badger_14

YMMV, of course. I like to feel the puck, but I also like to see shots I'm more likely to see in a game - and a slapshot from the blueline is nearly never one of those. I also like to move around, so getting shots from other distances. I usually stretch before I get on the ice.

At some pickups I've gone to, warm-ups entail firing slapshots at me from the blueline and - no, actually, that's about it. Slapshots from the blueline. Also attempts to deke me out. Once, it involved a guy firing a shot at my head and when I was annoyed, telling me that my mask would protect me. My Saturday pick-up spoils me outrageously with a proper warm-up, actual defence, and genuine concern for my safety. (and an apparently infinite reservoir of patience for my slow and uneven growth as a goalie.) It's hard not to cheer on even an opposing goalie. Heck, I cheer on other goalies at practice. I think it's the coach mode. Not that I don't want to win, but a nice pass or a great save or a well-timed shot is what it is, and being sort of mercenary about pick-ups I might be playing with or against almost anyone in the area. Same as when I was a skater. Watching actual hockey games, though? Oh, so much worse now. I was watching even some vintage games the other day and wincing for both goalies. "Ouch. That was an awful goal. I'm so sorry. You deserve a beer." But also a little inspired, on the lines of, "I hate you and your athleticism, how did you even do that? brb, going to the gym."

Made a snappy glove save today. The puck made an exceptionally satisfying sound as it thumped into the pocket. I felt like I played well - and pretty much everyone came up to me and noted that I was suddenly playing a lot better, in particular the last two weeks. Maybe the new gear helps? Funny thing is, last week I was very nervous about anyone getting near me in the crease, because of being smashed into last month - but at the same time I've become a lot more aggressive with shooters and other trespassers. Coming out to challenge, poke-checking, prodding people's skates if they come too close for comfort. Butterfly slides are an elusive skill. I do kind of a sideways knee-shuffle although most of the propulsion is coming from shifting my hips. The new skates were, of course, freshly sharpened, but it was less irritating this time around than it was when I had the previous new skates. I think I should probably just tell the sharpener next time not to put so much bite into them. I've never asked for anything on my skates (player or goalie) that wasn't a standard hollow, so I'm not sure what to ask for. I probably won't need to ask for at least another couple of months, at least. Also this week I took my old pads and played goalie for some local roller hockey guys. Interesting contrast as always. Some of the roller hockey players gloat over their goals like they're in the Cup finals. Gets a bit tiresome, but you can't really be like hey, knock it off, scoring on me of all people is not an accomplishment, you know? Do other guys get irked when players do that? (I don't care if people are happy they scored, scoring is fun). If I remember, and can find a camera to do the job, I'll try and get some video next week.

I meant that it didn't hit the protective part of the cowling - which is handily covered by my pads. The trick is to avoid getting hit in the skates by that particular player's shots, is all.

The shot cracked more the holder than the cowling part, something I think could've happened to anyone's skate if they got in the way. I've certainly seen holders get cracked, break mid-stride, even seen blades break. Weird things happen. Cracked is a bit of a misnomer - the piece in the photo was actually coming off, and only held on at the point of the triangle. I didn't get in position quickly enough and the guy in question has a hell of a shot - he's very, very good, and actually almost never shoots on me or the other goalie, he usually passes to someone else. I imagine there was some defect in the plastic, but thankfully under warranty. If it's covered, after all, why not?

2.5 hours has me pretty well sold on the pads. I was thinking of trying the Brian's straps, actually. I saw them on the actual Brian's pads, but I haven't seen them for sale separately in brick & mortar stores (actually, I didn't check The Simian Sports Outlet because it was right about closing time for them and I was exhausted). I'm pretty happy not using anything, but as noted I'm Hasek on a drunken bender and like to sprawl and stretch and bend. If they can keep things in place without being too tight, or coming loose and getting under my skates, I'm interested. How have you found the attachment to the pad, and the velcro on the ends? Beedee - the cowling mishap was funny because I just didn't think it would be broken and continued playing for two hours on the assumption that I needed a sharpening or my skate laces had come undone. Or that I was just terrible. Also, getting video or photos would involve having a camera and a friend to operate it who is not also playing hockey. My dad has a dash cam that I might be able to duct-tape to one of the stanchions.

