shots I saw, but nothing heroic.

I tell ya though, I had the clock behind me in the third and I knew time was running down, but there was no way I was looking back at the clock to see how much was left. I was DYING to know. But I knew the buzzer would be that much more satisfying if it came as a surprise.

I normally don't react to wins. Just go out and shake hands and smile a little more. But I allowed myself a little fist pump after the final buzzer. I feel like I've come so close so many times, I at least earned that. A shutout is a special thing for a goalie, even when it's not exactly earned the hard way.

So, that was nice and now I can scratch that off my bucket list. Only took 2 years and 4 months in net to nail that one down.

It was also cool that it came when I had friends watching the game. Usually when I have someone I know there to watch, I choke. So, I've got witnesses if nothing else. :)

It was a fun night. Some tasty food and drinks and jello shots after the game and a good time with the girls. I love this bunch a whole lot.

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So I went back to wearing my pads loose and they seemed to be rotating better. Also, I found that my suspenders had lengthened on the right side, so I hiked those up to where they're supposed to be. I guess I'm going to have to glue or stitch them in place. That could be part of the problem. The pads felt a lot better tonight.

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I haven't written about Brusty in a while because I think I've said it all at this point. But these quotes from him today (er, yesterday) are particularly delectable. Props to my *ahem* second favorite AHL beat writer, Joy Lindsay, for getting these.

The stuff about his appreciation for where he is now vs. the last couple of years, both health-wise and organizational respect-wise, as well as the bonding in post-season stuff gave me goosebumps. The guy is just a straight up great quote. Beat writer gold.

And honestly, it takes some effort to give thoughtful answers. Not too many guys will be so earnest and honest.

Rooting hard for Bingo to lock up their playoff spot tomorrow!

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Just because we did a little post-game bootie shaking to this one in the bar tonight....



"My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns, hun." - Best Lyric Ever

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Trusty for Brusty, Lusty for Boobies, Gear Tweak

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 some reason he stops suddenly and sort of stares at me, but not quite.

His mom shoos him away from our table and my friends go, "What did you DO to that kid to make him stare?" And I'm like, "He wasn't staring at me, was he?" "Yes, he was!" they all say.

But he never looked me in the eye. So I look right around me to see what might have caught his eye. Eventually I look down... at my low cut v-neck t-shirt and cleavage thusly exposed. *ahem*

I haven't laughed that hard in a while.

Then I came home and re-laced the pocket of my trapper with skate lace. I'm feeling pretty much like a rock star for pulling that off. It's not hard once you figure out the pattern, but it looks complicated and feels like a real accomplishment.

Plus, it just looks cool, and maybe if it's on my mind, I'll remember I'm wearing a glove and will actually think to catch some stuff. Boom?

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Great night at the X and beyond

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 guy just makes me so proud to wear his jersey. Not a lot of dudes you can say that about game in and game out. He got the first goal, he was scrappy and fierce all night, he CRUSHED some dude right in front of us. Damn. I love that kid.
• And for whatever reason, I've always wanted to hear that goal announcement in person: "Scoring forrrr MINNESOTA..." and it was as gleeful a moment as I expected AND the first one was Cal's, so it was that much better. <3
• It was also great to meet some folks, like Wild Road Tripper and a T3I reader who has the most amazing collection of Wild game-worn sweaters and equipment... you wouldn't even believe it without photos. I'll have to do a story on him sometime. What's cool is he didn't know who I was but said, "You aren't one of those media types for the Aeros... like Ms.Conduct..." Haha. Cool! I love meeting passionate Wild fans who keep up with the Aeros through us!
• My seat was primo for goalie watching and I got to see Backstrom be awesome but also Halak be NOT awesome. Just a tough night for the guy. Backstrom is on another level though. His puck awareness is just off the hook. I don't even... It's like the thing is talking to him. "Hey Backy! Over here now!"
• NHL hockey is weird. It's so... smooth. I'm so used to watching the AHL with its slower pace and rougher edges. Much like it's good to have the players here, giving them a sniff, stoking the fires of ambition, I think it's good for me to see the NHL in person sometimes to be reminded of where the Houston guys are in relation. And reminded of what incredible athletes these guys are. Just warriors. Except for Havlat, who I still think is overrated.
• The Xcel is just... well... it's a hockey palace. It's fabulous. The glass is clear, the lights are bright, the views are extraordinary, the seats are comfortable. It's a monument to fans as much as to the game and I understand why people are so proud of it. It deserves a good team. It has one right now.

That's all I can really think of at the moment, but it was a wholly awesome experience. And honestly, as much as I treasure covering the Aeros, it was fun to just yell at the bad men and cheer for my boys with abandon. "GET OFF MY GOALIE, BITCH!"  Ai~shiwonhada!

