JMS Hockey

New year new gear

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:33:06 -0600

Wow! I went to Total Hockey in Edina today and talked to Justin, who is super knowledgeable and super excited about Easton's brand-spanking-new Stealth RS line. I want this stuff. I want all of it. Especially the helmet.

Oh! I love my Cascade CHX helmet and have recommended it to others many times. But this new Easton 700 helmet is so awesome. Justin said it's been out about three weeks and it's been flying off the shelves. It's the lightest helmet on the market (and passes the "mirror test," as another blog notes). It's also available in matte black, which is uber cool. I can only imagine what it looks like with one of those "Terminator" reflective shields.

But it doesn't just look cool. The Cascade M11 (successor to my beloved CHX) was arguably the first helmet specifically designed with concussion protection for the back of the head. The E 700 is Easton's answer to Cascade, with comparable levels of protection in concusson prevention technology. And it's so amazingly light. My boyfriend hefted it and said in wonder, "It feels like a bike helmet." It's more of a fitted helmet, with a lower profile that sticks close to your head and keeps that lovely ultra-shock-absorbent foam close to your important noggin.

The helmet is super new; it doesn't even have an official cage released yet (though you can of course find one that fits well enough). Justin explained that Easton releases their new stuff in the middle of the season, unlike the rest of the hockey manufacturers. I have to confess, we walked into Total Hockey and I was NOT expecting to see the newest and most exciting stuff at the beginning of January. But it was fun to learn about Easton's advances.

The new pieces all take advantage of Easton's newly developed and redone equipment with the company's new ultra-shock-absorbent foam (I always wonder what it's like to be an engineer for hockey equipment, designing and testing the stuff we use every day). The new foam material has a low profile and it means they can use less bulk to achieve the same protection. The designers have opted for a more fitted style and augmented that with no-slip grip in important places. The result is protective equipment that 1. stays in place and 2. conforms more which with 3. its lightness actually feels LESS restrictive and bulky though it provides MORE protection. Excellent.

The Easton Stealth RS shin pads are designed in this new theme: they are not as bulky and have good coverage for the back of the calf, the first shin I have seen to actually have solid protection back there. They have excellent knee flexibility without sacrificing protection, and the important patella cutout that beginners need.

We looked at the redesigned breezers too, and wow, are they breezy. The Stealth RS pants are breathable like none I've ever seen before. But they also have advanced foam protection on the important kidney and tailbone areas. I know I have spoken about my love for my Tacklas, with their great combination of flexibility and protection. I have to say, these give the Tacklas a run for their money. If I were buying new, I would buy Stealth RS.

The new Easton shoulders are out too and they are just as exceptional--with the important heart protection (carbon fibers to protect from direct hits!). These really look like goalie chest protectors to me, actually, in that they're fitted close to the body and jointed. By having the gear move with the body, instead of the body moving around inside the gear, it stays closer and provides the protection exactly where it's needed. The shoulders, like the breezers and shins, have the anti-slip grip to keep you in place and moving with the pants instead of rotating inside them.

I didn't see the elbow pads, gloves are out in April (but the youth glove had excellent palm reinforcement and breathability, as well as triple-joint on the index finger) and the new skates won't come out for a while yet. Overall I was super impressed with the new technology Easton is employing to keep us safe and concentrating on playing hockey instead of worrying about our gear. Want to know more? Go to Total Hockey in Edina and ask for Justin--it's always exciting to talk to someone who is enthusiastic about our game and the new advances related to it. I know what pieces I'm coveting for my next purchase!

I resolve to

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:58:34 -0600

What's your Hockey New Year's Resolution?

Some ideas:
I resolve to play more hockey.
I resolve to take off my skate guards before I step on the ice.
I resolve to LOOK first, THEN pass.
I resolve to give my gear more than its once-every-12-months washing.
I resolve to be nicer to the refs.
I resolve to drink only from my own water bottle.
I resolve to try playing goalie, at least once.
I resolve to not eat Taco Bell on game day. Never, ever, ever.

Any of the above apply to you? Or do you have your own Hockey New Year's Resolution?

Strange ice season

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 08:02:47 -0600

With temps at and even above freezing so late in the season, I'm sure ice has been a challenge (not everyone can have outdoor chillers like the immaculate Oval in Roseville!).

Do you have an outdoor rink? What kind of extra care have you had to take with it this year? Has your local park rink been delayed?

I'm curious to hear how people are coping with temps near 40 and bright sunny days.

Dumb Jocks or Ubermenschen

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 15:36:40 -0600

I have been musing about this topic for years.

Are the elite athletes smarter than the rest of us? More focused? More athletically talented? Or just more willing to believe that making that play right now is the most important thing in the universe?

When I think of the idiots I've seen interviewed in some sports, I can't help but think, Gee, he seems so dumb that he would believe anyone who told him running around on the field like that is the most valuable thing he can do in life...

On the other hand, maybe the elite athletes are just so supremely focused that they are totally in mental control and able to suppress that oh fer cryin out loud, it's just a game and my knee hurts and I'm never going to catch him anyway feeling we all get sometimes--the mental power to eliminate all other thoughts but those of winning.

Are they dumb jocks or ubermenchen?

I'm intrigued by Malcolm Gladwell and his ideas of "outliers," not least of which is the 10,000-Hour Rule (his belief that, anyone who does anything for 10,000 hours, becomes a success at that task... it's just that not many of us have the motivation to do something for 10,000 hours).
For those intrigued by Gladwell, he has a very interesting article from 1999 about "The Physical Genius." And yes, he mentions Wayne Gretzky.
And I've long been interested by the writings of clever Ken Dryden, an NHL Hall of Famer who went on to become an attorney and Member of Parliament. Or closer to home, the amazing Alan Page, currently of the Minnesota Supreme Court and the NHL Hall of Fame.

So which is it? Like always, the real answer is probably a combination of the above: someone talented at something does it more often, and success makes that person more likely to practice more, which in itself yields more success, and thus more willingness to practice more hours, et cetera.

What do you think?

A really nice Thanksgiving note

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 08:14:16 -0600

(I received this note on Tuesday, posting anonymously. To the author: thank you very much for this really, really nice note. It meant a lot. BG)

I was thinking about Thanksgiving this week and the things for which I'm thankful (I know - kind of sappy).

I'm fortunate to have a lot of things on my list - mostly the standard, but truly important things - health, family, friends, etc.

But, I realized a new one this year.

I'm really thankful to have hockey in my life.

Corny? Sure. But I really am.

Hockey has given me a mental break from the things in the world that try to stress me out.

Hockey has been a real, but fun challenge (as someone who could barely stand on my skates 2 year ago).

Hockey has made me a member of a team, again - something I figured I'd left for good when I was 18.

Hockey has given me an excuse to hang out with old friends and make a lot of new ones.

Hockey has given me a new experience to share with my kids.

Hockey makes me feel like I'm a kid, again.

Until 2 years ago, I didn't care about the sport, at all. Never watched it. Never knew anything about it. Never thought I'd care.

Two years later--

I love hockey.

Why tell you all of this?

Well, I don't think I'd be playing hockey, were it not for JMS.

Two years ago, my oldest son told me that he wanted to start playing hockey. I try to support my kids in whatever they want to try, but I realized that this would be the first time that I wouldn't be able to help coach or give advice to one of them -- I knew nothing and couldn't even skate. So, I looked online in the off chance that there would be opportunities for almost-40-year-olds to learn to skate and play. I realize now that, of course, there are opportunities. This is the State of Hockey!

I read about lots of leagues, but most sounded too geared towards adults who had experience, or sounded like leagues that have problems with parity. I read about the AHA and the Beginner School and thought it sounded great. The only problem was that I didn't want to dish out several hundreds of dollars on gear and tuition, then find out that I hated it.

Then I found the JMS website. Sure, I'd have to invest in some cheap gear, but only $15 to try a session -- that's more like it.

Anyway, if it hadn't been for the Level 1 sessions, I really doubt that I would have kept with it. The supportive, fun atmosphere made me feel comfortable being the worst on the ice for a long time. The times were flexible and if I got called away to work at the last minute and couldn't skate, no one would really care. It also made me realize that an investment in the Beginner School was one that was worthwhile.

REALLY long story and long way of getting around to saying "Thanks." But I really mean it. Thanks, Barb.

Hockey has been a great gift to me. Happy Thanksgiving.

The Way We Do Things

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:32:20 -0600

Guest blog by Seth Clayton

I offered to write a blog addressing something that I have noticed during our level 2 games. I'm not sure how prevalent the issue may be in other levels, but I think the underlying solution can and should be adopted by every participant in JMS.

Recently, I've noticed some inconsistencies in how offside and icing are called and treated once enforced. Here is what the FAQ section of the JMS website says in regards to offside and icing:

If there is no referee how do we manage icing and offsides?
The defense will make its own offsides calls. Turn the puck over, and after everyone has “touched-up" onsides, you can reenter the zone.
Goalies are charged with signaling for an icing. Players on the offending team must wait outside the blue line for the puck to be carried out.

Our captain from my most recent game did a good job reminding the skaters how each "offense" would be signaled, and I'm sure assumed that everyone reads the FAQ section on the JMS website, where it explains many common questions that skaters and goalies, rookie and veteran, may have. I feel it is every participant's responsibility to read the FAQ section to help the captain run a smooth and efficient session. The captain could start every game with a long diatribe going over every topic covered in the FAQ, but I don't think any of us want to stand around, burning valuable ice time, listening to something that is easily accessible to every member.

While I only started thinking about the FAQ in regards to treatment of icing and offsides, on reflection, I think we should all take a few minutes to read them--whether for the first time or if we read it two years ago when we first started skating with JMS. And while a couple icing foulups aren't a major issue, it's something that nonetheless adds some frustration to games that does not need to be there. Keep yourselves informed, everyone on the same page, and our sessions will run smoothly and efficiently!

Finally, skating with JMS has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my adult life! We're a great group, full of members that all seem to be showing up for the same reasons: to enjoy themselves, work on a little fitness and appreciate one of the greatest games out there! Keep up the great work and we'll see you on the ice!
[BG: Thanks for the nice words and the community spirit!]

Responsibility in a CS

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:37:11 -0500

This blog is prompted by a captain report I had after an all-level Community Session. We introduced the more relaxed CS games with the understanding that they would be a challenge to administer.

Some quick background on the CS games:
Before we had all-level CS games, there was no JMS session where people of separate levels (Bob the ex-varsity skater and his newbie girlfriend, Sue--or Chad the newbie to bring his rink-rat neighbor, Dan) and people let us know they were ticked that JMS didn't offer something for them. A CS also made sense to help in certain regions: with more levels to draw from, a CS means we can still have sessions in areas with low JMS populations.

So we started the CS and have had some nice comments... and some people who tell us they are ridiculous and we should quit doing them (raise your hand if you want to lock pros and cons in a room to battle it out and leave the rest of us out of it?).
The CS games have been pretty popular and I'm still deciding what the next step for them is. But the CS games are here to stay.

My main concern back when implementing an all-level CS was that some upper level skaters would not "get it" and would be the ringers we all can't stand--the hotdog on the ice whose dominating presence at open hockey makes us yearn for JMS. We have had some instances in which upper level players (usually brand-new to JMS) have been problems.

The solution for that is simple: we can remove those upper-level ringers' ability to participate in Community Sessions. With that, I thought everyone would play well in the sandbox, until I got this eye-opening note after an all-level CS in October.

There were about 4 or 5 collisions tonight (luckily no one hurt), mostly guys running into their own team players. It may be a good time to remind folks to keep their heads up, especially if they're going into an arena with mixed skill levels. Personally, my awareness level is even more peaked during community skates because it is very unpredictable what other players are going to do when mixing levels. I think we had Levels 2 thru 5.

Finally, it may be worth considering to inform lower level players to keep there heads up a bit more during community skates (due to so many collisions tonight) as well as letting them know they can't run "bee-line" straight into others players bodies. They have to go for a poke check or veer off rather than run smack into folks. Speeds are higher during these mixed level skates and other players aren't expecting to get bowled over.

When starting Community Sessions, I only warned lower level participants to not get frustrated when outskated. But the note above made me realize how important it is the lower level folks concentrate on safety as well.

Upper level skaters' responsibility at a CS is to keep from being a ringer and dominating the game. But lower level CS players have their responsibilities too: keep that head UP! We understand you're not as experienced, but this important safety element is behavior-based, not skill-based.

Let's keep it fun out there!

Cherry Picking

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:57:51 -0500

Guest blog by Tom Akins

Barb, wondering if you could do us all a favor and remind players through captains or otherwise against cherry picking. It takes the fun out of the game and is not fair to any of the players. It's probably the most irritating thing that upsets everyone. Next to me of course. Just a joke I think.

At level 2 it seem to have gotten started with one particular individual and now others have caught the virus as well. A few guys will go immediately when on offense to the neutral zone or even the second blue line and just sit. Which of course is a 2-line pass if they should even get one.

But the main point is that if you're on the same team as the cherry picker, you're forced to work your buns off in the defensive zone because you're short handed and can't control of the puck because your teammates are elsewhere.

Likewise, if your playing defense on the opposing team it's no fun. Instead of hugging the blue line and get involved with the offense, you have to sit back. Some guys don't want to do that, so if the cherry picker gets the puck, you leave your goalie naked as well. It seems to affect the entire flow of the game.

As a footnote: I mean, we are level 2. Even if the guy gets a pass, most often he's not going to beat anybody to the net. So he's wasting his time.

From a coaching perspective, players are not supposed to break out until your team controls the puck. Granted, once in a while you sneak out or try to keep your defense honest if they're pinching to much. But seriously, sometimes 1 to 3 guys will be standing in the neutral zone when the puck is in their own end just looking for a breakout.Very selfish play. The poor goalie getting peppered with no support on defense.

I get it, that some guys are so new to hockey and don't know any better. JMS is not designed to have real rigged rules etc. But I think this should be addressed to make it fun and fair for all. What do you think?

Join JMS's Dan Ginter on a Zamboni ride-along!

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 14:16:09 -0500

This video blog will tell you all about Zambonis from the driver's seat...

A zamboni ride-along! from JMS Support on Vimeo.

New rink best location

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 08:48:09 -0500

I was thinking the other day about the rinks in the Twin Cities, and where I would hope for a new one to be located.

I know Breck in Golden Valley and St. Thomas in Mendota Heights are both comparatively new, but where would be the best location for the next new rink?

Obviously, everyone's first answer is: "Two blocks from my house." But pragmatically, which community doesn't have a rink, but could really use one?

I live in the far western burbs, but I really think the area that could use more ice is Roseville. I love, love, love the Oval -- great facility, the staff is wonderful. I know many other players feel the same way.

In fact, we love it so much that we want more ice there! But with just one sheet, and the youth associations getting first dibs (like they do at any arena), sometimes it's hard to get in at Roseville--though we are always appreciative of how the arena superintendent works with us.

So that's my first choice. I think for my second, I'd put a rink in the northern burbs: something in Fridley, maybe. There's a hole in the arena map, bordered by Brooklyn Park to the west, Fogerty to the north, Shoreview to the east and to the south by--from east to west--Roseville, NEA, VMIA and New Hope.

Where would you put a brand new rink? Besides two blocks from home.

Stop and Listen

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:40:31 -0500

Guest blog by Rob Jones.

Your body is telling you something.

Repeating aches and pains are the language of injury. Take a moment and listen to my story. I’ve been playing goalie since I was 8 years old, which is now three decades in net. I have absolutely loved every minute of it, even the times when I felt lots of pain. Many shots were taken off the knee and thigh, one resulting in a fractured kneecap. The butt of a stick jabbed through my helmet that hit my eye, leaving a mark I still have today. The opposing forwards have run me over throughout the years. I have recovered from all of these maladies, except one.

About five years ago, I had a harebrained scheme to get new goalie pads that would allow me to cover more of the bottom of the net. Anyone who knows me or has seen me play knows I don’t necessarily have any type of style, unless flopping like a fish is considered a goaltending style. Nevertheless, it worked for me. My scheme led me to purchase a set of hybrid goalie pads, after using traditional pads my entire life. This began my hybrid/butterfly career, but I laugh aloud at the statement because I am about the worst butterfly goalie around. Absolutely no smooth style in me. I still flop, albeit a little less in my advancing years.

I was a player who would play everyday if I could, sometimes twice in a day. I played back-to-back games quite a bit and subbed everywhere I could. Three years ago, near the end of the season, was when my issues began. My hips hurt, and they never had before. It wasn’t just general pain, it was sharp and debilitating. During the AHA playoffs, I barely finished our three games and my performance was lacking. I took a few weeks off and the pain subsided. Didn’t think much of it.

The next season, the pain returned in a general form. Slight pain week to week, but it would go away when I didn’t play. Again I figured, “Well, getting older, pain will be normal.” I’d take some Ibuprophen and be fine. Sometimes I’d be taking four to six at a time, but not very often. It turned into taking the painkiller prior to playing as a preventative measure. But I then stopped after a couple months.

Towards the end of that 2008-2009 season, the hips were acting up again. As I reflect, yeah…they felt worse. I played the season out, packed some Icy Hot in my bag and used before games. Made it feel better, but what it truly did was mask what my body was telling me. The more I played, the worse my situation was getting and I was not listening, not wanting to hear what my body had to say. I did take some time off, but continued to play and basically accepted the pain.

My 2009-2010 season was actually a good one. I felt as though I managed the pain well, and didn’t have any lasting effects. Sure, I was sore for a day or so after playing, but isn’t everyone? Again, I was negotiating in my head my stubbornness to keep playing instead of listening to my hips screaming at me. “My life without playing goalie? Are you kidding me? UNACCEPTABLE! The more I play will make it feel better. “ I did make it through the season alright, and my stats made me feel good even if I felt bad. My stats ok’d me to keep playing. But, the little voice inside my head got me to at least go to the doctor to have it all checked out. Had a few x-rays and I was diagnosed with severe bursitis in both hips. Doc says, rest a bit, take these and call me in the morning (or two weeks). Meds didn’t work, but I kept playing.

The 2010-2011 season came. It began with some hip pain, but not anything more than I was used to. “Hey, I managed it the season before…so what’s the big deal, right?” I kept playing, and subbed games…not many issues. The season went by and we were in the playoffs again. The playoffs went by with us not winning a game, although I played well. And then something happened. Not a point of injury. Not a specific incident. All of a sudden my hips really began hurting. I don’t remember the day. I don’t remember the time. But they hurt and they hurt badly. I couldn’t sleep. I could barely walk.

A guy I have worked with for the past seven years has had both hips replaced. He knows my hip pain stories and had repeatedly told me to see an orthopedic surgeon--more specifically, his surgeon. He insisted I get the diagnosis for what was truly going on. Deep down, I knew what was going on but didn’t want to know. But finally this past Monday, I went to see Dr. Hartmann.

I arrived for my 9 a.m appointment, sat for a bit and was called in. No height or weight measurements… they just ask you. Those aren’t the important info anyone needs to know this day. I got in for x-rays right away. I had to stand for one with my feet apart about 20 inches and my hips were sore. My next x-ray was done lying down on the table, on my back. My left hip was really shooting out some pain for that one as I needed to spread my knees apart as far as possible to rotate my hips outwards.

The doctor came in. He was pleasant and got right down to business. Everything I thought of is basically what was going on. I have what is termed as a “goalie injury,” along with arthritis in my hip. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the worst, I was at an 8. I have severe arthritis to the point that I no longer have any cartilage in either hip. I also have a very large bone spur on the outside of each hip joint, which is causing the pains in my hips when I try to move laterally or shoot my leg out sideways to make a save.

I’m 38 years old… too young for this! Alas, teenaged goalies are needing hip surgeries these days. Dr. Hartmann noted that he had done former Gopher goalie Steve DeBus’ surgery for him a few years ago.

So what do I need? Something called hip resurfacing. Doesn’t sound horrible… but it’s not the greatest story I’ve ever heard either. The surgery actually shaves bone off from the head of your femur and grinds out your hip joint. When they do that, they then place a stainless steel cap on the top of your femur (anchored into the bone) and a receiving cap in the hip joint.

Wow…so I can become Steve Austin!

Well, no. Not exactly. The surgery is amazingly an outpatient one and I can go home the same day! But, I am restricted from high-impact activities (like hockey) for 6-12 months. The good news? I can play goalie again without pain. I can live day to day without pain. The bad news? The caps they implant only last 10-15 years, so this will need to be done again, and again……and AGAIN.

So, word to everyone out there…goalie or not. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. It may be trying to tell you something.

Changing to Hockey Season

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:13:53 -0500

Wednesday night's freeze warning means things will feel a lot like hockey weather very soon. In what ways does this impact us? LOTS!

I know gear storage has moved around--some people keep it in the garage (by choice or by decree from a housemate), but weather can pose challenges here. In deep summer, gear actually needs to come inside sometimes, or the high humidity won't let it dry out. Yucky funky. And in deep winter, trying to put on frozen, stinky gear is just too gruesome for words.

But lovely crisp fall is perfect for keeping your gear in the garage and finding it pleasantly aired out when you go to pack up for the next game. Ahhh... fall.

The ice at rinks is better--no more top-layer-humidity-film, and lower temps outside mean it actually freezes after the Zamboni... no more soup.

