The Goalie's Domain

Chat

Boards

Calculate

Chris: . . . . Thu, Nov 5, 11:37AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I just cleared the log. Sorry for the delay. The last one is a 6^th of a megabye (180k).

gbfreeman: . . . . Thu, Nov 5, 12:01AM PST (-0700 GMT)
smott, check out button The Penguins are suing the city!

C5: . . . . Thu, Nov 5, 12:05AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Welcome, Chatsters! Just FYI, remember that you can check out pix of other chatsters at this button ... and if you have pix of yourself you'd like to scan (or would like to send actual photos (with postage-paid SASE) for scanning), just email CatsFive at this button ...

Vile: . . . . Thu, Nov 5, 12:42AM PST (-0700 GMT)
well, balloting has begun for All-Star, altho I am not sure the international all-star game needs to be repeated. It was great last year, with the olympics, and I realize it was the best played game in a while, but it seems they are really bucking tradition. It seems nothing is sacred with the NHL.

Vile: . . . . Thu, Nov 5, 12:43AM PST (-0700 GMT)
That out of the way, who do you think the front runners should be?

Vile: . . . . Thu, Nov 5, 12:45AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I was pretty psyched to see Irbe on the list and voted for him. Perennial all-star Roy has played like crap... do you think he'll get it anyway?

Vile: . . . . Thu, Nov 5, 3:49PM PST (-0700 GMT)
hmm, maybe my previous statement about Roy was too harsh, sorry. The avalanche are smelling up the NHL, it is certainly a team problem not a case of poor goal tending.

Beatts: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 4:09AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Don't worry Vile...I lOVE hearing that Sir Patrick is playing like crap !! As you can tell I'm not a big fan...

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 5:36AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Well I think Patty is fighting the puck and not playing a whole lot better than his teammates...yes Arty has shown so good stuff so far eh?

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 5:37AM PST (-0700 GMT)
And how about Beezer? Hasek of course....but after that nobody really jumps out at me right now....I would always vote for Ollie though.

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 5:38AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yes, Pens now suing teh city on the preposterous charge that Pgh city council has depressed game attendance and cost the Pens money....Pgh council is a bunch of clowns actually - threatened to padlock the arena! But only because Marino hasn't coughed up rent for like a year....it's a mess.

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 5:39AM PST (-0700 GMT)
NHL needs to take over the franchise and find a responsible owner.

Sieve: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 8:01AM PST (-0700 GMT)
hi all. I vote Arty, Byron, Manny. I'm an underdog kinda guy. I'll also throw in an Ozzie whether he deserves it or not.

Sieve: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 8:08AM PST (-0700 GMT)
wow, I see Pat has 10 PIM's already... hehe, frustration setting in.

Sieve: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 8:15AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Thinking Mike Dunham as well...

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 8:24AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmm Arty, Manny, Dunham....the year of the PineRiders!

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 8:25AM PST (-0700 GMT)
JS Aubin gets his first NHL win as Pens come back to scorch Damien and the Sens....

snowman: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 8:44AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi all. My team finally on the ice. We were blown away in our 1st game 10-3 . We played a good half a game of hockey and then.....BOOM 6 goals go by. Shell shocked. Oh well!

Grass: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 8:44AM PST (-0700 GMT)
As the resident Beltway Dweller, I gotta go with 'Zilla of the CAPS

snowman: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 8:47AM PST (-0700 GMT)

snowman: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 8:51AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmmm....Why not Cujo and Kolzig

Vile: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 8:52AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Did anyone see the goal support for Trevor Kidd last night?

Vile: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 8:53AM PST (-0700 GMT)
If he had that kind of support before, he might not be second goalie now.

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 10:14AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Good support for Aubin too....he looked so awful on the first 2 goals, Pens went gulp OK no more shots on net!

C5: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 11:35AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Played the #1 team in upper double A last night, won 3-2, only had to make a couple good saves. Their goalie put on a clinic, but in the third trying to clear the puck offensively a la Roy he put the game winner in his own net off one of our guys' ankles. Not good.

C5: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 11:37AM PST (-0700 GMT)
oops. Saw my first ever STANLEY CUP RING last night. The goalie I'm filling in for showed up to cheer the team on and he used to work for the NJ Devils as a PR guy, the ring was incredible, absolutely incredible. It had their road record, home record, and sweep record on one side of the ring, and the NJ logo on the other side, with Stanley Cup Champions on the top, etc., and the ring was HUGE, heavy and all gold, with some tiny, (I thought) cheesy diamonds all over the top... but I was mucho impressed. His signature had been laser etched into the inside so that it was guaranteed genuine.

Tripp: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 12:00AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Big article in today's Edmonton Journal about Patty WAH's slump. They're comparing it to Hasek's slow start last year, saying that WAH isn't finished, he's just like a machine that won't run smoothly because it has a loose bearing. He has looked average this year, but it's hard for me to believe that he won't get around 25-30 wins this year. I'm by no means a WAH fan, but he's too damn good to keep playing like this.

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 12:22AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I think the whole team has loose bearings under the new coach. Patty has been leaky for sure, but he's not getting the help he's used to either. Dom on the other hand, is used to getting no help!

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 12:24AM PST (-0700 GMT)
JD waxing poetic on ESPN about parity in the league....saying how wonderful the goaltending is, to explain lack of scoring. Couldn't possibly be lack of talent could it? Expansion maybe? If everybody sucks, isn't that "parity" too JD? Heh heh heh...

fourqts: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 2:11PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Just finished the CPA exam yesterday and just wanted to let everybody know that it is a lot harder than stopping screen shots..... HEHE.... And Look for me on ESPN tonight as the Wings and The Yotes Play in Phoenix.... one other question i have... Does anybody know what Tony Szabo's number from The Web Warriors (Pro Beach Hockey) is????? Little Trivia here. Been lookin for it on the web but PBH's site is not done yet

gbfreeman: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 3:20PM PST (-0700 GMT)
3 games last night. First game the team that finished 0-10 last season improved to 2-2 this season. Only one new player. Guess who? Second game the team I've been with for 5 (10 game) seasons gets first win of season 4-2. 3rd game 6-1 victory. Shutout going with 20 seconds left in game, defense in control of puck, and I yell for him to clear it. Does he? NNNOOOOOOO! Tries to stickhandle, overskates puck and shut is history with 12 seconds left in game. D skates back to me and says "Hey, all that matters is the win". I wanted to put my stick through his sternum. fourqts, could Pro beach roller hockey's web site possibly be a little bit more annoying? Whoever thought that shaking graphics and a seemingly endless string of ads was cool should have their eyes plucked out and their fingers broken.

fourqts: . . . . Fri, Nov 6, 9:25PM PST (-0700 GMT)
agreed GB. The site sux. As for my yotes tonight.... A workman like win. Two goals in the first both on shots Ozbad should have stoped. Boolin looked awesome the entire game. Gave up one on the PP, add an empty netter and the yotes go away with a 3-1 win..... Sorry Wings fans.... As for the hit on Dallas Drake the local radio was reporting a mild concussion then a fight with the team doctor and coach for not letting him return to the game. Whoa Dally, protect that noggin now we need you in March.

: . . . . Sat, Nov 7, 5:38PM PST (-0700 GMT)
What happened to Toronto?

REY: . . . . Sat, Nov 7, 5:39PM PST (-0700 GMT)
What happened to Toronto?

REY: . . . . Sat, Nov 7, 5:40PM PST (-0700 GMT)
For a while they were losing 6-1. Now they're winning 4-2

REY: . . . . Sat, Nov 7, 5:44PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Also Dunham the goalie for Nashville has the most shots (no surprise

: . . . . Sat, Nov 7, 5:49PM PST (-0700 GMT)

Sieve: . . . . Sun, Nov 8, 6:02PM PST (-0700 GMT)
hi all. 4qt. - I'll get over it... hehe (re: Sorry Wings fans) their first 4 game lose streak since 1993 I think.

Toast: . . . . Sun, Nov 8, 7:31PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Wow...Rangers 6, Leafs 6. Starting goalies making $11+ M between them...and they played like bovine droppings. Just ugly...as you can tell I am a huge fan of the salary explosion...

Beatts: . . . . Sun, Nov 8, 7:58PM PST (-0700 GMT)
We won tonight 8-2. still unbeaten...Played the team that we beat in the finals last year, They were really gunning for us but we put them in their place. I didn't have a busy night, the "D" was really tight...Note to Curtis Joseph...I think your pads are way too long !!

fourqts: . . . . Sun, Nov 8, 8:43PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Cujo has always used a very tall pad from all the picts i've seen..... as for me i played to a heartless 10-5 win... We had complete control of the game from the first minute.... The five i let in were weak goals as well. had a hard time gettin into it. two more five hole shots (memo to scott make sure those pads I ordered have no five hole again). 5-1 for the season

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 6:28AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Notes from the No Social-Life League.....play a double header Sat night, 10:10 and 11:30 PM, yay.....first was a fill-in for an 0-5 bunch, I manage to sport them to their first win a 6-3 surprise....the other goalie was 10 mins late and we got to start with a 2-0 lead, always a nice beginning! ALso the other G is a real jerk, always mouthing off how great he is. So any time I get a W over him I'm a happy camper....

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 6:29AM PST (-0700 GMT)
2nd game with my regs, we show up with 7 skaters vs last session's champs, but escape w/ a 3-3 tie....came back from 1-goal deficits 3 times, very scrappy. Might have even had the win except my D buried a clearing pass off their F's shinpads and right into my net. Gotta love it.

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 6:42AM PST (-0700 GMT)
As for long pads....I need to find a happy medium between pads that are so long they impede my movement and my current too-short 32" Louisvilles....though I can scramble around freely in these pads, the tops of my knees are targets when I fly....also since there is no pad above the knee at all, I occasionally get burned by the over-the-stick 5-hole, off the inside of my knee and in....notice how DOm's pads fold up around his knees and take away a little bit of that area? that would help me a lot, but would I be falling on my head trying to move around in them? Think I need a pad that is quite flexible up top....

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 6:43AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Toastie I know you are in 34" TPs...are they flexible up top and do they fold up around your knees when you fly?....

Sieve: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 6:48AM PST (-0700 GMT)
morning all. congrats smott... sure sounds like you are fully out of that earlier funk. unfortunately I am still a member of Parliament Funkadelic. Actually, I could use some advice. I cant seem to get in the game until end of the first-ish. Am consistently putting my team in the hole right off the bat. And thats a bad thing considering they are only mustering avg. <3/gm. Any suggestions on how to start sharp are appreciated.

Sieve: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 6:51AM PST (-0700 GMT)
hmm, thats weird... the rest of that msg. read >>> ...less than 3 goals/game. Any advice on starting sharp is appreciated. thanks

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 6:58AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Afraid I am sometimes slow to get going also....a function of age I suppose....are you playing late-night games? That is always tough to get your body moving when it's past bedtime! Best advice I can muster is avoid eating a big meal pre-game, possibly even have a little caffeine or a (small!) amount of sugar, like a candy bar or Power Bar etc...stretch A LOT, and even do a couple of sprints during warmup. They key is to get the big muscles (ie legs) fully warm.

C5: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 7:01AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Seive, I find that playing a CO-ED game before my 'real' game helps... heh. Seriously, when you warm up, take the first 20-shot round just looking at the shots, second make some movement, then third, save EVERYTHING. I find this helps me. Smott, no shootouts after ties in your league?

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 8:15AM PST (-0700 GMT)
No reg-season shootouts only in playoffs. GEEZ you have great warmups, if I see 12 decent shots whole time I'm in luck.

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 8:18AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Ah hmmm maybe that's why I start so slow!

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 8:18AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Seriously I have found that getting warm takes longer as I get older....if I have time and the game is not too late I now go to the gymn and do 1/2 hour on LifeCycle. That helps a lot.

Tripp: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 10:49AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I'm pretty much from the C5 school o' warmups. The first 2 rounds of shooters, I stay on my feet in my stance at the top of the crease and make sure my angles feel right. Once the guy shoots, I'm already looking for the next puck. Third round I'll reach for pucks, but not butterfly or anything. Last two rounds I try to stop everything like I would during the game, no matter where it's going. It seems to keep me out of that dreaded slow start.