But tomorrow, it's back to business. I'm looking forward to that, too. I mean, it's not exactly tough to talk to a coach and players who have been winning like they have (6 game streak now). And I guess they're expecting a pretty big crowd, so that will be fun for the guys and for the Aeros fans who have come up. 

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I would be remiss if I didn't throw some love Brusty's way before I wrap this thing up. He's had an amazing Friday and Saturday. Got his 6th shutout Friday night, putting him in the lead among all AHL goalies this season. And then he and the B-Sens broke Hershey's 11 game point streak Saturday night with a win. He's also on a personal 7-game win streak himself. 

That's gotta feel Really. Fucking. Good. I can't even imagine what it's like to put that kind of consistency together in net and have the goal support to turn it into wins. Just great stuff happening for the B-Sens. 

Nice to see all my teams pulling it together here in the home stretch. *knock on wood*

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Goalie infidelity & other stuff

"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 some joker slashing his glove after the whistle or something. Coach didn't like it but the fans did and it didn't hurt anything, so coach can suck it.

More name chanting, more #1 star, and his jersey made a shit ton of money for a police benefit auction thingy. $2,200! Good on whoever. I approve your taste in overpriced jerseys. Might treat myself to the archive of that game. Love me some Brusty violence and badassery.

And to wrap up the goalie awesome, Khudobin got a shutout for the Wild tonight, his first in the NHL. Awesome picture. Good for him after a lousy game Friday. Have I mentioned I don't miss him? At all?

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So I've pretty much just been laying in bed and coughing since I got back from New England. Today I'm not having a coughing fit when I go up our stairs, so I'm calling that progress. I should be relatively OK when it comes time to play hockey tomorrow night. Hopefully I'm more than okay for women's league. I miss my team!

Hate being so inactive for so long though. I feel like my muscles may have forgotten how to work! Or when I get back out there, they're gonna be all, "Nah. You're not a goalie any more. Sorry. You're a lazy couch potato again." Dammit!

It'll be fine though. *shallow, wheezing breath*

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Vacation Report: Brusty Day

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 sick. Woke up Sunday feeling some lungular distress, but it was Brusty Day, so I had adrenaline and lustiness and get me through it. But by the time we got home from Providence, I was done for. So, I'm spending my last vacation day in bed, writing. And coughing. No big deal.

And since it makes a nice segue, I'll go backwards and start with Brusty Day on Sunday.

Binghamton @ Providence

So, Brusty played (and won) Friday in Bingo, he backed up Brodeur in a win Saturday night in Bingo, and then was supposed to play Sunday. But the Ottawa Senators are a bunch of selfish bastards and sent Lehner down at the last minute to get him some playing time. They are forever on my shit list for that.

Since Binghamton is 4+ hours from where I was staying and Providence was 2.5 hours, plus Sunday was the only day with clear weather, I decided that was going to be the way to go. And since it didn't require an overnighter, I was able to bring my friend with me and have some company.

So anyway, I went to bed Saturday thinking I was going to see Brusty play Sunday. That's a really nice way to go to bed in my little world. Grin on my face. Brusty Brusty Brusty... :D

Then I wake up in the morning and read tweets from Joy that Lehner's back and he's playing. #heartsink #sad

But dammit, I'm going anyway. At least I'll get to SEE Brusty. And that's just going to have to be enough.

So we get there and I buy tickets with no idea about the layout of the arena, but they're on the blue line at the end where the P-Bruins shoot twice. Okay, if Lehner gets the hook or gets hurt and Brusty comes in, I'll have a great view.

Neither of those things happened, but as it turned out, the seats were on the second row and DIRECTLY across from the visitors tunnel where... the backup goalie sits. :) O HAI BRUSTY!

So, while I didn't get to watch him play... I got to watch him watch his team play. Yay? Okay, I watched the game, too, and in all honesty, was rooting HARD for the Bruins in the first half of the game. I was really hoping for some LehnerFail. Alas, he's a pretty good goalie and the Sens were playing pretty well.

What was sucktastic was that Schaefer was backing up for the Bruins and sitting in the same spot as Brusty, just on the other blue line. So here I am looking at the two goalies who basically inspired ME to be a goalie... sitting on their asses in the locker room tunnel. Maybe the hockey gods were saving me from the stroke I would have had watching them compete against each other, but I have to think they would have enjoyed that. Stupid Ottawa.

At least I did get to see Schaef play, as Dalton got run after 4 goals. His defense was absolutely horrific but I also didn't feel like he was seeing the puck very well. He looks like a goalie whose been playing behind a bad defensive team for too long. There's just something about that that wears a goalie down.