Changing ice conditions also mean changing skate grind for some folks. I know several people who adjust to a wider cut for their skates to better handle softer summer ice.

Outside can also affect the postgame paradigm: standing around in the parking lot suddenly can get a whole lot colder, and people will start zipping off to their cars earlier than before. And it's time to start bringing a post-game hat to cover your sweaty hair as you walk in the chill from the rink to your car. Mom says, Don't catch a cold!

The season change also affects pregame nosh; I never feel like eating a big, heavy meal in the hot summer, but I can't eat many hours before hockey, either, so an early big meal is tough. Changing to fall means a nice big bowl of pasta or yummy meatloaf sandwich long before the game tastes great and doesn't prompt a food coma.

What changes are you anticipating for your hockey as we move into fall?

Fall Recruiting Push

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:05:45 -0500

You asked, we listened: there are LOTS of new sessions and locations this fall, starting with the many offerings on Friday, September 16. Now let's get players to fill those roster spots!

We have new games in Apple Valley and in St. Paul. And Level 1 returns in early October; Level 5 starts on September 20. We begin our adventure in Vadnais Heights in early November and add Maple Grove in early October. Polar is back in the rotation in November, as well as a Tuesday skate at Eden Prairie. And Minnehaha Academy opens in October, where we'll have Wednesday and Sunday night games.

For everyone who said, "Why don't you have ice (on this night/at this rink/at this level)?" -- here are your games! Please help us recruit skaters to keep these sessions strong for you.

Who can you tell about JMS?

friends,
family,
teammates,
neighbors,
other youth hockey parents,
people at the hockey store,
fans next to you at the Wild game,
people you argue with on NHL blogs,
people playing pick-up at the park,
teammates from your other sport,
people at Open Skate,
your cat (like he cares, right?)

We already have flyers at many area rinks--you can check your local rink for JMS signage and let me know if there's none on display. (Thanks for your help--I would rather stay home and answer your e-mails instead of driving to 40 rinks in the Twin Cities area!)

In addition to the arena display flyers, I am hoping to have brochures and handouts to distribute at hockey stores and at hockey events.

Do you know of a place JMS should ask to display brochures? I can think of some stores: Westwood, Boehm's... that place on Highway 55 past Plymouth. The Goalcrease in Edina.

I am also looking for hockey events where we can pass out small handouts about JMS. The Let's Play Hockey expo is way off in March... do you know of any upcoming hockey events where people would want to hear about JMS?

We are going to have a fabulous season. Thank you for helping JMS grow and offer more hockey opportunities!

Barbara Garn
General Manager

Knee Bend Is King

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 07:44:08 -0500

From Andy Blaylock of Competitive Edge (located at Hat Trick Hockey in St. Louis Park)

In the previous segment of Hockey Skating and Physics, we looked at a skating technique adjustment that led to more speed, a slightly shorter stride length, and a greater stride rate. While extolling the virtues of this adjustment we knocked stride length off of its metaphorical pedestal as the key metric in excellent skating technique. While, the rumors of stride length's demise may have been greatly exaggerated (as stride length is still a hugely important concept that skaters should value in many ways), dethroning it does leave room for the true king of hockey skating concepts. All hail knee bend! Long live the king.

Readers of last week's article would remember discussion about how, in the forward stride, forward horizontal force production is what it all boils down to. Wouldn't that make that the king? It would... if we were looking to focus on the result that we are trying to produce. But, what we are talking about here is a question of how we can generate that result (how we can produce maximum forward horizontal force). Knee bend is the single most important variable that helps us achieve that goal. And knee bend is so important, it makes the abbreviated recovery strategy from the previous "Hockey Skating and Physics" segment seem downright trivial.

Increased knee bend has an effect on two key stride metrics which lead to speed. This dual effect is what makes deep knee bend such an important component of the high-performance skating stride. We will delve into both the increased extension length and flatter extension force direction that deeper knee bend leads to.

To understand extension length, it helps to use the skater's body as a reference point from which to take our measurements.

When we measure stride length we are talking about the distance down the ice that a player moves during each stride. To take this measurement, it requires us to use the rink to establish a baseline from which we take our measurements. In other words we are measuring relative to the rink. But using this, it is hard to learn much about the effects of knee bend. For that we should use the skater's body as the central point that we measure from even though the skater would be moving around the rink.

Using a perspective that treats the body as stationary, we can talk about extension length in the simplest terms. Extension length is the distance along the skating surface that the player pushes the skate away from the body. At the beginning of this extension, the skater's leg is at a maximally bent position and his skate is very nearly underneath the body. At the end of extension, the leg is (ideally) straight and the skate is out away from the body. In between, as the skate moves away from the body during extension, the skater's muscles are applying the propulsive force that we so covet to push the body forward. Extension is the part of the stride where we push ourselves forward so it stands to reason that more extension length would lead to more force and more speed.

What does deeper knee bend mean for extension length?

Imagine a person standing straight up with both knees locked straight. How far to the side along the ground can that person reach with one leg with all of their weight on the other leg and neither knee bent? If you don't allow the pointing of the toe, the answer is zero distance. The only place that foot can touch the ground would be right next to the other foot because with both legs straight, bringing one leg to the side means you can no longer touch the ground with that foot. This ultimately means that with zero knee bend you can achieve zero extension length.

Now, if we allow the knee to bend on the support leg and then reach out to the side with the other leg, how far out can we tap the ground with the leg that is reaching out? We assume that the leg that is reaching out is locked straight as this gives the maximum outward reach. Now the answer is, "it depends". You may ask, "it depends on what?".

It depends on the height of the hips. The closer the hips are to the ground, the further out along the ground the foot on the extended leg reaches. This spot along the ground where the foot touches is the point of maximum extension and the bigger that maximum the greater extension length we can have. So one huge benefit of greater knee bend (and the lowering of the hip joints that it creates) is an increased extension length.

Flattening our Extension Force

When we flatten something, one way to define that is to say that we minimize the difference in height from its highest point to its lowest point. Our extension force by nature will always have a vertical component and a horizontal component to it. This means that it is directed upwards at an angle. To flatten this force would be to diminish the vertical component and increase the horizontal, or get it closer to the horizontal. Greater knee bend accomplishes this for us. Lets look at how it does this.

As we extend our leg and produce force to drive ourselves forward, our leg straightens out (which is obvious). This results in a force that is on a line starting at the point where our skate blade edge interfaces with the ice and goes through the hip of the same leg. If we extend our leg when our foot is directly below our body, this force is essentially all vertical. Do this with enough explosion, and you will jump. But jumping does nothing for us in terms of building speed in hockey. It is horizontal, not vertical, motion that we need.

Consider the final moments of extension (just before the leg gets fully straight during a hockey stride). In these moments, a violent push of the skate into the ice would drive the player's body away from that push (as was the case before). But, since the foot is now way out to the side of the body, and since the force of such a push would go on a line from the place where the blade edge interfaces with the ice through the hip joint of the same leg, this force would drive the body not straight vertical, not straight horizontal, but a diagonal in between.

Now consider this same final moments of extension with greater knee bend. The hips would be lower and this force would be directed closer to the horizontal. Since we are looking to maximize horizontal force this is huge for our ability to achieve speed. Within the same body, if we get in the habit of skating with deeper knee bend, we can produce the same force and yet achieve greater horizontal force.

Combine the two effects of knee bend to understand its importance.

With greater knee bend we can increase our extension length AND improve our horizontal force production even without training the body to produce more force. By combining those two effects we see that it is simply a huge factor in our ability to produce horizontal force and to get from place to place on the ice more quickly, efficiently, and effectively.

So far we have looked at the impact of knee bend in terms of the forward stride and horizontal force production. In crossovers, increased extension length and horizontal force add to speed and lateral acceleration which are the goals there. In the backward stride, increased knee bend helps us produce more rearward horizontal force. Knee bend also helps with performance on stops, starts, and tight turns. All of these effects of knee bend in all these areas of skating are related to one or both of the effects discussed above (increased extension length and/or flattening of the extension force). The effects and benefits of knee bend in high tempo skating remain present regardless of what on-ice maneuver or stride technique we are attempting. And if it wasn't so critical in all facets of skating... well then it wouldn't be the king.

Andy Blaylock and Competitive Edge provide hockey skill development training in a facility setting and on-ice for players of all ages and abilities.

Memorial Skate and Fundraiser

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:51:30 -0500

By Mike Heutmaker, JMSer

Honoring the memory of Brandi Frakie: I skate with a group of people (men and women) on Sunday mornings, primarily at St. Louis Park Ice Arena. These players have been doing this Sunday morning thing for a few years now and we've become a pretty tight group (hockey has a way of doing this). This is one of those skates you look forward to not only week to week, but summer to summer.

One of the more skilled players who joined us a few years ago was Brandi Frakie, a lovely young lady who was skating for Wayne State varsity hockey and the Minnesota Thoroughbreds prior to that. She was so skilled and fun to watch, and seeing her on the ice, in her element, was always entertaining. Brandi spent a lot of time at the St. Louis Park Ice Arena, both as an athlete and employee.

Last summer, we received some terribly sad news. On August 25, after completing her junior year at Wayne State, for some reason we will never understand, Brandi took her own life. I still struggle trying to understand this, and I'm sure I never will.

As a group, the Sunday morning hockey players knew we needed to do something to memorialize Brandi. The sponsor of the Sunday morning games, John Bellingham of the AHA Roadrunners, has organized a memorial skate and fundraiser in Brandi's memory, for July 10 at the St. Louis Park Ice Arena. The event will include a family skate and hockey--full details are below.

We'd like to raise money to buy the St. Louis Park Ice Arena two Automatic Electronic Defibrillators (AEDs) in Brandi's memory. Any funds beyond the $2,500 raised to cover the cost of these devices will go to Brandi's family.

I ask that if you can attend, please do. If you can't and would like to make a donation to the cause, please see below. And if nothing else, please pass this info to anyone who might be interested. Everyone, at any level of skating ability, is welcome and encouraged to attend.

And finally, if you know anyone who may need help, or if you need assistance or just someone to talk to, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or visit www.SAVE.org for more help and resources.

Event: Sunday, July 10
2.30 to 4 p.m.
Kids, family, friends open skate
A donation of $30 per family would be helpful, but any donation above this amount would be greatly appreciated.
Children must be accompanied by an adult while on the ice. Helmets and protective gear are strongly recommended.

4 to 5.45 p.m.
Pick-up hockey
A donation of $25 per person would be helpful, but any donation above this amount would be greatly appreciated.
Helmets and protective gear are required.
*Depending on the size of the group that wants to play, we may have to break this into two 45-minute sessions. This will be determined the day of the event.

If you are unable to attend but would like to make a donation, you can make out your check to Bob and Kim Evers and send it c/o John Bellingham to 8 Westwood Circle, Minnetonka 55305.

Any questions or comments can be sent directly to me at mheutmaker {a t} hotmail dot com, or you can call my cell at 952-255-9514.
Thank you for your kind support.

Helmets

Fri, 27 May 2011 12:42:03 -0500

By Mark Chapin, JMSer and co-founder of Lifetime Hockey

Contrary to some manufacturer’s statements, no hockey helmet has been proven to prevent brain concussions. The primary purpose of the helmet is to prevent skull fractures when you fall.

According to Charles Pink, store manager at the Hockey Giant in Bloomington, “The best way to help reduce injuries is to get a properly fitting helmet.” Scott Fuerstenberg, who manages Dave’s Sports Shop in Fridley, says “With the right fit, there should be no wiggle when you shake your head.”

Many of the mid-priced helmets have comfortable padding and will provide adequate head protection. However, some of the low-end helmets (like the Easton S7 and S9, Vector 04-08, Bauer 1500, 4500, and 5100) use vinyl nitrate and dual-density foams that will harden over time after contact with perspiration acids. Because the foam hardens as it is repeatedly exposed to sweat acids, the helmet foam does not provide the same level of protection as when it was new. For this reason, a low-end helmet should be replaced ever few years.

Pink notes that most high end helmets use EPP foam combined with a softer, gel-like foam that does not harden over time. Some examples of high-end helmets include the Reebok 6K and 8K (soon to be replaced by the 7K and 11K), Bauer 7500 and 9900, CCM Vector 10, Easton S13, S17 and S19.

I really like the new M11, manufactured by Cascade Sports. It has a nice fit and it looks pretty good, too. This helmet is the product of a project led by NHL legend Mark Messier to design a better hockey helmet. Check out this review and the comments about the M11’s level of protection.

The M11 (Messier wore number 11 on his jersey) has a one-piece shell with a thumb ratchet adjustment on the back of the helmet near the neckline. The M11 comes in small, medium and large. It’s more expensive than some helmets; the price at Dave’s Sports Shop and at Hockey Giant is $119.99.

So take a look your helmet and its fit. Does it slide around when you shake your head? Does it pinch your head and cause pain and headaches? Is it a low-end helmet that you have had for a couple of years, or was it used when you bought it? Maybe it is time to replace your helmet.

Face Protection Discussion

Sat, 07 May 2011 14:47:55 -0500

I got this e-mail from a JMSer and I thought I would post it (anonymously) and generate some discussion.

I strongly feel that all players should use face protection--especially Levels 1-3. You may think your reaction time is great, but you never know what kooky stuff will happen on the ice. Is it worth your teeth? I have seen some nasty stuff on the ice.

Here's the e-mail:

In the short time I have been playing JMS games, I have noticed people getting injured because they don't wear face protection. Most recently at the level 3 game I played in Richfield Friday. A collision that would have been no big deal turned into a bloody mouth and possibly dental work (I am not sure because the hurt player was not on my bench).

The week before someone played with wire rim glasses (which I also wear) and no cage or visor. I thought, has he ever seen the damage even a minor blow to the corner of those eyeglass frames can do to the bridge of the nose and eye socket? I have and it is not pretty.

I always wear a cage because it just makes sense to me. I don't want to leave the rink hurt or feel bad because someone else didn't wear protection. It is a rough game and things happen and we all know that going in, yet it seems these types of injuries are easily preventable with proper equipment. It is kind of like seat belts or motorcycle helmets, some people just don't want them.

I understand the freedom of choice. I know JMS can't force things on people and shouldn't. As the shoulder pad debate last week proved, everyone has their own take on it. I am not about to tell anyone what to do. I thought maybe it could be brought up for discussion on your chat forum and maybe some people would think twice about it. I hate to see people get hurt when you know it was avoidable.

Skills Improvement from Clinics

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 22:07:14 -0500

By Mark Chapin and Dan McLaughlin, Lifetime Hockey

We are obviously biased in promoting Lifetime Hockey's annual Adult Hockey Camp. Regardless of that, we encourage you to take a clinic and try other hockey schools. The only way you are going to improve as a player is to participate in a camp or a clinic.

Playing JMS and/or league hockey is fun, but it is challenging to improve one’s skill level quickly in a game-only environment. The learning curve is long and slow without good coaching. Sometimes it can actually hurt player development, to continue our bad habits and actually reinforce them. Working with a good coach is the only way to receive unbiased, targeted and knowledgeable feedback.

When considering a hockey school or clinic, check out the credentials of the coaches. Do they have experience in coaching adults? It is different with adult learners. How many instructors are on the ice at one time? Are there youth players who are coaching? Are there opportunities to work on your skills in a dryland setting? Is there classroom instruction? What is the coach to student ratio? How many players are on the ice at one time? What do past participants have to say about the school?

Consider attending Lifetime Hockey's Summer Camp, July 20-23, at Parade Ice Garden in Minneapolis. Tom Bast is returning with his Canadian coaching staff. Lifetime Hockey offers the opportunity to make a partial payment to reserve a spot in camp, which expires on Monday, May 2, 2011. A special team discount (bring 5 or more players) is available until June 1, 2011.

Announcing Morning Hockey

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:42:58 -0500

Yes! Starting April 27, JMS will hold a morning hockey game at Breck Anderson Arena in Golden Valley.

The games will be an hour (6:15 to 7:15 a.m.) and the facility has excellent, new clean showers--one side for the women and one side for the men. The location is great for access to downtown: you can play hockey and still get to work by 8 a.m. -- and feeling better, more invigorated and awake than probably ever before.

Since the game is just an hour, I've limited it to only 18 skaters. It's a Community Session so we will have the largest possible skater and goalie pool from which to draw players.

Make sure to pack breakfast because you will be ready to eat afterwards (alas, no cheesy hash browns provided, my apres a.m. hockey choice). Morning hockey! You have to really try it to understand its allure.

Here is the link to sign up: http://www.jmshockey.com/games/2761

Hope you can make it!

The Shot That Scores

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 11:45:17 -0500

Guest blog by Dan Mclaughlin of Lifetime Hockey

Why You'll Love the Snap Shot--Making the Shot That Scores

A hockey team will get about 30 to 40 shots on net in a game. This means the average player will only get between 2 to 5 shots on net--so every shot should be a good one. The beginning and intermediate player needs to remember that the three keys to a scoring shot are: quickness, accuracy and speed.

Good goalies watch the puck carefully and set up to take each shot. If you shoot quickly, before the goalie gets set, your chance of scoring improves immeasurably. A quick shot is one that comes quickly off a pass, a rebound or a scramble in front of the net. Many players have a tendency to hold the puck on their stick too long in order to get ready to make a "really good shot." This extra time is all a goalie needs to set up to make the save, or have a defensive player block it. Even marginal shots should be made quickly. As Wayne Gretsky has said, "the shot not taken will not score 100% of the time."

A key to increasing scoring productivity is to make the goalie move. Players should always be aware of the goalie's position and try to shoot if they see the goalie move. Discipline yourself to pass to a teammate rather than shooting if this causes the goalie to move across the crease. Your teammate will then have a much better shot.

There are four primary types of shots: wrist shot, snap shot, slap shot and backhand. You should be able to use them all and should not rely on just one or two. However, the slap shot should be left at home if you are playing adult recreational hockey such as JMS because it is the least accurate shot--and the one most likely to injure a player. By contrast, our coaches at the Lifetime Hockey School emphasize the snap shot because this is the way most goals are scored today in college and pro hockey.

The snap shot is a shorter version of the wrist shot and is used when you are close to the goal (below the face-off dot.) It has the advantage of a quick release, and by keeping the puck on your stick until the last moment it can surprise a goalie. It is also a good shot to use when skating at top speed and maneuvering in front of the net. Watch the next breakaway goal from a good hockey player and you will see either the deke or the snapshot as their preferred scoring approach.

The snap shot is begun by drawing the puck to your side, but it is not drawn back as in the forehand shot. You next need to cock your wrist and bring your arms forward, snap your wrists and follow through. The snap shot is dependent on your wrists and arms and does not always require that you shift your weight as you shoot. Here is a good demonstration of the mechanics of the snap shot and this video really focuses on moving the puck before snapping off the shot.

The next time you are warming up before a game, take a few pucks aside and practice your snap shot against the boards. If you can imprint the snap shot on your muscle memory, you will be surprised how you will improve your scoring.

New Session Types Announced

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:58:43 -0500

We are always trying to branch out here at JMS and are excited to announce two new offerings. These new sessions continue the JMS tradition of leading pick-up hockey innovation. We are sure players will enjoy these new session offerings.

Extreme Parity Session
Tired of teams not being exactly even? This is the session for you.
Preregistration

Skaters will sign up in offsetting tandem--ie, Level 1 paired with Level 5, Level 2 with Level 4. Level 3s will sign up together.
Each skater will be weighed and measured to ensure teams are exactly even in size (weigh-in will be at the rink the night before).
Each skater will also be assigned a jersey bar code for better identification and tracking.

Warm-Up

The captain will lead the players in a series of on-ice group warm-up calisthenics. Players will then move to their pre-assigned teams.

The Game

Each player may carry the puck for 30 seconds, and then must pass. We will have someone in the scorekeeper's box to sound the horn every 30 seconds, all 90 minutes of the game, to ensure proper timing on the passing rule. (We are now soliciting volunteers to track and sound the horn.)
Each player must score one goal per game. Play will continue until each player has scored at least one goal. (We will book extra ice time for these games, as they may go long. Please plan your babysitter accordingly.)
Each team must score the same number of points. Teams will trade off scoring opportunities (ie, if Dark scores first, then White must score, and only then will it be Dark's turn to score again).

We feel the above careful and managed system will guarantee a perfect, 100% balanced game.

For those craving less organization, we are happy to announce the Thunderdome Sessions.
"Rules are... there are no rules." (on ice, anyway)
Preregistration

Each player must present proof of health insurance and have an emergency contact on file on their account (under "Profile")--and we strongly prefer each participant let us know blood type and bring a personal EMT to the rink on standby

Warm-Up

No warm-up.

The Game

No rules of any kind--ice the puck at will, hack the goalie after it's covered, camp out offsides, whatever you like.
And no penalties! The game will not stop for broken bones or bloodshed; injured players must conduct themselves to the bench the best they can.
However, if a player remains prone on the ice for 10 minutes, we will send a special medical team to investigate--but only if the play is at the other end (we will not stop the game just to retrieve an unconscious skater).