Sieve: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 11:50AM PST (-0700 GMT)
boy-o, I'd love warm-ups like that! Our league sets 3mins. as the warm-up period. After on ice stretching I'm lucky to see ten shots, and even those are very rushed. Have considered cutting out on-ice stretching in order to see more warm-up shots, but you cant get the same stretch on the rubber mats. Not to mention breaking a routine...

Sieve: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 11:53AM PST (-0700 GMT)
On the dietary issue, I usually dont change my eating habits on game days except that I make sure I eat dinner at least 2 hours prior to puck drop. Eat less? Bananas, candy bars? hmm.... need to stimulate the brain as much as the body it seems.

gbfreeman: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 1:10PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I have found for me that a plate of pasta about three hours before the game and an energy drink (ginseng) 20 minutes before help on the alertness and stamina fronts. One other thing I do on game days is toss a lighter in the air and catch it as I walk along. Gets my eyes used to following a small object. Pretty hard to get a good warmup prior to my games. Same three minute rule. Long shots, followed by one-timers off of passes from behind the net, and then a couple of skate in, make a move, shots to finish. Being outdoors in 70+ degrees helps to get the sweat pumps going real fast.

Sieve: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 1:40PM PST (-0700 GMT)
There are some good ideas here. Thanks everyone. We'll see if I can get it together tonite at 10 rather than 10:20-ish. : >)

Goal35: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 2:07PM PST (-0700 GMT)
hi all.. well had a heck of a weekend, was out of town for my game fri nite, we lost 6-4 against a team we beat 11-1 the time before... find out our top player is expelled from the league for too many PIMS.. go to play last night only had 7 skaters,they had 3 full lines then lost our cap 1/2 way thru the 1st with a stick to the face that required some sewing.. we managed to eeek out a 5-4 win.... Got my new blocker from Scott fri!! very nice, will take a little getting used to but used it cold turkey in the game last night...

Scoop: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 2:45PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey all, ran across an interesting site earlier that some of you might appreciate. button

Toast: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 3:19PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey C5 - had the "co-ed" warmup before my game on Saturday - turned in my best performance in months in a 1-0 win...coincidence? Smottsie, my pads aren't that flexible around the top (I think), but then again I go down in such a manner that my thighs don't get exposed. I go down on the sides of my knees, with my pads facing outwards.

: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 3:22PM PST (-0700 GMT)
And I do think Cujo's pads are too tall as well.

Toast: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 3:23PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Oops. That was me.

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 5:13PM PST (-0700 GMT)
YIKES!!! Ollie signs four year 12 mil deal!!! He's good but campers what is the world coming to????

wolfman: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 8:49PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Well I got another tie on sat. 5-4-1 unbeaten in 7. Got one bruise in the armpit making a Dom save with 7 secs left. Then on sun played a team made up of mostly senior A players. We lost 6-3 and only a half dozen bruises. I'm thinking of maybe a different C/A unit. Any suggestions? I now have a Vaughn 1050.

deke: . . . . Mon, Nov 9, 11:16PM PST (-0700 GMT)
wolfman: I've had real good luck with my Brown c/a unit. It's a jb551, currently replaced by jb552. Garner's in Barrie is a great source for Brown gear.

Sieve: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 5:18AM PST (-0700 GMT)
THE CO-ED WARMUP WORKS !!!

smott: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 5:39AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I've had good luck so far with R5 c/a....

Sieve: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 5:57AM PST (-0700 GMT)
morning all. c/a...I got shot in the chest with a high powered puck rifle last night, my old Vaughn 1000 absorbed everything, hardly even a red mark.

Beatts: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 7:01AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I have a Heaton C/A that I love but I still get stung the odd time on the forearm...I woudn't trade it in though..

gbfreeman: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 7:46AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Apparently the St Louis Blues are taking a page from the Kings playbook. Grant Fuhr will be out 6-8 weeks with a groin injury. Jamie McLennan has an injured hand and is day to day. They recalled Rich Parent and Brent Johnson from the Worchester Ice Cats of the AHL. Stephan Fiset and Jamie Storr are still out for the Kings. Manny Legace has looked pretty good. The director of my roller hockey league is an idiot. 11-2-98 playoff games (we are the #1 seed) canceled due to moisture on the surface (roller). All the teams planned on playing last night. This moron leaves the same message on the rinks answering machine for a week, forcing us to show up at the rink to find out that games will not be played until next week. It looks like we are not going to have our two best players for the playoffs due to this sceduling snafu. Great. Play hard and get handicapped in the playoffs. Guess which league we won't be coming back to.

C5: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 7:59AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Toast, cool, that's the way to handle the warmups. I'm sorry for you chatsters who don't get a good warmup. As a goalie you should insist on it. Sometimes I get to the rink early and can stretch before warmup so I'm concentrating on shots. Sometimes the refs show up late and I get too much warmup, which also sucks. If I get there late, or the previous game goes to a shootout or something and can't get enough warmup, I spend the game's opening minutes imagining shots and making saves while the play is in the other end of the ice. It doens't look weird, I'm not Roy back there or anything, I just imagine it a bit, just to, as Seive says, gets the brain going...

C5: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 8:00AM PST (-0700 GMT)
GB, back at Hockey Southern Style we used to have games cancelled for rain... an unusual situation this Canadian took some time getting used to!

Beatts: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 9:35AM PST (-0700 GMT)
C5, your right on the money about having too long of a warmup...It tires you out right from the start...If I'm having a long warm-up I'll just skate out to the corner and take a breather while the players shoot on an empty net. At first they got a little pissed but once I explained my rational they understood...Damn players, they say WE'RE Strange !!

wolfman : . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 9:36AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Thanx for the input chatsters. I'll start looking today. The guys I played on sun were AAA senior not A as I thought.

Beatts: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 9:39AM PST (-0700 GMT)
My poor Leafs outshoot NYI 38-19 and still lose 3-1...Where has Tommy Salo been the past 6 or 7 years...Virtually invisible untill now...It's amazing how great you play when there is rumours of you becoming a back-up to make room for a certain french-Canadian "cat" like Goalie...Dammit, I wanted the Leafs to get Trevor Linden, dosen't look like it will happen now that Tommy Sawchuck is playing great in New York....Apologies to the greatest ever....Terry.

Sieve: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 9:48AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Just when I thought I was onto something... I head out to my game last night ready to concentrate on a good warmup up when MDOT throws me a curve by closing the exit to the rink. Via their super-duper detour I arrive at the rink 5 mins. before game time. So I set a new goalie speed record for getting dressed and the game starts as soon as I step onto the ice. Slow start?, stiff and immobile? Nope!, played great! hmmm, I say... my thought is that my mind was still racing from driving like a bat outta hell and speed dressing and that translated into game ready mind set. hmm, hooda thunk it. : >)

Sieve: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 9:50AM PST (-0700 GMT)
and how about Beezer giving up 5 on 19 shots? Baaaaaarf...

wolfman : . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 9:56AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Usually I stretch when they flood.I get about 8 mins then and less than 3 for warm up shots. But there is so much water that I end up with a shower before the game starts.

Tripp: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 11:16AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I'll tell ya what. High shots in warmups make me want to hurt somebody. Johnny Slapshot comes crusing down the slot last night, winds up and hammers one right into my chin from about 15 feet away. Needless to say, I was unamused. Also needless to say, he had a fun-filled night of me slashing the hell out of his ankles and the back of his legs. He left the rink with a limp. Heh heh.

Grass: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 11:59AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I guess I play in a different environment than most... Warm-ups a performed at my direction. After I've stretched and skated a bit, I call for "long shots" and the team lines up in a semi-circle out past the face off dots. After two or three rounds of that I ask for "Corners" and they skate in for one-timers from a pass from the corners.

Grass: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 12:03AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Is this pick-up where you are being targeted?

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 1:49PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I still have to stick by the old R6 C/A unit, it's bombproof. Check out my review of it if your going to spend some serious money on a good C/A unit

C5: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 1:50PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Wolfman, when they FLOOD? You don't mean when they Zam the ice, do you? Seive, sometimes I don't feel like warming up, I think about (hockey) every 17 seconds, sometimes I've been thinking (hockey) all day and when I get to the rink I'm just ready to play...

Tripp: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 1:59PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Holy cow... it's CdP! I was wondering if you had abandoned us.

smott: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 2:23PM PST (-0700 GMT)
The only place I get half-decent warmup is A, or occasionally the sensible B team. Bs and Cs for the most part are clueless.

Sieve: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 2:24PM PST (-0700 GMT)
C5, I know what you mean about getting the Jonz... Hey CdP, took quite a blast off the forehead of the Eddy last night. I know it was a good shot not because I felt it but because it deafened me. Masks = much louder clang than buckets.

smott: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 2:26PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Ah how's this one Chatsters? For those of you inclined to take a swing at your opponents....long clearing pass down the center, their guy chasing it, I stop and smother it long before he gets there. Does he ease up? Nope keeps coming hard, stops hard, and BURIES me with snow. I mean I had a bucket of snow up my nose, in my eyes, my ears you name it. This is a fill-in game, none of my unfamiliar teammates comes to my rescue, I quell my urge to get up and swing at the guy seeing as how he outweieghs me by 70 lbs or so. Pick the snow ignominiously from my face and say nothing.

smott: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 2:27PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Maybe I'm just in a prickly mood but could that be an Unsportsmanlike penalty? 2 mins for burying the goalie?....

smott: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 2:28PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Opinions welcome. Yes BTW hard shots will deafen you. Especially if they hit right in the center of the forehead.

gbfreeman: . . . . Tue, Nov 10, 8:23PM PST (-0700 GMT)
New York Rangers 10 Tampa Bay Lightweights 2. Ranford got lit for 10 on 30 shots. Demers left Billy boy out there to get killed.

C5: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 6:36AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Smott, I love it when guys snow me. It means they're trying to get to me any way they can, and it helps focus me. Sometimes I'll scoop snow up in my glove and flick it into my helmet to cool down, anyway. Oh, and on being deaf, I once took a shot on the collarbone (in warmups, nonetheless) that stung me so bad my ears rang and my left ear would 'pull' when I turned my head. A doctor who was also playing on our team said it was a nerve, but wasn't sure why it was affecting me that way, as no muscles in the neck are connected to the chest, but it was weird....

Beatts: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 7:07AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Smott, I wear glasses when I play so as you can imagine I am pretty wary of the dreaded "snow-job"...Luckily, in both my leagues I am pretty well liked and nobody takes any liberties with me...I have had it done a couple of times and thats where my red-haired temper kicks in...Luckily again losing my temper dosen't get me off my game, it just helps me focus better (unless of course mt face is full of snow!) over-all though the guy's are great at not being assholes and trying a stunt like that.

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 7:47AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yes, most guys are great and I must add that during the end of game handshake one guy from the other team did come over and apologize to me for his friend. And the a-word was exactly the term he used!

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 7:48AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Don't look now but my Bankrupt Birds are tops of the East. Pick up a 3-2 win vs NYI yesterday, JS Aubin gets his 2nd win and hangs on as Pens outshot 14-4 in the 3rd. Got a post too. So hmm maybe not everything going against the 'Guins!

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 7:50AM PST (-0700 GMT)
And for those of you waiting breathlessly, the Pens did pay off their 50K$ tax debit to the city.....so 50K down, 30+ mil to go! And with all of 10,000 showing up at the Civic Arena last night, geez they should make that money back in no time!

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 7:51AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Oh yes my Shellack of the Week entry: we go down 14-1 against league top dogs last night, one of those annoying games where everybody on the other side sensed the opp to pad their stats at my expense! Managed to get bitten through my Koho glove (a rarity). Ever get one of those shots in your glove where it seems some little blood vessel gets broken inside your finger? Well the middle finger of my glove hand now looks like somebody inflated it with blue ink. Ow.

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 7:52AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Did make the save though heh heh.

wolfman: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 7:53AM PST (-0700 GMT)
C5 yes when the zamboni is out is when I do my streches.I took a boomer from the top of the face off circle on sun off the top of the helmet that put me on my butt into the post,but they didnt score.