Anyway, final was 5-3. We got back and my friend's husband asked me if my team won. I wasn't sure how to answer that. I guess so? I don't really consider them "my team" unless B's in goal, right? They're just some Eastern team I don't really give a crap about otherwise. But it was nice to see Brusty smiling and happy for the win and relaxed and, naturally, as foxy as ever. Even my friend, who really doesn't care one way or another for hockey or players, approved of my taste in hockey boyfriends.

We also both very VERY much approved of Cody Bass. Very approved. #pantysoup

"If you've had a physical reaction to my handsomeness, you're welcome."

Apart from all that was just the fun of seeing a game in a different AHL barn. The Dunk is a nice building. Holds about 11k and it was pretty full Sunday, but it seemed like an inordinate number of kids. When they did that noisemeter thing on the jumbotron, it was ear-splitting.

Also, I'm not sure whether I approve or not, but they do all their patriotic choir kids at the beginning of the game. America the Beautiful, God Bless America, AND the National Anthem in one swoop before puck drop. And then you're free to enjoy the rest of the game without all that cringe-inducing warbling.

Anyway, that's enough on Brusty Day. Possibly more than enough. I'll hit the rest of the trip over the next couple of days.

Oh, and a quick shout out to Sarah Connors, who writes/shoots for Something's Bruin for coming down at intermission and saying Hi! Great to meet you Sarah!

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

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 car bomb appears to be the "shot" of choice in this crew. I'm not sure why, other than it's supposed to taste like chocolate. If you haven't had one, it's half a bottle of Guinness, and a shot glass with Bailey's and Jameson's. You can drop the shot in or just pour (our method, so you don't break a tooth on the shot glass).

Mostly just tasted like funky Baileys to me, but this was after a few Shiners, so I really didn't care what it tasted like.

Of course, you indulge in this nonsense and then have to sit around for a while to get your land legs back. No big deal. Lots of laughs.

As for the game, as usual, you just never know what to expect. Turns out my team is REALLY good at holding the zone, so I maybe stopped 10 pucks all night. MAYBE. I let two in. One was a backdoor feed that I shoulda dived for but, as usual, didn't react fast enough.

The other was a breakaway and I guess I bit on a fake shot low and she popped it over my blocker shoulder. Dammit. Even when I know what she's going to do, she beats me at it.

But we won 3-2. I literally did not see a single shot the entire second period. My hair had dry spots still, which NEVER happens. It was a very easy night for me. I definitely did not earn all that booze.

The orange team (Harvard Crimson -- don't try to make sense of the jersey colors) didn't have a couple of their best girls but they're gonna be scary from a breakaway perspective this season. I'll get good practice at that.

Ahhh, so much fun. I fucking love hockey.

And speaking of which, don't miss this fantastic feature piece on Brusty that ran in the Bingo paper today. (They're sending me a PDF of the actual layout in the paper later today, because I guess they did something special around it. E-mail me if you want me to forward it to you.) Being the awesome people they are there at the Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin, they gave me permission to post the PDF here so everyone can see it! Thanks guys!

I don't really know what else to say about my goalie that I haven't said a million times already. So, I made up a new word: BAMFtastic. Brusty is BAMFtastic.

I considered GILFtastic but decided that might be awkward and inappropriate. So let's all pretend I didn't say that and I can avoid embarrassing myself. *ahem* I may still be a little drunk.


Oh, and speaking of potential drunken embarrassments, I've got my ticket to Boston for early January! Have fucking amazing seats for the Boston - Minnesota game on the 6th. Like, I 100% guarantee I'll end up on the Wild broadcast, these seats are so good.

I'm going with some guy I don't know, though, so I hope to god that Kiss Cam doesn't find us.

Then it's a short drive over to Vermont for a few days, and hopefully the stars will align and Brusty will have a start that weekend in Bingo, and I'll trek over to see him play if the roads allow it. Regardless, I'm killing so many birds with this stone, it's not even funny.

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I told you so, Binghamton

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 Andrew's freakish knack for predictions is rubbing off on me.

I was driving to the rink tonight and looked at the clock. It was about 6:07 and I realized Bingo was playing and I was thinking how much I wanted them to win. Like a big butt whippin' kinda win, you know? So I concentrated all my powers of concentration and sent some big time, big game mojo right to the crease there in the Broome County Arena. (Unfortunately, I'm not even remotely kidding about this. I don't even remember about half a mile of my drive on Allen Parkway, I was in the zone, man...)

I'm happy to report, it arrived safely and not only did the B-Sens win, B-money got his 3rd shutout of the season. I keep saying I'm going to buy a game archive to watch. I think I've found my game. Apparently some big saves and the crowd chanting his name, "BAR-RY! BAR-RY!" several times. Must. See.

One of the fantasies I have as a goalie is for my name to be chanted by an adoring crowd. (Attention whore, much?) The first time I heard that was at a Rangers game, and hearing the crowd chant, "HEN-RIK! HEN-RIK!" over and over made the hair stand up on my neck.

