I blame Carlson.

After reading this tweet from Carlson a few days back I couldn't help myself.

All the best to Alzner though, he's doing a great thing for a great cause, as are the rest of the participants of Movember.

I will be posting what I can spare for the cause, you should too. Do something for someone else. And lets get Alzner's awesome stache the money it deserves :).

To all the Veterans

To all that have served your country, past and present, thank you my brothers and sisters.

It's 120 degrees. It's hard to concentrate in that sort of heat. You don't even want your DCU's to touch your skin kind of hot. The metal roof just redirects it all into your face and nothing is safe to touch, not even the plastic of the trigger is comfortable. There's always someone watching, even in the middle of the day when the bad guy is holed up in his house keeping out of the heat. He's still watching you in all of your miserableness. Sweating. You don't even stink in that sort of swelter, it's just water draining from you as fast as you can pump it into your body. Your welcoming the idea of an IV stick at any moment just so you don't throw up from filling your gut with what ice from your frozen water bottle has melted so far. Turtle your neck keep your face pointed down a little and keep your arms and hands covered, it's all you can do while on patrol. Then, you're on the move again. Hot exhaust meets hot stale air from the local sewage hole in the street, if you're lucky, this time it won't splash in your face and mouth. Your driver veers around hard and slings your ribs into the turret ring. You don't stand up on the route. You do and it's your ass. An overpass is coming up. God damnit. Your up, your down, your up. Clearing those never gets easier. You need to wait a little longer on the back end before coming up. The insurgents got smarter, again. Last week some kid got his face blown off on the backside clearing an overpass, so an extra second down behind your armor plates should get you clear of anything the baddies put up there. Coming up on 3, thank god. One last loop and it's back in the AC to pray there isn't a situation that needs QRF later today. It's a fruitless prayer though, and you know it. One oil can on the side of the road and it'll be you, back on the route again, with your other squad stuck baby sitting EOD for 2 hours. They will never use those god damned 50 cal rifles to recon by fire. Would speed things up so much if they would only learn that. You're up, you're down, you're up. Overpasses get old being the middle truck. At least this time the lead truck didn't get stuck on the off-ramp like yesterday. It's 3. Of course the gas station on the route is completely overwhelmed today, keeping you on the route for longer as you get the ING to do their job and clear the road. They will never really understand will they? Changed over on the radio. God that AC will feel good. There isn't much of a change in mentality out the gate or in, just differing levels of armor. It's gotten so easy to strip that vest off after weapons are cleared. Undo the velcro, left arm then right and it's laying on the truck roof next to you. Dump it into the seat on the way to the motor pool, find your hat, hop down and turn the radios off. Only a few rounds expended today, only a headlight the casualty. A good day. Here's to hoping there is some unfrozen water around.

-Aaron P.

Enjoy today. We've earned it.

Got Grit?

The games are going, the drama is back, and I couldn't be happier. It's been such a long hockey starved summer for me with life and obligations keeping me from hitting the ice myself in the off season.

With every play and whistle my emotions are running high to low. Friday it ended on a low point. Saturday the night had me smiling from ear to ear and tonight I look to the rest of the season as a much tougher slug fest than the last. With the tough win over Ottawa, it's hard not to think of the East in general as being a much rougher place to play than it was.

With most of the teams feeling upgraded in some way or another it's hard to not think that the boys in red will have a much tougher gauntlet to run through the regular season, and for what it's worth, I believe that can only benefit where they want to go in the post season. With more close and hard fought games with teams that are learning to reign the run and gun style of the Caps in, there will be more chip and grit from all sides of the team coming out. Something that's already started to show its face in the last game against the Devils and continued against the Sens (albeit with less frequency).

Carlson stepping up two games in a row to dig into the scrum and protect his mates. Both times losing his lid in the mix. John Erskine getting in hard on the body and making the Senators pay down low each time they touched the puck after his stint in the box was a nice way of saying the penalty wasn't going to deter him from playing rough. Green stepping in the ring. Bradley laying one out showing he hasn't skipped a beat. You don't have to watch long to see that team toughness has stepped up to a new level this season and that they won't be standing off and I couldn't be happier to see it.

It's going to be interesting to see how things progress through the season as the team hits their stride and line chemistry kicks in and tweaks are made. I just hope they keep that hard nosed attitude front and center.

Hockey Ramp Up!