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 7:59AM PST (-0700 GMT)
This just in from the Maybe There is Justice After All Dept: OJ loses custody of his kids.

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:01AM PST (-0700 GMT)
In a stunning burst of common sense (and a reversal of previous ruling), the court finds that overwhelming evidence that one spouse murdered another is, in fact relevent to child custody hearings.

wolfman: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:01AM PST (-0700 GMT)
morning smott.

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:01AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Somewhere Nicole is smiling.

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:01AM PST (-0700 GMT)
owoooo hey wolfman.

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:02AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmm blasts to the bean - haven't been rung up recently. Guess that means I'm in for one tonight!! Got a call for an A fillin woohoo should be fun. A chance to actually be competitive against a team that regularly shellacks me with my Demoralization Troops.....

wolfman: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:02AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hows things?

wolfman: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:04AM PST (-0700 GMT)
That was one of 3 that day,the 2nd one they scored on from behind the net and off the side of the helmet.

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:05AM PST (-0700 GMT)
New House business finally wearing off a bit - though I do have to clean the gutters ikn the next couple days. Plenty of ice time to keep me busy - 3 regular teams now and usually at least one fill-in a week....teh A guys that I'm subbing for tonight want to pick me up for next session - so I guess I will say goodbye to my Troops....could not help them win anyway, the need somebody way better than me. But I think Dom is busy right now.

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:05AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Eeek from beside the net off your bean? A new one....

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:06AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Funny beanings seem to go in cycles for me. Got rung up regularly for a spell, my old Itech finally began crumbling around my ears, ditched it for a nice new Pro-masque, then went without a headshot for a couple weeks. Go figure.

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:09AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Gotta jet, back later....

wolfman: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:09AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I spend a lot of time on the ice doing snow angles so I use whatever I can to stop the puck. I usually get hit at least once a game.

wolfman: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:10AM PST (-0700 GMT)
See ya Ive got a p/u at noon.

Sieve: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 9:09AM PST (-0700 GMT)
hi all. smotts, I say snap on the guy if you need to. he would have to be one no class SOB to retaliate on your small fem-ness. Shots in strange places dept.: I made a back of the jersey save Monday night. Somehow started as a shot to the torso, ended up curled up in the back of my jersey. and I was upright the whole time. hehe, took a while to even find it.

Tripp: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 11:47AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hiya chatsters... man, I wonder what Ranford did to deserve a 66% svs and 10 goals against in 1 game. Yuck. Of course Barry Melrose still insists that Tampa has the best goaltending duo in the league. Too many hairspray fumes, I think.

Beatts: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 11:58AM PST (-0700 GMT)
If Toronto dosen't have the best Goaltending duo in the league I'll eat my jock...They definately have the most expensive...

Sieve: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 12:29AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I wouldnt eat my jock even if that brought the best duo to Detroit! : >)

gbfreeman: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 1:09PM PST (-0700 GMT)
One more thing about Ranford. All the replays I've seen and stories I've read have reinforced one thing. Ranford is still a class act. He didn't pull a Patrick Roy and start showing up his coach. He didn't tell his general manager that would be his last game in Tampa. I also wonder what Demers was doing.

gbfreeman: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 1:11PM PST (-0700 GMT)
What got into the Rangers? How does a team go from averaging 1.5 goals per game to 16 in two games. Maybe it's "Andro"?

gbfreeman: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 1:16PM PST (-0700 GMT)
On the "Why now?" front, playoffs starting Monday in one league, scrub teams playing well, good teams playing great, and suddenly I have a possible recurrence of the shoulder problems of 2 months ago. Monday wake up with tightness in my left shoulder. Seems normal with the new condo I've been doing all kind of things and am constantly sore. By Monday night it hurts to move the arm at all. Tuesday morning, it seems better and some stretching seems to help. Tuesday night while stretching shoulder goes "CRUNCH" not pop CRUNCH. It feels like someone is sticking a knife under my shoulder blade. This SUCKS!! I'm hoping rest fixes it. PLEASE!

gbfreeman: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 1:24PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Getting hit in the helmet is one of the things I've become known for in my roller leagues. Until recently I would get at least 1 per game off the cage. Bought a new Itech and now none? C5, I have also had the pleasure of the collar bone shot. Mine happened going to block a slapshot stick side high. Moved from the other post and as I stretched across the crease my chest protector shifted. Sniper found exactly where my collar bone was uncovered and "BANG". Cut the skin over the bone and seemed to actually dent my collar bone. Adding insult to injury, my collar bone did a great job of deflecting the puck into the top shelf. Same game I took a stick to the throat just under the adams apple. And some people question why they are called "The tools of ignorance".

Scoop: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 1:34PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey all......received my new set of leg pads today from Scott Battram.....will play in them tonight!

Scoop: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 1:35PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey all......received my new set of leg pads today from Scott Battram.....will play in them tonight!

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 3:54PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yep I'm back. Had to take off for a couple of weeks but now I'm back. Played pick up this afternoon and have a game in a few hours to boot.

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:10PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Talk about hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have played pickup this afternoon. Tonights game ended in a tie so we go to the shoot off. Shoot off ends in a tie as well. Now we go to sudden death 1 on 1. My shooter bounces it right off the other goalie like he was aiming for him. Other teams guy comes down on me and I make one of those saves where you get a piece of it and it drops behind you and it trickled in. I don't feel too bad since I damn near stood on my head to keep the score where it was at and my guys just couldn't get their act together in the other end.

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:12PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Had some real funky knuckle ball shots tonight, a lot of weird bounces and speeds on the shots

fourqts: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:47PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Lo all.... Looks like everyone that ordered from scott about the same time i did is getting filled currently.... Mine probably tomorrow or FRi (drooling).... As for the best tending tandem in the league right now all you have to do is look at the stats... Boolin under 2.00 GA and Waite sub at .66 after shutting out the Stars tonight. Best goalies or Best D or best team...... With the new attitude they are playing with (its all about team)... Roenick and Tever injured tonight though... But they are off until Saturday. GO YOTES... and Go Fourqts withthe new five-hole-less Battaram Pads (hopefully soon)

fourqts: . . . . Wed, Nov 11, 8:48PM PST (-0700 GMT)
if i could spell i would be dangerous

Scoop: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 1:57AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Well, I plowed through my first game with the new set of leg pads without giving up a goal.... the "no 5 hole" pads I ordered weren't the ones I got because during warmups I couldn't stop anything shot 5 hole. Gametime was a different story..... actually I only had to face about 5 shots. An hour of icetime helps breakin time regardles of shots (I hope)..... The only question in my mind is that I think the pads are too short. They are the same size as my previous set but they "feel" smaller.... anyone else experience this with a set of new pads?.... Anyway, as far as doing business with Battram, I am pretty happy. He told me what to expect as far as production time and he was on time..... We had a shipping problem that turned out not to be a problem....He repied to all of my e-mails promptly and was very helpful when I phoned him. More later.... and by the way, I know that this will probably double post.... WHY? I was an everyday regular for a long time and never had a double posting problem... but now everything I post seems to double post... WHY?

Scoop: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 1:59AM PST (-0700 GMT)
.... and of course it didn't double post, go figure....

Goal35: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 4:53AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I agree with Scoop on dealing with Battram, all e-mails are answered promptly and get this - you can call and actually talk to the owner! If you have the time to wait, it's well worth it - I was out of town last fri when my blocker came in and had 3 calls to my wife telling her it was here for me... :) BTW, did Waite put on a clinic last night or what... his foot movement was incredible

C5: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 6:26AM PST (-0700 GMT)
GB, same thing happened to me in a shootout, sudden death, but last time we won, fortunately, on the second shot (they had one, we had two). Grr, I TOTALLY know what you mean about aiming for the goalie... The only time I've been on a team where I know they could consistently beat a goalie one on one was with the upper double-A team I no longer play with (their goalie is back, now, but I was with them for 5 straight wins at least). That team promised to pick me up in the summer... can't wait.

C5: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 6:27AM PST (-0700 GMT)
...and I don't think I was stung as bad as you were, sheesh, that's rough... Good going, you Battram folks!

C5: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 6:27AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Tried ordering DSS service last night... $89 hookup/card, plus $139 for the season which has already started? I'll visit my neighborhood sports bar, thank you very much...

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 7:12AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yes a lot of "Who?" goalies putting up great numbers, Waite, Dunham, Arty, Legace....

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 7:13AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Best goaltending is Dom, period I believe. Though I do like Arty he is fun to watch. And are the Yotes a fluke???

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 7:14AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Looks like it's another Year of the Mystery Injury for Barrasso again....pulled groin Oct 17th haven't seen him since. Fortunately JS AUbin hanging in there very well.

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 7:15AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Folks in an A fill-in last night I got to play agaainst an ex-NHLer. Guy was not the fastest skater but by golly he went to the open spots and when he fired the puck it practically was invisible. He scores or sets up 6 and we lose 8-7. Arrrggh.

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 7:17AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Also I need an exact ruling on kicking the puck in the net. Does it have to be a deliberate "kicking" motion or merely a deliberate "direction" of the puck? D had his stick tied up nicely but the guy angled his skate on a pass across to put it in the net, ref calls it a goal. These things loom large in one goal losses.

fourqts: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 7:54AM PST (-0700 GMT)
we'll all see if the yotes are a fluke come april... ut they a great to watch right now.

: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 8:35AM PST (-0700 GMT)
JAKE; Ladies and gentlemen of the CHAT. I had the great good fourtune of seeing SCOOP'S new pads last night as we played at the same time although not against noe another. I must say they are fantastic looking and are built for the long run. Well done Scott! As for me I have been playing 5 to 6 times a week, usually 3 shinny and 2 or 3 real games. I'm not playing to badly and am having a great time. Scoop and I have faced each other a couple of times this year, and his youth and skill have topped my age and craftyness. Have a great day. More later.

Vile: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 9:26AM PST (-0700 GMT)
It is my understanding, it must be a deliberate kicking motion.

Vile: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 9:27AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I was at the Stars game last night. The Stars played well, ther Yotes played a good defensive game, enhanced by playing with a lead, but Waite was on fire.

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 10:09AM PST (-0700 GMT)
shots like 38-18? geez that's Dom numbers....

Tripp: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 10:30AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Where's Grass when ya need him? He'll set the rules straight for us. He will show us the way!

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 10:57AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmm so how many big-name big-buck goalies are off to minimum-wage starts? Patty, Cujo, Marty (OK he's shaping up), Eddie, Beezer, Richter....

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 11:11AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Grass the Rule-meister to the resucue! And I quote Rule 624. Kicking Puck (d) ...The goal shall not be allowed if the puck has been kicked, thrown or otherwise deliberately directed into the goal by any means other than a stick.

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 11:12AM PST (-0700 GMT)
This was of the "deliberate direction" variety, a rather clever skate-angling of a clear attempt....ref sees nothing, having left his seeing-eye dog in the locker room.

Sieve: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 11:24AM PST (-0700 GMT)
hi all. No need to include McLennan in on the "Who?" goalies kicking buttocks. People of St.L better take turns massaging Fuhr's groin ... hehe

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 11:26AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey sieve, yes Jamie doing well.....I wonder if the new smaller equipment might be helping some of the good athletic movers out there, Waite comes to mind, Arty too....

Grass: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 11:28AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Rule 624. Kicking Puck (a) Kicking the puck shall be permitted in all zones; however, a goal shall not be allowed if the puck was kicked by an attacking player and entered the goal either directly or after deflecting off any player including the goalkeeper.

Grass: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 11:30AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Opps! I hadn't updated in a while (sending ms. smott a note)... sorry for posting old news...

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 11:32AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hiya Grass! Well I feel a bit better knowing that my squawking at the ref last night wasn't entirely without merit...happened with 15 secs left in the period too, yuck.

Sieve: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 11:37AM PST (-0700 GMT)
He got ... umm...LAMBASTED last night at Joe. A couple of the goals I would be embarassed for missing. Especially against an offensive dynamo such as Joey Kocur (2 on same shift)

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 11:45AM PST (-0700 GMT)
OOps didn't see last nights highlights...thought Jamie a capable backup!....

