wildebeest

Yeah, that visor's huge, but that scar on the right cheek is testament to what happens when you wear one of those tiny visors.

Here's a few from the Phoenix Coyotes adult skills clinic they held earlier this week at Jobing.com Arena. Me hanging out at the blue line doing.... something. More blue line lounging action. Getting a "handle" on the puck. Oh yeah, this is some hot water break action!! Fun stuff.

Reminds me of a story in the book "Nickel and Dimed": “The worst, for some reason, are the Visible Christians — like the ten-person table, all jolly and sanctified after Sunday night service, who run me mercilessly and then leave me $1 on a $92 bill. Or the guy with the crucifixion T-shirt (someone to look up to) who complains that his baked potato is too hard and his iced tea too icy (I cheerfully fix both) and leaves no tip at all. As a general rule, people wearing crosses or WWJD? (“What Would Jesus Do?”) buttons look at us disapprovingly no matter what we do, as if they were confusing waitressing with Mary Magdalene’s original profession.” It's a great book and at least a few parts of it are consistent with experiences I had serving in Uncle Sam (walton's) Army. I've said it before about getting hook-ups in shops... be consistent, respectful and don't make a production out of it and you'll be getting lower-than-retail prices without even having to ask.

I kid because I care.

That has to be the ugliest girls team I've ever seen.

The official Edge jerseys look pretty nice -- everything is sewn on and all the patches are embroidered. They feel kinda thick, but not as thick as the old style jerseys. They're usually in the $200-$240 range, depending on the number of patches on them. The replica stuff, however, is kinda terrible. The main crest is embroidered, but it's ironed onto the jersey. the shoulder patches are screened onto the the patch material and then ironed onto the shoulders. They feel weird, almost shiny like what they used to make dazzle fabric basketball jerseys out of, but not quite that shiny. Pretty chintzy for $100 if you ask me.

16.5" shins and medium elbow pads? Are you Manute Bol?!

question about the 9k shoulder pads -- what is with the extra little velcro flap that hangs down a bit on the bicep part? Mine didn't come with any removable extensions and the elbow pads don't connect there or anything... am I missing something?

I finally got every single piece of my old, smelly, play-it-again-special stuff replaced... yay for my car not smelling like the locker room at Oceanside Ice!! Helmet: Black CCM 692 with an itech shield (the $30 one, whatever it's called) Shoulders: RBK 9K. snug, light, protects my flimsy right shoulder, got it for super cheap. Elbows: TPS FLEXOR!! They fit good and they sound like they'd be a cool name for a robot. Gloves: Easton Air something-or-others, I don't remember the model. They're black, the back looks kinda square-ish and they have the little Wrist Wrap II thing that comes all the way out to the bottom of my elbow pads. Pants: Hespeler GX Vintage -- padding where it counts, they fit like no other and they look super old-school. Gretzky wore 'em, 'nuff said. Shins: Itech Techlite 255. The only pair of shinguards I've ever seen that actually fit all the way around my calves. I took the little removable pad out of the shin area and they feel sooooo gooooood. Skates: CCM Tacks 492 for serious playing -- They feel good enough to sleep in. And some old Bauer Chargers for just putzing around because they weigh absolutely nothing and I can skate super low in them. I use nothing but Sher-Wood woodies with the John LeClair pattern. I usually buy 2 or 3 at a time whenever I see them because I don't think they're being made anymore. :(

I second the Silvertide mention, along with Lucero (from Tennessee, not Mexico), Farside, Hot Water Music and call me old.... Pearl Jam.