The season is ramping up and the hockey creativity has found root once again! Today I bring you a patterned wallpaper/wrapping paper design worked from available Caps imagery from the official website in various places.

Wouldn't it make for a fantastic way to present that new game sweater to some loved ones this holiday season? Ted, we should talk :).

Dev. Camp Scrimmage and Fisticuffs

Getting to Kettler at around 10:00 this morning, I knew my wife and I were going to have trouble finding a seat. I didn't quite expect things to be as jam packed as they ended up being though. Standing room at the top of the bleachers was at a premium, but somehow, we found a niche to fit into and planted our feet to watch the already in progress game with a constant flow of people shuffling along behind us.


The game went about as I would have expected with a good fast pace, some sloppy play on occasions, and a few sparks of raw talent. The competitive nature of the guys on the ice was never in question with checks being finished heavily and open ice being a near no mans land across the blue lines from time to time as someone gets caught head down by a beast of a defender. With that competitiveness in full swing, the whistles would get chippy as players would stand up for their temporary teammates down in a scrum from time to time with some players even coming to fisticuffs during the game. Not one, but in fact two fights broke out in rapid succession around halfway through the second period. Luckily, I had my camera set for video for just such an occassion!

Finley vs Pisano:


Della Rovere vs Bruess:


My apologies for the first video, but apparently my camera isn't keen on zooming and auto-focus during video recording.


I remember hearing about a fight during the Blackhawks dev camp that ended up with a player injured and out of the camp earlier this week. I thought to myself 'how stupid can these kids be to fight during a camp?', but my point of view has quickly tempered. Watching Bruce Boudreau's video from OFB, and then actually witnessing a game in progress where players squared off, my understanding expanded. It's the nature of hockey that you quickly take up for even temporary teammates, take exception with a play, a hit, trash talk, and make your will known. This also shows those higher up in the organization that you are willing to make that sacrifice for your team. As seen the few times the Caps players squared off this past season, the fans love the guys who step up and square off for their teammates.

Vacation Weight, Cold Sweats, Aches and Pains

Vacations are always the death of my fitness level. Earlier this month, it proved itself true yet again after some fun and sun on the North Carolina coast. A good amount of beach time mixed with some really amazing food and drinks and I've fallen off the wagon. I know this because before heading off for vacation I sat at a comfortable 184 and came back to a 'healthy' 190. It's not a terrible number to be sure, but definitely not the number I was hoping to see upon return!

I decided to kill off some of that heft and get back at it, I would dive head first into some pick up at Kettler last Thursday. 'Fortunately' only 3 other Skaters and a Goalie showed and I got all the ice time I could have ever hoped for, possible a few shifts too many (see: All of them!). Playing 2 on 2 with a group of guys that I've seen playing a lot and far better than myself really isn't good for gauging your experience level. I found myself chasing almost immediately. It wound up being an extremely hard skate with a pace I just couldn't keep up with, but I wouldn't have traded it for anything. By the midway point of our ice time, my body was giving me some wonderful cold sweats and having a hard time keeping my skates under me in a few situations with just the lightest contact. I attribute most all of this to the time off leading up to and including my vacation. It was a really great skate with a good group of guys willing to put up with a skater nowhere near par for the sign up sheet. I was rewarded at one point with a goal for playing the front of the net. Picking up a rebound and throwing it home, I quickly remarked an adage I've heard many times this past season 'Go to the net and good things happen'.

It's always a fun couple of days after a hard skate. My body finds things that have never ached before and cramps them up for a few minutes or an hour and then moves on to a completely unrelated area of my body to do more of the same. It's an interesting battle but one I hope will go away in time.

Here's to another good day on the ice tomorrow, hope to see you there!

Being a 'New Fan'

I've never hidden the fact that I am new to the game. I never followed a season worth of hockey before this year. I only started playing ice hockey this January, my first game ever being on the Canal with the big freeze! The name of this blog even pays homage to how new I am to the sport. So what?

I bring this up after seeing a comment about my relative lack of experience following the Caps posted to Ted's post linking my blog a few days back. It was as if the rest of the words didn't seem to matter to the reader, just that I had only been with this team for two post seasons, and that made my take less worth while. I couldn't help but note that he hadn't mentioned anything about the Wounded Warriors program, good to see his fan rage takes precedent over thinking of something important like them.

So what makes one fan think his words are more important than another? Years following them? How often have they been out to a game? What seats they fill when they get there? How about how many practices they make it out for? Events in and around the area put on by the team? Merchandise owned? Signatures gained?