Sieve: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 12:03AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Maybe just an off night. Looked like his mechanics were all out of wack. Unless he is pretty unorthodox (havent seen him play much)

C5: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 12:58AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Smott, that's a very interesting point. And I'd extrapolate that if Roy can't pick it up and has a bad season he'll fall from the ranks of the adoring but misled fans... This only means that the older goalies will be retiring at younger ages, and the elderly guys like Moog, Vernon and Fuhr will be increasingly rare... 20 years from now NHL hockey will be a thing you'll be only able to play for about 2 years and you'll pull down $60 million to start... :-D

C5: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 12:58AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Jake, thanks for the report!!

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 1:05PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmm not ready to believe Patty's success has been because of the size of his equipment....but his failures largely due to the size of his ego!

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 12, 1:09PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Saw another rec league goalie stumbling around last week in a huge pair of kohos, was reminded of myself....no question how much size/shape of leg pads influences your movement.....

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 5:30AM PST (-0700 GMT)
WOW Sundin & the Leafs light up Jeff Hacker I mean Hackett for 10....

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 5:32AM PST (-0700 GMT)
But lest wet hink that's anything but an aberration as far as scoring goes, don't forget there were two more shutouts last night and only 18 goals scored over the other 5 games....

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 5:32AM PST (-0700 GMT)
And I believe average goals per game in the NHL remains well under 5...?

gbfreeman: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 7:08AM PST (-0700 GMT)
smott, not to quibble but Hackett gave up 6 of the 10 (on 21 shots) before being yanked in the 3rd. Fitzpatrick came in and gave up the last 4 (on 9 shots). At least 5 of the goals were 5 hole. 2 of the other goals were shots from the blue line (glove side high). Truly ugly. Any question why the Blackhawks are winless in 8? They also lost Chris Chelios to a groin pull. Oh for the days of the Chicago Stadium. This team has lost its soul and grit. Bob Probert got his butt kicked by Ti Domi. I grew up watching pretty bad Hawks teams, but at least they tried. This team looks like a bunch of pansies. Bet you Chris Terreri is glad to be out of this mess. Dirk Graham and Denis Savard can't even agree how to coach this team.

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 7:10AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yes tough times to be a Hawk fan...saw the crowd cheering when Hackett stopped a dribbler....

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 7:10AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Meantime the Pens and the City of Pgh council have kissed and made up....something about back taxes finally being paid in full! Even talk of a new arena, though how they'll escape their current lease I don't know....

gbfreeman: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 7:11AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Scheduled for 3 games last night. Show up early for my game to have plenty of time to warm up. Early game (6pm) team has no goalie. Brilliant person I am, I agree to get between the pipes. No warmup. What happens? Shutout. 6:50 game, my lower division team that somehow gets placed in an upper division gets first win of the season 3-2. Had to stand on my head for the first 10 minutes and suddenly my team realizes we can win this thing.

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 7:12AM PST (-0700 GMT)
You played FOUR games???

gbfreeman: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 7:14AM PST (-0700 GMT)
7:40 game, scrub team which got it's first win last week. What happens, shutout. Had to make 2 tough saves, 1 on a guy on top of the crease. He goes glove side high and I make him cry. 10:10 game, I play like crap for the first 20 minutes. We are down 3-1 to last season's champs. Suddenly I pop my head out of my butt and shut them down the rest of the way. We score 2 in the final 2 minutes to salvage the tie.

gbfreeman: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 7:15AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yep. 2 shutouts. Go figure. I am one bundle of pain this morning.

gbfreeman: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 7:16AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Luckily I don't have to put the pads back on until Sunday AM for practice. Final numbers from last night 4 games, 3 wins, 1 tie 2 shutouts, 5 goals on 65 shots.

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 7:17AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Oh for lost youth. I play 2 these days and I need a stretcher. Good going!! 2 cheerios in one night!

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 7:17AM PST (-0700 GMT)
How do you have a game at 6 and a game at 6:50? 15 min runtime periods?

gbfreeman: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 7:18AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Oh yeah, smott, my email address has changed it is now gfreema2@san.rr.com . On the new condo front, turned on the furnace for the first time last night (Southern California) and had a real Creepshow moment. Going into the kitchen for some coffee (and aspirin) and as I go under the heating vent BUGS COME OUT. EEEEEWWWWWWWW!!!!

gbfreeman: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 7:19AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Roller 2 20 minute run time periods (stop time last 2 if with 1 goal)

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 7:21AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Heh heh didn't know you had furnaces in Southern Cal. Soon you'll be telling me you've got a snow-blower....

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 8:29AM PST (-0700 GMT)
GB way to go. 2 goose eggs in one night, nice. My mask is off to you. I have come to the conclusion that it's harder playing in the mens league than it is when I play with the local CHL team. I know that sounds backwards but i have had to work my butt off more in mens league than the later. What is really throwing me off is the whiffle ball shots that seem to go everywhere haphazardly. I literally watched a puck come right at me chest high then drop out of the air and land on the ice about 3 feet in front of me as if someone had just tossed a puck onto the ice, weird. The CHL guys clean up anything I might leave after the first stop and then it's in the other end and I'm drinking water. League guys stand there and watch as the guy charges in on me with the puck then do nothing to make the situation better. We had 4 power plays and the puck never left our end during that time, can you believe it? I felt like the goalie from the movie Slapshot after the game. But it was kinda fun going to sudden death shoot out even though I bit the big one.

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 9:45AM PST (-0700 GMT)
How reassuring to hear confirmation that my toils in C-league are, in fact, much more difficult than my occasional forays into A. CdP you are so right. Ain't it great to have excellent D gobbling up your rebounds before you can? Then you go to rec league and get lit up like a xmas tree on knuckle balls. Too funny.

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 9:46AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Also in my Concession To Age category: I notice that as my reflexes slow down, I depend a little more on anticipating the play. And in low-level rec, there ain't nuthin' to anticpate, the play has no pattern, these goobers don't know where the puck is going or whether they're passing or shooting. So how can you get a jump on the play?

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 9:47AM PST (-0700 GMT)
The you go up to high level stuff and it all makes sense, puck carrier, over the line, drop pass, winger going wide, pass for the one-timer, and HEY I'M THERE!! No soup for you!! Heh heh.

Tripp: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 11:44AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Another thing about league games is the guys who wind up like Tiger Woods, and then flutter a change-up at you at about 5 mph because they half-fanned on the shot. Or breakaways where they skate in so slow that you could have some coffee before they're in on ya. Give me the upper level players anyday. And God forbid your guys should backcheck and sweep out any rebounds. Hhmmmm. Bitter, bitter Tripp.

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 12:16AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Heh heh Tripp know where that's at...yes nothing like the windmill windup knuckler to make us look like idiots out there! On the slow breakaways though you can cheer yourself up by just doing the old rolling body-block on those tripods, take'em out at the knees!...

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Fri, Nov 13, 5:11PM PST (-0700 GMT)
You are so on the money Smott, the higher up you go the more structured the play and positional play as opposed to the mass chaos theory in rec. I'm going to put together a small packet of job descriptions/responsibilities for each position and hand them out to everyone. I honestly think some of these guys don't know where they are supposed to be on the ice. It's kinda frustrating watching all of your guys in the corners and no one in front of the net and watching the pass out front get picked up by the other teams D and brought down on me uncontested.

smott: . . . . Sun, Nov 15, 6:08AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmmm yes I like your idea of the pack-of-responsibilities. Cue cards maybe, for the guys that have memory lapses out there. On the other hand, your status as semi-pro I'm sure would make this idea palatable to your guys.

smott: . . . . Sun, Nov 15, 6:09AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Whereas, how accepting would they be of the list of job tasks coming to them from the skinny chick in goal? Hmmm.

smott: . . . . Sun, Nov 15, 6:10AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Meanwhile, Barrasso ties Fuhr's mark for most assists, plus a SO in Pens 4-0 win v Panthers last night. Now all three of the Pens goalies have SOs this year already. Scary. And is there anybody with fewer than 4 losses? Pens may have boring ties a lot, but they don't lose too often....

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Sun, Nov 15, 10:32AM PST (-0700 GMT)
What the team needs is a Cpt. that can control things from the bench. Between periods is the only time I talk to everybody and I usually see/hear the finger pointing and complaining. I tell them every time before the game....30 sec shifts if possible, play it up the boards, don't get sucked in on D and stay in position. It doesn't help or so it seems. Plus it's hard to motivate people and explain concepts in the short time between periods. they will learn, hopefully. It is rec league after all I take it in stride and try to work on my game. You'd be surprised how many guys I've actually had to tell them how to shoot correctly. they had no idea why the puck was flying all over the place.

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Sun, Nov 15, 10:37AM PST (-0700 GMT)
The big problem is that most don't think that the goalie can tell them anything about playing out when we're standing back in the net. While the later is true for goalies, who all ways get unsolicited advice from players on what they should do to stop the puck without having played in goal once in their life. As goalies, I think we see more of whats going on out on the ice than most and we see the bussiness end of shots so we can tell if a guy is going to send a shot wide or if it's going to come off the ice.

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Sun, Nov 15, 10:44AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I see in the news that beaning the spectators with water bottles is not an accepted practice in the NHL. Although I'm sure the individual involved deserved it. At least he didn't climb over the glass and pummle the guy

Tripp: . . . . Sun, Nov 15, 2:17PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Don't forget, the Pens have another good one in Craig Hillier. I've played against him, and he's solid. Really easygoing, nice guy. He's very skinny, though. I wonder if he'd be able to talk a full season of punishment in the NHL. He'll probably need at least 1 more year in Syracuse, unless the Pens are in desperate need of goaltending.

Tripp: . . . . Sun, Nov 15, 2:18PM PST (-0700 GMT)
err...of course I meant TAKE a full season. Not talk a full season. Ughh.. I need a nap.

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 5:13AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmmm yah Tripp Hillier came with great expectations, though so far he hasn't really played up to them....we shall see, he is still young but I think JS Aubin might pass him by...

Beatts: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 9:31AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Go Leafs Go !!!

C5: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 10:24AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yeah, CDP, I get 'advice' like that all the time. "Get your legs down on those ones," is one of my favorite nuggets of wisdom...

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 10:34AM PST (-0700 GMT)
This from the D whose main talent is screening you or maybe tipping incoming shots at the last second....

Sieve: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 10:39AM PST (-0700 GMT)
or "Man, you gotta stop that junk" right after the scorer took the guys jock off with the end of his stick.

Sieve: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 10:41AM PST (-0700 GMT)
oh yeah, Hi all.

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 10:41AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Tell the guy to shut up and get dressed heh heh....

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 10:43AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Another smottsie-speedbump last night, run over by my own D chasing a breakaway. Honestly I get more beat up by my own guys than the other team sometimes.....

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 10:47AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi Scoopster....

Scoop: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 10:47AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Well only two more games until I take a 2 week break and head to Dallas. If any of the Dallas area goalies around here get a chance let me know if I should take my gear and rink rat for some icetime.

Scoop: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 10:48AM PST (-0700 GMT)
it's double posting again on me smott.... MAKE IT STOP

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 10:55AM PST (-0700 GMT)
heh heh can't help ya......careful of that refresh button tho'

Tripp: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 11:35AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey howdy all... One thing I don't understand. Why is it that defensemen, forwards, coaches, --who wouldn't throw themselves in front of a puck if it meant winning the Stanley Cup-- get to tell us how to play goal and what we should do to stop shots? But when we try to point things out to them, they get all offended by it. Oh well, just one of my personal pet peeves.

Tripp: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 11:40AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I dunno, smott. I still think Hillier will be in the NHL in a year or two. Tough to base his potential on his performance in Syracuse. They're awful. I think their other goalie is like 0-7-1 or something. Aubin's numbers in Syracuse were horrible, and so were Corey Hirsch's. Of course I'm probably sticking up for him cuz he's a friend, and I may be a wee bit biased :-)

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 12:32AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yep Tripp Hiller may wind up being very good indeed after all Pens drafted him #1 I think...but he is taking awhile to develop....right now Pens have Skudra and JS Aubin looking solid...makes me wonder if Hiller may wind up in a trade...