We hope you enjoy these new offerings from JMS Hockey and that you have a happy April Fool's Day--

Merging Skills and Knowledge

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 13:11:51 -0500

Guest blog by Reid Sellgren

In golf, you must constantly be alert of your surroundings--not only to duck when someone yells, “Fore!” to avoid adding a third eye, but to make sure that you aren’t standing in a fellow golfer's line, or that you’re standing still when someone else is putting, or that you’re quiet during the other golfers' backswing. Most golfers know exactly what I just said, but for newer golfers, it may not be so clear.

Like golf, as a newer hockey player, you aren’t expected to have mastered the skills and knowledge, but being alert to your surroundings can get you there quicker-- and experienced skaters are far from being immune themselves.

Over the last two years, I’ve skated Level 4 and 5 and Community Sessions and I have learned ways to work on my game at any level. Skating next to a player who just picked up the game a few years earlier and can already hang with Level 4s, or completing a pass to a Level 1 skater and watching them slam home a goal, gives me all the reasons I need to keep coming back.

I know Barbara and the fine captain staff have been great at encouraging players to keep shots down in traffic, play hard but nice and take SHORT SHIFTS but I’d like to reference back to my golf scenario as it relates to playing hockey positions. Calling out your position is great, but it doesn’t require you have to stay there during your entire shift.

Positions -- When you take the ice, you should already know what to do: mind the gap, fill the hole, whatever you want to call it. Don’t skate right to your assigned position and stand waiting for a pass if there is a 3 on 1 rush happening in your zone--fill the hole by taking the missing defender's position (likewise for offense).
Rotation -- You’ve heard of "cycling," which is moving the puck through the offensive zone while working toward opening up a player for a shot on net. The puck is moving, the players are moving... and if you aren’t moving, you aren’t helping. If you’re standing high in the slot, flat skated with your stick in the air or pretending you’re Gretzky behind the net, you aren’t using your knowledge to be part of the play. Move to the puck, move to an open spot, be part of the momentum.
Covering -- Sometimes as part of cycling or filling a hole, a defender will penetrate the offensive zone (or carry the puck from your zone)… Always be counting. If you see four players, look behind you for an empty D position and get your butt back there. Likewise for the defender, realize you’ve changed positions and either hustle back and communicate another switch or keep driving hard at whatever you were doing.

You may not yet have the skills, but playing with more knowledge will help get you there faster and make it more fun.

[BG note: This blog has useful information for upper level skaters, but I wanted to note here that Level 1s and 2s aren't expected to have all this stuff down. Try, but don't beat yourself up if you miss something. There's a lot to learn, and like Reid says, even lifelong players are still honing their game. Don't stress if you flub something; everybody does. The key is learning from it.]

Consider a new sharpening technique

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 22:34:07 -0600

By Mark Chapin, JMSer and a founder of Lifetime Hockey .

Would you like your skates to bite into the ice more when you turn? Would you like more glide when you are on the flats of your blades?
You can have these things--with a new skate sharpening technique: the flat bottom v method, or the v-edge.

Skates have been sharpened pretty much the same way for the past 50 years. A half-moon arc is cut into the bottom of the skate blade, which gives two edges for skating. This traditional approach has worked pretty well, but when you are gliding straight on the flats of your blades, they tend to sink and create drag.

This is where the v-edge comes in. When the v-edge is sharpened, the blade is left flat on the bottom with two “fangs” on each edge.

The v-edge was first introduced in early 2009 by Blackstone Sports in Kingsville, Ontario. Most NHL teams have adopted it. Personally, it took me about 20 minutes at open skating to adjust to it.

I have noticed that the blades really bite when I turn. My crossovers are much stronger. I thought my skates “chattered” a bit more when I stopped, but that went away quickly as I adjusted to the new edges. When I am on my flats, I glide like a dream. The advantages of the v-edge that I have noticed are:

better gliding ability,
better turning (more bite), and
less fatigue.

The v-edge is the first skate sharpening innovation in a long time. Maybe you are a traditionalist and you want to stick to the tried and true, but I urge you to try this technique. It does not take off more steel than traditional sharpening, so if you don’t like it, you can easily switch back. The v-edge costs a few dollars more than traditional sharpening. I know that Dave’s Sports Shop in Fridley has the equipment to do v-edge sharpening. If you tell them your skill level, they will help you choose the right cut ratio. I use the 90/75.

The Zam driver's peeves

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 13:38:12 -0600

They groom our ice every week, every game, year in and out.
But what are they thinking? What things are we doing that really piss them off?

I have posed the question to a couple of Zam drivers over the course of the last weeks. Here's one driver's response:

What bugs you the most?
When people are on the ice before the doors are shut. No--when they're on the ice and shooting pucks before the doors are closed. That's dangerous for me and it's inexcusable.

What about people being on the ice while the Zam is out there, like the end of a game?
That's frustrating too. I've got enough to do with controlling the augur and making the ice right. And watching out for stuff left on the ice.

Like what?
A glove getting sucked in is bad enough, but if a puck gets in there right, it can destroy the augur. And then nobody gets nice ice.

Anything else the skaters should know?
Lots of people don't know how to do the nets right at the end of the game. The snow collects and, before you skate it to the side, you should pick it up and let it fall a couple of times, so the metal part at the bottom is clear of snow.
Then, when you skate it to the boards, make sure you haven't pushed a ridge of snow onto the new clean ice. The nets should be tipped up, not left to sit in the new layer of freezing ice.
It's just good hockey etiquette.

What about the locker room?
Pick up after yourself. JMS is a good group, but some guys just throw their trash wherever. It's sad.
Some groups also don't know when it's time to go home. They sit around in their underwear and talk forever. We don't want to be a jerk, but it's late and we're tired and need to get out of there.

And... spitting? Just on the ice?
No! Not on the ice, not on the bench and not in the locker room. Come on, man.

And there you have it: straight from the Zam driver.
I know we have some JMSers who work at rinks, I will be interested to hear their feedback!

Lifetime Hockey Camp Registration Open

Sat, 05 Feb 2011 18:50:19 -0600

Guest blog by JMSer Mark Chapin of Lifetime Hockey

Lifetime Hockey (LTH) is is devoted to beginning and intermediate adult hockey players and hosts an annual camp targeted at that group. LTH founders are adult hockey players who are excited about helping other newbie adult players get into the game and helping intermediate players improve. LTH’s website, www.lifetimehockey.com,has a wealth of information for the adult player, including animated common hockey plays.

The annual LTH four day hockey camp is in its tenth year; this summer, it will be Wednesday, July 20 through Saturday, July 23, 2011 at Parade Ice Garden LTH’s camp features Tom Bast (who has run youth camps in Red Deer, Alberta for more than 25 years) and his all Canadian coaching staff. The camp consists of three instructional platforms including on-ice, dry-land and classroom teaching.

LTH limits its camp to the first 75 registrants which are organized into three coed groups. Five certified coaches provide a low student/teacher ratio. The camp includes video review of skating stride, radar analysis of shooting, controlled scrimmages and team strategy, e.g., cycling. LTH has a state of the art wireless microphone system together with a customized sound system. This allows players to clearly hear the coaches’ instructions while on the ice. LTH leases the entire complex so players can leave their equipment in the locker rooms which are outfitted with fans and hockey trees to keep equipment dry.

Tom Bast and his staff use a sophisticated combination of on ice activities and classroom instruction. On the ice, players work through a graduated series of individual drills to develop improved skating, balance and stick control. Small group skills are emphasized including the breakout, passing, scoring plays, tip shots etc.

Players will learn and practice skills such as: how to approach and take a puck off the boards, how to elude fore-checkers behind the net, how the defense can control the game, spin moves, how to properly handle the puck and how to carry the puck while skating backwards, and more. Players will participate in controlled scrimmages where the coaches will continuously provide commentary and advice to each team and individual players.

The school uses the cohort model. Each instructional group will be made up of players with similar skill levels (like JMS). LTH does its best to put individuals together in the same group if so requested. The groups will remain together throughout the school. LTH’s camp is a skills camp, although four days of hockey camp can be physically challenging, it is not a boot or training camp. Tom Bast emphasizes that LTH’s camp is a fun learning environment to gain success in the game of ice hockey.

Tuition is $645 which covers all camp fees and includes a camp jersey, water bottle and continental breakfast. JMS members are entitled to a $50 discount and group discounts (five or more players from the same team) are available. More information is available here.

We hope to see you at Parade in July! Questions? Visit our website at www.lifetimehockey.com or send an e-mail to Mark@Lifetimehockey.com

Meet the Captain

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 11:41:41 -0600

Meet Trevor Tjelmeland, longtime captain at Fogerty's Tuesday night Level 3 game. Trevor sees his captain position as one of encouragement: "My natural role is to engage with people. I'm the friendly cheerleader type--I really like to see people improve," he said.

While Trevor played as a child, he said he wasn't very good and lost interest. Decades later, as an adult, he found himself next door to an avid hockey player. "It took a long time for him to talk me into it," he said. He borrowed gear and fell in love with the sport, buying all new equipment because, as he said, "I loved it so much, I knew I was going to play every week."

Getting bit by the hockey bug as an adult was more meaningful than as a kid, and JMS is the friendly environment Trevor was looking for. "You can stink and still have fun... we can all play at JMS and we can all stink together!"

Playing with other learning adults was perfect. "There's something about starting as an adult," he said. "You are really aware of the improvement in yourself, in your teammates--the other JMS players. It's fun to run across people I knew from before and see how they've improved as well."

Trevor plays several times a week--"It's hard to believe I would be more athletic as an adult than as a child!" he said. But like many, his AHA games are different from the more relaxed environment at JMS. "I'm hard-driving in my league games but at JMS I like to have fun, talk with all my friends--on both benches."

As a captain, he knows all the regulars and uses his captain role to bring the group together. "We're all adults. There shouldn't be any babysitting," he said. "Besides the fun on the ice, there's the camaraderie, meeting new and interesting people."

Trevor's usual games are the Tuesday night Level 3 sessions at Fogerty. His efforts helped develop the Fogerty session from a struggling game into the strong Tuesday session it is now. Sign up for a game and catch him on the ice!

Concussion Discussion II

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 22:14:15 -0600

Concussions are a big deal! JMSer Jennifer Ginkel works with the National Dizzy and Balance Center -- she provided this article about concussions:

In recent years the awareness level of the occurrence of concussions in youth athletics, and how to treat them, has increased significantly. The National Dizzy and Balance Center has recognized this and teamed up with Minnesota Wild and Minnesota Hockey in their efforts geared towards their "Respect and Protect" program for raising awareness in youth athletics and National Dizzy and Balance Center’s program for baseline and post injury concussion testing.

The American Academy of Neurology clearly defines concussion as a trauma-induced alteration in mental status, which may or may not involve a loss of consciousness. Studies show there are more than 300,000 sport-related concussions each year. As this field of study expands, difficulties still exist in accurately identifying the full extent of a concussion.

Given the wide variety of symptoms associated with concussions, baseline neurophysiological testing (ImPACT) provides an individualized objective evaluation of the concussed athlete’s post-injury condition and assists in tracking recovery for safe return to play. The testing program measures multiple aspects of cognitive function, including: attention span, working memory, attention time, reaction time, and problem solving. ImPACT testing also assists in preventing “Second Impact Syndrome”, which may occur in athletes under the age of 20 who sustain a second concussion before the initial concussion has completely healed. Comparing baseline testing with post-injury scores will indicate if an athlete has returned to his/her pre-concussion baseline, and if he/she is appropriate for return to play.

In addition to ImPACT testing, NDBC offers Computerized Dynamic Posturography (CDP) to assess the manner in which an athlete is integrating sensory information to maintain balance. After a concussion, athletes often report symptoms of dizziness and imbalance, which may be due to a vestibular (inner ear) injury or the result of injured brain centers. Testing with ImPACT and CDP provides a more comprehensive baseline, so that more accurate decisions can be made in regard to return to play recommendations.

As it may be an indication of concussion, do not hesitate to seek medical attention if an athlete displays or describes experiencing any of the following symptoms:

Confusion
Clumsiness
Loss of consciousness
Behavior and/or personality change
Memory loss prior to and/or post trauma
Headache
Nausea
Dizzy/balance problems
Double/fuzzy vision
Sensitivity to light or noise
Feeling sluggish or “foggy”
Changes in sleep patterns
Difficulty with concentration

Most athletes will fully recover from a concussion, but some athletes may experience chronic cognitive and neurobehavioral difficulties, described as “Post-Concussion Syndrome”. The symptoms can be disabling for an athlete, and in some cases, permanent. Completing baseline testing with ImPACT and CDP, recognizing a concussion, seeking treatment, and raising awareness may save an athlete from brain damage or even death.

So, protect yourself and other hockey players in your family--take the proper steps and do baseline testing! You only have one brain and one chance to do the right thing.

For more information, visit NDBC online at www.StopDizziness.com or e-mail our contact, Jennifer Ginkel, at JenniferG@stopdizziness.com. If we get enough interest, we can schedule a group testing at very reduced rates.--BG

References

Kirkwood MN, Yeates KO, Wilson PE. Pediatric sport-related concussion: A review of the clinical management of the oft-neglected population. Pediatrics 2006; 117(4): 1359-71.
Guskiewicz FM, Ross SE, Marshall SW. Postural stability and neuropsychological deficits after concussion in collegiate athletes. J Athl Train 2001: 36(3): 263-73.
McCrea M, Guskiewicz KM, Marshall SW. Acute effects and recovery time following concussion in collegiate football players: the NCAA concussion study. JAMA 2003; 290 (19): 2549-55.
Riemann BL, Guskiewicz, KM. Effects of mild head injury on postural stability as measured through clinical balance testing. J Athl Train 2000: 35(1): 19–25.
Broglio SP, Sosnoff JJ, Ferrara MS. The relationship of athlete-reported concussion symptoms and objective measures of neurocognitive function and postural control. Clin J Sport Med 2009: 19(5): 377-82.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, (2010) Concussion Resource Center, August 27, 2010 http://impacttest.com/concussion/overview#commonsigns

Our AWESOME goalies

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 23:38:17 -0600

After the long discussion earlier about goalie no-shows, the topic has been on my mind.

And I noticed something. This week and last week--and just about every week--we have some really stellar goalies who step in and take the open nets, so players will have a good game. Thank you so much. We don't say it enough, but we are so grateful to goalies like you.

I know I'm leaving out too many, but the recent ones were Jones on Monday night (playing fourth night of five), Zarras on Monday (had to cancel but noted he would play if spot wasn't taken--and then did), and then Geijer, C Johnson and Maurelli saving the day on Friday as skaters watched the clock tick and kept checking the website to see if they had a goalie yet. That is a horrible feeling, but you always come through. Thank you so much. We don't say it enough, but we are so grateful to goalies like you.

I can't believe--but I know we are all so grateful for--the sense of responsibility that most goalies feel about their position. I tried to make it clear in my earlier blog that I was discussing only a small percentage of goalies, the ones who no-show and let us all down.

So many goalies are so willing to change their plans, come out when they're sick or tired, or just don't feel like it, just so the skaters won't have to shoot on a board.

Tell your goalie thank you next time you play. And the next time, and the time after that. We are really lucky to have such a dedicated crew taking nets for us.

Thank you, JMS goalies. You are awesome.

JMS Pond Hockey

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:56:51 -0600

People have asked and I think it would be fun to hold a JMS pond hockey event. I'm not sure about a "tournament," but I think it would still be fun to have JMS community members share the ice outside.

So... I'll plan and organize it, but I need feedback on the items below. Please post comments and I will take them into account when planning the shindig.

1. Time -- month, weather-wise? we don't want to go too late (and last year some pond hockey games were played in the rain!), but then we also know a lot of people are very busy with hockey, which leads to... day of the week? I know lots of our JMSers play in the AHA on the weekends, and two games in one day is no funsies for some of the newer skaters.

2. Location -- one central rink or several locations? Probably better to start small. A warming house is probably necessary.

3. Cost -- reserving outdoor rinks isn't too expensive, but it does cost something (will investigate what). And-- do we want

4. Food -- some kind of event pass with a meal ticket for pizza or something?

I'm not sure what I'll end up doing, but I welcome comments form the JMS community.

New Feature-- Service Exchange

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 14:36:17 -0600

The JMS website generates a sizable amount of traffic from the local area and we feel it would be a great benefit for members of the JMS community to tap into this a bit. So, we have created a place for JMSers to exchange their business information with one another.

We have worked hard to build a community and now that it's become so large, we want to help members take advantage of their JMS community connections. Why go to a stranger when you can go to someone you already know and trust? I know I and others have been doing this informally for years. I expect this will really benefit all our users.

We've set up the forum so you must have made at least five posts in other forums before you're allowed to post in the service exchange. This ensures there is some level of engagement with the JMS community; the privilege is only being given to those who truly are JMS members. We do not want people coming to the site solely for the sake of posting in the Service Exchange forum.

This is a privilege and because the nature of advertising can get spammy quickly, there are some ground rules.

Do not post multiple threads for your service. If you feel you have a new offer or deal that would greatly benefit JMS members, reply to your original topic you created with the details. Please make sure whatever you are offering is something truly beneficial to the community -- we (JMS moderators) will remove posts that abuse this rule.
Do not bump your posts for the sake of making your post rise to the top of the page.
Other pickup hockey services are not allowed to advertise here. The reasons why should be obvious, but we want this to be about JMSer's business lives, not other competing hockey ventures that are out there.
Please don't trash talk someone else's business. We don't need giant flame wars to erupt here and we have no interest in rating people's services.
Please do feel free to recommend someone. If you've done business with a fellow JMSer before, feel free to help them out by spreading the word of their business, or replying to their topic to give them praise.
Do not offer any service that scams people or is illegal. Be nice. If we think your offer is suspect it will be removed. We probably aren't going to believe that you really are the prince of Nigeria.
The catch-all: We (JMS moderators) can remove your post at any time, for any reason that may or may not necessarily be described in these rules.

Here it is! On the forums page, scroll all the way to the bottom.

Goalie No Shows

Sun, 19 Dec 2010 15:05:42 -0600

I'm hesitant to start this discussion, but we've had enough goalie no-shows lately for me to bring it up. I need to state right away that MOST goalies are VERY GOOD about showing up when they sign up for a session. We can't let the actions of a few taint the excellent performance of so many.

But goalie no-shows have a big, negative effect on the whole session. It's worth addressing them after this recent spate.

I'm not sure what to do. I don't like to remove goalie perms after one or two flubs--and this especially shoots us in the foot, to limit goalies just when we're looking for goalies. While goalies prefer JMS games for the community and well-behaved skaters, right now is a "goalie's market" and they can find a lot of games.

We don't want to drive goalies away. But we do want to make sure that those who sign up, show up. So what should we do if they don't?

Thoughts from the skater and the goalie perspective? I have some already, but nothing certain enough to implement now.

And again, I know that MOST goalies are VERY GOOD about showing up when they sign up for a session. We're talking a small percentage (though alas still with impact). I don't want this discussion to turn into goalie bashing--there are PLENTY of things goalies could bash skaters for (hacking after the puck is covered, not clearing the zone after a goal but instead rushing again right away, shooting warmups while the goalie's back is turned, etc...). I won't let this to devolve into internecine sniping, that does not help anyone.

We need a way to cut down on goalie no-shows. Solutions?

Water Pirates

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 20:48:41 -0600

Some forum discussion recently about Water Pirates on the bench -- people who slurp from someone else's water bottle.

Part of me says whatever (the generous spirit part) but part of me remembers many times of being without refreshment at the end of a hot and tiring game.

And can you say communicable diseases? Before my awesome sinus surgery (if you're considering it, GET IT!), I got sick ALL THE TIME. I did NOT need some yahoo gumming up my water bottle with whatever germs his kid brought home from daycare.

Some people bring not-water (Gatorade, whatever) to the game. I never could understand feeling refreshed with sticky grape syrupy stuff trickling down inside the jersey, but to each their own.

I always make sure my bottle is clearly marked, hoping, I guess, that people who DO care--even a little--will be less likely to grab a bottle with someone else's name all over it.

What are your thoughts on bench water bottles? Fair game or protected territory?

Goalie view on skating out

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 22:34:45 -0600

Guest blog by Eli Montalvo

I will be honest: being a goalie can get quite annoying sometimes. I love the position, but the constant pressure to be at an ice time was getting to me. I am very envious of how a forward or defender can get away with not showing up and no one notices. It's always more fun when a goalie is there. Look how many times a JMS skate needs a goalie.

As a goalie, I know that if I agree to play a game, I have to be there. If I can't make it, for any reason, I have to spend time calling/texting/emailing and begging someone to cover for me. If I don't show up, even though I attempted to get my time covered, it's frowned upon and you end up on the ice times bad list.

Because of this I decided to give playing out a shot. I got my pennies together and purchased some player gear. I will be honest, I am having a blast doing it. I love the freedom to just pack a small bag and throwing it in the car! I dont have to worry about being a magician to make the bag fit into my trunk. I love the talking and

camaraderie on the bench. That is something that I had never experienced. Another great thing is that if I mess up on the ice, someone else covers for me.

Skating out is a different kind of carefree fun. I will never give up being a goalie, but I envy you forwards!

Newbie Night Success

Sat, 13 Nov 2010 10:02:20 -0600

What a blast to watch the all-newbie group play. They were tentative at first, but by the end of the session, it looked a lot like a Level 1 game.