I hadn't paid attention to the NHL until this team was pointed out to me. This group of guys that skated fast, hit hard, and played the puck with a style I hadn't seen before. If it weren't for this team and the hard pressing offensive game they play, would I be paying attention to hockey right now? Were it not for them would I be watching every game I can every night it's on? Would I have my cable box tuned to NHL network nearly every day for at least a few hours to learn more about the game I've come to love so much all over again? If it weren't for the Washington Capitals would I be itching every day to get back out on the ice myself and press my game harder and a little further? Would I be hitting the gym to make myself better on the ice too? Would I even know about the Wounded Warrior hockey program to try and help with it?

This team created a hockey addict out of me. I can't get enough. My wife loves this game and watches every game with me because of this team. They've inspired me to get back to the game I loved as a kid on the street and to take it to the next step out on the ice. I've lost 15 pounds and am likely in the best shape of my life (even after 5 years in the US Army). I'm meeting new people I wouldn't have met before, striking up conversations I wouldn't have had. I'm finding new ground with old friends. The longer I think about it, there are more and more things that spring to mind about all of the great things I would be missing out on if it weren't for the Washington Capitals and the great cast of players/coaches/everyone who makes the team run.

So when you go to criticize someone about the lack of longevity in their respective fandom, think twice. Just because you've watched a bunch of games, doesn't make you more dedicated to the game and the team.

Hockey Wire Sculpts and A Neat Surprise

For my 3D Design course final, we are required to put together three sculptures of similar size and shape but differing materials. I was slightly stressed over just what I was going to put together since learning about it. Then out of the blue, I remembered that I already had two wire sculpts that I had done on the side, my Hockey Players!

So today, I took a bit of time out of my morning to head out to Home Depot and finally pick up the proper wire, from the concrete section and get to work on the last of the family. I also picked up a can of metallic spray paint to give my final sculpt a different finish, this time in gold. Overall the idea worked, three similar styled sculptures with three varied finishes. Similar aesthetic with a different feel to each.

The best part is that I now have the proper wire to make more and will likely see about putting these up for folks to order who'd like a unique, fun, but great looking decoration. I've also had a friend point out that he'd love to see one 6 foot tall in bronze outside an arena somewhere someday, and I'm inclined to agree with him. I could easily see something like this outside of Verizon in the future. I wonder who I would have to approach for a project like that :)...

Speaking of people I'd have to approach, after my sculpt was finished, I made my way lazily through the hockey blogs this afternoon and to my surprise, Ted Leonsis, owner of the Capitals, had linked my little corner of the hockey blogosphere. It's always fun to see something like that. Oh and Ted, if you're reading now, see my ideas in the paragraph above!

Hitting the ice tomorrow at Kettler for Open Hockey at 1130-1300, hope to see ya there, I'll be in red as always ;).

Playoff Dissappointment and Wounded Warriors

It's only my second playoffs following the Caps. Unfortunately it's no easier to deal with their loss, in fact, it's likely worse for us this year having followed the Caps through nearly every game of the season. I wouldn't have ever believed the team would be taken to task so hard so early. The Habs played a hell of a defensive shut down at times and Halak was ridiculous on far too many shots for my liking...

So now what? Well, there's the rest of the playoffs, but very little stock in who wins. I have some hope that the Sharks will get through to win it out, mostly so my friend PJ will finally be satiated and I won't have to listen about their consecutive failures. Only now, he'll have to listen to my own wailing next year.

The quarter finals are all interesting with any game having the ability to swing to either team in an instant. I just wish I had another team I cared about even a fraction of how I felt about the Caps this year. But I don't. The Caps have ruined me for any other team!

I'll be watching for news and hope to see some of the World Championships in Germany. I don't know much of the rosters yet, but Russia has Ovi, Semin, and Varlamov in house now. Though apparently Varly is running around in flip flops after the airline lost his bags and gear!

On my own personal hockey front, I've contacted someone to see about helping with/becoming a part of the Wounded Warriors hockey efforts here in Maryland. I'm not 100% certain the person I contacted was indeed who I should, but at the very least, I hope they would have contact info for those who are indeed in charge of it.

I served in the Army from July 2001 to Jan 2007 and spent a year tour in Iraq where I was wounded, luckily just a flesh wound that didn't nick anything important. For a while now I've wanted to do something with those who were wounded far worse than myself, and a few months ago I heard about the Veterans taking the ice through Ted Leonsis' blog. Hopefully I hear something back and get a chance to do something for a fellow vet.

