The Venting Spot

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Shortest game I've ever played tonight...

We started the game with 9 forwards and 4 D-men. Then first shift of the game, the “top line” (captain is the center on it and refuses to break it up under any circumstance) LW is nowhere to be found, and ref is waiting. so i jump on, no big deal. captain lets me know that that isn’t my spot. No shit.

So first whistle I skate to the bench “who is supposed to be on this line?” … nothing. Okay, so I’ll play the rest of this shift then.

I get to the bench and I’m like “okay so I’m 3rd line, who are the other two? I look down the end of the bench to the 3 worst players on our team who apparently are LW, C and RW of line 3. Ohhhhkay? “So do we have an extra then?” Apparently so, the top line LW finally shows up.

So I sit there as things go through the lines a full time through, and finally captain decided he’s actually going to captain and says “chris is going in for 3rd line RW next shift”. Okay, so I do.

Next time through, I call over to the 3rd line LW “I’m going for you next shift, you’re sitting a shift” and he’s like “no I have to go this time I didn’t get to go last time”. … WHAT? I have no idea how the hell THAT happened. I have no idea who went for him. So then the 3rd line center (the worst player on our team, by quite a bit) tells me to just go for him. Okay cool.

I go in on an icing. I win the face-off in their zone, but their wings jump in and take it away from ours right away. They go down the ice and score (2-1 for us at that point).

Back to center. They win the face-off (pushed it past me) and go in and score again after our D both get beat (remember, we have 3 of our worst 4 players on the team on the ice for both these goals). 2-2 tie.

Then the top line I guess decided to take it upon themselves to jump on. I’d been out there maybe 20 seconds at most. There was about a minute left of the 1st period at that point, and I’d had 3 shifts.

It never came back to our line again before the period ended. Once the period ended, I got up and went to get undressed and go home.

I’m angry at the captain for most of this. First, he needs to figure the lines out. It’s not good enough to say “best two wingers play with me, and thats all I care about”. But to just dump the 4 worst players on one line and be surprised when they have two goals scored on them and take them off the ice is another. We all paid our money to be there.

I already didn't like this team after the first couple games for being unorganized and unable to do line changes without mass confusion, but it drives me nuts how the captain has absolutely zero interest in giving any sort of direction, but just argues with you when you try to offer suggestions or advice (and heaven forbid you suggest a modification of the lines to more easily accommodate an extra body).

I'm so glad I didn't pay money for a team jersey yet (since he still hasn't even ordered them and we're half way through the season almost already). I don't plan to be with them this fall.

[Hills 712]

Man, how can people be so incompetent. Sounds like someone else has to step up and say "who gives a shit, random lines at the beginning and have fun"

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Man, how can people be so incompetent. Sounds like someone else has to step up and say "who gives a shit, random lines at the beginning and have fun"

Keep in mind this is Div6. Lines make no bloody difference at all. If you have one too many people, just suck it up, you won't get to play with your buddies for the entire game.

It wouldn't bother me so much if the captain actually tried being a captain in any capacity besides sending out schedule change emails. D6 beer leaguers NEED a vocal captain, otherwise everyone gets lost and confused.

At the beginning of every game, after the warmup, our entire team is usually on the ice waiting for the captain to finish schmoozing with the refs or his buddies on the other team (one of those guys who apparently is best buds with EVERYONE) so we can work out how he wants lines to go. He figures out his line (his two buddies) and then sends the rest of us to the bench to figure the rest out for ourselves. Why this shit isn't determined in the dressing room first is beyond me.

Edited June 30, 2014 by OptimusReim

[Hills 712]

I know the feeling.

I played on a bunch of individual's teams and they were basically like this. The team I am on now is the bottom division but they seem semi competent when it comes to figuring out lines (at least I think as I am defence and don't have to deal with that).