At Level 1 and even Level 2, so much of the game is about SKATING. And at Level 1, I think it's even more basic than that: it's about BALANCE. When you're brand-new to hockey, there's so much to learn. What to focus on to provide the best "return" on time invested?

You could spend hours on your mighty slapshot, it's certainly a razzle-dazzle move. But if you can't get to the puck first, or if you fall over after you fire it, then it's useless. You can memorize positions (someday I will write about the guy in our beginner school who tried to make us do the Neutral Zone Trap... I am not making this up) but they won't work since everyone is still so slow.

Focusing on skating is the best way to accelerate your hockey learning curve. And the best way to get your feet and your body to do what you want on the ice is to spend more time on the ice. I tell people it's a very simple equation: improvement = time in skates on ice.

Even skating circles at your local rink's Open Skate will help your feet learn what to do on the ice, what it feels like, how you react. Playing games at JMS with other newbies at the slower newbie pace will help you start thinking about how best to get where you want to go in a game situation. Soon, it's intrinsic. And that's how you get better.

The happy faces after All Newbie Night were such a joy to see. I'm glad those 20 people took the chance and signed up, had the courage to try something new and strange and intimidating. Everyone did great and I hope they all come back to play more hockey!

Advice for the NEWBIES

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 22:17:58 -0600

So... the ALL NEWBIE NIGHT is this Friday. Think back to your first time playing hockey.

What advice would you give these true newbies as they are wondering about their first game? What was your first game like?

My advice is: don't waste time wondering if people are looking at you and thinking, That person sucks!, because everyone is so busy concentrating on their own skating that they can't look at anyone else. And, of course nobody is proficient. It's a place of learning, not the NHL minor leagues!

Bend your knees--it really does help your balance. Don't bend over, crouch down. Oh, I'll show you on Friday night.

Tighten your laces!

TRY to relax and have fun. You really will.

Interested in ALL NEWBIE NIGHT?
Registration is open only to true newbies; a few spots are still open, so send an e-mail if interested. Really, though, Level 1 is very accessible. The All Newbie Night is pretty much for people who haven't ever played or even skated more than a handful of times before, and who wouldn't get on the ice any other way. We've had literally HUNDREDS of people over the years, in the very same position (ie, NEWBIES), come to Level 1 games and do just fine and get their start that way.

For experienced skaters
Want to volunteer as a "buddy" for a newbie? This entails help in the locker room ("No... shin pads do not go on your head...") and buddying up on ice during our extended warmup. You can also stick around and loiter outside the bench area and shout encouraging tips, if you like.
I'll also probably need some loaner gear, so if you have some and are willing to loan it out, please let me know!

Newbies, you must anticipate your first game happily and not with fear. So many people have been where you are and they have come to me afterwards, faces shining and said, "It was wonderful." Just think--you have that experience before you.
See you on Friday!

Passing! Who knew?

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 23:29:28 -0500

Guest blog by Ryan McNaughton

So as a newbie I have to put in a good word for my new favorite activity on the ice: The sweet pass.

Statistically speaking, the better you are at hockey, the less time the puck spends on your stick. When I first read this I admit my reaction was, "No way. All I see are players going end-to-end and dipsy-doodling around the offensive zone, circling and sniping, carrying the puck the whole time." Reality, as it often does, poured cold water all over that idea.

See, watching only the highlights will give you a warped perspective on reality -- sort of like learning warthog behavior solely from "When Animals Attack" shows. The highlight moves are the ones that are rare. When I go to a game now that's being played at a high level and actually watch what happens, I see a pass-fest that has broken out in the middle of a skating clinic. And now I'm inspired.

Being so new to hockey means there aren't any aspects of my game that have risen above the level of "terrible." I'm not being harsh, in fact quite the contrary. "Terrible" is a great improvement over "Non-existent" which is where all my skills were a year ago.

Skating I can work on by practicing on pond ice and trying out horrible crossovers and turns in games. Stick handling and shooting I can practice in a garage or my basement. Passing, though, requires ice and at least one other person to practice. What better place to practice passing then than a JMS game?

"Pass first" is becoming my mantra. Unless there's no one else around me or I have a definite step on the nearest defender, I'm going to look for the pass. When I'm deep in my zone and that puck is anywhere near my stick it's going to the nearest wing . . . or up the boards . . . or if I whiff, right into the slot (can't win them all).

Since you can time my foot speed with a sun-dial, and since my puck-handling is about as useful as those little dangly arms on a Tyrannosaurus, I'm pretty sure that passing is about the only thing that's going to get me and the rest of the people on my team what we want: The puck anywhere but in our zone. Now I'm not saying I'll never try to carry a puck around somebody or that I'll put it in traffic just for the sake of getting it off my stick, I'm just going to be looking for people ahead of me on the ice and see if I can put it on their tape.

So far my strategy is having surprisingly positive results. Turns out that a well placed, solid pass is something that even I can do. I'm not saying I'm all of a sudden "Mr. Assist" or anything, but I am saying that passing has a higher success rate for me than almost anything else.

Next time you're warming up before a game, maybe give some thought to a few minutes of practicing some nice hard tape-to-tape passes. And next time you get the puck in your own end, put your head up and see who's streaking down the boards from your team and fire one to them.

My hope is always that they'll take it in and score so I don't have to drag my fat, out of position ass all the way down the ice. Guess I've hit on a new angle: How to turn laziness into success. I'm smelling a self-help book deal here . . .

Enter Your Emergency Contact

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 14:33:31 -0500

We have a new feature that should be useful on the rare occasions when something happens at the rink.

Please enter your emergency contact information on your profile-- log in, click "Manage Your Account" (from the link under HOME, or at the bottom of the home page) and then "Edit Your Profile." Scroll down to the emergency contact section, right above Account Information.

Longtime hockey players know how rarely we need this kind of information... and how very needed it is when something does happen. We want to keep you safe, always, but when those odd collisions happen and someone at home needs to know what's up, having an emergency contact on file will help us help you.

And remember, please always skate with your head UP!

Mind Your Goalie

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 21:16:49 -0500

Guest blog by Arthur Lender

"Because the demands on a goalie are mostly mental, it means that for a goalie, the biggest enemy is himself. Not a puck, not an opponent, not a quirk of size or style. Him. The stress and anxiety he feels when he plays, the fear of failing, the fear of being embarrassed, the fear of being physically hurt, all the symptoms of his position, in constant ebb and flow, but never disappearing. The successful goalie understands these neuroses, accepts them, and puts them under control. The unsuccessful goalie is distracted by them, his mind in knots, his body quickly following." - Ken Dryden

Mr. Dryden’s words can be interpreted in a couple different ways.  They may echo the cliché that one would have to be crazy to take a net.  After all, net-minding in hockey is considered one of the most difficult positions in team sports.  It’s fast, physically demanding, and requires tremendous focus.  The other way to interpret this quote from Mr. Dryden is to understand that goaltending is extremely rewarding.  This position demands a level of commitment, discipline, and maturity that is unique in all of sports.  It’s a game of probabilities and observation, and it puts an individual in a distinct position to really see the game.

At least, that’s the idea. In level 1, goalies too often succumb to the anxiety Dryden so aptly describes. Much like an overeager wing ignoring the pass in favor of taking an unlikely shot, beginner goalies play the game as if they’re alone on the ice. In some ways, we are alone. We spend all 90 minutes on the ice, we’re referred to as goalie (“Nice stop, goalie!”), and too often we see the defense playing too deep and forgetting their responsibilities.

Luckily, this is a situation that we can control, and we do so through communication.  In many ways, we see the game better than anyone else on or off the ice, but we remain silent.  We scream in our heads about being screened or that the team left our open side wide open, but we fail to express that frustration.  It may seem inappropriate to coach from the net, but the truth is that an effective goalie talks…loudly.  In order to penetrate your mask, their helmet, and the sphere within that helmet, goalies must speak up and advocate for their needs.

Talk to your defense.  Let them know when they’re out of position, when they’re screening your view, or when they need to watch your open side.  Let them know when they’ve done a great job blocking a passing lane or stopping the puck.  Let them know that they dropped the ball or that they saved your ass.  Opening those lines of communication not only helps you become a more effective goalie, it also instills your unique perspective onto individuals who are also trying to learn the game.  What may seem like a lazy, blatant disregard of duty may simply be a defender needing a little direction.

Like in any relationship, communication should always be a two way street.  We must have the maturity to invite feedback and to take criticism.  Sometimes the bulk and size of our equipment makes it difficult to know exactly how we let the puck in, or what happened after a rebound.  We may think we’re covering the corner, but maybe we’re too committed and are unable to react fast enough to a pass.  As well as we can survey the “ebb and flow” of the game, as Dryden puts it, so too can observant and helpful skaters help us get better.

Communication also builds camaraderie, and helps to make goaltending feel less isolated.  Mostly, keeping an open and honest dialog helps us understand what we’re doing right and what we’re doing wrong.  That’s really the point: communication is all about becoming better hockey players.

All Newbie Night

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 22:31:58 -0500

No more excuses.

You know you know someone who says they're interested in starting hockey but worried that "everyone else will be faster."

Fears, begone! November 12 is ALL NEWBIE NIGHT. Every single person on the ice will be 100% brand new to hockey.

I will vet each skater to make sure we have no ringers, just 22 excited brand-newbies to share the ice together... for the very first time.

We will provide loaner gear (with advance notice) and hockey buddies to help the newbies get in their gear. I'm sure the stands will be packed with excited fans.

Is it time to get Mom on skates? How about Uncle Bob? Your little sister or your neighbor? That colleague who knows Wild stats backwards and upside-down, but can't skate forwards?

For everyone in your life who has been wanting to skate, but fearful, now is the time. Save the date and send an e-mail to support at jmshockey to be added to the information list.

JMS is fun, friendly, safe. Isn't it time they stopped dreaming and started playing hockey?!?

Growing Up Goalie

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 08:08:01 -0500

Guest blog by Rob Jones.

Gilles Meloche. Donny Beaupre. Watching the North Stars growing up was second nature and going to games at Met Center with my dad and brother was always a highlight of my life. I grew up in South Minneapolis and had friends who had brothers that played High School hockey for South and Roosevelt… schools that were, in the day, bitter turf rivals in pretty much everything in our neighborhood.

We happened to live right on the school zoning border, so my best friends ended up being split between the two schools. In the winters, we’d always walk down to Longfellow or Brackett Park for ice time. At night, a neighborhood game of boot hockey in the street or alley would be a given. From the age of 6 or so, we’d all be playing… even my brother and his friends who were 7 years older. I was always drawn to play goalie…for whatever reason I just liked the flashiness of it. The padding. The equipment. And then I saw Pelle Lindbergh in about 1980. That mask!!! I was completely hooked. He had been playing in the Olympics. The way he moved on the ice and being relatively smallish in stature… I was going to be a goalie!

And so it began. My friends played hockey. I did not. I would always run around on the ice, but didn’t have skates. Finally, my friends dad gave me a pair of skates and I was off. I skated and fell…a lot. But it eventually came around. I still always played goalie, but rarely on the ice. I mimicked the saves of goalies I would see on tv. I LOVED watching Greg Stefan of the Dead Wings, Mike Liut of the Blues, Murray Bannerman of the hated Black Hawks and my other all-time favorite, Grant Fuhr. Bannerman had a great mask… those masks were so great I wanted to “make” my own. (yeah, paper mache wasn’t exactly protective…even for a tennis ball).

Our family tv was in the basement of our rambler, which also had an open layout in the basement, complete with linoleum square floors that included a shuffleboard court which was quite common in houses in Minneapolis built in the 50’s and 60’s. This enabled us to also have some great floor hockey games down there…taping off the lines and goals and using a taped and balled up pair of striped athletic socks as our puck and couch cushions as “the boards”. It was as close to playing hockey as I was going to get. Sure, I played baseball (as a pitcher, catcher and CF) and football as a DB… but my mom made one thing clear: Hockey is a) dangerous and b) expensive. With that, we moved from the city out to Eden Prairie in 1985, which, unbeknownst to me, was a hockey mecca.

My first year of school in 6th grade at Eden Prairie made it very apparent to me how important it was to be an Eden Prairie Hockey player. By this time, I was 12-13 years old… pretty hard to play on a team with kids who’ve seemingly been playing since the womb. Also was the reiteration of cost. Equipment PLUS $800?? Sure… not gonna happen!! Nevermind how dangerous it is. So… I saved my money. And saved. And piece by piece, I bought goalie equipment.

I bought a pair of Red, White and Blue Jayco Pro pads with the “accordion flex” boot off a former minor league goalie from the Washington Capitals for a mere $150. Those were great pads… Pro model, same as John Vanbiesbrouck wore for the Rangers for about a year or so. Anyhow… it was starting. Of course, I was caught red handed when I ordered a pair of goalie skates and a jock from Ocean Hockey Supply and my mom signed for the delivery. She was sort of mad, but I think it made her realize how gung-ho I was to play net. The summer of 1987 also had me convincing my parents to send me to the Warren Strelow/Paul Ostby Goalie School over at BIG. What an experience!!! I was all set to go now… equipment, training… but no team.

I played at the park in the winter and kept watching hockey on TV. We had one of those big satellite dishes so we were able to see all the games, in French even. Don Cherry became a favorite and I read and learned about the history of goalies and who they were. I’d sit in classes at school writing down as many NHL goalie names as I could remember throughout history in 2 minutes. I was addicted. I’d use our fireplace mantel in the basement to throw a racquetball against and practice making “glove-ly” saves with my all-white Vaughn T-1000 trapper. (This is probably where my overly-dramatic glove saves come from!)

Winn-Lite goalie pads by Jim Lowson and Rejean Lemelin with the Calgary Flames put me in awe. Those raspberry colored, futuristic pads Lemelin wore were AWESOME. Then Greg Stefan with the Wings had a Heaton version of those pads which looked even more cool! Winn-Lites started showing up all over the place and I HAD to have a pair. Of course there was NO way I’d ever get the $800 to buy them, so what’s the next best thing? BUILD MY OWN! Lemelin began playing for the Bruins and Winn-Lite became Aeroflex.

I went to a North Stars/Bruins game to look at his pads up close…took lots of pictures. I spent hours and hours (sad, I know) building my own pads and creating a “workshop” in the garage. Drawing and designing…ending up with 2 sets and a blocker when I was done. Amazingly, they were pretty decent… nothing anyone could sell or anything…but usable nonetheless. They didn’t last too long, so I was back to my Jaycos. One summer I was at a used sporting goods store that used to be in Hopkins called Instant Replay (still have one store in Bloomington) and they had Kari Takkos old white Koho pads for sale. Again… HAD to have! Traded the Jaycos in and paid some extra money. To this day, those were the BEST pads I’ve ever owned. Still, no way I was getting on a team.

1990 brought Eden Prairie High School hockey tryouts. I gave it a go. I failed of course because these kids were predetermined to have a spot, especially when kids are recruited in from other areas. Our big name was Bryan Schoen who ended up transferring to Minnetonka since the EP team was so bad. It was fun to try out, but, no dice.

After graduation, I ended up attending Normandale for a year. Yay. How fun. But what’s this? They have a intramural hockey team!?!? I signed up and became part of the team which had 3 goalies. I ended up being #2, but played quite a bit since the #1 seemed to miss a lot for some reason. Anyhow, the Normandale program had a decent schedule, but played some real hockey schools in scrimmages. My first game ever was against Augsburg. Lost 10-1… not all my fault, but as a goalie, you take those things personally. Played at BIG against Drake College from Iowa and we won that game, although I gave up a goal off the opening face-off in front of my parents and about 300 spectators. And it wasn’t a breakaway…it was a shot from the RED LINE off the faceoff.

This game gave me the team drive when it became really chippy. In the second period I went out to play the puck and was lined up by a Drake player in the corner. Luckily I saw him coming and sidestepped the check (checking was allowed), but then 3 of my teammates made that guy pay by piling in and throwing punches while yelling “YOU DON’T HIT THE GOALIE!!!” Ah, what a team!!! This showed me what it can feel like to be part of something competitive and how teammates can stick up for you…more than just Varsity baseball. I ended the season and my schooling at Normandale that spring. No team once again, so I just played random pick-up hockey for a few years.

Being at the University of Minnesota introduced me to lots of new friends, one being a guy about 5 years older than me who was Captain of a Hockey North America team called the Buccaneers. They were a successful team, but their goalie was giving up playing net and converting to defense. After talking, I was given a “tryout” and got the gig. I played 2 seasons for them and we won the League Championship both times and went to Toronto for the HNA National Tourney in 1999. The HNA endured some legal issues and somehow the AHA was born out of it. My old Bucs team split and became the Titans and Bucs teams in the current AHA.

In 2001, I moved to California and was faced with the fact that I probably had to give up hockey. I don’t like inline and the nearest ice rink in southern CA was about 85 miles away (the closest one to me collapsed from heavy snow!) All my gear was stored at my dads house and the few trips I came back to visit, I’d find the time to play a game of pickup. But low and behold, I moved back in 2004 and even had a team in the AHA before I even got here…the Admirals where I met Barb and was introduced to JMS Hockey. JMS was fledgling back then…pay as you go. Barb is at every session… I think 1-2 sessions a week on Fridays only. Amazing how far JMS has come. (Thanks Barb!)

This will be my 10^th season playing in an Adult Hockey League. The people I’ve met and played with have been great. I’ve scorekept games, reffed some scrimmages and even was the AHA Beginner School Goalie coach for 2 seasons. I have worked my way from running in shoes on the ice as a kid to playing goalie through the B1 level of the AHA. Coincidentally, both goalies I tried out against at Eden Prairie High School back in 1990 play in the AHA, one in the Elite level and one in B1. I’ve subbed for both in my years in the AHA. I think I finally made it! Sure, it’s not the NHL or a gigantic accomplishment, but I followed my dream and love for being a goalie which is now shared with my two youngest kids… aspiring goalies just as I was 30 years ago.

All Glory to the Hockey Stop

Sun, 03 Oct 2010 13:13:09 -0500

Guest blog by Mike Tibodeau

Ever since early man first talked his younger brother into rolling down the steep slope next to their cave, man has yearned for speed. But at that very same moment, as he careened uncontrollably down the hill, the other man yearned for a way to stop. So why does it seem that even as we hockey newbies strap steel to the bottoms of our feet in the pursuit of streaking down the ice, we neglect learning the skill of the stop?

Is it because we perceive no glory in the stop? It has no stats column to post to our facebook wall. Do we like to run headfirst into the boards, bowling over friends and foes alike? Do we… do we think we are too good for the stop?

The three comments I overhear the most about other skaters during a Level 1 JMS session are: 1) “That guy/gal can really skate!”, 2) “That guy/gal has a wicked shot!”, 3) “Watch out for that guy/gal, they don’t know how to stop!”. That last comment says a lot. It not only shows that even developing skaters know how important the stop is, but also that they are cautious of those skaters who haven’t bothered to learn the skill.

The hockey stop can take some time to learn, the biggest obstacle usually being breaking through the mental barrier (“You expect me to rush down the ice and then somehow just turn my hips and come to a complete stop in less then a second?!?”). I remember trying repeatedly several days in a row and falling over every time. Then, one day, while skating around an outdoor rink, it just happened. And once I knew I could do it, I wasn’t afraid to try it again, and again, and again, till eventually I mastered it.

To learn the stop, find a friend that already knows how and ask for a little instruction. If you don’t have that resource, there’s also a lot of useful information on the web, howtohockey has just one example. Once you’ve got the basic idea of the stop it’s time to try it on the ice. Find an outdoor rink or attend an open skate and start slow. Be patient, but also be tenacious. You will get it!

Once you’ve mastered the stop, you’ll quickly realize you use it all the time. And in some crazy M. Night Shyamalan like twist, you’ll even find yourself going faster, knowing you can stop!

Yes, there is glory in the ol’ hockey stop.

Why Play Goal?

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 19:23:23 -0500

Guest Blog by Keith Bloodworth

I grew up playing goalie in soccer and roller hockey (pre-inline) and catching baseball. Getting hit in the head is nothing new.

I wanted to try ice hockey goalie and play into my golden years. Active duty took me away from the action for a long time. Inline hockey is now starting to take hold on Oahu…many years after I was stationed there.* Goal tending is a challenge for me and is my way of staying in the game I love. I started playing D in organized ice hockey at the AAA about junior high, played club high school and played in the BHL as a young adult.

Playing goalie is not getting easier since I started in 2007. Age, sleep, nutrition, injury, career and family are factors against ice time. I have to decide between getting sleep and eating if I play on Friday night. It also means my wife walks to her place of business. SLP is at least on my way to work and I am able to shower while on Kronos.

I missed about 7 months this year because of a knee injury that started at BIG L2 and continued to a Chaska practice. I skated SLP L1 recently and re-injured at the end of warm ups. It is not as bad as last winter and I am happy with my spring/summer rehab. I need to create a better off-ice work out and try again. I may only loose a few months this time.

I looked at Hockey North America after I relocated to Twin Cities and tried several arenas and parks with pick-up games. A player at Hopkins Pavilion told me about the AHA and I went through the beginner school as a goalie. JMS followed. I love the game because it is fast, frozen and a great team sport. It is also free except for the X.