No one had the ice after us this morning, so we ended up playing for somewhere around two and a half hours. Lots of guys commenting on how much better I've gotten since starting. I felt like I was on a roll today (up until the last 15 minutes or so, at which point I would've preferred to tend goal by lying there like a slug and tripping anyone who came near me), felt extra-aggressive covering the puck. I was still pretty nervous when people came speeding by my crease, once burned twice shy and all that, but after a couple of good saves I felt much better. The new pads feel great. I decided I hate toe-ties/laces. These pads actual stay in place on the skate much better than the old ones did (less thumping the pads back into alignment), but at the same time rotate better. They're stiffer and a little heavier (by virtue of being senior vs. junior) and felt awkward for about 10 or 15 minutes but that cleared up. Also, they slide a lot better, which took some getting used to (flexibility to the rescue). It is very pleasant to have pads that fit, and I was a lot less worried about pucks hitting the inside or the top of my knee. My knee is definitely squarely on the landing gear. The very top strap may be extraneous for me, but I'll consider it. I didn't use it this time, but I might try next time just to see how it feels. I had to finagle the leather straps a bit to get the excess to stay out of the way, which I think is because they're new and still stiff. About a half-hour into the skate, one of the players fired a shot that hit my skate and ended up breaking the holder. I didn't actually realize it was broken until I was getting undressed two hours later. I had had the vague impression that the skate felt funny, like maybe my laces had come undone or something, but I was busy not getting completely shellacked and the skate was still functional. Fortunately, they were under warranty and when I took them to the shop, they outright replaced the whole pair. Fine with me, and certainly took less time than a repair might've. In case you are wondering yes that shot was a goal, it ended up ricocheting into the net.

Looks utterly slick.

Turns out all that "rust and corrosion" the mechanic told me about was holding my bike (bicycle) together. It is now virtually inoperable. Thanks a lot, bike shop.

You could've let me had my happy place at least until I played again, yannow. I do appreciate the advice. A lot of what I found online when I was looking (especially with higher-end stuff) was just too big for me - on craigslist and ebay, at any rate. I live in a place where there is a lot of used goalie equipment available, even in brick and mortar stores. (lots of kids growing out of pads, lots of midget/HS players quitting the sport). At the used store alone, I tried on CCMs, Bauers, Vaughn (two kinds of Vaughn), Brian's (ZeroG, too small), Reebok, I think an Itech in there. The Bauers will probably be an improvement over what I have been wearing, and suitable for playing a couple of times a week, but if not, well. Like you said, that's my money and my problem.

Same glove and blocker - they already match colorwise and the fit/protection was never a problem. They will look a bit grimy next to the pads, but I like to think I will fix that soon.

New (not just new-to-me) leg pads! Bauer Reactor 5000, white/black/red. (my phone makes them look blue, somehow) Can't wait to get back on the ice and try them out.

Having received my tax refund this week, of course I wanted to spend it immediately. Or rather: I needed pads that fit properly, and suddenly had the means to acquire them. I went to [used sporting goods store] first, was frustrated by the selection, but got some ideas about sizing. I ended up going down the road to [large warehouse store]. They had the biggest selection of pads I have ever seen in one place in my entire life. If I'd had more time I probably would've just stared for a good twenty minutes. Armed with a budget and a vague idea of sizing and whatever qualifies as my playing style, I tried on a CCM (the model escapes me - Extreme Flex 500, I think?), but it just felt too bulky. Weight wasn't a big deal - my pads are older but junior size, so they're about on par with the newer senior and intermediate models. I tried on a Bauer Reactor 5000 for comparison, and that felt great. Still speaking as a novice goalie, basically the CCM felt "wide" while the Bauer felt "narrow" - same width, virtually the same height, both 32"+1". The CCM felt like it would probably be good for someone who is very technical, who has a lovely, precise butterfly. I am not that person. My style on a good day could best be described as "Dominik Hasek on a drunken bender". The Bauer pad felt like it fit closer - more of an extension of my leg. I went with the Bauers, in white/black/red. I feel like absolute hell from all the time in the car (still not totally recovered from the concussion), but I'm so excited to have my very own brand new pads and I can't wait to try them out.

I let in a lot of dumb goals today but also made a lot of good saves, because the guys were really up-tempo and skating like mad. My favorite was one where a guy's stick got clipped as he took a wrist shot, so the puck bounce up in the air. Expecting a shot to the midsection I was already down, and ended up catching it right in my glove like a pop fly. Unfortunately, almost near the end of pickup two guys were skating in, one on my own team, full speed, and one of them caught an edge or something and they both went ramming into me. I fell pretty hard, and I think I hit my head on something or someone on the way down. I definitely have the concussion thing going, plus feeling like one big bruise in general. (don't worry, I'll see a doctor if anything gets really weird, and mostly I'm spending at least today asleep).

I was under the impression that after two hours (game and practice) I should have worked hard enough to exhaust myself. Beedee, we do a similar drill at the clinic. One coach stands in front of us, we come off the post to the top of the crease, take a shot, and go back to the opposite post. Or we start at the top, and the coach will shoot either glove side or blocker side, and the idea is to react to the puck and step toward whichever side to stop it. We can also butterfly, or slide, or whatever we want to work on. The head coach basically runs all the drills off a triangle model, having us work without a painted crease so we get muscle memory of where the goal is in relation to us, and don't need to rely on a visual aid. (watch the puck instead). (I'm amazed that people have stick practice that does not ultimately degenerate into pickup.) If you can wrangle another goalie, a fun one to try is putting two nets back to back, and having a bunch of skaters passing the puck around - they can shoot on either net at any time. Great for awareness and whatever movement you want to do.