[MatthewRoach7 130]

Shit like this has happened in leagues I have played in too. The part about the capt picking his line to start and sends the rest to the bench to figure it out hit the nail right on the head. Do/did you guys have alt capts that maybe could have spoke up and helped out?

[chippa13 1844]

Standard beer league rule: give up 2 goals and your shift is over.

[Chadd 916]

Two goals against and I'm heading for the bench before anything else goes wrong.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Usually I'm the same, kind of "screw it, you guys try instead".

[JR Boucicaut 3795]

Same situation happened to me last fall. First game we went to a shootout. It went through the entire team - I was the newest player on the team so he ends up skipping me and goes twice...then it kept going, and his buddies all got two shootout attempts (the 3rd guy finally ended it.)

Mind you, I hadn't paid to be in a league for like 10 years previous to that, and since it was my first time paying in so long, I naturally was pissed off.

I played one more game for that team. Yep...I paid $400 for 2 games.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

The short shift was just kind of the last straw in that game for me. On any other night i would have WANTED off the ice like I said. It was mostly that the all-star top line took us off. Seriously, you guys put all the worst players on one line... What do you expect?

More just annoyance the the captain not bothering to manage his team than anything.

Can't wait for the new rink to be built here, definitely switching over there. If I'm lucky I can get in as captain of a new team.

[donkers 31]

that sucks luckily the last team i was on everyone came to me to make the lines even though i wasn't captn. i usually slot the weaker players on one wing and they rotate with each other or some variation of that. i never did a top heavy line because we always got killed that way the other teams can quickly tell when you do that and just wait for the right matchup.

i'm done with the bs in beer leagues i just play tournaments and pick up now. sometimes i get asked to sub every now and then and it makes me remember why i'm over the unnecessary drama.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

I tried to show some leadership on the bench, but they'd have none of it. I get the "you can barely skate, why would we listen to you?" looks.

[Davetronz 109]

Chris, not sure why some teams think it's necessary to run 10 F and 4 D when they've got 14 skaters.

The team I play goal for sounds similar. They run 10 or 11 up front and 4-6 back. I don't think anyone gets any ice time. Such a waste.

Drop the extra guy back and run 9F 5D.

The max I ever run on teams that I captain is 9 up front, usually 4-5 on D. We max out at 6 defense (and that only ever happens maybe once a season when everyone shows up). We run a 15 skater 1 goalie roster to keep the costs down, and like I said, it's rare that EVERYONE shows up all the time.

Edited July 1, 2014 by Davetronz

[chippa13 1844]

Best number for beer league is 10 skaters.

[Hills 712]

Best number for beer league is 10 skaters.

Except when the other team runs 3 lines and you lose all your energy.

But I do agree with you.

I let in 13 (or 14 can't remember) goals against tonight! 6 in the top division (Div 1) and 7 in the bottom division (Div 4)... big difference in quality of play there!

[RadioGaGa 162]

Best number for beer league is 10 skaters.

IMO, Best number for pickup is 10! For a league I like 3 forward lines and 2 pairs of D

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Yea 10 is best I agree. With 11 I'd run an extra D. With 12 I would personally roll 3 sets of wingers and two centers (though this hurts the all-stars on the team since they're not always together) and obviously 13 is easy to figure out.

14 and 15 is okay (one or two more D-men), if you hit 16 I'm just going home at that point. Pretty sure our roster is only 15 though.

I'm still a firm believer that in D6, I'd rather look at 6 forwards as pairs of LW, RW, and C rather than two lines. Lines are so completely unimportant at that level.