* 2010, June/July. Advertorial. Aloha Inline! USA Hockey magazine, pp. 13.

Respect in Level 1

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 07:53:07 -0500

Guest blog by Kenneth Starr

I have always watched hockey and had a great time doing it. When I joined JMS I had not even played hockey before. Sure, I had skated but not much at that. Through the aches and pains of new found muscles, I found what I had been looking for. The opportunity to take up a new sport when most people play it safe and won't challenge themselves has given me great joy in playing hockey. The sportsmanship of the players and when people play as a team is outstanding and has kept me wanting to come back.

The one thing that has kept me coming back to JMS is that I don't have to commit. Sure it's nice to play with the same people, but in this hectic life style most people have it is hard to commit and not have the fear of being booted next year because you had to bail. The other thing that I love about JMS are the rules that are set in place and one specifically: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell..." I have grown fond of how people respect other people with this rule [about not giving advice to other players unless they ask for it] and are more than willing to help when the question can be answered. Respect is one part of life that makes it harder if you can't get it.

Each week I can't wait to play with a group that I hardly know but have come to respect as a team. It keeps me coming back again and again wanting to learn more and do better. The people of Level 1 Hockey are such respectful team players they need to be applauded.

New Sessions and Rinks

Sat, 18 Sep 2010 13:33:44 -0500

I've added a bunch of new offerings as we ramp up into the hockey season. I hope you'll be excited about these new sessions and locations.

JMS will play at seventeen rinks this hockey season. I know we won't be next door to everyone, but we'll be darn close to most everybody. We will continue to use the regulars we had this summer: St. Louis Park, Richfield, Bloomington, etc.

We will return to some rinks we've used before: New Hope, Plymouth, Parade, Northeast, Minnetonka and Minnehaha Academy. And we'll be at two new locations: VMCC in Inver Grove Heights and Polar in North St. Paul (not exactly new, but returning after years away). We will have regular sessions at all of these rinks--some levels, some community games as we work in the outlying areas.

Another addition for JMS will be a new Sunday night game at a central rink, starting in mid-October. And the end of September brings a return of Level 5 (now on Wednesdays, still at Breck) and Level 1 on Mondays (starting September 27), and early October will see a Friday Community Session at Fogerty.

Hoorays! I hope you are as excited as I am with all these opportunities to play hockey!

How do we decide what rinks get the new locations?

We look at how many JMSers are in a certain area, and how often they play. If there are only 50 total JMSers within 10 miles of Dakotah Sports and Fitness in Prior Lake, and they skate a total of five times per month, we won't be as likely to choose that rink for a new location as we would for, say, Forest Lake, with more skaters who play more often.

It may be frustrating to hear, but the most concrete action you can take if you want a session close to home is to 1. make the drive to the nearest session and establish a pattern of regular attendance and 2. recruit others to join you. I'd love to book everywhere, but I have to exercise discretion to manage JMS responsibly; looking at number of skaters and their playing frequency is a solid metric to estimate how successful a session might be.

Other key factors have to do with the rink. Some just don't have any useable ice available and others are priced way out of our range. I'll keep trying to find creative ways to make it work on my end, and I hope skaters will continue to drive a few extra miles to show their willingness... and hopefully, we'll meet in the middle.

You can also tell us what you want with the Location Survey -- log in and find it under the "Games" tab.

Enjoy the new icetimes and locations! I'll be sending out alerts to give folks a heads up when something new is debuting close by.

Midlife Crisis into the Net

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 21:22:41 -0500

Guest blog by David Resch

Some buy a red sports car, some take an exotic vacation. What did I do for my midlife crisis? I bought goalie gear.

I've been skating since I was four years old. Skating and playing pond hockey while growing up--and playing on an intramural team during college--was the extent of my hockey career. I always had a secret desire to play goalie, though, and I attributed it to the kids in school calling me "Chico," after goalie Chico Resch, who played for the Islanders in the late 70s. Actually, it was my nephew who expressed interest in the position and gave me the motivation to pursue it as well.

I can still remember the first time I put on all the gear, borrowed from a sporting goods store. All I could think was, "I can barely move, how am I supposed to skate with this stuff?" That, and the insane amount of sweat produced just by putting on the equipment.

In spite of that, I still persuaded myself to bite the bullet and purchase the equipment, since it turned out to be such a unique and enjoyable experience for me. Unfortunately, I purchased the equipment at the END of the outdoor hockey season. That was right about the time I discovered JMS and I soon realized that my hockey season didn't have to end in February. JMS provided the opportunity for me to play in a safe environment as a beginner, and allowed me to launch my goalie "career."

Since then, I've been through summer Schwanns beginner class and the AHA Beginner School (which I highly recommend to anyone starting the position). The AHA class provided a great solid foundation of the basics, and regular scrimmages/games to practice my skills. One goalie instructor for two goalies provided very individualized attention. I was also fortunate to be on a supportive team with a bunch of great guys (and gal) who made the whole season enjoyable.

I'm not planning on quitting my day job anytime soon, but I have been having such a blast playing the position. I encourage anyone who might be thinking about it, to give it a try [BG note: JMS does have some goalie loaner gear]. Even if you decide it's not for you, it will give you a better understanding of the game, and it definitely will give you a greater appreciation for those who play the position.

The Newbie Perspective

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 07:47:15 -0500

Guest blog by Heath Stoll

Dear Newbies,

Welcome to JMS and the wonderful world of adult beginner hockey! Who says you can't teach old dogs new tricks?

My hockey career began in January. Thanks to Play-It-Again Sports, I fully equipped myself with skates, shin pads, elbow and shoulder pads, a helmet, a stick, and breezers (yes, breezers--we're in Minnesota, after all), all for under $100! After I took "Getting Dressed for Hockey 101" from my hockey playing roommates, I made my way to the Hopkins Pavilion for my first foray into hockey.

I hadn't had skates on in 15 years, and my only hockey experience could be attributed to EA Sports. Was I nervous? Absolutely. Was I the worst player there? One could certainly have made that argument. But that's the beauty of JMS: unlike the pick-up basketball I've grown up playing, where a turnover or missed layup very likely will lead to a toung-lashing from your teammates, my fellow JMS-ers that night were incredibly encouraging. And no one was afraid of making mistakes. It was a very positive experience.

I hope that yours is just as positive. As fall and winter arrive and hockey gets into full swing, I assume this blog will address more specific aspects of being what the JMS community affectionately calls a "newbie."

For now, I'll leave you with a few words of encouragement. 1) Don't be afraid to make mistakes. JMS separates talent levels for a reason, and for us newbies at Level one, the pressure is completely off. 2) Keep playing! It took me a handful of sessions to feel comfortable enough on skates to start focusing on improving my hockey skills.

Like any new endeavor, you'll probably feel a bit awkward. And if you're anything like me, you'll get frustrated at times. Just keep in mind that everyone there is in relatively the same boat. If they weren't, they'd be in Level 2.

Happy hockey season!

Best Team Chemistry

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 08:34:10 -0500

The last blog dealt with team problems. So let's explore what GOOD team chemistry means.

Everyone approaches hockey in a different way. Some people are in it for the social aspect, and drinking beers in the parking lot afterwards. Some people want to WIN WIN WIN, and some just want to have something that gets them off the couch.

Regardless of the objective, the best team chemistry is when everyone agrees on the approach. The biggest issues I've seen come when a very competitive team has a "social-only" player, or a very social team has a very competitive player. There's always discord when the objectives are so disparate.

Finding a good team fit means understanding how the team approaches their league play--and making sure it jives with your objectives. If you just want to hang out in a sport environment, don't be surprised if you're unhappy on a team that has mandatory practices. And if you join a team of laid-back players thinking you're going to whip them into fighting shape, don't be surprised if they resist your martinet approach.

The point being: don't join a team and waste a lot of energy and angst trying to get them to change. Much easier to find a team that fits you.

Kicked Off the Team

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 11:34:31 -0500

If you play team hockey long enough, you will have this experience. It sucks. And this is the time of year when it happens.

I'm not talking about deciding "This team is not for me" and leaving. I'm talking about getting the boot.

I have head some crazy stories--one team openly decided to hold a secret poll, and everyone voted on a secure website, with only the captain to see the results... can you say TOO MUCH DRAMA? Ugh.

Another team held a secret meeting without telling its three female players (one of which was the second high scorer) to decide if the guys wanted to keep the women on the team. Ugh!

I get that there are physical differences, but did they hold a poll to decide on the short teammates, or the old teammates, or the fat teammates? (No, they didn't.) Remember, women's lower body strength is directly translated to skating success--versus upper body shooting power for the dudes--and lower center of gravity with better stability. Sigh.

My conclusion over the years has been: If the team is already, seriously, talking about getting rid of someone--not griping over beers after the game about one player's penalty-prone behavior, but SERIOUSLY discussing it--then it's time. A team needs to be cohesive and built on trust. And there won't be cohesion or trust with everyone wondering about the solidity of their presence on the team. If it's unstable, it's time to find a new team.

But for those who do get the boot, most don't have the good luck to be aware they're being outed... they start to wonder why team leadership isn't answering e-mails or phone calls, and slowly the question arises and is eventually--lamentably--confirmed. You are off the team. Surprise!

I love Minnesota, and I adore Minnesotans, but I wish people weren't so passive aggressive--especially about this. I've heard all kinds of stories about players planning to join up with their old team... left in communication limbo for weeks because nobody in team leadership wants a tough conversation.

And on a practical note, by the time the outed player realizes the "stealth boot," it's usually to find all other teams have filled their rosters. So the situation is even worse for that player who had been counting on playing that season, and as a veteran team member with old friends. All that is gone--no wonder people get annoyed when this happens.

For all that we're tough hockey players, we can't deny that this has to do with emotion. Ugh, I said it. Maybe that's why it's so difficult... we're badass hockey players AND Minnesotans too. Emotion! Can't talk about it! Gotta run!

So let's take emotion out of the equation. I totally understand the desire to be polite and kind, and avoid a scene, but NOT telling someone they've been outed is clearly more agonizing for everyone in the long run. I learned early on with JMS that prevarication and qualifying statements are useless. Being kind does NOT mean telling someone a lie... and inevitably the lie gets bigger as the days go on until, when it eventually MUST and DOES collapse, it's worse for everyone. Talk about needing to avoid emotional drama.

If the tough conversation is being avoided for emotional reasons, be pragmatic: you're trying to avoid bad feelings and a scene, right? It's a bad situation any way you look at it, so you have to decide how to make it least bad: think about the person in both the short-term and the long-term.

Short term (the easy out) is to fib and put them off for another couple of days. But that makes the situation worse; it doesn't make it go away. And you want it resolved with the least amount of freakout and confrontation.

You have to acknowledge that the outed player is going to know eventually, in the long run, so grit your teeth and be honest at the beginning instead of leading the person on. This also gives the player time to find new team, which makes them much less angry at losing a spot on your team.

And if you're avoiding the hard conversation because you don't like hard conversations... you shouldn't be in your team leadership! Yes, these conversations are tough. Get a backbone and do it, or step down for someone who can! It is selfish and lazy to string players along because you're uncomfortable with a simple conversation.

I have a feeling lots of people have stories about this and not many want to post for attribution! If you want me to make an anonymous comment on your behalf, shoot me an e-mail and I will post it for you. This is a big deal, and nobody likes to talk about it, for the very reason that it IS a big deal. But then, BECAUSE it's a big deal, we SHOULD talk about it.

What do you want?

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:48:16 -0500

Take the survey and tell us what matters to you! What's most important-- night of the week, start time or location? Which location?

I know we've had many people ask for a session at their local rink, or at a certain time, or on a certain day.

THIS Is your chance to sound off!
We want to make things convenient for you, but we won't know how to do that unless you tell us what you want.

Log in, click the "Games" tab and choose the bottom option: Location Survey.

We will use this data to help plan new sessions around the Twin Cities. Let your voice be heard!

My next jock

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:26:37 -0500

Oh my my my.

While I know some female hockey players like to wear pink, I am definitely not in that category. But black is just blah... so I was thrilled to see Spice Sports, Inc. is making women's hockey unders ("jill" or "female jock," whatever you want to call them) in FUN FUN patterns. They have the Velcro strips and come with the pelvic protector.

No more boring black!

or

I just love that these are expressive and individual without being the usual PINK.

For my edgy hockey gal pals, here are some other choices (yes, those are skulls):

  or  or

And if you DO like pink, there are also pink options:

or  or

There's more on the website, including Spandex shorts, skull caps and compression shirts.

There's a lot of personalization in hockey these days (tape, laces, goalie helmets... even that guy's airbrushed skates), so it's part of that trend. I like having options besides black and light blue. But sorry guys, no funky personalized hockey unders for you... you'll have to stick with the boring black and yellow.

See you in the locker room. I'll be easy to spot!

Tougher than the NHL

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:57:58 -0500

Are people like us, playing in NON-professional adult rec leagues, tougher than the NHLers? I found an interesting study mentioned in the Toronto Star:

Contrary to popular thinking, a five-year study into minor hockey injuries has concluded that unintentional collisions—rather than intentional bodychecking—not only causes more injuries but more severe injuries.

So... accidental crashes in no-check hockey make more, and worse, injuries than a checking league!

The study followed about 3,000 players ages 4 -18 in the Burlington Lions Optimist Minor Hockey Association house league, select and representative teams from 2002 to 2007.

And thus we could say it focused on players around our ability level--people learning the game and getting proficient at it:

[One researcher] says the study suggests that keeping one’s head down leaves the player vulnerable to contact, intentional or otherwise.

"The study didn’t address the injury rate in heads-up hockey, but based on the high level of injuries from unintentional contact, it suggests players should look up rather than down at the puck."

Duh.

[Another study author] noted that fighting was not a factor in causing injury.

"When we looked through all the data, we didn’t see a single injury that came from fighting,” Willer said. “That’s an image people have of hockey, but I don’t know where it came from."

HOWEVER, while checking wasn't as dangerous as "unintentional collisions," it seems that a "mis-fired check" causes a significant proportion of the injuries:

The study showed injuries during practice were minimal, but during games increased as the age and level of competition increased. The study also found that there was a four-fold increase in injury rates when bodychecking is permitted.

What does all this tell us?

Keep your head up!!!

You can read the whole article here.

Mindgames

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 22:16:40 -0500

Every sport has its subtle mindgames. I grew up an elite swimmer, and we used to say the race was half won behind the blocks. So many ways to psych out the other swimmers.

You could stand there wearing your tinted goggles and Walkman(!), face stone and eyes obscured, staring straight ahead as the music blasted.
Or--still stonefaced--you could spring up and down, windmill your arms forwards and backwards, displaying assured physical prowess.
I confess my favorite technique was to look alongside the other swimmers as we lined up to take the blocks. One looong and appraising/dismissing look to the right, then one looong look of the same to the left. You mean nothing to me, my eyes were saying. I will crush you.

Even the way we wrapped our towels said how badass we were. It was all about the psych-out.

And then I grew up and started to play hockey, where I will never be elite enough to deliver a true psych-out. Haha, I am usually trying not to fall over.

So what are some of the ways hockey players try to psych out one another? I can guess at a few:
Bang! Bang! Bang! shots to the boards before a game.
Skating through the other team's zone during warmup.
Edging over the line at a face-off.

Any others? I know there's more.

Vote for the worst

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 19:40:27 -0500

We had 17 entrants in the "Most Embarrassing Moments" contest. Listed below (and edited for length etc.), click here to vote in the forums. Voting will close on Tuesday night (August 10) at 10 p.m.

1. Holey Pockets
I was a ref for a kids game and I had to stop play because of an extra puck on the ice. Being unsure where the extra puck came from, I put the extra puck in my pocket and resumed play. A couple of minutes later, we had to stop play again, because of yet another extra puck on the ice. It wasn't until after this second time that I realized I had a hole in my pocket.

2. Beware of Skate Guards
I forget to take my skate guards off. Once, and only once.

3. Remember Your Breezers
I've watched a few people in the locker room--some experienced JMSers--put on their shin pads, socks, skates, tape it all together... and then realize they forgot to put breezers on. One guy even tried to fit his breezers over his skates. That was kinda funny.

4. Just Like the Wild
I had heard that the Minnesota Wild players were complaining about the ice at the --they were pulling hamstring muscles. So when we at JMS played there, I went on the ice with my camcorder and WHAMMO! Ten seconds in, I pulled a hamstring muscle! I still played, however... it was The Excel Center, after all.

5. Hanging by a Thread
It was my turn to jump over the boards and go on the ice. As I was going over, unbeknownst to me, the cinching cord on my breezers got caught in the crack of the door behind me. I was going forward and felt that I was stuck--I could only get about three inches between me and the boards.
I tried to get the cord free, but I couldn't reach it--I could barely turn around but somehow I managed to reach the door handle, but I couldn't budge it because the end of the cord (with a little plastic piece on it) was jamming it shut.
My team was trying to figure out why I was just standing there as the game was going on. Once they realized I was stuck, two of them worked to free me. One guy yanked on the door a few times but even he couldn't open it. It actually took them about a minute to figure out how to get the door open and free me.
At least I didn't fall--that could have turned out pretty badly with me hanging there by my breezers.

6. Mite Mistake
I was a mite playing one of my first games as a goalie. My team was up by one goal and the clock was running down. The other team got a shot on me and I made the save. I covered the puck, but my coach yelled to throw it behind the net, to kill time. So I swung my arm with all of my might... and I slid the puck right into the back of the net. Oh man! I tied the game for the other team! I was mortified. My team was really mad at me, but luckily we were all only 7 or 8 years old, so they did not remember it for very long.

7. Right Position, Wrong Team
At a JMS game just a few weeks ago, I was coming off the ice from my first shift. I started heading towards "my" bench, shouting, "Right wing! Right wing!" but everyone on the bench was just staring at me... Then I realized that I was heading towards and shouting at the dark team's bench... while wearing my white jersey. Guess I had been playing on the dark side a bit prior to that.

8. Do It with Style
In a moderately important game, my left wing (an eager, aggressive player), was flying in towards the goalie. He winds up for a slap shot and only hit the top of the puck. This threw him off balance so he ended up stepping on the puck, doing a back flip and, of course, crashing into the boards... as the puck trickles a few feet.

9. Neon Yellow Fizz
I was goaltending my third game of the afternoon--the first two were roller hockey in St. Paul. THis one was on the ice. It was a very hot summer and I was coming out of the hot box of Highland to the freezer of Richfield rink 1.
I was asked to fill in by B-level players and little did I know they were going against Johnny Pohl and Krissy Wendel (when they were in high school). They were schooling us and laughing.
I threw up in my helmet. I was on all fours when I pulled it off to dry heave into the back of the net.
I took my jersey off to mop up the Accelerade and (undigested) Power Bad from the crease as the opposition paraded by to get a look-see at my pool of neon yellow fizz. I went to the bench to rinse off my helmet and get a new jersey from my bag (which was conveniently on the bench). And returned for more fun action. It all took but three minutes. Or so it seemed.

10. The Highlight Reel
About seven years ago, I was playing my first and only pick-up game at historic and celebrated Mariucci Arena. I was on the bench and was supposed to be the next guy out on the ice. The guy coming off the ice yells out, "Center!" As I try to do my hockey hop over the boards, I fall back down into the bench. And if that isn't bad enough, I can't get back up!
Finally, after flailing around for about 30 seconds, the guys on my team help me up... but not before I missed my shift.
To make matters worse, I find out there's a guy on the other end of the ice, recording the game, and he got it on tape. So yes, not only was it one of the most embarrassing moments in my hockey life--it also got posted online! Yeah, yikes!

11. Bustin' Out
I spent a good amount of time trying on shoulder pads one day and found a pair that fit nicely, but it seemed like they were shaped funny...
The nice sales associate tried to keep a straight face as he explained to the grown man that he was wearing women's shoulder pads.

12. I'm Not Drunk
Mine was more of half a game... I was on D and charging up the center of the ice with the puck A guy who was a lot smaller than me (who had been trying to check me all game in a non-checking league) decided to skate in front of me and square up. He was a head shorter than me so I didn't try to stop. When we collided, I ran him over, but my head snapped forward and hit the top of his helmet.
From there on out, I didn't remember a whole lot. Apparently I looked drunk all game (and since it was an adult league, they probably assumed I was).
At the start of the third period, I lined up and was waiting for the drop with my hands on my knees--my hands, mind you, not my gloves. So, after a second, I stopped the faceoff and went over to the bench and grabbed my gloves... both teams watching me and the ref giving me a weird face.
I lined back up and the puck dropped. About ten seconds later, I realized I didn't have a stick. So I skated over to the boards and grabbed the first stick I saw--which happened to be for a 5'0" left-hander. I am 6'2" and a righty.
Needless to say, it was the funniest concussion any of us have seen, and when I talk to people who were in that league with me six years ago, they still bring it up.

13. Let Me Shake Your Hand
About 20 years ago, I was playing in a scrimmage at St. Paul Johnson High School Arena. I was pretty fast back then and that night I had plenty of shots on net, but not one single goal. The opposing goalie was stopping everything. I kept shooting through my last shift and nothing went in. I thought to myself, I'm going to shake his hand and tell him he did a great job.
As I skated slowly toward him in front of the players' bench, I took the glove off my right hand, raising it as I approached him. Just then, one of the opposing players jumped over the boards, skates first, and sliced open my right forearm. Blood was dripping from my arm as I shook the goalie's hand.
One of the guys tossed me a white towel. By the time I had changed, it was quite red. Oh well, off to the ER for seven stitches.