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 12:33AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Speaking of trade, who else but the Rangers would be silly enough to offer Petr Nedved an NHL contract?? Now they can not only have overpriced underachievers on their roster, but overpriced, underachieving HOLDOUTS heh heh heh....

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 12:34AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Rumor is that NY & Pgh will try to swing something in the next week...look for Pens to try to get Sudstrom & options.....

Vile: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 12:35AM PST (-0700 GMT)
As far as Dallas goes, there are always pick-up games that need goalies. Dunno about league subs

Vile: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 12:37AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Did everyone hear, Toronto has an "official deadline" for trading Potvin for Nov 26th. I don't think it means anything.

gbfreeman: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 12:37AM PST (-0700 GMT)
smott, speaking of trades, check out button Jeff Hackett is a Blackhawk no more. If he thought the crowds were tough in Chicago, wait til he gets a taste of Montreal.

gbfreeman: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 12:39AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Vile, with Montreal essentially picking up a career backup in Hackett, do you think they will come sniffing around Potvin. Do you think that Toronto would risk trading him to the Habs? You know that whole "Patrick Roy would never have been traded to the Nordiques if they hadn't become the Avalance?

Vile: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 12:49AM PST (-0700 GMT)
heh, I heard Fla was looking... Altho, we might look hardest at the worst teams right now.

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 1:04PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I recall Tast mentioning that Montreal might be a destination for Le Chat....could make those Hab-Leaf games mighty interesting....

J37: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 2:38PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi Everybody, remember me? I really miss not chatting all the time but school has put a number on me. I've been playing in a roller hockey league and playing like crap I must say. Our team finished last at 2-14. My save percentage was about 60 or so with a GAA at about 9 or 10. Well I just thought I'd check in and say howdy. See y'all later.

gbfreeman: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 9:24PM PST (-0700 GMT)
CDP and Tripp, I know that this has taken awhile, but I finally got a graphic of Beezer's mask. It isn't the greatest, but you can get an idea of the general design. If you are interested I can email it to you. My email is gfreema2@san.rr.com .

Tripp: . . . . Mon, Nov 16, 11:14PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Jeez...after I vented my frustrations this morning about shooters lecturing us about how to play goal, I read some of the old chat. Looks like CdP beat me to my pet peeve by saying pretty much the same thing I did 1 day earlier. You'd think I could at least whine about something original. Oh well, happy to see it gets on at least 1 other person's nerves.

smott: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 5:27AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmmm so I see Habs-Hawks trade goalies TBo for Hackett....can't see this making a whole lot of difference to either team....

smott: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 5:28AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Meanwhile I have an uh, 11 PM game tonight....somehow I have a strong suspicion I'll be working from home tomorrow.......

C5: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 6:34AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi, Smott! Beat my old team 4-2 (the Suns, I mean), and I was solid as a wall, both goals I had no chance on, first one, a shot from the top of the circle late in the 2nd spoiled my shutout bid by hitting a D's stick and bouncing perfectly between my legs off one of their skates... Teammates always compliment the do-nothing saves and no one ever seems to catch the subtle ones. Glove save gets comments, but only the goalie notices the skill when you're in a heavy screen and any other goalie (in my league) would be moving with the last guy who had the puck, but instead you hang where you know the play is going and make a toe save on a well placed shot... no one says a word... :-D

C5: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 6:37AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I agree that the Hawks and Canadiens haven't made much of a trade. It's not a goalie trade, though. I expect the Hawks were thinking that they're perhaps getting something in those O players... who are they, how young, what skills?

C5: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 6:39AM PST (-0700 GMT)
...and are you working from home today? Yeesh, the games all started late last night and we weren't out of there 'till 1...

C5: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 6:41AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Saw this quote on CNNSI this AM: "The Leafs have Cujo, Felix and Healy making almost a combined $10 million. That's a lot of money for goaltending -- half of the Calgary Flames' total payroll. Then they have Steve Thomas making an absurd $2.5 million a year. And Maple Nut fans are whining about why they can't afford to keep Mathieu Schnieder or sign a banging defenseman? Is Harold Ballard still alive? -- North Guy" Very true. Toast? Comments?

smott: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 8:03AM PST (-0700 GMT)
NHL headed for a salary implosion in my opinion....meanwhile my Pens manage to be tied for Div lead while having a payroll 21st of 27th...

smott: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 8:04AM PST (-0700 GMT)
...and some topsy-turvey divisions they are lately!! Hmmm, Wash & Colorado in last place....Detroit with 8 losses already. Buff atop theirs, Pens tied, and oh yeah Carolina tops of their div also....

smott: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 8:05AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Nah working at work today....I only wish for jammie job more often!...

Goal35: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 9:14AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yea, that's nuts with all the money stuck in unused and underused goaltending in Toronto.... last week Healy is down here playing for the Chicago Wolves of the IHL, got to see Fichaud last Fri nite, he started slow and got beat by a stickside shot from just inside the blueline, but all and all he looked pretty good - it looks likes he might be anchored in Milw for the season by the looks of his new gear... gonna go in withdrawals, league is off till Dec 6th, then off til Jan 3rd :( went out strong Sat night with a 7 man 9-1 win.. lost my shutout on a screenshot from the point - knuckler, was down covering low, saw it coming high, hit top of glove and popped in, if I woulda stood up... prob hit me square in the chest... lol

C5: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 11:15AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Ironic, G35... ya gotta be low to see it, high to stop it, what's a goalie to do?

Tripp: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 11:53AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi all... hey, SFSL has the Koho Lefevre trappers on sale for $249. Are they as good as SFSL hypes them up to be? I haven't seen any Koho Lefevre products in person, just in catalogues and stuff. Any info would be appreciated.

smott: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 11:56AM PST (-0700 GMT)
AT least you lose the shutout late in the game, half the time I blow it on the first shot! Heh heh.....

C5: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 11:59AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Tripp, I'll give you my opinion on that glove. It's HUGE. Too huge. Unless you can palm a basketball (or can get this particular model in a variety of sizes), you don't want it. My 2 cents...

smott: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 12:00AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I have the new LeFevre blocker and it's awesome....

smott: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 12:00AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hiya C5 hmmm I have the Roy catcher and it's not too big, best trapper I ever had.....

smott: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 12:03AM PST (-0700 GMT)
If only I had pads as nice & white as my gloves heh heh.....

Beatts: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 12:09AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Toronto has definately got to Trade Potvin just so he dosen't rot away...I dislike Mike Smith Immensely but My leafs are number 1 in the League, somebody must be doing something right..

Tripp: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 12:23AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Thanks for the input. Actually, I CAN palm a basketball... but I also have arms like a bird's legs, so I don't usually go for the larger trappers. I had a Brian's Air Hook, which I thought was just too clumsy, so I dumped it. I have a Vaughn 5500 now, and I think that's about the right size for me.

TheCat37: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 4:27PM PST (-0700 GMT)
shellacking of the week... we lose 19-2. outshot 55 to 7. i need new pads. can anyone reccomend anything?

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 5:46PM PST (-0700 GMT)
The Cat 37---I recommend you buy my Vaughn 3500's :-) I'm practically giving them away.

C5: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 5:46PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Smott, I should have mentioned to Tripp that I, too, have a Koho Revolution glove and love it, but I got the chance to see a Lefebre right out of the box and it was about 10% bigger than mine, and mine's HUGE. Mine says "Koho 500 Professional" -- it's not modeled for any particular goalie, I guess. But the Lefebre was just huge. It reminded me of the Reactor 5 Hasek wore. But, whatever. You should always try on what you buy, that's the rule. I didn't have that luxury, but I got lucky with my glove.

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 5:49PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Heres food for thought goalies: On the topic of advice from the peanut gallery(forwards, D) what is the favorite piece or most commonly heard advice that either makes you smile or want to crack skulls? ie: try to get in front of those, ect

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 5:55PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Another observation: Almost all the goalies I've met always will exchange info, tips on playing...kinda like this chat and will study the position in order to play better. It would seem logical then that others playing the sport(forwards, D) would be inclined to read up on their position maybe exchange info with others, tips , or just try to imitate what they see on the idiot box to some extent. Yet I find that when you sit down with most of these individuals(notice lack of the word team, which infers working together) they look at you like a dog staring at a celing fan when you mention how to break out or play the box. Is anyone with me on this or am I delusional?

Tripp: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 7:00PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Undoubtedly, I love when the guy who missed his check skates back after a goal and says "tough one, nothing you could do there". Or when a shot you never saw whistles past your ear, you never even move til it's behind ya, and your guy goes "was I screening ya there?" Classic.

gbfreeman: . . . . Tue, Nov 17, 10:01PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I believe it has to do with the nature of the job. Our task is reactionary, so talking to people, watching tape, and watching others is a useful way to look for tendencies and adjust our game accordingly. Often we are the only player between defeat and victory and a strong knowledge of the game is required. A skater can sometimes get lucky by just throwing it at the net at a bad angle. A goalie is rarely this lucky. If you don't know the angles, the positioning, and what is likely to happen you have handicapped yourself. As for goalies talking, who else knows the position like another goalie. I often don't like the guy between the pipes across from me, but I still have some measure of respect for him (or her).

C5: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 7:07AM PST (-0700 GMT)
To their credit, my guys are pretty up front when they're clueless. A lot of the time they'll say, "Damnit, we didn't give you a chance on that one," especially if I didn't see it. Sometimes I even hear my D yelling to each other, "Let him see it!" So it works both ways.

Sieve: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 7:25AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Morning all. yeah C5, that is good to hear isnt it? Throughout my current slump (2-5-0 5.00gaa, .800) no body on my team has had any snide remarks to me except one defenceman. I dont return fire because I deserve it...

Sieve: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 7:29AM PST (-0700 GMT)
smott, watched your Pens last night on ESPN. Came out of the gate hard, but where'd they go? Got a couple of young speed demons (names don't come to me). I know the chat has talked about this before, but tell me again... What the heck are those things strapped to TB's shins?

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 7:38AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Heh heh Sieve yes you have noticed the aberrations that Barrasso now wears as leg pads....actually these are the famous No-Name pads, cut in the mold of teh old Vic styrofoam-stuffed jobs of the early 90 cup years. I haven't asked anyone in the know, but I wonder if they are hand made by a local old guy name of Bucky Palermo, who is a wizard for that sort of thing and does a lot of work for the Pens. Coffee still ships his skates to Bucky for sharpening believe it or not...I had him widen the heel in my beatiful Bauer 4000s earlier in the year, he made them wearable.

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 7:39AM PST (-0700 GMT)
ANyway there's no visible brand name on Barrasso's pads so I guess they're custom...although who would want to put their name on those things anyway?

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 7:40AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yep Pens have a fair amount of speed and not bad skill on the top 2 lines. But Beezer played ridiculous and as usual Pens mistakes around the net cost'em.

Tripp: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 8:02AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Checked the TV listings, and was surprised to see my beloved Oilers are on ESPN2 tonight against the Red Wings. I really wish they could get Felix Potvin, but Slats won't give up Boyd Devereaux. Still, they're fun to watch. No left wing lock, no trap... just fast paced fire wagon hockey. Hopefully they'll upgrade the goaltending (although Senzo and Shtalenkov are holding up so far) and get Weight back by playoff time.

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 9:14AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Meanwhile do I see the Yotes have only given up 17 goals? Talk about stingy!!

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 9:17AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmm as for fave or un-fave remarks.....had a nice one last week from my D who had just flattened me from the side as a one-timer approached: "Ooops sorry, um, did that go in?" Seeing as how I'm now on my face in the faceoff of circle I said "Well yah unless YOU happened to stop it..."

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 9:18AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yes CdP I think all goalies are naturally students of the game...whatever gene mutation we have that makes us actually want to stand in front of pucks, also makes us want to find out everything we can about the position....

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 9:20AM PST (-0700 GMT)
In the Confession Dept - I recall at the age of maybe 10, actually reading goalie how-to books under the covers w/flashlight, past bedtime....never got on the ice until I was 16-17 but by golly I knew the moves when I got there heh heh heh!