But I'm 99.9% sure that's never going to happen for me because there's never more than about 3 people watching my games, and also, I suck. But when it happens to a goalie I care so much about, it's almost as good. Vicarious chant fuzzies -- I'll take 'em!

I'm just so proud of him. After a really shitty year--year and a half, even--it's just so gratifying to see the stars aligning to give him loads of playing time and for him to be making the most of it and for the fans to be appreciating what they've got there.

Have I mentioned, darlings, that AHL All Star Voting has begun? Have I mentioned that if you love me, you'll get your butt over there and vote for Brusty as your most favoritest Eastern Conference goalie? GO. DO IT. NOW. PRETTY PLEASE.

And the Aeros game was pretty awesome, too. You can read about that at T3I. :)

Also, dig this tweet from Brett Cecil. OMG. I'm ordering my Blue Jays Cecil shirt right now, bitches. I'm in love.

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Hextall-riffic & Feeling Good

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 his net.

Check out how delicious this is. When do goalies EVER stick up for teammates like this any more? Luckily only 2 min roughing penalty for it. Guess the refs felt it was a legit response. Good on 'em.



And I'm told the fans chanted his name after. Chanted his freaking name, y'all! FMD, that's awesome, and frankly, as it should be. I may have to shell out my $4 for the archive of this one.

My favorite quote from the night from the coach:

"It's a shame that he had to, that he was the one who had to realize something needed to be done," Kleinendorst said. "But it doesn't surprise me. I think he would have chased the guy down to the far blue line if he had to, but that's a good thing."

First time I watched it, I wondered how long he was going to end up chasing him. Wouldn't you love to be in Kennedy's head when he's spun around and face to face with GIANT ANGRY GOALIE? New breezers, please.

Beauty.

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So, we tied 4-4 tonight and 3 of my 4 goals came in the third period. One of them, I'm okay with. I made the first stop and lost sight of it. Next thing I know, it's in the net. I don't even know what happened but I don't know what I should have done differently. I needed my defense to talk to me there. I thought I had it, for all I knew.

But I had two that went 5-hole on me, which is pretty unusual. But in both cases, they were shooting from 3-4 feet in front of me and I was trying to be patient because they were moving and I didn't want to go down too early and give them deke options (sometimes I forget it's novice league).

So, those were frustratingly soft. I guess I was lifting my stick. I need to put lead weights on my stick so it's too heavy to lift. Ha.

The last one is one I have tended to have problems with lately and I think I've figured it out. When I've got a shooter coming down the ice on my glove side and they carry the puck on their left, I'm not squaring to the puck. I'm drifting to the shooter's body and they're knocking it in just inside the far post every time. Those feel bad because they're easy easy stops if I'm where I should be.

However, I did have some awesome stops and my pads were my best friends tonight.

This doesn't happen to me much but I'm pretty sure the best kind of save is where the shooter is so convinced he scored, he actually starts to skate away. And then turns around and goes "AWW!" when he realizes the puck is still in play.

The coach on the other team (I call him Brent Burns because he looks like him and he makes everything look so easy, being so tall and rangey and handsy) picked up a rebound and thought he had himself an easy tap-in. But I somehow got my leg out in just the nick of time and kicked it out. He's already headed up ice and realizes, "No whistle?" Hahaha.

That was badass. I mean, I know I didn't beat anybody up or need the ref to restrain me (or, um, protect me? Haha... ;) and nobody chanted my name, but I did get some nice kudos from both teams after. Still felt pretty fuckin' good after those lousy outings last week.

Aeros at home tomorrow. Some other joker can stop the pucks for a day. :)

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Quick hits: Weekend from Hell, Brusty, Holiday

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.

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I capped the weekend off by catching up on the B-Sens reporter's blog with my fresh internet, and it was chock-a-block with great quotes from and about Brusty, who is stealing points (if not always games, thanks to a sometimes-anemic offense) left and right for Binghamton. I see that his back-up has been sent to Elmira though, which means, I'm guessing, that Mike Brodeur is ready to come back from his concussion (and indeed, he is putting himself through his own goalie practice this morning per Joy's tweets).

And when Leclaire is healthy and Lehner is set to return to Bingo... Ugh. I mean, what are the odds they send either of the NHL-contracted guys down? No question in my mind that Brusty's a better goalie than Brodeur, and that's not just me being biased. The numbers bear it out. No pun intended. :)

Last season, they didn't hesitate to keep CHRIS HOLT! up when he was playing better than... um... whoever that guy was they also had there. So there's a precedent in Bingo for playing the best goalie. New coach though, so I dunno.

Can't worry about that now. Just enjoy whatcha got while ya got it.