14. I Wear My Sunglasses at Night
After many creative discussions and her passion for the game of hockey, my younger sister talked my older sister and me into playing two years ago. We finally caved with the promise that she would "take care" of us... she helped tie skates, tape sticks, show us where all the equipment belonged (we even learned who our new friend, "Jill," was...).
We were progressing right along as planned, in Level 1 (similar to the three-toed sloth), thinking, This is going pretty well.
Then my older sister started having equipment failure one night: her helmet was killing her... pulling her hair... hurting her head... complain, complain.
My younger sister tried to loosen it, then tightened it, and finally halfway through the game she couldn't take it anymore and took the helmet all the way off, ready to quit. And there they were--the sunglasses she had lost earlier in the locker room.

15. The "Jill Guy"
Recently I visited my local hockey shop to get fully geared from head to toe. After I made my purchase, I went straight home to try everything on.
Much to my surprise, the first piece of equipment I put on--my jock shorts--did not seem to fit right. I just figured that the style of jocks had maybe changed? Then I looked at the tag and saw "Womens." Oops, looks like I bought a pair of Jill shorts.
I called the store to see what I could do. The store guy told me to "bring it in for an exchange." I brought it back and the first sales guy who saw me said, "Ooh, you must be the Jill guy!" I was definitely not the only customer in the store--the woman with her three kids had a good laugh.
So I made the exchange and all was well until two weeks later when the same sales guy saw me at the liquor store and once again, in front of multiple people, referred to me as "The Jill Guy." Sweet.

16. Here, Kitty, Kitty
It happened in the locker room before a game, when I played in WHAM. Everyone was getting suited up for the game when all of a sudden, someone said, "What is that smell?" No-one could figure out where it was coming from, including me. This was not the normal hockey locker room smell that we all know and love.
I was getting dressed and ready to put on my breezers. I pulled them out of my bag and that smell got even stronger... and I realized where it was coming from, and everyone else in the locker room did too. It was my breezers! One of my cats had used my open hockey bag as a litter box!
Luckily, I had some fresher spray in my bag that I used to cut the odor and I was still able to play. I told everyone to pass the puck to me, because maybe the remaining smell would keep the other team's players away from me so I could skate to the net and score with no-one trying to stop me.
I kept my hockey bag in the garage after that.

17. Accidental Flashing
During a game, I was sitting on the bench next to our coach, who was standing as usual with one foot on the bench and one foot on the boards. A player from the right end of the bench asked where the extra sticks were located. I lifted my left hand and pointed down to the left end of the bench.
I turned to my right to resume talking to the player beside me when the coach bent over. I turned to the left to see what he wanted, but he was standing again. Every time I turned to the right, the coach bent down.
The players to my left were laughing very hard and I finally realized that, when I had pointed to the sticks on the left end of the bench, the coach's sweatpants drawstring got caught in my glove. Every time I turned to the right, his pants came down. The scorekeeper and the other team also enjoyed the intermittent flashing.

Don't forget to vote! Click here (be sure you're signed in to the forums).

Embarrassing Moments Contest

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:29:08 -0500

Cough 'em up!

Submission deadline is noon on Wednesday, August 4. I'll review all entrants (posted here) and make a poll for voting. Winner will receive a $15 credit on their JMS account! (JMS administration reserves the right to exclude stories that reek of fabrication; must have at least seven submissions or contest is off.)

Was it the time you left your skate covers on and face-planted the ice? Or was it during your very first game ever, when you proudly scored on your own goalie during second period? Or worse?

Fess up. Sharing lessens the sting... and you'll probably read a story even worse than your own.

Re Your Concerns

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:12:48 -0500

I sent out this note after comments at a recent session, but realized that if the skaters at ONE session were voicing these thoughts (especially about me "making a bunch of money"), then my response should meet a wider audience.

Again, I'm not looking for praise or sympathy, only to provide the facts.

I've realized since airing this discussion that my perception was that people saw the captain as my representative and voiced concerns to him expecting that they would be relayed to me and acted on (or at least addressed). In retrospect, it's probable that some were said without expecting response or even relaying to me; blame me, not the captain.

___________________

PARITY

JMS has no concrete definition of any level. With five categories, I simply take the to 20% of players and put them in Level 5; the bottom 20% go in Level 1 and the other levels shake out in between.

In the last six months, we've had a LOT of new and very fast Level 5 caliber guys join. That's meant that the Level 4/5 "tweeners" can't keep up at Level 5 anymore... those guys went from 4/5 tweeners to Level 4-only players. Which means that the Level 3/4 tweeners went to Level 3-only.

I'm disappointed if someone will quit JMS without discussing with me, but that kind of negative is hard to satisfy; if someone is looking for a reason to be annoyed, or upset, or quit JMS, they will usually find it.

If you think the new landscape of your level is too fast, then ask me or the captain about shifting down and playing some at the next level down. You're an adult and we assume you have agency concerning your wishes and well-being. We try to do a lot with JMS, but we can't read minds. Hearing secondhand that "someone" is upset doesn't give me anything concrete I can act on.

Of course, I won't move you down so you can be lazy and dominate. Parity is very important at JMS, MOST important. I've had to make some hard decisions, have some tough conversations, and even lost friendships because I put parity first. That's what people like and that's why they keep coming back. I've learned over the years that someone will always be cheesed out about something, but the most useful course is to do the BEST THING for the MOST PEOPLE. I don't think any rational person would argue with that.

SESSION ETIQUETTE

As I wrote above, you DO have agency. If you don't like something, speak up. Why suffer in silence if saying something can make it better? Don't be a jerk about it, but you can talk to your bench as a group and say, "Hey, let's watch the line changes!" or "Let's work on our positioning!" If this is a terrible problem, talk to the captian. Again, we try to stay on top of stuff, but we can't read minds and we have to have something we can act on.

Also, of course, these two complaints could be made for any ice hockey game with any level of players anywhere in the world.

SCHEDULING/MONEY/OTHER OPERATIONS STUFF

This is the big one, and complicated--sorry the explanation is long, but there's a lot involved.

*Your local rink

I DO hope to continue booking at your rink, but it all depends on turnout. I'll do my part and book the ice--and take a hit occasionally when a session doesn't fill or has to be canceled--but if you want a session at a certain rink, then YOU have to put something into it, too. YOU have to show up--I'm sure if you were running JMS, you'd also feel it's not fair for people to expect their preferred session to keep going even when they don't bother to sign up.

*L3s this summer

As for the "fewer Level 3 games means JMS is more expensive" -- not following the rationale on this. Maybe the person meant, "fewer games means fewer people willing to pay"? Actually, we have MORE session than last summer, and MORE of those games are filling. The key here is SUMMER; this is the absolute low spot for any hockey program.

Yes, you could skate cheaper at your local rink's open hockey at lunchtime, but that ice is cheap because it's dead--the rink doesn't have to pay for it so they can offer at dirt cheap prices... and how many people want to skate at lunchtime anyway? Far less than in the evening, of course--there's miniscule demand at lunchtime; don't compare that to prime evening hours. Not to mention that your local rink's open ice is full of really, really skilled players with nobody in charge of parity and certainly nobody in charge of the session--shift length and team balance and chippy players and all those things.

*Costs

And as for "making a fortune," no way. It is hard not to get annoyed at that but I'm getting better as the years go on.

Anyone who has booked ice before understands that JMS is operating on a shoestring budget. We want to keep costs down--I can't remember the last time we raised the price.

I wish people would think about the big picture. I'm not going to go into figures, but those watching JMS this month will have seen the sessions I've had to cancel. JMS was under contract for those sessions and I still have to pay for most of that ice.

Take today: Bloomington ice may be $175 an hour, but we play for 90 minutes, and I have to pay tax on top of that: the grand total for SUMMER ice at a BIG session is $282. IF a session fills with 21 skaters (because the captain plays free), that's $315, for a profit of $33. Of course, as you can see from tonight's Level 4 at BIG (or L2 at Roseville), they DON'T always fill... it's summer, like I said. See below for further exploration of "profit"/etc.

*Schedule

So think back to the earlier comment about "I love playing here please ask Barb to continue scheduling this level here." Well, the Level 5s want a session, the Level 1s want a session, Eden Prairie L3s want a session, etc... everyone has their own agenda, but some of those just don't have enough skaters to make it work.

Everyone wants JMS to fit their schedule and I think people forget that we need 24 people to make a session--24 people for whom the session is the perfect mix of weekday/start time/location/arena (FOUR factors!). And that's just ONE week... when we look at longevity, we know that not everyone can make every session because of kids, work, illness/injury, whatever.

Finding the perfect intersection of variables for such a large amount of people is not easy, and I spend a lot of time going over schedules and fill rates and other analytics to make sure things are the best they can be. It's tough because I have to guess so far in advance-- right now, July 2010, I've actually booked some rinks into March 2011.

I either have to grab the times now (far in advance) and guess but get decent starts and consistency, or else wait and have a better idea about the numbers ... but then have to choose 10.30p starts with missing weeks or jump from Monday to Wednesday to Tuesday for a session. I spend a lot of time trying to predict, and I do the best I can, but sometimes it really is just guesswork.

*"Making a bunch of money"?

I've worked hard to shape the JMS community, but this also means that some people seem more ready to voice what they think I should be doing. There's no mystery or secrecy about JMS funds--I just don't want a bunch of people peering over my shoulder nitpicking my choices to benefit their personal schedules. I will keep trying to do the BEST THING for the MOST PEOPLE and hope that's enough.

Let's take a closer look at the figures from the Bloomington example above. If a session has enough to play--say, 19 skaters plus cap for five subs on each bench--the "profit" for JMS is just three dollars ($282 for ice minus 19 skaters at $15 each = $3). Out of that comes the program costs: hosting the site online, pucks and other equipment and supplies. Those are just the CONCRETE costs--that doesn't even include fuel costs for us to go run sessions or our phones or Internet connections at home or any of the other things necessary to make JMS work. And even more ephemeral than that is payment for my time and for Andy's time.

We both spend HOURS every day working on JMS stuff. Think about how fast you get a reply to your e-mails. Think about how fast a bug gets fixed on the site. Yeah, we're basically doing that for free. I won't speak for Andy--though I know he spends as much time on JMS as I do--but I spend about four hours a day on JMS, after my "real job" (which I reduced my hours and pay by 25% so I'd have more time to give to JMS operations needs).

That doesn't include actually going to run sessions like Level 1s and Community Sessions, and it doesn't include several hours every Saturday morning to do the weekly note, and several hours on Sunday when I answer the week's odd e-mails ("Why don't you have a Level 1 in Stillwater?" "My friend played for the Gophers but he wants to come with me to Level 2 this week, please?") as well as planning scheduling strategy--no easy deal, as I noted above. And of course every night that there is a JMS session (usually Monday-Friday), I am on call with my phone on and handy just in case something crazy happens.

And all this for barely any compensation--last time I calculated, it was $2.77 an hour for me (BEFORE taxes!). Take a minute and ask yourself if you would be willing to work for that, for about 25-30 hours a week. And all the while, people saying you're "making a fortune" and other feedback like the above (note that of the eight comments, only two are positive and four are outright negative). Would YOU keep going? No, I'm not complaining or asking for praise, these are just the facts.

So now you have the big picture. I'm sure the person who said I'm "making a fortune" didn't bother to read this, but next time you hear someone griping about JMS, maybe you'll remember these things and want to respond to complaining and conjecture with actual facts and another perspective.

Thanks--hope this helps shed some light. Let me know if you have any questions.

Barbara

Barbara Garn
JMS Hockey LLC

___________

Tough Talk

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 15:53:29 -0500

In running JMS, I have had some difficult conversations. While most of those have been in the theme of "I know you started playing hockey last month, and you're doing great, but you're just not ready for Level 5 yet..." some of the toughest have had nothing to do with parity.

Awkward talks can usually be avoided by prevarication or passing the buck, but sometimes even Nice Minnesotans have to--like lemmings--push forward an unwilling leader to address the issue. If it's cringe-worthy enough then somebody has to do something.

The two at the top of my list of "Awkward and Must Be Dealt With" are both pretty bad.

1. Smelly Guy
When Smelly Guy doesn't air out his gear (and guys, I say "his" cause it's usually your sex), it can get bad. I'm not talking about the regular-but-bearable Hockey Nasty Smell, I'm talking about Really Bad Hockey Smell. You know what I mean... the guy opens his bag and it smells like some critter got drunk and died in there, and then someone made cheese out of it. Yeah, you know what I mean... the inside of your nose is crinkling up as you read this. Ugggggh.
We all know how truly horrible it can be to share a locker room with this guy and even the bench with him--you can tell at a distance that there's a Smelly Guy on the bench by seeing he has five feet of room on either side. And you can sometimes even smell this dude on the ice. I suppose it can come in handy if he's trying to sneak up on you, but there's really nothing that makes any of it better.
So somebody has to say something. In the history of JMS, I've only had to do this once. I tried to be as nice as I could, but there's no dancing around the issue... and it even seemed mean to do that. I just got to the point and told the guy that he really needed to air out his gear. That people liked him a lot and were looking forward to getting to know him once they could, er, get a little closer.

2. Naked Guy
I don't know if one sex or the other is more likely to do this, but in my case (and on one of my old teams), it was a guy. Holy smokes. When there's a Naked Guy in your locker room, everyone gets very, very interested in their skate laces. Naked Guys come in two types: Oblivious and Strutting. The Oblivious Naked Guy we can excuse, but the Strutting Naked Guy seems happy as he strips and watches the whole team suddenly examining their socks. And he gets chatty when he's prancing around, too... suddenly needs to hold forth on all manner of wide-ranging topics before the it occurs to him to please oh please put on some clothes.
Like I said, I've only been around one Naked Guy, and I wasn't the one who had to tell him to quit it. I hope I never, ever, ever have to deal with this one.

Lots of us are new hockey players and new to the hockey environment. Like we all needed something to be more self-conscious about, right? I'm not writing this blog about anyone in recent history (both incidents are at least four years old), so don't worry that this is a secret message to you. Chances are, if you're wondering then you're perspicacious enough to never be a Smelly Guy or a Naked Guy.

Whether in a large group like JMS or in a smaller group like a team, there are bound to be some "ermm..." moments--though these two situations (eww-provoking as they are) both are really quite rare. Which ones have you had? Anything besides Smelly and Naked? Probably some of the infamous ones are the same people very well-known in different hockey communities.

Discuss here: http://forums.jmshockey.com/topic/1888-tough-talk/

Community Sessions

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:26:37 -0500

One JMS session... five levels of players. Hockey for Everyone!

We're adding Community Sessions to the JMS offerings to give players a chance to mix with friends at different levels. With these games open to players of any level, the Community Sessions will give all players more opportunities for icetime.

First announced on Twitter (JMS_Hockey) and Facebook (JMS Hockey), the Community Sessions are a more laid-back environment for social hockey. Sometimes, you want to get your exercise in a tough but rewarding run... and sometimes you want to get your exercise walking around the lake while you chat with a friend. Community Sessions are like that: working your body, but not hard, and more about fun than fatburning.

Community Sessions will always have a local watering hole indicated so participants can decamp to drink, talk, network and brag. We want these to be an opportunity to get to know other folks in the JMS community.

We have discussed multi-level sessions for years, but the main arguments against them were that people would use mixed level sessions to demand access to a level they really should not have, and also that making sure everyone "plays nice" is tough. I think we can address these challenges now.

As non-parity games, we will not make any parity evaluations at the Community Sessions, nor will we make any level changes as a result of a Community Session. With such a wide spectrum of players, we just can't make accurate parity assessments, so we'll exclusively leave those for the parity sessions.

Level distribution will be controlled, so the session won't have ten L5s and ten Level 1 players; a Community Session may have three roster spots open, but if the Level 5 quota is already reached, then Level 5 players won't be able to sign up for the skate. We want to keep things balanced.

With a variety of levels, skaters at both ends of the continuum will need to remember to play nice and that the objective is having fun. This means the Level 5 player not going coast to coast incessantly and scoring 17 times, but it also means the Level 1 player should not get huffy and hacky when the puck is stolen off his stick.

Because this is JMS and we expect participants to remember our motto: Hockey for Everyone. We will be monitoring the sessions and if someone demonstrates he just can't play with this range of abilities, and remember the point is for everyone to have fun, then we will return him to the parity-only sessions. Skating the Community Sessions is a privilege.

The Community Sessions will start with one at Breck on July 8. In subsequent weeks, there will be Community Sessions at Plymouth, Eden Prairie and Richfield as well. We will start slowly and see how popular these sessions are, and meet demand accordingly.

I hope you are excited! These should be a lot of fun.

Discussion: http://forums.jmshockey.com/topic/1847-community-sessions/

Warmup is important

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 21:35:10 -0500

A warm-up (NOT stretching alone) will prepare your body for the strenuous demands you're about to place on it. Increasing blood circulation will raise the temperature of your deep muscles, preparing the ligaments and tendons.

But don't stretch and call it a warm-up! That's actually harmful. You'll want to WARM your muscles first, and THEN stretch them.

With a warm-up, you'll both reduce injury and improve your performance; cold muscles do not absorb shock or impact as well as warm ones do. So you'll increase muscle efficiency and reduce the likelihood of pulling or (gulp!) tearing something. Also, having warmer muscles will improve your reaction time!

A proper warm-up won't just help you in the game, it will help afterwards too; warm-ups increase blood flow and oxygen delivery, making you less likely to get out of breath. This also helps make the body more effective at eliminating unwanted waste product accumulation in the muscles (lactic acid!), which leads to soreness.

What's a good warm-up time? It's different for everyone, but about five to eight minutes is standard.

I admit I do a warm-up, but not always a cool down. I've since learned that a cool down after vigorous activity will keep the blood from pooling in the extremities (making one feel light-headed). A cool down also flushes away the lactic acid, making it less likely that muscles will hurt the next day. This is called delayed onset muscle soreness, or "muscle fever."

A cool down should be about three to ten minutes, enough time for your heart rate to return to normal.

Do you do a warm-up and/or a cool down? Do you notice a difference when you leave off one or the other?

Discuss here: http://forums.jmshockey.com/topic/1834-warmup-is-important/

Weird hockey moments

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 22:29:55 -0500

Apparently the Roseville Level 2 on Friday, June 4, played so hard they broke the puck.
I have never ever heard of that happening before!

I remember one game at the College of St. Benedict when the puck got stuck in the open part of the Tuuk under a player's skate. Everyone was skating around fiercely but the puck was nowhere to be found. The refs spotted it eventually, but it was really weird for a couple of moments when we all wondered where the heck the puck was.

And then there's the time Derek Boogaard checked someone and ended up falling through the glass, oops.

Any other weird hockey moments anybody wants to share?

Discuss here: http://forums.jmshockey.com/topic/1806-weird-hockey-moments/

Quick tourney conclusion update

Sun, 30 May 2010 23:25:05 -0500

The Multiple Personalities took Tier B, but all games were very close and I'm glad things went so well.
Tier A was more challenging with players all over the map--not to mention an injury during a critical game. The Cold Warriors took Tier A.

Time	Division	Home	Away	Scoresheet
8 AM	A	Big House Blades 4	One-timers 3	Click
8 AM	B	Ubermites 1	Multiple Personalities 3	Click
12:30 PM	A	One-timers 3	Cold Warriors 6	Click
12:30 PM	B	Ubermites 3	Team Five Hole 2	Click
6 PM	A	Big House Blades 4	Cold Warriors 9	Click
6 PM	B	Multiple Personalites 5	Team Five Hole 4	Click

I hope everyone had a good time. Stat sheets are being scanned now and will be up at 9 p.m. or soon thereafter.

First day tourney battles fierce!

Sat, 29 May 2010 22:29:39 -0500

A dizzying day of hockey had at Bloomington Ice Gardens today! Without further adieu, let's jump into the results:

Time	Division	Home	Away	Scoresheet
8 AM	A	One-timers 5	Cold Warriors 9	Click
8 AM	B	Multiple Personalities 5	Five Hole 3	Click
12:30 PM	A	Big House Blades 11	One-timers 1	Click
12:30 PM	B	Übermites 3	Multiple Personalities 1	Click
6 PM	A	Cold Warriors 5	Big House Blades 4	Click
6 PM	B	Team Five Hole 4	Übermites 2	Click

In Division A, a sizzling rivalry heating up between Big House Blades and Cold Warriors -- the Cold Warriors edge out the Big House Blades tonight by a goal. No doubt their matchup tomorrow will be a great game.

Division B is less clear - all three teams have 1 win and 1 loss, making it impossible to determine seeds based only off of winning record right now. According to the rules, in the event of a point tie, seeds will be determined by goals scored for within first three games. That makes the current seeds as follows:

Team Five Hole - 7 goals for
Multiple Personalities - 6 goals for
Übermites - 5 goals for

Tomorrow's 8 AM Division A game is the Big House Blades vs One-timers.
Tomorrow's 8 AM Division B game is the Übermites vs Multiple Personalities.