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 9:23AM PST (-0700 GMT)
In the What goes around Comes Around: after losing 5-2 on Sun to a goalie who stood on his head while we dominated & outshot them, last night I managed to do teh same thing, getting in the way of about 40+ while we win 5-2 while getting dominated for 3 periods. So whatttya know. After one rather nice split glove save late inthe 3rd, I look up to see the shooter put his head in his hands. I'm afraid I giggled. Opposing Cap later tells me the kid is snakebit against me and I've permanently damaged his confidence. Is this funny or what?

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 9:24AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Of course I will crash back to reality tonight in my A-league where I am a flogging post for my winless team. My only curiosity is whether the shots tonight will exceed my current record of 77 in one game. SO stay tuned for my Shellack of the Week entry tomorrow Chatsters!!

Beatts: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 9:32AM PST (-0700 GMT)
We won last night 9-1. Ho hum... At least I had about 25 shots on me, some pretty good ones too. I felt bad for the other goalie who did his best Jeff Hackett impersonation.( He's a pretty good goalie but got bitten bad). We haven't been challenged yet and it's getting a bit boring...

Tripp: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 9:34AM PST (-0700 GMT)
That's too awesome smott... you broke the poor kid! I love it. That kid burying his head in his hands is the reason I love being a goalie. I never look at a guy after he scores on me, but I always check their faces after I stone em. Nothing like the "look at the heavens in disbelief" pose. Or hearing them say "He didn't stop that...did he stop that? God @$%!#" Good luck in the A league. Sounds like you'll need it

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 11:35AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Ah watch him light me up for 3 or 4 next time out....I take these things with a grain of salt....but it was kinda funny heh heh heh...

C5: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 11:44AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Tripp, dead on! Smott, rock on! STILL waiting for the rolling pad Hasek save. I don't think I've snakebit anyone ('cept for one guy, but I suspect I'm the only goalie in the league who's figured out that he ALWAYS goes for the top corners), but it's fun to see a team I'm playing come out bustin' a move in the first period and pepper the hell out of me, but if I manage to stop 'em, they gradually out-think themselves as they try to get more and more cute with their plays... First period stuff a perfect 2 on 1 (with no cheating) and in the third they're pulling three passes before putting it solid into your chest on the same play... it's snakebit, in a way, but not as cool...

C5: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 11:46AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Then again, if I can't stop them in the first period the bleeding never stops, as witnessed by our only loss this season 9-6, with FIVE goals in the first 6 minutes... yike, that was a bloodbath. Every win so far this season has been within 3 goals or less, so it's a pretty competitive league so far...

Tripp: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 1:18PM PST (-0700 GMT)
You betcha, C5. I love it when you get in their heads and they try to get too fine with their shots and passes. Once ya get them thinking that only the perfect shot will beat you, things are looking good.

smott: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 1:23PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yes it's not too often I can make grown men cry....

Goal35: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 2:38PM PST (-0700 GMT)
aw come on smottsie, that not what we've heard..... :)

Goal35: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 2:39PM PST (-0700 GMT)
must say anyone looking at gloves - give Battram a look, am very happy with the new blocker...

Goal35: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 2:40PM PST (-0700 GMT)
and Mr Grass had nothing but good things to say about them as well

: . . . . Wed, Nov 18, 4:10PM PST (-0700 GMT)
i am looking for some blue and white heaton pads for no more than $400, size 32-34, if u have these please e-mail me at KACO33@aol.com

Chris: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 4:05AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I don't know if anyone noticed. I just signifigantly increased the height of the message bar on the bottom. This way, most messages will be visiblein their entirety. Let me know if you have any problems with it (or anything else).

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 5:14AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Thanks Chris for the new msg box! Whoever's looking for those Heaton pads you might try The Sports Exchange, got a good deal on used Louisvilles from them and they seemed ot have a bunch of stuff. Think the url is thesportsexchange.com but surf around & you'll find it....

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 5:16AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Shellack of the Week - 9-3 last night and the other guys were shortbenched with only 8 skaters. But way too good for us anyway! Stopped every breakaway though!

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 5:18AM PST (-0700 GMT)
In the Don't See That Too Often category - both my D tried to carry the puck up the right side, get tangled/picked off, resulting in a nifty 3 on 0 coming back inside my own zone! Luckily the pass across was not so good so I escaped taht time. Not sure whether to yell at my guys or just giggle.

C5: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 6:17AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Whoa, Chris, the box is huge! As if I wasn't long-winded enough already! ;-)

gbfreeman: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 8:20AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Three games last night. 1-1-1. Played like crap in the first game. Faced 20 shots, made the tough ones and then let in the easy ones. Got caught in between going out and staying back on a rolling puck coming in from the blue line with a guy rushing into the zone. So, I made the easy decision. I just let it roll right through my legs. AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH. I wanted to crawl under the crease. Second game I finally popped my head out of my butt. Faced 29 and stopped 27. Got to have fun with a guy sitting with the puck alone on top of the crease. He's probably still muttering. He waited, and waited, and then put a shot that made such a nice pop in the pocket of my glove. Hehe. Late game was a war. Faced 24 let in 2 for the tie. Played against my friend I haven't seen in 2 years. Lots of fun.

gbfreeman: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 8:24AM PST (-0700 GMT)
What was up with Essensa last night? Stopped 20 of 26. Scored on glove side from the blue line. Coach Ron Low was asked about his teams play and responded "It was a very, very individual efort by our hockey club. Twenty guys playing as individuals failed miserably. As an overall effort, that was horrific. You can start with (goalie) Bobby (Essensa) out." Ouch.

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 9:21AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Ouch gb the long rolling 5-hole, we've all been there....let's see my contribution to the opposition last night, failed to stop a puck behind the net, scramble back to my crease as their guy sends a centering pass across, figure I'm being smart by deflecting it....oops right onto the stick of the onrushing F who was nowhere near the original line of the pass. Who knew? He buries it. Shorthanded no less.

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 9:21AM PST (-0700 GMT)
So, an assist for moi. Soon I'll catch Fuhr and Barrasso heh heh....

Vile: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 9:53AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Essensa was pretty frustrated last night. Did anyone see those break aways? He went butterfly to cover the bottom perfectly, but the simply went up on him. Is there anything else he could have done?

Vile: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 9:55AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Garth Snow was translucent last night too. I wonder if Vancouver is looking to replace him. I have made predicting the Potvin trade into a hobby.

Vile: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 9:58AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Ana, Van, Edm, Fla seem to be the most needy. I doubt Edm can afford Potvin.

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 10:34AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Heaven help Felix if he winds up in Vancounver!

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 10:35AM PST (-0700 GMT)
On breakaways ever notice how high Hasek holds the glove? Takes away topside, almost forces the guy to deke, then there ain't no way they're goin' around Gumby-legs Dom in those big pads!

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 10:35AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Speaking of huge pads, is that Cujo standing behind those 6-foot Bauers???

C5: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 10:41AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Long roller... I have never been there, no, not yet... GUMBY! That's his nickname. Perfect.

Tripp: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 10:53AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Pretty sad showing by my Oilers last night. I think Essensa was just plain nervous at the start. If he got any deeper in the crease, he'd have been in the goal judge's seat.

Tripp: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 11:00AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I coulda used those 6 foot Bauers last night. Took one right off the upper thigh. Owieee. I have the Vaughn 2500 pants and don't get bitten too often, but I took the edge of the puck in that little gap between the thigh pad and the goal jock. Didn't cough out a rebound into traffic though. Probably cuz the puck was embedded in my leg like a stray bullet :-)

smott: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 11:36AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I have the R5 pants and they are soft up there too....I think we sacrifice a bit of protection for mobility....

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 2:21PM PST (-0700 GMT)
DAMN! Talk about a big box, that thing is HUGE. I think you should scale it down a little bit Chris

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 2:27PM PST (-0700 GMT)
So far the rec team I'm playing for is still trying to kill me. Buddy of mine on the other team said it was pityfull and I have to agree with him. These guys are making me alter my game so much to compensate for the lack of D that I'm scrambling around like a wildman. I'm my own D. I make the stop,move away from the play to the corner and pass it up the boards to the winger,hope he gets it and skate back to the crease. I actually got 2 assists in one game by flicking the puck up to the center who was all alone

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 2:32PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I can tell my stickhandling will be awesome by the end of the season. The only way the puck leaves my zone is if I clear it. First time i rang it off the glass everyone ducked down, guess I scared them :-)

: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 2:55PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yow, CdP, that sucks! Is this with your regular team? How's the pine-riding coming? I hit the glass the other day, made that loud glass KLUNK! and I was like, "What was that??" I was thrilled. I sometimes get caught out of my crease with indecision, and I've stopped getting caught as much and over-committing or doing something stupid because I think someone said something that made me realize how much that really throws the team off. If the goalie is playing scared, the whole team things maybe there's something to play scared about. That's maybe what happened in Edmonton, and why some of the finest goalie performances haven't necessarily been mere goaltending, but leadership as well, i.e. Hasek/Kolzig, and Vernon in '97...

C5: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 2:57PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Urk... the big box made me forget...

: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 5:12PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I Have trouble even getting the puck to the glass, can someone please tell me the secret to stickhandling??

C5: . . . . Thu, Nov 19, 6:51PM PST (-0700 GMT)
That wasn't me, but it may as well have been. I've only been playing for 2 years or so, so... never shot left before (that's what they all say, eh?)... Anyone have any advice? No one particular style seems to work. Sometimes the knob on top helps me flick it, I use that when playing the puck TO someone, but other things work well when clearing...

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 3:29AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Still waiting for the call to ride the pine but have been practicing with the team off and on as work permits. It's funny, I go out and play with those guys and maybe get scored on lets say 2-3 times give or take. I show up for rec league and I'm working like a mad man and letting in about 5-6 give or take. Can anyone else hear that banging sound? It's my head against the wall in case your wondering LOL. On stickhandling I have to say say that you have to find out what works for you. I can't seem to get a really comfortable grip with my glove hand around the bottom of the stick so I use the whole surface of the glove as a fulcrum point. The key I've found is foot position,it has a lot to do with how well you shoot. I shoot best with a right foot lead and the puck next to me or slightly behind slightly in front of the heel of the stick. I've also cut my stick length down by 2 inches to 53 1/2 and found that it works better for me

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 5:49AM PST (-0700 GMT)
CdP are you shooting left or right? I shootleft (well I guess you can call it shooting!) but I tend to lean on the off leg ie my left leg when I shoot, for me to cross over and lead with teh right foot seems to awkward with the bulky C/A etc....

Sieve: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 5:56AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Morning all. CdP, what is the curve like on your blade? wicked? I don't hold the paddle in my trapper either. I use the back of it.

Sieve: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 6:06AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Doing it that way tends to produce a highly mediocre shot, but thats the only way that feels half decent. I practice in my garage on off nights by shooting off of a piece of drywall into another piece of drywall propped up against the wall. Its fun to really get ahold of one and put it through the drywall... : >)

C5: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 6:32AM PST (-0700 GMT)
It is so cool to see Jeff Hackett in the new uniform! There's a great pic of him at this button ...

C5: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 6:33AM PST (-0700 GMT)
CdP, that is totally the way. I feel like such a stud when I play AA and stuff people, and then just can't figure things out when I play co-ed, see 10 shots, and let in four... {sigh}

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 7:40AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Well I confess I just never learned to shoot that darn well lefty.....I'm doing good if I raise the puck significantly, but have never hit the glass.

Vile: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 9:12AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Wow, I call Snow translucent, and he comes up with a 35 shot shut out against Colorado.

Goal35: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 9:30AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmmmm, no games until 12/6, then none til 1/3..... gonna be going into withdrawals pretty quick.. calling all rinks for p/u schedules...

gbfreeman: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 9:45AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Three games last night. First game 3-2 loss. Second game 4-1 win with my former scrub team. Former because after losing first three, we have won out last three to move into 3rd place. Nightcap was like watching a bad horror movie. You know something bad is going to happen but not necessarily how. 0-0 early in the game, stop a breakaway clean (I thought). No whistle. Look down. No puck. D looking at me and the @#$@!@##%$ puck hits me in the back and goes in. We ended up losing 6-2 faced 39 shots. Everytime I went to redirect a shot to the side it seemed to find a cutters stick. AAAARRRRGGGGGG.