Hope to see some ice sometime this week at Kettler. Legs need a bit of a work out!

New Stick Trial and Playoff Hockey

A late start to the day meant a missed morning skate down in Kettler, but it also meant migas for breakfast, so things worked themselves out it seems.

Today saw the first time I've had the chance to try a composite stick out on the ice. With the acquisition of Mr. Aucoin's brand new stick a few weeks back, I have finally seen the light, and doubt I'll be going back.

It's amazing the difference in feel and stick maneuverability you feel the second you begin to play a puck. There is a significant bump to overall handling ability with the reduction in weight that is appreciable in even my less than qualified hands.

Open hockey went well overall this afternoon at Kettler. Unfortunately there were no goalies for the hour, but teams worked out to be roughly evened out with 6-7 per side giving us enough to go 4 on 4 for the duration. The first 20 minutes were end to end with good energy, but by the end only a handful of guys still had it in their legs to play the puck hard.

There were a few familiar faces from last week and a bunch of new ones, but all around a great group. Some skilled players and a few less so (namely myself), but all were just out to have a good time.

Playing posts isn't exactly a strong point of mine, as really I have very little control over shots just yet, but joining a rush I was fed a pass that I threw on net where a defenders stick deflected my shot up and into the crossbar, to which there was much rejoicing by myself and my teammates as I had lamented that my only chance to hit the posts was to be lucky!

Getting home and getting some good grub in my gut before flipping the tele to the game in the hopes that the series would be clenched. The game didn't disappoint in the drama department but did in the unfortunate loss. I said it to a friend a few days ago, to watch the Caps is to invite drama.

Overall this post season has been absolutely fantastic. Series that I thought would be a sure thing are blown wide open or overturned a predesignated (in my mind) winner with an upset time and time again. Some amazing plays all around and a lot of nail biters. Last years post season is what jolted my hockey heart back to life, and this time around, it's just as electrifying.

Media Craziness at Kettler and Open Hockey

Friday morning at Kettler started off calm enough. Sunny and warm outside, but cool and crisp as a rink should be in the stands of the practice rink. But then, this is the playoffs, and that slow start was soon broken by the buzz of media from the full spectrum of the hockey world.

To say there was a good bit of media represented for Morning Skate is more than an understatement. During the regular season, a practice or morning skate pulled a handful of personnel from various online and television sources. Post season? Well, I'll just let the photo do the talking.


They come out in droves this time of year it seems. Much of the throng seen seemed to be from North of the border, as there was more than a fair share of French being thrown about in a manner I've yet to be privy to outside of a High School French class. Standing about in front of the gate, I was hoping to catch one Jose Theodore for a minute of his time for the charity art project I've worked on. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to secure any signatures for the time at the gate, but ended up dragooning myself to opening the gate for media personnel with far too much equipment for their own good. A few nods of thanks and some tired legs from waiting I decided to have a seat.

The team didn't do a full on skate for the day, in fact a good portion didn't skate at all. I took a seat high in the stands to the close net behind the Russian contingent who I've seen regularly taking the boys morning skate in, with obvious attention to Semyon Varlamov.

As I took my seat there was a bit of a contest/game/competition going on with the boys out on the ice, a shooting practice using two sticks in either corner. I wasn't quite able to discern the objective unfortunately, but there was a good amount of chatter through the group as each shot. Eventually the group finished up and moved to other matters at hand.

The practice wound down slowly, with the healthy scratches doing their bit of extra skate before the the ice was quiet and the pucks and sticks were collected. I walked back over to the gate for a while longer, but no one was making their way back around that area. Joe B and Al Koken wandered over as a few kids were hanging about, they signed a few jerseys for them and chatted a bit. Both seemed very personable and were good sports about one fans attempt to take a photo that ended up being video!

After waiting for what seemed to be too long, I checked my clock and seeing as it was past noon, it was definitely time for a quick bite down in mall. A sandwich and a soda was to be the cap of my trip to Kettler, and I sat quietly to myself in the cafe checking through the Kettler website on my phone. I had plans to head back up to Rockville, closer to home, for some stick and shoot, but something told me to double check on the days and times for Open Hockey while I was still around. Luckily I did! There was ice time in 15 minutes! I scarfed down my sandwich and chugged a bit of soda and hoofed it up the stairs (Note: Take the Elevator!). Getting my sticker, I ran out to the Jeep and collected my gear and sticks.