Discuss here: http://forums.jmshockey.com/topic/1790-first-day-tourney-battles-fierce/

Pitfalls of a newbie hockey team

Thu, 20 May 2010 15:02:02 -0500

With the JMS tournament nigh, I thought I would write a blog on beginner hockey teams. I've been a part of many beginner teams, and after some time have come to realize the parts that are really tough for new teams to deal with.

Disclaimer: If you have played a lot of competitive hockey, many of these things are second nature and may not be of any of use to you. Some of the advice below, at higher levels, may be outright wrong. For the rest, please benefit from my many mistakes.

Switching lines

There's a simple trick to switching lines correctly. After they've been assigned, identify the player that's coming on the ice right before you and identify the player that takes the ice after you get to the bench. This way, you know that when #42 is coming towards the benches, you should be ready to hop on the ice, and if you are coming off the bench, you should be yelling to #16 to take your place on the ice.

Stay single minded and do not worry about the positions around you. If everyone followed this rule, there would never, ever be any too-many-men-on-the-ice penalties.

Also, the JMS axiom of "if you're tired -- get off the ice!" couldn't be more true here. In fact, take whatever time you typically play for at a JMS shift and halve it -- whatever is that amount is how much you should be playing out for in a competive game. You need to put 100% of your energy into the play, 100% of the time. Are you at 95%? Time to get off the ice.

It's just a penalty -- don't panic!

If you're on the penalty kill, you'll need to drop a position temporarily. If your team hasn't discussed how this will work out, you'll need to do this on the fly. This is not a big deal! It's very simple. If the player in the penalty box is a forward, drop that player's position. If the player's position has already been dropped previously due to penalties, drop a different position as a replacement (so everyone gets equal icetime).

If the player in the box is a defender you'll need to make a decision about which position to drop very quickly. Usually it's best to drop a forward as you probably won't have many defensive players in the first place.

If your captain has not made a decision within 20 seconds of a penalty -- speak up! Make a decision yourself, make sure everyone the bench understands and agrees to it. The _worst_ thing that can happen in this situation is indecisiveness. Indecision leads to not getting people on the ice when they should be out there, or worse yet a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty (Don't believe me? Look at the AHA D2 stats and see how often this penalty comes up during games)

Pulling the goalie

This is going to be a highly debatable point. Pulling the goalie is one of those things thats just a cornerstone of hockey. One minute to go and down by a goal? Pull the goalie! No point in not doing it, right? What do you have to lose?

Well, the truth is, if your team isn't prepared and hasn't set aside a plan for pulling the goalie, it's probably more detrimental to your chance of winning than helpful. I'd argue that pulling a goalie while the play is live is one of the hardest plays that a beginner team can execute.

So many things have to go right in order to even have a CHANCE at being successful:

Everyone on the team must know exactly which player needs to jump out on the ice to replace the goalie
That sixth player must know immediately after getting on the ice whether he needs to play more defensively or aggressively
A player must be ready to open the door for the goalie skating off the ice (Believe it or not they can't jump over the boards with all that equipment on). I've seen this one bite so many teams in the ass I can't even begin to count -- the players are so transfixed on watching the play that no one remembers to open the door.
All players on the ice need to immediately recognize the focus of the game should not be aggressively attacking the opponent's zone, but rather controlling the puck so a simple mistake does not ruin any chances. This is especially true at the beginner level where mistakes are common.

That said - is it worth it to pull the goalie? That will be up to your team. If you have a face-off in the offensive zone with a minute to go, go for it. Otherwise -- discuss this with your team before hand. If it has not been discussed, do not assume it is the best option for your team at that moment.

I hope everyone enjoys the tournament, there is nothing quite like the spirit of a competitive hockey game. May team #6 win :)

Discuss: http://forums.jmshockey.com/topic/1775-pitfalls-of-a-newbie-hockey-team/

Come play in the tournament

Sat, 08 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The JMS "Spring Fever Face-Off" tournament is just three weeks away, and we're making a final push to get some more players.

If you're debating, it's time to jump in. If you're already in, tell your pals they should sign up too! Click the "Tourney" tab above for all the details.

For those wondering, YES, we have enough skaters and everyone will get four games as promised. But I'm hoping for four teams per tier, not three. Can you help spread the word?

I need to make the call by Thursday, May 13 and will set teams based on rosters at that point, though we will accept late registrations as long as space permits.

Top 10 Reasons to Play in the Tournament

1. Play on a team with your friends, or against them.
We've changed the rules to allow pals to request playing together, though of course we will set all teams for parity. Basically, the rule change means you can skate with your pals without worrying about someone else sneakily courting all the top players to build a Mega Team of Ringers.

2. Goodies!
You'll get a tournament tee shirt (and how awesome will that look in the grocery store or at the health club?!?) and the winners of each tier (25% or 33% of skaters, depending) will get slick trophies for display on your desk at work, mantel over fireplace or other bragging spot.

3. Play in a refereed game.
Many JMSers have never played a game with a real ref. We will have two per game and they'll be using standard USAH regulations. I'm selecting patient ones who won't just call the game, but are patient with beginners and can explain infarctions if necessary. What is it really like to play with a real referee? Stop wondering and come find out.

4. Tune up before summer season.
Perhaps you have played so much pick-up that you have forgotten what the whistle means? Or perhaps your legs have had a vacation from striving at game pace? Get back into it with four games of tournament play.

5. Experience a "real game" scenario.
Lots of JMSers have never had their own hockey team. This is your chance to create those bonds with the folks you'll play in the tournament with. Line strategies, locker room pregame strategies and post-game recaps, speculating on your next opponent, all that fun stuff.

6. Brag about your hockey marathon.
Four games in two days! Yes, of course you can do it. And think how awesome you will feel later, having done it and knowing you did it. Monday morning, you will be tired, but in the very best way. And you're on vacation that day anyway, aren't you?

7. It's good for you!
You're going to sit around on vacation, eat vacation food, right? Burn a bunch of calories before you go... between 5,490 (for a 240-pound person) and 2,635 (for a 120-pound person) and then you can feel good about taking a week off from exercising. And the tourney schedule (over early Sunday) means you can still play and get up north that weekend, too.

8. The stories and the experience.
In the months after the tourney, you'll hear people discussing it in the locker room, reliving the games. Don't just sit on the sidelines! Jump in and be a part of the event, not an onlooker. Sign up to be part of the stories, help shape the plays and the outcome of your team, instead of hearing other people reminisce about the fun later, and wishing you'd been involved.

9. All hockey atmosphere.
Two days of concentrated hockey! The environment will be focused on the games you're playing. Get there early to size up the other team, talk about players you know and how they're faring and what you can expect when you meet them on the ice. For two days, you'll be intent on plays, performance and strategy to bring your team to the top.

10. Because it's fun!
Hockey = fun. More hockey = more fun! This will be an amazing and awesome weekend of hockey. You love the game, come dive into it.

Click the "Tourney" tab above to see more details and register to play. Cost is just $80 for four games, a tee shirt and a trophy if you win. Hope to see you there!

Captain perspective on leveling

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Guest blog by [url=http://www.jmshockey.com/profiles/bp6010]Lee Kimsey

Leveling--not to be confused with leavening.
For those who don't know the term, leavening is the process by which a baker introduces a material, like yeast, into dough to produce gas that lightens the bread or batter. It's what makes bread a light, fluffy foodstuff, as opposed to hard indigestible mass.

Leveling is the process by which JMS captains monitor individual skill sets to produce parity. Stopping, starting, turning, transitioning, stick handling and passing are examples of these skill sets. The effect is to lighten the tenor of the game. It's what makes JMS a light, fluffy experience... as opposed to a hard indigestible mass.

Some seem to perceive skating at Level 1 or 2 in JMS s as a punishment or a personal failure. It's almost as if some folks feel that they are being fenced in, not allowed to run with the rest of the herd. But it is these levels that make JMS what it is, they are unique and perhaps the most important levels in so many ways. They are not a punishment, they are a privilege.

They create an opportunity for a skater to develop hockey skills and to have the time to do it at whatever pace they're capable of and comfortable with. These levels allow each of us to participate in a meaningful way. This is the primary goal of JMS. It is not a race to get to the top. It is an effort to place the participants where they belong and compete against the toughest competitor . . . themselves.

Every rink in town has some "open hockey" session during the week that will allow anybody with $12 and a stick to lace up the blades and play. I live in Brooklyn Park and they are running three sessions of "Adult Open Hockey" each week. But it is only at JMS that there is a governing body that says to some skaters "Sorry, your skill sets are not appropriate to play this session."

The privilege of Level 1 and 2 is that it allows you to be an active participant as opposed to a roving spectator. The "fence" is not there to keep you in, it's there to keep others out. The barriers erected between levels are what make the game accessible to each skater.

A couple of years back I got involved with another pick-up group that had nothing to do with JMS. They were nice folks and as always, the hockey was fun. Several of the skaters were former high school players and one was even a former Division 1 college player. (On a side note, he and I collided at center ice one night and we both went flying . . . the "weeble" did not wobble that night, it fell down!) My point is that it was a struggle, if not an impossibility for me, to keep up with the flow of play within this group. I was a human pylon, all I needed was an orange jersey to make the scenario complete.

As a JMS captain, I don't think a session goes by where I am not approached by a skater with the request, "Can you evaluate me for Level 3?" While I am never offended by such requests, the request itself is often a sign that they are not ready to move. I don't say this to ward off future requests. I will always watch when asked.

But I think I can best explain with this illustration: Every morning a lion awakens with the knowledge that in order to survive, he must be faster than the slowest gazelle. Every morning each gazelle awakens with that same knowledge! I cannot watch 21 skaters--no one can, well maybe Barbara can with her notepad filled with sock and jersey colors! It is, however, very easy to spot the fastest lion or the slowest gazelle. Players who are incorrectly placed usually create their own flow. They are generally out of sync with the flow of the game around them.

I hate it when I see Level 1 and 2 referred to as "lower levels." We have to call the levels something in order to distinguish them from each other and unfortunately those labels tend to create a quasi value system. Even if we called them red, blue, green, orange and purple, we would by our very nature assign a value to each of them that isn't really what I believe JMS is about. Each skater is equally important and it is the goal and duty of the community leaders to place them in a game environment where they can best explore and exploit their potential.

When I talk with other captains I am always amazed at how often we agree on the relative abilities of skaters. I appreciate their opinions and often consult them when I am looking at a particular skater. We all work together to make this the best experience it can be. We are not trying to punish, restrain or fill sessions for financial purposes when we turn a skater down on a level change request.

It is my pleasure to recommend a skater for a move and I share that personal achievement with them because I got to see it. I participated in it.

We are not all of a piece. For a variety of reasons, each of us might spend more time at one level or another, some of us may never develop the skill set to make that next transition. Perhaps we're out of shape, too old or eat way too much pasta (perhaps both!) to become lean, fast and maneuverable! I've been at Level 2 for well over a year myself and I'm not disappointed by that because I have a place to go where I can be successfully competitive. Like Coach Tony always told me, "You're not sittin' at home on the couch, you're out there doin' it . . . YOU'RE PLAYIN' HOCKEY !!!"
And that's A-OK with me.

BG note: Lee sent me this blog several weeks ago and it was after reading it that I decided people needed to know more about the leveling up process, so I wrote the [url=http://www.jmshockey.com/blog/articles/levels-demystified]Levels Demystified blog. Lee's probably could have run first--he realized the need for explanation and I'm glad he did-- but I figured the grand explanation was in order before we delved into perspectives on it. Hope this is useful.

Play with the NHLers

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500

On May 1, a local group will host a hockey game fundraiser for the National MPS Society, which helps families cope with a group of genetic diseases that typically affect children.

The game and following gala will have many NHL alumni players (Brad Maxwell, Joe Dziedzic, Jack Carlson, Tom Younghans, Jon Rohloff and many more). You can PLAY with the NHLers for $300 (any skill level welcome!), or give a free-will donation at the door to watch. The postgame gala tickets are $125 and the event will feature a silent auction, music and fun. The game fee also includes two tickets to the gala.

Hope Madsen is organizing the event; she met Todd Harkins (former Calgary Flame) at a national MPS conference in December. Harkins' son has an MPS condition similar to Madsen's daughter. For the last seven years, Harkins and his wife have organized an MPS hockey fundraiser event in Vancouver.

Interested in playing or attending? You must register by April 27 (online) or April 23 (via post). There are NO presale tickets to only watch the game--they will take donations at the door.

For more information, visit[url=www.mpscup.org]MPScup.org or e-mail Hope Madsen at hmadsen (at} cyberoptics {.) com
More information about MPS [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucopolysaccharidosis]here.

Level 5 second session

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Finally!

I have added a second Level 5 to Thursday nights. It's a little confusing, so read carefully:

On Monday, April 12, we will have a Level 5 session at Breck (don't be confused by the weekly e-mail titled "Cheese vs Beans" -- that was a TYPO and L5 is ON for Breck on April 12).
Starting Monday, April 19, the Monday Level 5 session will move to Richfield.
We will play the Level 5 Breck session on Thursdays, starting April 22.

I hope the additional options will work for you. I hated to move the Monday Breck sessions, but there was no way I could add another location--NO ICE at Bloomington, and the only Richfield times I could get were on Monday, when you were already playing.

So, while this means some changes to your world, please remember that:
1. you are still able to play at Breck (just on Thursdays now, which many of you were in favor of)
2. you are still able to play on Monday nights (just now at Richfield, which is also a great location)
3. you now have TWO options to play Level 5 during the week
4. folks on the south and east sides now have a Level 5 venue closer to them (though it's still very accessible for everyone else)

Post here with questions and I'll keep checking and answer as I can.

Levels Demystified

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500

I've realized that everyone isn't aware of the way we set levels at JMS. Weeks ago, one of the captains e-mailed me his perspective on the level situation and that made me realize I need to tell folks how it's done.

It's true I don't like to talk about the level change process, but only because talking about it makes a lot of people who are just fine where they are, think it's time to move up, and explaining over and over admittedly gets old.

So, bearing in mind that this blog will invite a tsunami of requests, I will explain the level assessment process here. Captains, thank you for all you do--like me, you will be engulfed in the coming wave and I thank you ahead of time for your wonderful help.

When JMS started, there was only one level--probably very close to today's Level 1. Eventually, those folks got better and the beginners needed a safe place to play their game. So I created a second level--and this meant I had to start watching parity. Because I knew everyone and went to every session (and the league's daily chores were smaller and fewer), I handled all the level change requests personally.

When someone new joined JMS Hockey, their account was on hold until I could contact the new skater and ask about her or his experience--discussing level placement. You'd be surprised how many people initially described themselves as BEGINNER only to later say, "Well, I played up to Bantams as a kid, but I'm 45 now so I'm a beginner again, right?" Keeping those guys out of Level 1 and reassuring them that they would be JUST FINE at a higher level took a lot of time. And it still does.

As the league grew, I started asking the captains when skaters questioned me about moving up. The e-mails back and forth could cause problems when someone wanted access to a new level RIGHT NOW. Captains also sent me an e-mail after each session and let me know if someone needed a level adjustment.

These days, Andy has written software to make the process more efficient. New players complete the online assessment, which looks at experience and skills. We spent a lot of time on it and are very proud when people tell us it's right on. And of course, we're always learning and tweaking it to be better, more accurate.

Sometimes people are "Minnesota Modest" in their answers to the online assessment, and their initial level placement is too low. We have to explain that JMS Hockey is not like other leagues--that we're geared to adult novice rec players, and even though the skater may have placed high on the survey, even the "high" levels aren't very "high" compared to most pick-up hockey in Minnesota. We do a lot of reassuring to people before their first skate. On the other end of the spectrum, some folks think they're Hot Stuff, but don't have the actual skills to back up their perception. (Sadly, we all know people like this.) But for most folks, the survey works great.

But the survey is only the first assessment tool. The hard-working, helpful, passionate and meticulous captains are the other part; it is one of their responsibilities to watch the parity at the session. If someone's survey answers don't jive with their on-ice skills, the captains usually notice very quickly and we make an adjustment after that first session. Another benefit to managed parity is that outliers are all the more obvious in a homogeneous environment.

After a session, the captain logs into the JMS website, where they can let me know any level adjustments. Sometimes captains ask that I have another captain give a second opinion about a level move. People have good nights and bad nights, and we want to get the right picture. I know I should stop being surprised at how well the system works... but it always makes me smile when two captains have exactly the same assessment--very reaffirming of our decision.

And so that's the organized level process. If we haven't already moved you to a new level, it's because the level you're at right now is a good fit.

Sometimes--particularly when a friend or a teammate moves up--people will fill out a Change Level Request Form (Yes, it's on the upper right of the main page when you're logged in; PLEASE reread the part in bold above before you go fill it out). I review the person's record to see if the captains have said anything... almost always I find that the person asking to move up is just fine at their current level. Like I wrote above, there are systems in place to track when it's time to move. If you haven't heard from us about a move, it's because it's not time for one. And so MOST people who ask to move up are told, "Not yet."

But I tell them things they can do: work hard and, in the words of one captain, "ROCK the level you're at, get noticed for your skills and we'll move you up." If a skater hasn't been noticed yet, it's because he or she isn't standing out--he or she is a "good fit" for that level. A "good fit" at Level 2 does not mean it's time to play Level 3--it means a good fit at Level 2. Sometimes, a skater hasn't played much, so I'll tell that person to ask before a skate if the captain can watch and let me know if a move is in order. But captains can only do a level assessment on so many skaters while also meeting their other responsibilities for the session. The captains are very busy just working to keep up. Please think about it first, read the bold sentence above, and do not swamp them with requests.

Sometimes we need additional feedback from another captain. Sometimes I'll ask a captain who has played against a skater in a recent league game. Sometimes I ask a captain to look at someone on the ice before her or his session. We work hard to get enough good info to make sure the changes we do are needed and useful. Most level changes are not the result of any one game, an quite a few are the result of consensus and not any one captain's decision.

Because saying a skater is "good" can mean different things. There's "Jane is looking good--see how much she has improved!" And also, "John is a good fit for this level" and also "She's good enough to try the next level up" and finally, "Man, he's way too good--he needs to play up from now on."

We don't move people up to LEARN next-level skills, we move them up because they are PROFICIENT in the next level's skills. It's an amalgam--guys have told me that, "Bob plays Level 3 and my shot is harder than Bob's, so therefore I should play Level 3." But... Is Bob faster? Does Bob still have enough energy at the end of a Level 2 game to skate end to end? Does Bob fall over when he tries a slapper? Does Bob know--and play--positions? If Bob has speed, does he also have control? All this and more goes into determining the best level placement.

When we do move skaters up a level, I almost always give them a few weeks of transition time. I urge them to use the faster level to work on speed and fitting in at the new pace. The lower level is to take advantage of the extra time with stickhandling and shooting -- because the players up in the higher level are speedy and good, and it's hard for the transition skater to get puck time up there.

As I wrote, moving up or down is almost always a consensus based on multiple factors. It's not done as punishment or reward, it's done to maintain parity. While I want people to be able to skate with their pals, JMS Hockey is about parity. It's what I advertise and it's what people expect. If the direct skater feedback isn't enough, the leagues growth tells us that we're making the right choices.

I have had people push back on level changes, but I don't understand it. I don't understand how it can be fun to skate up too high, always be out of the play, working hard to join the long-gone rush, or always the last one to tag up onsides. How is it fun to be seen as "the slow guy" and get pity passes to skate up the ice while everyone stands back to let you have your one moment with the puck. I suppose there's some cachet in bragging that "I skate Level X" (or "having your Level X key fob," as one person said), but bragging evaporates pretty quickly once the skates hit the ice and it's actions, not words, that matters.

I also don't understand how it can be fun to be obviously the best person on the ice, racking up goals at will. I have seen it all by now and know some guys actually are deluded enough to think it's great to be the ex-high-school star slaughtering beginner skaters. How is that fun? I just don't get it--and I run JMS Hockey as a parity league so beginners don't have to deal with that nonsense.

Level changes aren't bad, or good, they're just part of the parity process at JMS. A new challenge or time to focus on refining skills. They are never done capriciously and usually come from a consensus decision based on multiple factors... and always with the bottom line JMS goal in mind: do the best thing for the most people.

JMS tournament registration

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Registration for the Spring Fever Face Off tournament will open on March 31 at 6 p.m.

Cost is $80, which covers four 90-minute stop time games with two USA Hockey refs and a scorekeeper, as well as an event t-shirt and individual trophies for the winning team in each tier.

Each skater is guaranteed four games at the Bloomington Ice Garden facility on Memorial Weekend at the end of May.

Tournament rules (involving tiebreakers, etc.) will be posted closer to the tourney date.

Ready to register? Click [url=http://www.jmshockey.com/tournament/]here or paste the link into your browser:
http://www.jmshockey.com/tournament/

Skaters: you MUST have funds on your account to sign up for the tourney. Put them on NOW so you won't be scrambling at registration time. Each team is limited to 15 skaters and one goalie, with four teams in each tier for a total of 8 in the tourney.