Bonn: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 9:45AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey folks! It's been a while. I read about the problems some of you are having with shooting and thought I'd add my two cents' worth. I shoot fairly well, (sorry if that sounds immodest) and the best advice I can give is practise! I like a curve that starts at the heel, and twists under a little bit. I'm currently using a VIC Hirsch pattern, and like it a lot. I find I get the best results when I start with the puck at the heel of the stick, and roll both wrists so that the puck rolls up the blade, and off the tip. I grip the stick with my bottom hand, just above the paddle, and the top hand, just below the knob. I pull my top hand towards me, as I roll my wrist, sort of pivoting the stick about my bottom hand. It takes quite a while to get the different motions timed correctly so just keep practising. Once you get the feel, you'll find that you don't have to try to shoot hard, to get some good height, and effective clearing shots. I also recommend practising passes where the puck goes about 6-12 inches off of the ice, and then lands flat, as most of the time that you are passing, you will be trying to put it past on opposing teams' player to get it to one of your teammates. I really don't know how some of you can get a good shot without gripping the stick with your bottom hand. As well, it is the bottom hand that controls the accuracy of your passes/shots, so I'd recommend holding the stick. You'll notice that Ron Hextall uses shoe laces in the pocket of his catching glove, and this is so that he can grip the stick better. I have an old Vaughn trapper that is super soft, and this allows a good grip. I'm afraid to buy a new one as I fear that I'll have to learn to shoot all over. My personal goal for goaltending (I'm 28 now, and my glory days in minor hockey are well over) is to score a goal. I can usually hit the other net in warm ups, and I've been waiting for the right opportunity to try it in a game for about 5 years! I hope this helps (sorry it's so long winded!)

gbfreeman: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 9:53AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Sorry about the double post. Netscape stopped responding. Did any of you see the Kings/Ranger game last night? Legacy didn't look all that sharp early and to compound it his teammates appeared to be skating in quicksand. Matt Johnson sucker punched Jeff Beukeboom from behind and knocked him unconsious. Match penalty. Colin Campbell is going to come down hard on the boy. My prediction is 10 games.

gbfreeman: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 9:55AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Maybe Garth Snow can coexist with Mike Keenan after all. After last nights 5-0 win, Keenan wanted to give Snow the puck for the shutout and Snow instead gave the puck to Keenan (500th victory as a coach)

Bonn: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 10:11AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Manny Legace. Have you noticed that an awful lot of players have been getting knocked "unconscious" from seemingly light hits this year? Do you think this has anything to do with the leagues' crack down on hits that cause head injuries? I saw the sucker punch that you mentioned gbf, and it was brutal, and completely wuss, but I have a really hard time believing that you can knock a guy unconscious when you have a padded glove on, and he has a polycarbonate helmet, with at least 1/4" foam on. Poulin for Montreal got punched in the face during a fight last night, nogloves, no helmet and it stunned him a little, but it certainly didn't knock him out. It was a much harder hit than the one on Beukeboom. These NHLers are really starting to piss me off with their melodramatics. You put in an admirable rule, to try to cut down on the concussions that are plaguing the sport, and the idiots ruin it by diving in an attempt to draw suspensions. Take that guy from Boston that Manson hit a couple of weeks ago with an elbow. It was a nasty elbow and all, but the guy acted like he didn't know where he was, then he came back! A couple of nights later, he was pulling the same act in another game. Sorry about the rant, but this shit drives me crazy!

gbfreeman: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 10:31AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Bonn, I think Beukeboom may have actually been knocked out by his head hitting the ice. The punch really just acted to propel him in a direction he wasn't expecting he lost his balance. I mean, why dive when the puck is in your zone? There is always the chance that you give up a goal if the ref doesn't make the call. Legace (sorry about that earlier spelling) hasn't looked all that confident in the last few games.

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 10:50AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hmmm yes well diving is maybe more of a trend....of course I think hits from behind or head shots should have 0-tolerance anyway....Pens Morozov still out w/consussion, Wendell creamed Kaspar from behind last night thinking he'd slashed LeCavalier....in fact it was Barrasso heh heh...

Tripp: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 11:03AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Ya know, I wasn't sure about the Keenan/Snow situation either, but then I realized what he did for Grant Fuhr. When Fuhr left L.A., he was really overweight and underworked. But Keenan forced him to get into shape, and played him something like 74 games one year. Richter had 40+ wins with Keenan, Belfour won the Vezina and Jennings, and even Hexy got a Vezina and a Conn Smythe way back when. I still think Snow has feet like cement blocks, but if Keenan keeps going to him, his confidence has to rise. Just a thought.

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 11:29AM PST (-0700 GMT)
So you saying I could lose some weight if I went and played for Herr Keenan? :-D

fourqts: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 11:38AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Lo all..... I see my Yotes get the mark for still being the lowest goals given up.... But with numbers 1 and 3 in GGA in the league..... Who do you play... The Red hot Waite or the more solid number one boolin? As a coach I think this is a good decision to have to make. As for the D the yotes are putting up..... On the Duce tonight, see how well the D gets to the puck after a shot.... No second chances at all right now... they are looking awesome.

Tripp: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 11:43AM PST (-0700 GMT)
heehee... I love ya smott, but I dunno if I'd go THAT far ;-)

Bonn: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 12:33AM PST (-0700 GMT)
gbf: You may be right about Beukeboom, I only saw it from one angle. I still think some of them are faking in an attempt to draw suspensions. I agree that the players have to try to avoid hitting other players in the head, but I think the noble attempt to stop these hits is adversely affected when players fake injuries when they get the slightest knock on the noggin. Oh, and just to jump into the Garth "Don't call me Algar" Snow debate, he's a sieve, and a punter...always has been, always will be.

: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 12:36AM PST (-0700 GMT)
What are the best places to ask to sponser you? I want to raise about 3,000 for some Brian's pads. If you have any Brians Alite used equipment for sale please e-mail me at Kaco33@aol.com

gbfreeman: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 12:41AM PST (-0700 GMT)
On the Snow front, he spent the offseason (when not losing at the world championships) in an intensive conditioning regiment (same one Rob Blake uses) in L.A. and is (supposedly) in the best shape of his career. I do agree with you Bonn about the fact that many players will push new rules (or enforcement of old ones) too far. However, from day one these guys have always been told to do whatever it takes to win. That was not meant as an excuse, but as a possible explanation for their fainting daisy actions.

wolfman: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 12:56AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi everyone. Been out for a bit. Had a car fall on my head at work last week Fri. Slight concussion sore neck and shoulders but nothing to serious. I havent played all week so I'm anxious to get back on the ice tommorow.

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 1:03PM PST (-0700 GMT)
OUCH hi wolfman...don't push those concussions my friend take it easy 'til you feel normal again. I recall trying to balance my checkbook the day after my last concussion....sitting there going "duh...." on simple addition. Give your bean a chance to heal!

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 1:03PM PST (-0700 GMT)
And Kaco weren't you looking for Heatons at a couple hundred bucks a day or two ago? Now it's Brian's for 3K dogbones? Hmmm you have expensive tastes!...

wolfman: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 1:05PM PST (-0700 GMT)
The doc said to take it easy. It isnt to bad right now but I'll see tommorow.

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 1:07PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yep you may find you get tired a lot more easily than usual...or hmm maybe that's just me and my old age!!

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 1:07PM PST (-0700 GMT)
...and I think I speak for all Chatsters when I ask just HOW did a car fall on your head and you live to Chat about it???

wolfman: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 1:08PM PST (-0700 GMT)
No thats true I've been whipped all week. Cant seem to keep my eyes open at work.

wolfman: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 1:10PM PST (-0700 GMT)
We were throwing it off a mezzanine and it slipped and hit me on the top of my head. It dropped about 6 inches and I dropped to the grating.

smott: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 1:12PM PST (-0700 GMT)
A mezzanine? Throwing it where? Y alost me.......

wolfman: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 1:16PM PST (-0700 GMT)
A mezzanine, second storey about 15 feet above floor level. We had to throw it down because it had gotten jamed in the line. It was scrap so we cut it in pieces and threw it to the floor below.

kaco: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 1:47PM PST (-0700 GMT)
smott i figured that if I could get some sponsers that instead of getting used stuff i could get top of the line new stuff. Makes sense?? I just need sponsers now.

Sieve: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 1:52PM PST (-0700 GMT)
wolfman, ummmmmmmm.... uhh... hmm?

kaco: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 1:52PM PST (-0700 GMT)
smott i figured that if i could get some sponsers, I could get top of the line new stuff instead of getting used stuff. Makes sense?? I just need sponsers now.

kaco: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 1:53PM PST (-0700 GMT)
sorry about the double post this machine is crazy

TheCat37: . . . . Fri, Nov 20, 5:45PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Why would a company want to sponsor you? i don't understand what you mean

C5: . . . . Sat, Nov 21, 7:53AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Wolfman, where do you work, in an assembly plant? Sounds like you're working on a movie set! I'm off to Brussels/Vienna today, BTW! Gonna be fun.

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Sat, Nov 21, 1:50PM PST (-0700 GMT)
On the stickhandling thing again, the curve I use isn't all that special or wicked. I've been using a Sherwood 870 that I picked up from the team trainer when I cracked my Heaton 90Z. It's a heavyier stick than my Heatons but it has worked good so far. It is a real stiff stick though, pucks make this major crack off of the stick . Other than weight I have no complaints about it especially since they were free sticks to boot.

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Sat, Nov 21, 1:55PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I see Hexy passed a milestone lastnight. No matter what your stance on him is you have to admit that he's accomplished several things that are note worthy. Is it me or does it look like Hexy and Beezer might have had the same guy paint their masks? Hexy's flyer logo and the paint look like it might be from the same hand.

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Sat, Nov 21, 1:56PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yesterday I saw a close up profile of Irbe in goal standing up straight and there is no doubt that the pads he is wearing have got to be at least 34" or 36", they cover the whole front of his thigh when he stands erect

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Sat, Nov 21, 10:22PM PST (-0700 GMT)
I see Tommy B pulled a Hexy tonight with the slinging of the pine and the fist to cuffs. How about Ollie and Lord byron squaring up and dancing. Looks like it was an interesting night

zen: . . . . Sat, Nov 21, 10:30PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hello all, been busy for a bit, much is happenning in the big old world. I hope all of you are well and keeping the ice behind you clean..... Had abusy and somewhat productive summer hockey wise, wish i could say the same for this Fall. I have been a virtual seive.......On a brighter note, child #4 arrived healthy and without a hitch. Rose Elizabeth came into the world on 10/21 @ 7lbs, 6oz. BTW, did anyone notice that the top NHL teams are pretty close in terms of numbers? Has the NHL struck balance? (talk amongst yourselves...) PS:to whom it may concern: My previous efforts to support this cite were either ignored or lost in cybespace. Would someone enlighten me by dropping a kind and direct note to the following: roberea@naesco.com zen PSS, son #1 is kicking it in th atoms level!!!!!!!

gbfreeman: . . . . Sat, Nov 21, 10:31PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Bring me the head of Dirk Graham. Tonights game by the Black chickens versus the kings was a disgrace to the game of hockey. Not only do they play horribly, they start taking cheap penalties once they were down. They had 75 minutes in penalties tonight. As time ran out, one of the Hawks gained possession of the puck, turns, and fires it head high at the ref. I can only hope that parents were lucky enough to have not had their children see this yellow bellied display of lack of respect and class. I have been a life long Hawks fan through some bad teams but they always seemed to play hard. This team is just dirty. I am truly disgusted by the play of this band of low lifes. Sorry for the rant, but this team is a black eye for hockey.

zen: . . . . Sat, Nov 21, 10:32PM PST (-0700 GMT)
That e-mail address again is: roberea@naesco,com

zen: . . . . Sat, Nov 21, 10:34PM PST (-0700 GMT)
gbfreeman, just what is going on in the windy city???

fourqts: . . . . Sat, Nov 21, 11:42PM PST (-0700 GMT)
My yotes pull off two ot wins in a row..... Still the streak of no more than two given up in a game since their opener....... YOtes and boolin and waite loot tough.

