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!

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!