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!

Gear!

Well, I've finally acquired the last of my gear! Tomorrow night I'll be putting it to the test in Rockville with a good friend!


Of course I couldn't wait to try it all on! The dogs were not fans though...

See ya on the ice!

Gear Update: Gloves

Finally picked up a set of gloves! These are last years Vector 08's, regularly $89 or so, was able to snag them for $50 ($66 shipped). Fit great, if a bit rigid. I'm looking forward to getting out to Rockville to try them out a bit.

Next up: Helmet w/cage.

What does this game cost anyways?

When you're trying to break into a sport like hockey, you become uniquely aware of the up front costs involved. There are obvious purchases that will make your wallet whimper as you dole out hundreds for a single piece of equipment, but then there are hidden costs that you likely didn't even know you needed or had even thought about when you decided you would pour your free time into the game.

My venture began with a few public skates using rentals at a few local rinks. At around $12 a skate, I quickly realized where much of my 'spare' income was going to sink itself. This is one of the few sports you need a special place to play the game in it's natural element. Ice is hard to come by in many places, let alone ice that you're willing to skate on. While yes, you can indeed just play it on the street with a ball, it's a different experience entirely to play out your NHL fantasies on solid sheet of the slippery hard stuff. Should you want to spend a lot of time out on the rink, you're going to rack up a lot of cost quickly. Pick up and Stick time will likely run you $10 or more per session, soaking up $520 a year from your pocket should you only go once a week!

To skate in rentals is an effort in masochism should you try and endure it more than once. Your going to want your own set of skates, and you will pay out your nose to get a good pair that will make your time on the ice a bit more comfortable. You could buy those bargain bin throwaways of course, and your feet will pay. Your feet are your livelihood in nearly all things, so expect to pay upwards of $600 for the top of the line. If you're like me, you want a middle ground of cost/effectiveness where you're getting the most for your buck. Picking out a set of Bauer Vapor X40's, I made sure my wife knew what I wanted when Christmas came around. $350 or so later, I'm skating in comfort.

Sticks run the full gamut of price ranges from the super cheap to the super expensive, and again, you get what you pay for. But for starters, wood sticks are enough to get you going, and there are actually a good amount of options should you do some searching. Expect to drop around $35-50 for a quality wooden stick. Composites are the hotness when it comes to transferring power from your hands to the puck, and that power transfer comes with a price. With some of the most expensive going for nearly $250 a piece and the cheaper side going from $70-100 it's going to be up to you to determine how much your shot is worth to you. Expect to see this n00b sitting toward the lower end of this spectrum for some time to come, unless another gift giving season comes around!

Gloves, Helmets, Shoulders, pants, shins, elbows, jock shorts, and a face mask. Did you consider how much all of this stuff was going to run you when you decided to start playing this game? I don't think I gave it much serious consideration. With all of these things, your running the price tag up anywhere from $25 to $100+ per piece of protective equipment! How much is your personal protection worth to you? How good is your insurance? After working out middle ground equipment using an online shopping cart, I found myself breaking the $400 mark rather quickly. Can I play yet?

Even with all of this out of the way, there are still more expenses to consider! Jerseys, hockey socks, under gear moisture wicking garments, suspenders, mouth piece, tape, and skate sharpening are yet more pieces of the personal hockey expense! Once sorted, you're finally ready to take to the ice fully prepared for a full contact game of hockey.

With any luck, I'll have figured out much of my own hockey budget by the summer. Without it, I'll be slowly gathering equipment bit by bit for the next year and a half! Is the cost worth it? Ask me in a year! I can tell you now though, I'm near certain of my answer already.

I Love My Wife.

I really don't think I need to say much about this. She is awesome.

Now to head to Kettler and get them baked. Things just stepped up a knotch!