Be well. Good thoughts your way.

Is this a tournament or did somebody actually think it was a good idea to schedule 4 games for a U-10 team in the same weekend in league play? (in any sport, honestly). No such luck the baseball and soccer will be held at the same park, I suppose?

I don't know if I just didn't work as hard this week, or if I'm getting stronger, because I felt really good after pickup & practice. Sore, but not like 'oh god I have to walk two blocks to the bus stop with my gear shoot me now' sore. I'm going to go with it being the latter because it makes me feel better to think that. Pickup game was really light - only eight guys, on our small ice, plus the goalies - and I made a lot of good stops, although 3v3 with one sub per side they get tired pretty fast. At the clinic we did movement, movement, movement. Shuffle from one side to the other, come out, go back, all triangles. Right leg is still a bit wonky coming off the post, and left leg is still wobbly on the shuffles, but overall better. I don't have the most precise technique but it does work at least most of the time. The coach noted that I have the flexibility to do a lot of things but the strength part hasn't quite caught up yet. Best thing for me about pickup is how the guys are always, always passing - I don't think I've ever just had one guy come in on a breakaway, they nearly always pass, so I have to work at reading the play and the puck, because unlike certain other pickups, I can't assume that the guy who just got the puck in the neutral zone is going to barrel in and fire a shot at me.

The guy's a thief, plain and simple. He didn't pay you for services rendered. He's also [words I can't say on a forum]. I'm sorry people are jerks.

Your rink's league provides some classy jerseys, man. No screen-printed one-color single mesh here, I see. Looks good!

Had a great interview this morning with a local ambulance company, and I'm scheduled to start my training with them in July. Finally, after much clawing and scrapping and hard work, I'm going to be an EMT.

Good job! I hope kid took a well-deserved nap after, migraines are the devil.

Maybe I'm just used to it, because it hurts, but it's never quite that bad. I mean it stings, but you just kind of keep playing and eventually it's just sore. I walk it off afterward when I have to get to the bus or train. At my Saturday pickup it's all wrist shots from close in- no one's taking a lot of major slapshots because it's smaller ice and none of them seem to be big fans of the slapshot anyway. (they just like passing all over the place to confuse me.) I probably land ... a little ahead of the landing gear, not all the way off it. I'm still hitting it. I have some extra chunks I can lace in. It's thin, not squishy. The pad itself is squishy, like a pillow. My C/A is an intermediate XL, which has partially adjustable arms. But the straps attaching the arms to the body are always getting twisted so I might find a way to have them permanently fixed in. At least, again, when I have money. It's 15% off everything, so it's not really all that much. I realize also I don't have a ride to the middle of nowhere the store, and renting a zipcar just to poke around isn't really work it. If I want to poke around at goal pads that I can't afford I can just take the bus to the smaller LHS. It's not a priority right now, I was just curious what people thought of them, that's all.

I'm 28 and 5'6". The more I play the more I realize the 30's are just a hair too small for me - I could probably go with 31 or 32, depending on the maker. I got my pads at Play It Again Sports when I was still playing just ball hockey, so they weren't really sized so much as 'what feels like it fits reasonably well'. At the time there was also a pair of 32" reebok ... revoke? I think, but they felt too clumsy. By squishy I do mean soft. They flex well and I don't have any problems with the impact of pucks. The landing gear is a bit thin and I do get nailed right above the knee rather often. I think there's a picture of me somewhere in this thread with my pads on. I can't really afford anything right now, I mean, I don't think I can even spare the money to get knee pads, but it's nice to look. The local chain's goalie expo just happened to be coming up. I look at craigslist now and then but half of what's on CL is like ... 26" munchkin pads and half is 37" tree pads. (who the heck wears 37+2 pads, Groot? Chewbacca? Jeez.)

Feeling fine and dandy in the skates this morning, except the stiffness, but that's going away. Coach was excited to see that I now have actual goalie skates and he can teach me to move properly. Had a few decent saves and a few awful goals in pickup. I'm a little gun-shy after having been sat on twice in the past month, and it takes me about 5-10 minutes to get past that and get moving without worrying about being pancaked. My hip (just the one) is confounding me. Last Friday it stiffed up so badly I felt like I couldn't move my leg properly. It seems to be a combination of low back, hip flexor, and IT band tightness, and I'm working on it at the gym, or trying to. The other leg is fine, but the right one needs to get with the program. I'm also feeling like maybe I should try some slightly larger pads - 30s might not be cutting it for me. The local hockey chain is having a goalie shindig next weekend so perhaps I can find a good deal. Another goalie at the clinic suggested the Bauer Reactor 2000s. Right now I have RBK X-Pulse 9000s (junior), which aren't at all bad pads (they are quite - squishy? - for lack of a better term). Anyone have words about the Bauer line?