Playing ice hockey on the Capitals practice ice was something of a special moment. I'd known you could for some time, but it was the first time I'd had the chance to do so. It's a great fanboy moment as you cut into the same ice that your team does. The moment was to be slightly short lived as my first shift on came up quickly and I realized just how dehydrated I was, and how eating just before taking the ice is likely a bad idea! A few moments of indigestion and a near issue with my past meal making reappearance, I got through the worst of it and guzzled water at every chance.

While in the locker room getting ready, there was talk of someone on the ice who'd mentioned their brother played for the Caps, a bit of peaked interest, I headed out not thinking too much of it. I took my seat alongside the rest of the guys out there and noticed a Swedish flag on a Bauer stick. A one Kristoffer Backstrom was playing a game of pick up. It was a neat thing for a newbie player like myself to play hockey with a guy who plays in the Swedish Elite League. Luckily, he was on my team so I didn't have to be embarrassed by him skating circles around me! There was no big kerfuffle made about his presence, but it was a fun addition to an already great group who showed for the ice time.

I really look forward to getting some more time out at Kettler, the locker room was far more mature than those I've be accustomed to in Rockville and the attitude on the ice is much more lax and fun. It's a drive, and actually costs more, but the level of fun was much higher than my past open hockey time. In fact I'm doing much the same as I did last week this week! Only this time I'll be putting my freshly cut and taped composite to the test.

Get out there, have some fun, and I'll see you on the ice!

Stick and shoots, Caps games and a new 'Piece'

The leaner me. Thanks Hockey!

It's been a bit of a hectic life these past few weeks. I've been terrible about updating the blog and I while I know I should update daily to get the most out of my hockey experience, there just isn't enough time! We might see a bit more focus from me on the daily hockey front come the summer and into the next season as I settle into things a bit more.

I've been making some time every week or two for a few hours of ice time, and would you believe it, I can sort of stop to the left! It's such a momentous occasion! I should probably buy a cake and ice cream to celebrate. It's not pretty, and I can't do it at all times, but when I'm thinking about it, going in at the right angle, and am not going too fast, I can make a hockey stop to the left side. With a few more times out on the ice to practice, I can see learning to use it mid play as well.

Other things I've started to see about my play have been getting frozen while on the back peddle playing D. I feel I commit too much to a forward push when I should be looking to turn and burn with the opponent instead. I've had a few too many bad (see: unforced) turnovers when moving in zone as well. Both of these make me realize just how new to the game I really am. But as a little boost to the old ego, I've mentioned a few times that this is my first year ever playing ice hockey and many people have said that's really impressive considering how I play already. Still, there is a lot of 'in progress' when it comes to my on ice play.

I'm still hovering around 187-188, depending on the amount of water/food in my system. I feel really good about it, as my workout time has diminished some with school. I usually get one or two good runs in a week and as mentioned above, a hockey day/night once every week or so. My eating habits have only slightly improved from before, but I'm far more active and busy than before. Even when going to school, I get a bit of workout from the quarter mile hike I have to make from my Jeep to the classroom (CCBC parking is a miserable situation when you need to be in the art department!). Doing this 3 of the 4 times I go to class gives me a little bit a workout that seems to wake my body up just enough.

Here we go...

Caps games have kept me glued to the television every few days and I've even been able to attend two since my birthday. One against the Stars and this past Friday versus the Thrashers. The game against the Thrashers was the most fun I've had yet at a game. The feel inside Verizon was just intense. A really great experience from start to finish with a beautiful girl by my side the entire night.

The Presidents Trophy Presented to the 2009-10 Washington Capitals

Seeing the Presidents Trophy presentation was a special extra, and the Fan Appreciation hockey stick sale was a great chance to pick up a brand new or used stick from the players own stock. I dug through the sticks during two intermissions and finally found one that I was going to call my own, a Keith Aucoin Warrior Dolomite composite that will routinely run you a cool $170 I picked up for $99. With a blade with a near identical in curve to my CCM Ovechkin wood stick, I just need to cut it down to size and throw some tape on. There were a few used sticks that I had considered picking up, but I felt I'd much rather a new stick that I wouldn't hesitate using for my own game instead.