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Anyway, in the midst of the drama, I missed hockey Saturday night. I was even AT the rink, but got sick while I was killing time waiting to get ready. Decided it would be best for me and everybody if I just went home. I felt horrible and wasn't remotely in the right head space to play a game (even though it was a practice). Just an awful night. :(

But I do have drop-in tonight as my only game all week. Playoffs start in women's league next week, I think. More good practice for me at staying relaxed in a little bit higher pressure situation.

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Cool thing: I sat by Bob Mason, the Wild goalie coach last night. Kinda fun getting to talk to him a bit. I could have very easily yakked his ear off about his goalies (though I'm not sure it would have been reciprocated) but I'm always afraid of being annoying with guys like that.

As if I weren't annoying enough with my gasping and squeaking (but never cheering, yo) and sound effects (i.e., "pew!" when it hits the netting behind the goal).

No really, I'm a pro.

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Finally, I'm planning a trip. Gonna head up to Boston on Jan 6 and catch the Wild game, then head over to Vermont to visit my best friend from college. She had twin babies last year, so I need to go see them and start whispering words like, "Hockey is the best thing EVAR" in their little ears.

What's funny is that during her whole pregnancy, I was suggesting hockey names for the kids. But neither she nor hubby like hockey at all, so it was all just a joke. Then she ends up naming the boy Crosby. Hahaha...

And apparently they went dressed up as a penguin and a clown last night. But the GIRL went as the penguin! Augh. Come on! :)  They're just about the cutest kids I've ever seen, and I don't usually think kids are cute. So it's all good.

Anyway, where they live is only a 4-5 hour drive from Bingo/Elmira and both teams are home that weekend, so I may actually get to go see Brusty play with my own two eyes. Lots of factors though, like weather and if he's starting and whatnot. It's a haul but I can't be that close and not try. I hope it works out.

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Jon Gruden, next Wild coach?

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 hoping the dog doesn't get startled or anything since he's up here with me.

Anyway...

Good Aeros game tonight. They lost in OT, but it was entertaining the whole way. Lots of excellent chances but Ben Bishop, y'all. Ben Bishop has found. his. game. He looks like a different goalie. Gone is the lumbering slowness. All he is now is big and relentlessly square to the puck (aka, he's moving faster) Whoever's been coaching him absolutely nailed it. He's fantastic right now.

I'll see him again tomorrow night in Austin, unless Jake Allen takes the net. But I kinda hope it's Bish again. Just so I can compare and make sure what I saw tonight is really what I saw. And also because I never had a great view of his porn stretch tonight. *sad*

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Meanwhile, way up north, Brusty followed up his killer appearance on Sunday with a 28-save shutout. Show-off.

I tried to tell Andrew and John that we're "Shutout Twins" now but John kindly reminded me that I didn't actually WIN my shutout. Hmph. Yeah. I guess Anton and I will have to settle for each other as shutout twins since he lost his shutout, too.

It's pretty cool to see BSens fans on Twitter being absolutely nuts for Brusty though. Told ya so!  On to Wilkes-Barre tomorrow, where I daydream that they will erupt into a "Barre! Barre! Barre!" chant without realizing they're cheering on the opposing goalie.

Anyway, WTG,  Brusty. You're making my endless fawning and adulation seem not quite so insane.

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At the opposite end of the spectrum, the Wild are a mess. I don't get it. They've shown that they CAN do this. What is their problem? I feel bad bad bad for Todd Richards. He seems like a decent guy but this ship is sinking around his ears. It's painful to watch. *glug*

So much optimism when you get a new coach, you know? How much is Jacques Lemaire enjoying this though? Like, I dunno if the guy gets giddy, but if he does... well... he's giggling like a school girl right now. His desk chair wasn't even cool before he called this.

Anyway, I asked on Twitter how many games folks give him. I say he's gone in the next 10 and everybody was within that timeframe. But who do you bring in? I say Jon Gruden... I mean, these guys already know how to play hockey. They need someone to kick their asses. Chuckyyyyyyy....

Haha! Goodnight!

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Braggin' on my goalie

So, while the Aeros soiled the bed at home this weekend, Brusty and the Baby Senators found their game on the road. I'mma tell you about it because I'm pretty proud of him.

It all starts with Mike Brodeur getting run and bonking his head last weekend. Welcome to Concussionville, Mikey! So he's out, and Brusty gets a start at home last Saturday. Yay!

Tweet!

Well, yay turns into boo when we discover that the rest of the team is Bad At Hockey and it ends up such a mess that Venice sinks an extra inch into the Adriatic Sea.

But never fear, Binghamtonians! Rookie phenom Robin Lehner has finally gotten his visa squared away and will be in town to start the next game. Phew!