Tripp: . . . . Sun, Nov 22, 12:55AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Luckily for Dafoe, Kolzig's his best friend. I wouldn't wanna mess with Zilla. He's linebacker-size. All 12 guys on the ice got ejected. Wish I could've watched that game. Looks like Barasso re-injured himself last night, too. Aubin had to come in to replace him.

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 5:14AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yes Tommy Brittle-Boy Barrasso threw his back out in that wrestling match. The Lightning I guess saw the tapes of TB slashing LeCavleir the game before and came after him....however Pens knock of Tampa 5-2 anyway an JS gets another win.....

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 5:14AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Who are those Yotes anyway??? My goodness ubeaten in 11, still only 2 defeats!...Unreal.

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 5:16AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yep the Hawks are sure putting out some ugly stuff, apologies to my CHicago CHatsters....how long will Graham last? And Pens hoping to shop Nedved for cash but the league won'tlet'em. Hmmmm, I say Petr's an asset they've beenunable to use the last 2 years, why not let'em get some $$ for him?

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 5:20AM PST (-0700 GMT)
meanwhile I have played Fri-Sat-Sun and have games Mon-Tues...could this explain why my lower back has been shrieking at me lately??? Got a call to fill-in in a AA League in nearby Ohio on Friday, drive out there to face some of the hardest shots I have ever seen, talk about Bambi in the Freeway, yikes!! We lose 8-5 and though I made a bucnh of good saves I was really over my head, if these guys had time to pick a spot, forget it. 3 goals off the posts and in at about 90 mph, my neurons didn't even have time to go "Eeeek!". Also the refs called a shall we say, wide-open game....first period a guy fklattened me through the back of the net, a brawl ensues, we wind up with the only penalty. I chirp at the ref about the Effort to Avoid the Goaltender which was lacking, he says "Ah yer D pushed him into ya..." If I had a nickel for every time I heard that....

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 5:31AM PST (-0700 GMT)
2nd period I am a speedbump again and this one must have looked funny, guy tried a high speed stuff in, I stop it, he just keeps going and bowled me over, and I mean over, 360 degress head over heels (which ain't easy in 50 lbs equipment, try it sometime!). Another brawl, no penalties. I ask the ref if he's going to call anything or just wait until I get killed. The Posthumous Interference on The Goalie penalty. Anyway...it was still fun, it's neat to play when the whole team participates in the D, forwards coming back and all. Totally different game. And, I confess, a tad bit too fast for moi!

Beatts: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 7:11AM PST (-0700 GMT)
We won last night again, 8-3. I STUNK !! Thank god we have a great team because ol' Beatts really crapped out the arena. 6 SHOTS 3 GOALS. I keep this up and I can sign a contract with Montreal !!

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 7:15AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Heh heh Beatts you may have to get the SA% a little lower to qualify!....

fourqts: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 8:15AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Played my best game of the season in crusing to a 9-3 victory last night. The three were basically given to them as all were the results of my d trying to get fancy with the puck about 5-10 feet in front of me. I was just in the way all night and was seeing the puck well. I touched everything but those three dribbled in. 7-1 now, but still waiting for the magic delivery from Scott.

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 8:37AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Good going 4q! And my Sheallack/Week entry - a 14-3 humbling in A on Sun, where I was silly enough to accept a fill-in for the cellar-dwellars.....that'll teach me!

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 8:38AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I was left at a loss for words on about their 8th goal late 2nd...guy left all by himslf top of teh crease, has time to wait, wait, comb his hair etc, finally bing 5 hole. The AWOL right D skates back, I am expecting to hear an apology (this about the 4th time his man has scored) but he says "Yer forgettin' to leave your stick on the ice."

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 8:39AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Chatsters can you supply me with a snappy comeback for next time this happens? :-D

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 8:50AM PST (-0700 GMT)
How about "you're forgetting to move your skates on the ice" Think he might get the message?

Tripp: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 10:10AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Jeez. What a brilliant piece of advice from your defense, smott. The NHL hasn't come calling this guy for his sage wisdom yet? Tell him if he doesn't start getting back and picking up his check, he'll find out where you can shove that stick.

Sieve: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 10:24AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hi all. smott, tell him it'll be tough to keep the blade on the ice with the handle sticking out of his ass... hehe

Sieve: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 10:34AM PST (-0700 GMT)
another Christian CC bites the dust... Playing drop-in Friday night, one of the regulars with a blistering slapper tees one up from top of the right circle. Yep, he buried it in the back of the net... IT being the top of my stick handle! Pure luck that I got the handle in the way, he blew about the top 10" right off the stick. Play temporarily stopped long enough for everyone to pick up their jaws.

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 11:04AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Sieve, Toast is looking for CCs...let us know where you got yours....I remember taking a Vic back that shattered on like the 3rd shot of warmup. Store mgr says, "Can't guarantee these! Barrasso uses a new one every period!" I go "Ah - that's the NHL pal, we're talking C-level shinny warmup here." But no dice. And on I went to Kohos where I've been happy ever since!

fourqts: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 11:06AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I like Sieve's come back the best

fourqts: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 11:08AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I also got to look at the tender stats last night..... MAN I SUCK (Or so the stats Say).... I'm last in every category except win/loss record, in which i happen to be first. Kinda funny that all the other teams are trying to get the worst goalie to defect to them... HEHEHE

fourqts: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 11:16AM PST (-0700 GMT)
I think Jimmy Waite and Nik Boolin deserve a little banner respect here too considering they have now gone 15 games allowing no more than 2 goals a game......

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 11:29AM PST (-0700 GMT)
4q yes the Yotes are streakin! I see Dallas has only 3 losses, Gumby has 4...Pens 5....I don't like to look at my A stats! REALLY bad, but in B or C I'm OK....2-3 GAA last 7-8 games or so.....no complaints.

J.T.: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 11:32AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Well, it's not a car, but I've been away the past 6 weeks or so after tearing a hamstring thanks to attempting to lift a 33" television. Not a smart thing to do. Haven't run a step or done anything physical in weeks and it's starting to drive me absolutely crazy! Looks like the much-awaited return to playing may have to wait a bit....

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 11:35AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Also I encourage all you Chatsters to PLAY TENNIS! Heh heh on Sat in C league their guy had an empty net on a post rebound, I dove over and swatted his shot out of mid air with the paddle, a nicely executed forehand a la Steffi Graf! So get out there on the courts Chatsters!!!

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 11:36AM PST (-0700 GMT)
OW JT....sorry to hear it....do your PT religiously and you'll be back soon......

J.T.: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 11:42AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Well, it's not a car, but I've been away the past 6 weeks or so after tearing a hamstring thanks to attempting to lift a 33" television. Not a smart thing to do. Haven't run a step or done anything physical in weeks and it's starting to drive me absolutely crazy! Looks like the much-awaited return to playing may have to wait a bit....

J.T.: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 11:44AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Ack, the double-post boogieman got me. Yep, PT has been interesting, and I think I have about 70% range of motion back so far. Walking is back, but anything involving strength from the hamstring is still out of the question. Sad part is, running killed my flexibility over the past few years, and now it's even worse. Oh well, gives me more motivation, right? In other news, I saw the worst shellacking of all time last night: 24-1 in a B-league game. It was just ugly...

TheCat37: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 11:57AM PST (-0700 GMT)
We won 32-2 last night. The other guys gaa is now 23.41 over 8 games.

J.T.: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 12:00AM PST (-0700 GMT)
32-2? OUCH. That's got to hurt. What was the period length? The 24-1 game I wrote about was 3 22 minute running clock periods. Had to stop the clock once after about 20 goals for a major brawl. 5 guys ejected...sheesh....

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 12:43AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yikes fellas I thought I had it bad!.....Are these bloodbaths ice or roller??

gbfreeman: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 12:51AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey, all. Another entry in the who's in net sweepstakes. Darren Puppa injured his (yes, you guessed it) groin and will be out 10-14 days. Goalies are falling at a scary pace these days (see LA Kings). On the continuing rant about the Black Hawks, they lost 4-1 to the Mighty Ducks. For Pete's sake, Grimson scored on them. Thiebeau actually said he was happy to be in Chi town. This conclusively proves that he had not seen the Black Hawks play this season. Well, maybe the Black Hawks need another game against the Ducks to get it going (not the NHL team, THE KIDS from the movie). I can here Jeremy Roenick laughing from here.

gbfreeman: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 12:53AM PST (-0700 GMT)
smott, how is it going? Got 2 games tonight if the surface is fixed at the roller place I play at. They had a problem with the surface being to slick, so they sandblasted it. Took it down too deep and now it is all rough. During a pickup game, sparks were coming off guys sticks as the took shots (from small pieces of gravel) These playoffs have now been postponed 4 weeks.

fourqts: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 12:57AM PST (-0700 GMT)
Yup JR is laughing like a madman in PHX..... Now a question.... Helmets (I'm hearing ) the promask is the way to go for most here right? Well their site shows theit basic mask for around $350 unpainted.. What is the scoop on the Simmons masks and I also like the look od the koho 450.... And where to get good custom paint done at a reasonable price..... I'd like to save as many $$ as possible.

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 1:00PM PST (-0700 GMT)
gb you are the IronMan of the Chat with your multi-game nights! I am in the midst of 5 ice games in 5 nights and by golly I am feelin' it! Mixed in a few hours of tennis plus some running this weekend and I am a hurtin' puppy today! On the ice at 11 PM tonight, 10:40 tomorrow. Will look like something my cat dragged in by Wednesday AM.

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 1:02PM PST (-0700 GMT)
4q I have zero complaints about my ProMasque and many nice things to say about their service. Have taken a number of bombs to the bean with no ill effects besides the normal ringing ears.

smott: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 1:04PM PST (-0700 GMT)
However once you buy from P-M you have to get it painted by them, or you'll lose the guarantee. That is not unusual I think - they don't want some guy in an auto shop sand blasting the thing, then you complaining when it cracks....but the mask itself is light, fits well with the little air bag on the forehead, and once you get use to the long snout (no worse than Itech) you'll be fine.

J.T.: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 1:28PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Hey! No fair! I want to be the ironman of the chat! ;-) Geez, doesn't finishing several of those all-day races count anymore? Maybe I need to take up a pro baseball career and play for several years nonstop..... sarcasm, not enough coffee mode off

Carpe de Puck: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 2:31PM PST (-0700 GMT)
FQ's you get your Pro-Masque painted in a solid color for the price listed. I gar-ron-tee you will not get a better mask from anybody especially for that price. Matt Garland will speak to you personally about your mask needs and questions. Do you think KOHO, Heaton or any of the other off the shelf mask makers will even give you the time of day? Don Simmons? I won't even go there, anybody willing to sell obviously pirated gear and claim it's as good as the real McCoy is not trustworthy IMHO. Matt stands behind every mask he sells. How many places do you know of that will send you a loaner if something happens to your mask or you send it in to be painted? On paint, he is fair price wise. Depending on what your looking for he can give you a good idea of the price over the phone or via E-mail. Don't expect to pay low dollar for high quality work. You get what you pay for and he guarentes his paint as well. If it's airbrushing it isn't as expensive, once you get into hardlines and clear defined detail the price will go up. I looked all over the place for "known" mask painters and they all offer different levels of work as well as prices. If anything call Matt collect and he will direct you to a good painter and not some high school drop out stoner dude who paints motorcycle helmets and T-shirts. Bottom line: for the money you will not find better quality or service else where. If you don'r believe me ask Smott and I'm sure she can give you an earfull as well. Hope I helped you out

gbfreeman: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 5:16PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Well, I underestimated Colin Campbell's desire to stop blows to the head. I predicted a 10 game suspension for LA's Matt Johnson for his hit on Jeff Buekeboom. Today the NHL announced a 12 game suspension! Ouch! Does anyone actually think that this is working? I ask this because if you look at ESPN's NHL site most of the articles are about suspensions for hits to the head.

Chris: . . . . Mon, Nov 23, 5:38PM PST (-0700 GMT)
Heh, CdP, if I'd scaled the box down, you would of had trouble with the above post :-). Currently working on several new features, including a web based mail archive of the Netmiders' list. Let