My new 'piece'

First Star Alex Ovechkin

A few Red Hooks, a pizza, and a win later, my wife and I headed out to the concourse to pick up my stick and then hit the store for some swag for our last game of the season. My wife made out like a bandit picking up a zipper sweatshirt, a reebok capitals hockey shirt, and a old school looking hat. The hats section is where we spent the majority of our time, taking photos of her in each so she could see what they looked like. They really need to put a mirror next to the rack...

My beautiful Date

So with the regular season coming to an end yesterday, the beard is begun and I wait with baited breath for the coming storm that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs. If last year was any indicator it's going to be another amazing couple of months worth of hockey.

Artwork signed by Eric Fehr

I hope to get down to Kettler sometime in the coming week or two to try and get with Jose Theodore and Alex Ovechkin for their John Hancock on the pieces I worked up for the Saves For Kids foundation. With any luck I'll have them up and online for bidding before the end of the first playoff series. For those of you with connections/access, if you can help in this regard, I'll be looking to promote these auctions all around the web/community. And if anyone can get me a few minutes of face time with either of those two players, I'd love to hear from you!

Another Open Hockey

With another game of open hockey under my belt, I'm dead tired and rather sore. My right knee being the major sore point, will have to do some additional strengthening of my legs and joints as I go forward I think.

This was only my second Open Hockey, with only two Stick and Shoot sessions as well as a single day of Canal shinny, I'm looking forward to the day I can't count my hockey experiences in single digits! There is only so much time to get to the rink while classes are going unfortunately and some of that time I end up being stuck working on projects! In fact I've delayed tonight's session at least two weeks or so thanks to sleeping in or late nights working on a project or two. With Spring Break coming up after this week, I will likely spend most of that time on the ice and getting down to Kettler to watch the boys practice.

The game went well enough for how few participants there were. We started off red and white against green and black, with 8 and 9 players respectively. The game kicked off going 4 on 4, which made complete sense, since we just didn't have the player volume to withstand full speed 5 on 5. Another guy or two showed up late and someone though to make it a 5 on 5, which would have been fine, had no one left early. But not everyone can stay the entire night, and by the half way point, we were down to 6 or 7 a side and still playing an ugly 5 on 5 thanks to a lack of any real bench time. I found myself getting one good hard skate to either end before having to relegate myself to playing as a body in the way with a stick out to the passing lanes.

The night went well enough with the over abundance of ice time though. I find my passing is more on point than before, with only a few later passes being too hard or too far off the mark. Sticking to the right side D for most of the game, I occasionally jumped into a play when possible, only to have the other 'D man' to not fall back on the play when the puck got away! Zone play and passing to the open man isn't exactly a strong point when playing open hockey though, so it's always to be expected. It's not like we were keeping score or anything!

I really can't understand some players thinking when it comes to open hockey though. They take such offense to some peoples lack of ability and are so vocal on the bench that I just couldn't keep my mouth shut any longer. When someone can't play well, it's likely because they're new! When they can't keep their head up while playing the puck, it's because they're new! Stop complaining, you never know who else is new on the bench that you're starting to piss off with your constant complaining! Fortunately, after a quick, maybe slightly aggressive, talk with the worst of the complainers, the pissing and moaning about our teammates stopped and the on ice play by those players became more team oriented. I call that a win.

The night ended well with everyone being dead tired and smiles all around as the buzzer sounded for us to head off. A quick fist bump to my team and a few for the opposing players still around and off to the locker room I went.

The burn out of ice time removed, it was a good hard practice for me. A lot of hard skating, with a few good stick in the lane defensive plays, and just a hand full of good passes up the boards and middle. I think my zone play suffered as I tried to get forward a bit more often to try and join the rush, but many times I found myself having to move to forward as the D positions were filled when I got on ice. I don't think myself an effective forward because of a lack of skating ability and puck handling in zone with pressure.

Passing: + A few good passes and a bit more heads up play.
Shooting: = I don't think I took a single shot the entire time I was on the ice
Skating: + Catching up to more experienced players on the break away
Puck Handling: = A few too many turnovers from opposing player takeaways
Zone: = Next skate will focus more on this instead of getting into the play
Cardio: + Hour or more on the ice with a bit of speed left on a few plays at the end

Caps Art/Story Book

I've finally finished my 2D Design project. While it's not 100% as great as it could be, it's good for what time I had to invest in the project. I think the text could have been a bit more inspired and the innards layout could likely be tweaked a bit for a nicer look, but on the whole I'm proud of it as a change of pace piece that I really put a lot of time and thought into. From start to finish I had a lot of fun and stress with this project. Now that it's over I'm looking forward to hearing the critique on it and moving on to my next project.