But alas, Pascal Leclaire, being Pascal Leclaire, found a way to break himself. God bless him. I mean that. I hate that he's so fragile but he's really and truly Mr. Opportunity for everyone behind him. Anyway, it's some kinda groin thing with some kinda indefinite timeline that they're checking into this week.

Whyyyy? Whyyyyyyyyy?

Regardless, that meant that Lehner spent all of about 3 days in Bingo before getting called up on an emergency basis. But first! They let him get a game in for Bingo to get his game speed going. But that didn't go so well, as he got lit up just as bad as Brusty did in the last game. Guess he is what he is, too.

After the game, Lehner heads to meet the Senators in Montreal and Brusty is finally a #1 goalie in the AHL again and all is right with the world. And just to prove it, he holds the Crunch to 2 (from what I hear, very nice) goals. It's a loss to the Crunch but only because Bingo can't freaking score.

Rawr.

Regardless, finally, the score is less footbally and my friend in the stands (see Chairman How's Glorious Army) told me Barry played great. But apparently he was also quite drunk (my friend, not Barry). Never the less, I trust his judgment in goaltending quality through the boozy haze.

Even the boards in Syracuse know what's up.

The road trip continues up to Toronto where things get really good, because not only is Brusty pretty much the only choice to play (other goalie is an emergency backup) but the game is being broadcast on CBC in Canada and NHL Network in the US.

Holy crap, I get to watch Brusty! I really believe the hockey gods love me and want me to be happy that they knocked out all those other guys to make this happen. But to be honest, I've only watched the first period. I had to shut 'er down because of computer issues and the TV was taken up with football. But it's on my DVR and I've already marked it KEEP. If I could have marked it OMG KEEPKEEPKEEP!!!, I would have. You know this is gonna be up there with The Princess Bride and Office Space for "Number of Watches" before long.

What I do know is that it went amazingly well. He stopped 41 of 42 shots, 18 of which were in the 3rd period, and they won 3-1. He also got the first star, natch, and hopefully enjoyed a little skate with a big grin and lots of Marlies fans hating him for being so fucking awesome in their barn. So clutch.

I'm gonna guess we're looking at the aftermath of a poke here. Shaaaahhhh. I like the new pads.

More cool pics of the game here. The lighting is weird for these shots, like they're in the sun almost. Gives them a strange paparazzi-ish quality that I kinda like.

Anyway, that's the Brusty Report. It's just one game and when everybody's healthy again, I don't know what happens after that. But it was one game on the biggest stage the B-Sens will play on all season and he made the point he spent all last season trying to make. Not only does he belong in this league (or better), he can dominate it.

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Weekend Update (like SNL's but not funny)

Oooooweeee, kids, I love me some vicodin! My back hurts like a mother after I play lately. Dunno how I keep doing it but my hips are out of alignment and I need to get back to the handsome chiro asap before I'm officially crippled.

It's been a while since I posted because, really, nothing's been too interesting and I've been too busy to blog about anything boring.

Friday, the Aeros' home pre-season game got axed because the compressor went out at the rink and the ice melted. Oooops. Still, it was fun to see John and Drew and shoot the shit. As if watching hockey wasn't fun enough, I'm lucky enough to do it with those guys, who make me laugh and, more importantly, laugh at my dumb jokes and generally treat me like one of the boys, except with tits. It's perfection.

Saturday, I listened to Brusty's first full (preseason) game with Bingo on the ol' internet radio thingy. Sounded like an okay game but the announcer didn't describe the goals very well, so I dunno. Coach K said he felt the first and third goals (they lost 3-2) weren't his fault and then he says, "He is what he is. He probably feels pretty good about the way he played." Or something like that. That was the gist.

As you can imagine, I officially hate the guy. I sent off the paperwork earlier today. I mean, WTF, Master Motivator? One thing I always appreciated about Kevin Constantine was that he never EVER threw a goalie under the bus. I think having been one himself, he knows it's so easy to make the goalie the goat, so he's sensitive to it, especially with the media. I never heard him say something that would deflate a goalie.

Seems to me, no matter how you feel about your goalie, as a coach, surely you understand that goalies without confidence are completely worthless to you. You gotta keep their tires pump and find other ways to get what you want out of them than "Well, he has a pulse and he gear fits, so yeah, whatever" kinds of comments. 

*ahem* /rant

Saturday night I had practice. Happy to report my favorite d-man is back this season. I <3 him so much. He apologized to me after the scrimmage and yeah, he had a couple of pylon moments but damn if he doesn't block shots and play a smart game. Told him he never needs to apologize to me for anything.

They've also got one of the C goalies coming in to help us goalies. That rattled me a little bit, to be honest, and I felt insecure and desperate all practice long. It's like the voices were back... self-doubt, etc. They were evaluating the skaters, and I guess Jon was evaluating us goalies too a bit. He was really nice, so I don't know why I got all keyed up, but I did.