[215BroadStBullies610 435]

I think if any team can have set lines, its foster chemistry. That being said, the captain(s) should make room for adjustments depending on the game at hand. I'm extremely fortunate with the 'A' and 'B' teams I'm currently on. My captains establish balanced lines and aren't afraid to mix it up. They also aren't afraid of sitting players when we need a goal or defending a lead late in a game. There is a fine line though. This isn't our livelihoods. This is our passion. No need to treat every game like a Game 7. No need to be a jerk to your teammate(s) when he/she is giving up sleep on a weekday to play some hockey. I'm as competitive as any other person but it is a game at the end of the day. I feel for some you guys when it comes the nonsense you deal with just to play a game we are all crazy about. To bench a guy for 2 periods is absurd. It's MEN'S league. We all stink in some shape or form haha. If we didn't, we'd be playing some form of professional hockey. It baffles me that guys take men's league way too seriously. I know I won't ever play for a team that has a captain like that. Not worth the money or frustration.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

I think if any team can have set lines, its foster chemistry. That being said, the captain(s) should make room for adjustments depending on the game at hand. I'm extremely fortunate with the 'A' and 'B' teams I'm currently on. My captains establish balanced lines and aren't afraid to mix it up. They also aren't afraid of sitting players when we need a goal or defending a lead late in a game. There is a fine line though. This isn't our livelihoods. This is our passion. No need to treat every game like a Game 7. No need to be a jerk to your teammate(s) when he/she is giving up sleep on a weekday to play some hockey. I'm as competitive as any other person but it is a game at the end of the day. I feel for some you guys when it comes the nonsense you deal with just to play a game we are all crazy about. To bench a guy for 2 periods is absurd. It's MEN'S league. We all stink in some shape or form haha. If we didn't, we'd be playing some form of professional hockey. It baffles me that guys take men's league way too seriously. I know I won't ever play for a team that has a captain like that. Not worth the money or frustration.

I agree that set lines would be nice ideally (and certainly in higher divisions), but realistically in such a low division (many leagues don't even HAVE a D6) it hardly matters. That is, unless you get superstars like our captain and his buddies who probably shouldn't be in D6...

I mean, hell, we have guys who only got on skates for the first time a few months ago. I don't think it matters who they play with.

TL;DR: I truly don't believe there can really be line chemistry with players at this level (unless they shouldn't be at this level).

Edited July 1, 2014 by OptimusReim

[215BroadStBullies610 435]

Good point. Tell your superstar captain to simmer down haha. He should stop sand-baggin' and move up to 'C.' Then again, I'm sure he enjoys being in control and having the success fall on his shoulders. I always like playing against the best competition. He should really move up.

[Chadd 916]

IMO, Best number for pickup is 10! For a league I like 3 forward lines and 2 pairs of D

We have an older team that isn't the best conditioned and that works great for us.

[215BroadStBullies610 435]

It really is the perfect balance. Any more, you end having guys fight over ice time and one struggles to get into the 'men's league' rhythm.

[MThockeydad 469]

Guess I lucked out this year in my first year of playing leagues. We had pairs (or 3) of each RW, LW, and sometimes 2 centers, and 2 lines of D. None of us are hardcore enough to have "line chemistry", but we did have good enough "team chemistry" to have a lot of fun as a team. Captain did an awesome job of both "rallying the troops" and keeping it fun.

It's all about fun, exercise, camaraderie, and ice time. Sounds like a sucky team for you, Optimus. :(

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Guess I lucked out this year in my first year of playing leagues. We had pairs (or 3) of each RW, LW, and sometimes 2 centers, and 2 lines of D. None of us are hardcore enough to have "line chemistry", but we did have good enough "team chemistry" to have a lot of fun as a team. Captain did an awesome job of both "rallying the troops" and keeping it fun.

It's all about fun, exercise, camaraderie, and ice time. Sounds like a sucky team for you, Optimus. :(

Thats the way to go, especially at a lower division. The last team I was on technically had lines, but it really wasn't the end of the world if they got messed up. It was far more important to make sure you changed for your positional counterpart than to make sure you stayed with the same two guys on the ice.

[Chadd 916]

Everyone should be able to play with everyone else in the event of a scrambled change, but the more you get to play with the same people, the more you know what they are going to do in a given situation. Knowing those tendencies, as well as your own predispositions, helps out a lot on the ice.