fatwabbit

JR, I havent been back here for some time as I've had to unofficially hang up my skates last year. Sorry to hear about whats going on, and no one will know what is going through your mind. I hope and pray that you continue to keep strong and be there for your family. Kev in Brisbane.

Got a message from my parents on 31 Dec, that my grandmother had passed away. She was 95. That was the last day she was going to spend at the old folks home. My parents were going to move her to a hospice the following week so that she could receive more specialised care. The doctors had already thought that she had another year max to live, but her health was deteriorating fast. The last time I saw her, in my heart I felt that it would be the last time I would see her. She didnt recognise me then, and wasnt answering any of the questions I had asked her. I live in Australia, while my parents and her are in Singapore. I wanted to fly back, but my dad told me that her wish was for her grandchildren like myself to not return as it was a big inconvenience. Yesterday was Day 7 after her passing, and in the Asian culture (and I think others as well) there are beliefs that the recently passed would always try to communicate with you. I got a message from my mum that a large brown and white moth had landed in her balcony. And to which I recalled seeing a brown and white butterfly in our yard yesterday.... and we never have butterflies in our yard. I remember it flying around me a couple times before flying off. When I told my wife about the picture my mum sent me of the moth, my wife said she had also seen a brown and white butterfly in the garden at church (two blocks away). I told a colleague of mine about it, and she told me that these things happen, where the recently passed tries to tell those they have left behind that they are loved. And she also told me that I didnt have to fly to Singapore, as my granny flew to me instead. RIP Mama... I love you.

42 here, and game time is normally Sunday evenings. Lunch is normally some Asian spicy food depending on what the wife wants to eat. She's very petite (4'11 vs my 6' frame) so she doesnt eat much. I normally just finish what she cant eat. 1.5 hours before the game I might have a PB&J, otherwise its just a choc bar or banana, and plenty of water in the car to the rink. Edit. Forgot to mention that my team is part-sponsored by a place that does fried chicken. So if we have an early game, we convene at the joint to partake in some beer and wings.

No stick and puck in my area, let alone time for team practice sessions. We did get lucky with the league committee agreeing to get some ice time at lunchtime for drop in once a week. So far the turnouts have been pretty good, and a great mix of skills as its open to many people in A, B, and C level. I was a little apprehensive at the start, but noticed that many of the A level players tend to split themselves up between the two teams, making it more evenly strengthed. There is plenty of chirping between guys who know each other well (even the C level players), and I think everyone has a good time. More are wiling to try moves or passes they might not typically do during the league game, and it keeps the game at a decent pace.

I havent really had much chirping done on ice as compared to when I played inline. Having said that though, the 'chirping' I heard (most against me) when I played inline was borderline racist comments, which didnt affect me except for once... I spent the next two shifts of that game trying to line the chirper up after that, and was rightly told to sit the next shift and get my head back in the game. Best response I gave that guy was just pointing to the scoreboard, when we were already 7-0 up. I've been playing ice for the last 18 months or so, and through that time have gotten to know some of the guys from the other teams pretty well. During the game its all business, but its all hand shakes, pats on the back and laughs after the game. As for blocking shots, I agree with those above ... its all depends on you. I dont think any teams force you to block a shot. Most if not all the players will have to be at school, work etc the next day, so its about how you want to play the game. For me, shot blocking is a big part of my game, and its how I've always played. I know my goalies appreciate it, and they tell me not to change how I play. I treat a successful blocked shot like an assist

I love it how they have all this friendly rivalry between the Police and Fire Dept. Wish they had that here as well!

Dont forget that the balance point changes with every cut you make (both for OPS and 2piece), but noticeably more with the OPS. Ive been contemplating going back to 2 piece for a while, but seems like good deals for new-old-stock OPS come up from time to time that is comparable to a 2 piece setup.

Thanks @Larry54

I had the old Mission compression shirt, and it worked well. I washed it after every game, didnt have to think twice about it falling apart. 7 years old and still going strong.

I cant find the tutorial that I included in this thread. I did a pictorial of how I did my conversions in the past.

Stand on a platform that is 3-4" higher than the puck while shooting?

One of the guys here told me that he read my old post on this. I think looking back, that was when I had one kid, and plenty of time in the garage. Now, I've got three kids, no garage, and little time to dabble with gear. For what its worth, it was a good experience getting some blades taken out from broken OPS, but these days I dont have the time to do it. And also, with OPS going to the 'true' one piece rather than fused two piece, its not as easy to be able to do the conversion. I still convert broken sticks to tapered shafts, but its a lot less work to just cut the shaft and just insert a blade.

Got a couple of slightly used Base BC71 RH blades for sales/trade. Looking for possibly $40 each plus ship. Looking for a couple of BC27 tapered blades.

Sherwood had the PP77 Coffey curve, not sure if they have any in stock. They had some about 3 months ago. http://www.icewarehouse.com/blade_desc.html?styleref=72555&size=Senior&brandcat=SHERCURVE