I'll admit, I've gotten pretty comfortable lately and I know I need someone to push me out of my comfort zone. I won't do it to myself, this I know. Ah, well. We'll see where it goes. Kinda feel like Scott should warn him. :)  I'll miss the next practice because of Aeros opening night, anyway.

I did have one absolutely crazy scrambling play where I was really proud of myself for staying with it. The puck was all over my crease and I was battling to get my glove on it and it went ALMOST completely over the line, but not quite when I swiped it back to myself and held on to it. It maybe had a few millimeters to being a goal. It was CLOSE and Toronto woulda needed a look at it, but it wasn't in, man. No goal.

Sunday, I did nothing but get writing done and say goodbye to the 2010 Toronto Blue Jays. I already miss Lyle Overbay. *sniff* He's just so manly and first basey. I love him more than any baseball person.

And finally, tonight I checked out the Aeros' "Sorry about that canceled pre-season game" Skills Competition. I'm just gonna throw a theory out there: Colton Gillies IS the Energizer bunny, right? The kid is constantly moving, always smiling, just a completely adorable button. But I wonder if a little Ritalin in his water bottle might not be a terrible idea.

He and Brandon Buck were most impressive in the shootout competition. Gillies has poor Hackett figured out blocker side. And Buck has this RIDICULOUS move where he ... well, I'm not even sure what he did, but it involved the puck being in his glove, which he swears is legal but I can't fathom how. Anyway, he did it twice and Hack bit both times.

I had my drop-in after that and it was fun having my friend Christa there finally getting to see what a hack I am in goal. Haha. Actually, it was better than last week because there were so few players and they got tired pretty quickly. Had some nice stops though, including a sweet glove at the end. It was fast and fun and the rink was COLD, so I didn't overheat like I have been the last few weeks there.

Loving the new pads more all the time. Still can't stand comfortably in them and I shift from foot to foot all game, which is tiring and probably weird to look at, but they sure are easier on the knees and awfully sturdy. Glad I invested in pro quality. They are beauties!

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I don't have a video this week cuz I'm too tired to care, but I have a site recommendation if you like weird shit that's funny. There's this craft-selling site called Etsy where people make stuff and sell it. Normally it's cute handmade purses, jewelry, or normal things like that, but some of it is seriously weird, fetishy shit. And that's where the site Regretsy comes in. They find and post the crazy shit for all us mean-spirited people to laugh at. It's a wicked good time. Check it out.

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You need coolin', baby, I'm not foolin'

Poor blog. So ignored. Now that I'm not so full of angst after I play, I have so little to say. But I feel like writing tonight, so I'll back the mental dump truck up here.

Got my new pads yesterday. Props for UPS delivering two things to me this week a day early. First my Bingo practice sweater (wearing it Monday night!) and then my pads.

They look great and are well made, but I'm struggling a little with the fit, mainly that my knees still hit the back half of the knee stack. But I asked about this on the goalie board and was told that they'd settle enough after they're broken in and eventually I'll end up square on the knee stack.

That was kind of my feeling, but for nearly $900, um, yeah, I'm just being careful. They are super solid though. Gonna sit on them while I watch football tomorrow and try to soften them up a bit.

They also have a set of inner calf wraps that I'm not sold on. If I take them off, the calf wraps will be just like my current pads and I like that looser feeling, so I'll try to play with them in and see how I like it but those are probably going to go.

The thigh boards are definitely coming off. They are completely incompatible with my pants. Might just see if Simmons will let me swap the thigh wraps for the flat boards. If not, I'll just snag 'em off my current pads.

They sure are pretty though. Goalie Angel White. Can't you hear the heavenly chorus singing with every save?

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Speaking of saves, fun game tonight at novice. I <3 my team so much. Had some nice saves, a couple where I was straight up screened but just kinda knew it was coming and butterflied and boom. There it was. Fun times.

Though I thought it was a practice tonight and it turned out to be a game. Thought that might throw me off, but it didn't. Look who's cool and collected these days! Feels good.

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I miss Brusty.

There. I said it.

He's up there in Ottawa stopping pucks and I don't get to watch.  

Boooo. That sucks.

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Last Monday at drop-in, one of my defensemen scraped my crease for me before the game.

The appropriate reaction here would be: Huh?

I don't ever scrape my crease (I probably should, but I think it's well established that I'm pretty lazy), but I guess he's seen me go careening across my crease in a few early-game butterfly pushes and felt that needed correcting.

I let him do it, but I don't know that it helped much or that I liked it. I'm used to being slippery at first and then progressively slower on the push (that's what she said). Don't mess with my groove, man. Don't people know better than to go in a goalie's crease and start making decisions for them? Weirdddddd....