The photos to follow show the entire project as it's supposed to be viewed in sequence. Enjoy!

Leafs at Caps in Sharpie

Here's what I've been knee deep in for the past week. You've seen some stuff before but these are the actual scans of the images instead of a photo. Note the two extra pics (ovi and theo), the more detailed, larger pictures are hopefully bound for signatures in the near future, and if all goes well, auction for Saves for Kids.

Enjoy!

Artwork Signed

A trip to Kettler for the Morning Skate this morning turned out rather well. I hung out for a while and watched the warm ups to start off. I brought a sketchbook along as well and drew a quick sketch of Varly since he was the most stationary figure out there! Nothing special, just trying to get used to drawing things in more constant motion. Much more fun than say still life! Eventually the ice began to clear after what looked like a good start to the day. The players all had smiles and looked to be having a good time just being out on the ice. I was quite jealous, and was bemoaning having left my skates at the house as a Public Skate had started up as the caps were finishing up, but I'll get my fix come Friday at Rockville I suppose.

I decided that since Fehr had agreed to sign the piece and I needed to catch him after he'd already changed, I would be best served by heading to the Caps front desk. I was met with a bit of skepticism as expected, but I explained the situation some and the lady made a call to the back, and I was asked to have a seat. I did so, and did my best not to get 'starstruck' as player after player and even Ted Leonsis roamed the hall. I had a meeting set, and they were kind enough to let me stick around while I waited. So I stayed on my best behavior and didn't hound every person that passed for their autograph!

Eventually Eric came out, I stood and greeted him with a handshake. To start off I handed over the copy I had made for him, the cheapo frame job made it a much nicer presentation. I then pulled out the other that he agreed to sign, and he did so. Showing him the others I was working on he asked if I wanted him to get Mike Green to sign one, which I couldn't have been happier to hear! I handed it to him and he headed to the back to find Green and returned art signed.


I can't thank Eric enough for his help on this. I'm hoping to get the other two with Theodore and Ovechkin signed as well, but that's going to have to be another day. In the end I want to get these put up for auction and put 100% of that money to Theodore's Saves for Kids fundraiser. If anyone has any info on how I can get in touch with either of those two, past standing around hoping outside of Kettler, I would appreciate it. Stay tuned for more!

Art for Fehrsy

Was able to get all of the pieces finished this weekend. The above is for Fehr, who asked if I wouldn't mind making one for him. I hit up Micheal's earlier today in search of a cheap way to frame the piece, found this one on clearance and think it works wonderfully for the 3.99 price tag! Much better than handing it over and saying 'Good luck getting it home in one piece!' I'll likely get similar frames for the others I've done.

Hope to get with a few of the other guys, namely Theo, Ovi and Green who are prominent in the other three. We'll see if they're not too busy considering it's a game day.

Project Update

I've gone back and redone one of the images from my project. I'm thinking that the ones I've done previously will end up being for the school project where these will end up as solitary pieces.

I was also able to get in touch with Eric Fehr about signing the piece, who said he would gladly sign it, even asking if I wouldn't mind making one for him as well. I'll be busting my butt to finish the ones with the boys in them by Monday morning and get down to Kettler for the morning skate. The singles will just be mounted on plain backgrounds and hopefully, I can get them out to the community for auction to support Caps charities.

My wife and I will also be attending the Caps game Monday! Can't wait! See you in Section 100!

Running with the inspiration.

With my last project (which netted me a 100/100 btw), I was able to capture a bit of inspiration from the Caps, most notably, Theodore and his fundraising effort. Another project in much the same vein was laid out for us just the other day, so I decided to follow this line even further in creating more hockey art!

Here are a few work in progress shots of the stuff I'm knee deep in right now, enjoy!






All of the work is done by taking photos from the Caps/Leafs game my wife and I attended and desaturating the color and ramping up the contrast. The photos are printed and laid under tracing paper where I picked out the details using a sharpie. Text from the game recap and some additional sources will be laid in the background with varying fonts and sizes to emphasis the sense of story. They'll also be laid in a format yet to be determined. Stay tuned for more and finished photos (eventually!). I had considered trying to get the boys to sign the pieces, we'll see if I can make that happen or not, Ted if you're reading, hook a young artist up!