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Saw pics of Nolan Schaefer's new Providence Bruins mask today. Holy shit. What a beautiful mask. I'm annoyed that pucks are gonna hit it. It needs a force field of its own to protect it.

Lookie.

He's in solid black pads, too. So sick. Easily one of the best looking goalies in terms of gear year after year. Always love to see what he's come up with.

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I'm never quite sure how much I buy into chiropractors, but damn if I wasn't walking like an old lady all week after pulling my back last Friday, but then one back cracking yesterday and I feel like a million bucks today. So, I'm convinced. Scoreboard!

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That's all, I guess. Enjoy your Sunday of football (or Wild training camp scrimmage if you're one of those Minny punks who gets to go to that).

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Dear Binghamton Senators, Welcome to Brustytown

It's been unofficial for a week now, but today your Binghamton Senators announced they've agreed to a 1 year AHL deal with Barry Brust.

If you haven't been keeping up with your stash of goalies this summer, you have Mike Brodeur (no relation) as the likely starter, and Swedish prospect Robin Lehner, who put up respectable numbers in the OHL last season, slated to turn pro. So Brusty is, for now, probably #5 in the minds of the muckity mucks in the Sens organization, and unless Lehner really effs it up, he'll probably start in the ECHL with the Elmira Jackals.

Though depending on the organization's devotion to Lehner and whether he struggles some in the transition to the pros, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Brusty come up and Lehner spend some time in Elmira much the way CHRIS HOLT! moved up and down last season.
I thought I'd provide a little scouting report on Brusty for B-Sens and Elmira fans out there wondering who this big goalie is and what his game is like if you don't remember him from his time in Manchester and Reading. But I won't even pretend to be objective; I gave up on that ages ago. Take it for the fangirl fawning that it is.

Brusty is my all time favorite goalie ever. And I really love goalies. So to be at the top of that heap is pretty special. But here's why I love the guy and why you will, too:

1. He's got brass ones. He plays a very aggressive game, with lots of big poke checks, playing the puck, and defending his crease. I've seen him play through all manner of injuries, including a giant skate slice that required something like 30 stitches during intermission, and then came back out to finish the final 2 periods of the game. Hard core, bitches.
2. He's big and athletic. His strengths lie in his size, his strong ability to read plays (hockey sense, yo), his quick reflexes, and his innate athleticism. I watch him play and sometimes think, "Um, hey, Brusty. Puck. Puck. Right there. Look alive." and then BOOM, he's on it. Which is to say, he's got a very calm demeanor, doesn't have any excessive movement in his game (other than the pad tapping), but when it's go-time, he gets the job done. So, even if his relaxed style bothers you at first, you'll come to trust it, I promise.
3. He's entertaining, both on and off the ice. His game is keep-a-defibrillator-handy exciting, but he's also pretty funny off the ice. Plenty of good war stories and a great sense of humor. Reporters love him for providing good, sincere, non-cliched quotes. Fans love him for just being a swell, easy going guy. My favorite Aeros game broadcasts were back in the day when Brusty was out with some injury for a while and he'd provide color during the games. Check out the videos to the right for more funny Brusty goodness. 
4. He makes teams better. I guess I've established that he's a good goalie already, but if you've never had a goalie who was a strong puck mover and could nail stretch passes to your defense or even forwards to help the breakout, you're not going to believe how useful and rare that skill is. He not only shuts things down defensively, but helps the offensive side of your team's game as well. 

5. 

   We must increase our Brust
   Photo by Chris Jerina

   He's clutch. Brusty has another level to his game when his back is against the wall. Playoffs, close games, shootouts, I have so often seen him step up and be just incredibly clutch under pressure. And the more teams try to get under his skin, the better and meaner he plays.
6. He's foxy. He is. It matters! Foxy goalies are way funner than non-foxy goalies. Look at him! Gah. *big sigh*
7. His glove. Brusty's glove hand is quick and nasty. Many times, I haven't even seen the shot go off before it's in his glove. I dunno what it is, but damn, a good, split second flash of the leather sends me into orbit. Wear your seatbelts.
8. His PIM. He doesn't put up with any crap in his crease. He'll give a jab or a whack or whatever he needs to do to keep the pesky kids off his lawn. Sometimes this annoys players. :) And where most goalies will skate off by themselves when things get heated around the net, Brusty skates into the scrum and tries to help his teammates. He hasn't gotten into a fight as pro though, and if it happens up there, I'm gonna say right here and now that I hate you all.

Most of all, he's just a good guy who will do a good job for your team. I've talked him up a lot, but he's, of course, not perfect. Who is? Goaltenders will always have their good nights and bad nights, but in general, fortunate is the team that has Barry Brust between the pipes. Enjoy him while you've got him.

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