Goalies: due to the special position and small number of goalie spots available, goalie registration will be processed manually. We will contact you as soon as possible to discuss registration. If you don't get in, know that we'll maintain a goalie sub list to use if schedule or injury prevents another netminder from playing. Goalies, you MUST have $80 to cover the tournament registration on your account WITHIN 24 HOURS of being notified that you're in.

As stated previously, tournament participants must have played one JMS session already.

Any cancellations will be dealt with on an individual basis.

I will assign teams and put you in touch with your teammates, and also indicate which games are dark (navy or black jerseys for everyone, please) and which games are white. Teams will determine if they're playing positions or rolling the benches pick-up style. I think it's probably best to play set positions to cut down on bench confusion.

I hope you're excited! Post here with questions and we'll hopefully have answers for you.

JMS spring tournament

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Breaking news!

JMS Hockey will host a tournament on Memorial Weekend: the Spring Fever Face Off!

Games will be on Saturday, May 29, and Sunday, May 30 (that's the only time we could get the ice). The tourney will be at Bloomington Ice Gardens. There will be two tiers with four teams each. Every team will play four games round-robin. All participants will get a nifty t-shirt and the winning team in each tier will also get trophies.

Tournament registration will open on March 31. Individual signups only: you will be placed on a team assembled for best parity. Due to skater numbers and parity concerns, this tournament is for levels 1-4 only. Registrants must have played at least one JMS game to ensure correct parity assessment, though if necessary we may require a second game.

Cost? We don't know yet--still assembling all that data. Cost will be posted by registration time (March 31) and will be as rock-bottom as we can make it. We want everyone to have the chance to play in a quality, adult novice parity-managed tournament.

I hope you're excited! Post questions here and we'll answer them as we can.

Meet Dan

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Who is this Dan person, e-mailing you???

Well, I needed help. I spend about six hours every night (after my "real job" editing law enforcement magazines) just answering JMS mail--not even planning sessions, booking with the rinks or other admin stuff. I realized recently that I had to 1. quit replying to every e-mail or 2. get help.

JMS isn't just about JMS, it's a Twin Cities adult newbie hockey clearinghouse, and I try to answer all the questions about hockey in general, website support, JMS policies, etc. There are a lot (about 100) e-mails every day from folks asking about

--a level change
--if someone picked up a piece of gear after a session
--more info about local leagues
--when I will put Level X in City Y
--how to be a captain
--why a session wasn't even last night
--best rinks in the Twin Cities
--why they can't log into the site
--if their wife/neighbor/buddy can come play
--what happened with a cancellation
--coaching opportunities
--Wild ticket deals

and more.

Enter Dan Ginter, goalie (and sometimes skater, or so he says), hockey enthusiast and all-round clever fellow. Dan will help with some of the lower level admin functions, mostly e-mails to start ("Why don't you have a level 1 skate in Isanti?" or "I played for the Gophers but I'd like to skate Level 2.") and then branching into other areas.

Pic at left is what Dan actually looks like, while e-mailing you.

Dan is from White Bear and lives there now; he graduated from SCSU (I am told to write GO HUSKIES! here) in 2008 and also likes the Minnesota Wild. He played organized hockey as a kid for about three years but didn't pick it up again until well into college... when he wasn't able to devote full attention. Finally, in winter 2010, Dan says he wanted exercise but hated the thought of joining a gym. His thoughts returned to hockey--but to the netminder position this time: "Once the notion of playing goalie got into my head I possessed an obsessive, unstoppable conviction to realize that goal," he said.

"I don't like to settle. When I become this involved in something, I want to be the best at it. So... once all my gear was collected, I threw myself to the dogs. I was playing twice a week, as a goalie with NO EXPERIENCE, with a bunch of tight-knit strangers, at open hockey we would consider Level 4 or 5. Sometimes fun, but not so welcoming... The whole time I was chronicling my adventure on facebook when my High School friend, Eric Jorgensen suggested I look into JMS."

"The supportive attitudes I witnessed out on the ice sold me on this experience completely. It was the first night and I was already hooked. I loved the rapping of sticks against the boards for fellow players, I loved how skaters helped each other up, and I loved the locker room conversations. Everyone seemed to be so excited just to be learning, and I wanted to be a regular part of that excitement."

"It's months later, and I just finished my 20th game. I've made some great friends, shared some good laughs, and surprised myself more than a few times. I can sense myself improving, and I feel very much a part of a community. These effects are the products of a clear vision and very deliberate design which makes JMS unique. I am proud to be a contributing member of the team both on and off the ice!"

We are very glad Dan came to JMS!

You'll probably be hearing from him soon. The message is still "from JMS" and is still in accordance with JMS policies, has the right JMS information, and will be given proper JMS attention--it's just from Dan, not me. Please join me in celebrating this expansion and welcoming Dan and his energy to our team!

Hockey saved my life

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Guest blog by [url=http://www.jmshockey.com/profiles/tolson]Terry Olson

As I write this, I sit in limbo--stuck somewhere between my professional identity, police officer, and one of my greatest passions, hockey.

At this moment I am neither cop nor hockey player because [url=http://www.jmshockey.com/jms-talk-f3/l4-slp-2-16-t1545.html]I broke my ankle at a JMS skate recently.

This isn't the first time that hockey has led to injury for me, yet at 43 years of age I still play. On some level, I feel guilt because on several occasions hockey has cost me the ability to meet the very serious obligations of my most important identities: father and husband.

If you're a middle-aged hobby athlete like me, particularly one whose sport has caused injury, I am certain that you've run the cost-benefit analysis a time or two. I am tempted to make that calculation on every so often but there is one factor in my personal history that makes that calculation pointless: It wasn't long ago when hockey literally saved my life.

As a kid I never played organized hockey. The neighborhood rink was it for me. I maintained a casual interest in hockey and other athletic activities until the demands of self-funded college consumed most of my time. As a 20-something rookie cop, I didn't need to work out to stay in shape, but when I was 30, I could no longer deny that I actually had to work at it.

I picked up some used gear and played a couple of open hockey sessions. I was thoroughly outclassed by guys with formal hockey backgrounds who were also 10 years younger than I was. I gave it up, but a few years later I skated with some cops from another department. These are guys who are about my age--guys with families, jobs and mortgages.

I saw that there was a place for the adult hockey player but I'd have look harder to find the proper venue. I eventually worked in with a couple of groups and I was playing weekly. I attended a couple of hockey clinics and schools and before I knew it I'd reached the level where I felt competent to be on the ice with them.

On April 30, 2006, I was skating with a group I'd worked my way in with, mostly firefighters, cops, and paramedics. I was fore checking when I was able to tip the puck loose and skate on a breakaway. One of the backcheckers pulled me from behind, spinning me to the right. My left tibia broke, also breaking my left fibula in the process.

I had noticed a bit of a lump on my left shin before this and it had recently become sensitive, but being a typical guy I hadn't worried about it. I should have. In the process of treating the break, I learned that the cause of the fracture was a cancerous tumor, which was the lump I'd been feeling for some time on my left shin.

How long would it have taken for me to break my leg without hockey?
How long would I have continued to ignore the problem if I hadn't broken my leg?

Who can say, but with cancer early detection is everything in terms of treatment and survivability. In my case, the cancer hadn't spread anywhere else. It would have, ultimately killing me, if given enough time.

Luckily, the fracture healed, which was necessary if the cancerous portion of my tibia was to be removed surgically. If it hadn't, I would have lost my leg from the knee down as the only viable means by which to remove the tumor completely.

I spent the next 18 months on crutches, having surgeries and enduring a variety of chemotherapy regimens. Today, five inches of my left tibia is comprised of donor material and the leg from the knee to the ankle is held in place by a rod and screws. Add to that the skin grafts and muscle deformities and I am easily mistaken as a shark bite survivor.

Now you know in part how hockey saved my life, but the benefits of hockey didn't end with the cancer diagnosis.

Because I'd been playing regularly and striving to improve my game, I'd also been working out at the health club two days a week. The strength and conditioning that I had developed made it possible for me to endure the demanding medical regimen that was necessary for survival and recovery.

When it became apparent that I'd be able to return to my career it also became apparent that I could use hockey as the cornerstone of my physical rehabilitation effort. It was at that time that a good friend, [url=http://www.jmshockey.com/profiles/jdblasingame]John Blasingame, introduced me to JMS.

I started at level 2, eventually working my way to level 4, which is comparable to the level I was accustomed to playing before the injury. To this day, my left leg isn't as big as the right and my stride is a bit lopsided, but I've recovered more than I had thought was possible and I'm still making gains.

While I was in the hospital last week with the newest injury (the other leg this time), I couldn't help but run the cost-benefit analysis over and over again. It was easy to conclude that my responsibilities make it too selfish for me to return to risky activities like hockey. I'm the only skater that I have ever personally known to leave the ice arena in an ambulance--and I've done it twice. Beyond this, I once tore up my shoulder at a hockey school and on another occasion I spent most of a night in the emergency room having my nose stitched up, all courtesy of my old friend hockey.

This is a lot of "cost" to overcome in the calculation, but the "benefit" I've derived from hockey is just too great, even if you don't factor in the fun and camaraderie that hockey has provided to me.

I owe it to myself--to hockey--to continue to play, even if my mother does think I'm crazy.

Canada or the US, who will take the gold?

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Excellent matchup coming tomorrow (Sunday, Feb 28). Who do you think will win? (Or if you're reading this after, why do you think the winners triumphed?)

The Canadians will try to crowd in front of American Ryan Miller, hoping to shut down the goalie who delivered an amazing performance during the last match-up.

Team USA is coming off a rout of Finland and feeling confident. And boy, wouldn't we like to settle the score from Salt Lake 2002, when Canada beat the U.S. on home ice, ouch. While this is the second gold game the U.S. has played in the last three Olympics, Team USA hasn't captured a gold in men's hockey since the "Miracle" in 1980.

Is it that Team USA is indeed a TEAM, instead of a collection of superstars, like Canada? Or wIll the superstars do what they do: put it in net, again and again. I have heard mutterings of NHL-entrenched fussiness between Jerome Iginla and Sidney Crosby. Too many prima donnas (Crosby, Crosby, Crosby) will collapse a team.

On the other hand, this is CANADA, the world's hockey powerhouse, bar none. This is THEIR sport, on THEIR home ice. That means a lot.

Apparently Robert Gibbs (White House press secretary) has a bet with his Canadian counterpart; loser has to wear the other team's jersey at the next press conference.

The bet was originally based on the outcome of the women's game (Canada-2, US-0) but when it appeared the two nations' men's teams would face off as well, Gibbs asked for a double or nothing. Canada has much to be proud of, not least its fantastic goalie [url=http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100226/edm_szabados_100226/20100226/?hub=EdmontonHome]Shannon Szebados, and of course corresponding winces at the distinctly NON-"healthy athlete" postgame celebration with booze and cigars. Crimeny.

Who will win on Sunday? Accurate predictions win a year of bragging rights...

Canada or the US, who will take the gold?

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Combined sessions

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

While you may feel that combining sessions will get more skaters, this also brings a greater variety. How then is JMS different from any other pick-up in the area? The whole point of JMS is managing parity so everyone on the ice is at roughly the same level. People tell me again and again how much they appreciate finally being able to touch the puck and make some moves. Getting rid of the parity by opening it so wide that it doesn't matter... that just gets rid of the whole reason for JMS.

I've worked very hard to separate into distinct tiers and combining levels just throws all that work out the window. In a combined L3&4 session, how do people know what it will be like? You know from attending JMS on different nights that sometimes it's a "fast L3" and sometimes a slow one. Now think about all the variety there would be between the bottom end of level 3 and the top end of level 4. That is too much, people would have no idea what a session would be like. That won't help encourage folks to sign up--what people like about JMS is knowing what they're going to get and that it will fit.

And so combining sessions dilutes the quality of JMS, and participation suffers. I have done combined level 1&2 before, and combined Level 4&5. NEITHER were successful; the higher skaters got frustrated at the lower players, taking the puck from them and essentially ignoring them and playing around them, and they got tired of it and stopped signing up. And the weaker skaters got frustrated too--they were used to having a bigger part of the game, they can't catch the speedier folks, so they get hacky and the entire game becomes way chippier and people just don't have fun. And THEY stopped coming. And the session failed. Again, this isn't guessing, this is hard data from previous experiences.

A regular level 3 session can have a wide range of abilities-- people who just moved up to 3 from 2 but still have L2 perms but then also people who play L4 but are recovering after an injury and playing down a while. That's a lot of abilities to have on the ice, and by opening it to more than two levels, I would then have skaters with perms for level 2 through 5 on the same ice. This isn't just a "sometimes" thing, it's a "usually" thing. It is a management headache on the ice.

You probably aren't aware of this, but there are a LOT of folks who feel they should be playing higher than they are. We love our fellow skaters, but I'm sure you can realize that for some, their PERCEPTION of ability does not match their ACTUAL ability. We feel ourselves to be gods upon the ice, and even video will not shatter this illusion. You know the kind of skater I'm taking about--one who thinks he's great but absolutely is not. Say one of those guys is a level 2 and just moved into level 3. He goes to a level 3&4 and decides he "did okay." (What does it mean to "do okay"? In their minds, frankly, anything short of spending every shift lying flat on the ice.)

And so these folks play in a combined session and feel they "did okay" and should therefore be allowed to play the next level up. Trust me, this happens ALL THE TIME when I run a combined session at the X. The faster skaters have to slow down the game to include the weaker ones, and when they do, and make a pity pass to the slower folks, the slower folks don't realize it was intentional generosity and feel it means they have been able to "run with the big dogs." They don't realize it was a charity pass while everyone else held off and let the slow guy have the puck. It's a terrible headache and I do not like to have to keep explaining it to people--which is what I would have to do if I had more combined sessions.

This disillusioned skater will see his participation, his mere presence and "showing up," at a combined L3&4 as absolute justification that he SHOULD be moved to Level 4 RIGHT AWAY. I'm not saying this MIGHT happen, I'm saying it WILL happen, because it has before. And these guys are relentless, e-mailing me constantly, using the combined sessions to "prove" that they are actually as good as they dream they are inside their heads. I'm not going down that road.

I hope this makes sense. I know folks speculate about what I do--truly, there is always a thought-out reason behind my actions, even if it's not immediately apparent. I think the levels--loose guidelines as they are--are important and even though they're not hard and fast, we do our best to keep them as homogeneous and reliable as we can.

_______

Wakota is strong and I'm glad to see it. Some of the mixed L3/4 group may have thought it was fun to play together, but I had MANY e-mails from TRUE level 3 skaters who were sad that their session was being overrun by faster players. The true L3s asked me why I wasn't delivering the parity I advertised. I'm sure the big group of friends didn't care about what these other people were feeling, but I did, and I'm the administrator--it's my responsibility and my mission to provide parity hockey.

It concerns me that the group skating at Wakota now is so incredibly set against me actually delivering what I advertise: parity hockey. Everyone wants me to organize JMS to fit their personal situation (ie, be the best one at a session, or close to home, or with friends who started playing hockey ten years earlier, etc.) and I just can't do that.

I wish the people at Wakota would stop the fearmongering--I know what they're saying, I get e-mails about it. If they want to leave because I'm doing what I advertised, if they want to leave because I'm making a session fair for the lower level people who actually belong there, then that's their choice. I'm sad their vision is so narrow, but I can't change it and I won't waste time trying.

Rob Little skills clinics

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Starting in April!

Skilled and effective coach Rob Little will offer [url=http://www.roblittlehockey.com/clinics/]two clinics this spring: Skating and Intermediate Skills. Skating starts April 18 and Intermediate Skills starts May 2.

Rob is a fantastic coach--he is a genius at spotting the one little thing that will make your play so much more efficient. If you go, you WILL be amazed at how quickly you improve.

I tell people that it's like a giant ball of knotty string; Rob can pinpoint the one strand that magically untangles the whole mess. Learn to skate and play smarter. With tweaks to your stride, you'll soon be more efficient. With tips on your game, you'll be more effective.

You should go to a Rob Little clinic. Trust me.

All the details here:
http://www.roblittlehockey.com/clinics/

Been to a Rob Little session before? Post here so others will know how incredible and effective the coaching is.

If you're tired, get off the ice

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Why do we take longer shifts when we're tired?

I know everybody does it. I do it. I just don't understand WHY.

It's the end of the night, 20 minutes left in the game and people are just STANDING there, not skating, not playing, just standing. And they stay out for a monster long time.

It just makes no sense to me--and I say that having caught myself doing it plenty of times. If we're tired, get off the ice. It's silly; you would think we would WANT to go sit on the bench.

But instead, people do the opposite: just gliding around, orbiting the play. Is is that, in standing there (instead of skating), people are using less energy and they don't feel "tired" enough to go to the bench? But if they're "tired" already, they should be off the ice... I just don't get it.

Faster skaters at my session

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Okay, you said you had "3 level 3s and a level 4 at Bloomington."

This isn't an accurate picture of the situation. These were not "level 3 players;" several people there had perms for more than one level, and the session's speed depends on who shows up that night. It wasn't that level 3 players crashed the L2, it was that some people with access to BOTH L2 and L3, showed up at the BIG L2 last Monday.

You just moved up from level 1 not too long ago and I understand that at a session with more more players who are on their way out of 2 up to 3, you would have some frustration.

The guy who was at that session but also plays level 4 is an anomaly; he is a solid L3, not a level 4 player. I have decided that he skates down well enough to play one level down, L2, if he wants. He doesn't control the game and instead has that rare ability to match other skaters. I have no doubt whatsoever that he's able to hold back adequately at level 2, and for that reason he is the only person in JMS who has skater permissions for more than two levels at once.

Sometimes people notice other skaters doing well and tell the captain to move that person up. What people usually don't do is take the next mental leap; it's easy to see a skilled player and say, "He's good, therefore he should go up."
But, does this player control the game? Does he go end-to-end? If the person AUGMENTS the game, without controlling it, then I'm okay with that person playing down. Just because someone is "good" doesn't mean I feel like he should be excluded from a certain level.

The problems come with players who are NOT able to match their speed and play to the other skaters. These guys can be far rougher than they should be, or are totally unaware of the extent they're controlling the game, or unable to have any speeds besides "stop" and "100 percent." For these guys--who are the VAST majority--skating down is NOT an option.

But there are lots of reasons why someone would play down, and I think carefully before granting permissions--though of course I don't post the reasons on the site, hoping folks will trust my decisions. People off the ice for a long time, or just recovering from an injury, often ask to play down and I have no problem with these requests. But I won't (and shouldn't) make an announcement to every person who is going to skate with these exceptions, divulging and justifying all private details.

I won't split up teams before the game--the captain is there to balance them out and it sounds like he did a good job of this last Monday. The session skewed fast, as happens sometimes, but Randy kept it even, so in my mind it was a success.

Why don't you have Level X in my neighborhood?

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Stillwater and Woodbury are definite no-go. There just aren't enough JMSers out there to make it work.rnrnI don't have time to write out what I have before about the factors that go into a session, but do know a few things:rnWhile you want this session, I'd need many more people to make it work. Not just 16 so we can play five-on-five with three subs, or 22 so I can break even on icetime. Because to make a session WORK, I need a much bigger pool of skaters; one week we'll miss some regulars due to sickness, injury, working late, car trouble, out of town, etc. We need people who can fill in when those folks are gone. rnrnTo make a session successful, I need AT LEAST three times the number of skaters, because on any given week there will be more people not skating than sign up. Having a dedicated pool of about 70 people, skaters and goalies included, who are committed to skating regularly, is what I need to make a new session work.rnrnWhile one person--or even five people, or ten--can be very dedicated, that's only a start. I can have ten friends who are super excited about having a session at a certain rink, but as you know that's not enough for a game... and that assumes that none of them are out for the reasons listed above.rnrnAnd that's not even getting into booking the ice. Figuring out 1. a day, 2. a rink with 3. available time not to mention 4. early enough, is really hard. Some people are unwilling to drive more than 15 miles to play. Or some won't play after 10 p.m.--makes things hard in this state of hockey where youth associations eat up all the early times. And of course, day/rink/start time issues will mean some of our eager skaters choose not to play, thus lowering the critical mass available to make a session work.rnrnI want to empower you to help make a session work in your area. Given the factors above, what do you think you can do to help make it work?rn

How many skaters are you talking about? I'd need more than just the basic 16 to make it work--I have to cover ice costs (which does mean right around 22 bodies), and I have to have a big enough skater pool to draw from so that when James is sick, Bob takes his spot, or when Katie has to work late, Elsie wants to skate. It usually works best when I have about three times as many INTERESTED people in the pool as I need to skate on any given night, because other people will be otherwise occupied.

Because I keep level 1 for TRUE BEGINNERS, the skater pool for that level is rather low. People learn relatively quickly and move on to level 2.
But this means that there aren't enough folks to hold multiple level 1 sessions around the Twin Cities. I try to book as centrally as I can, so everyone has to drive a reasonable amount. That's just how level 1 is; you'll drive a while, but then when you move to level 2, there are more options, and at level 3 even more than that. But level 1 with its limitations is something everyone has to go through--so please know that, while it is a further drive than Bloomington, it is not forever.

Solution is not to let everyone from L4 play L3 (which ruins...), it's to get enough L4s to have their OWN skate.

Olympic Hockey

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Opening ceremonies tonight!

The women start playing tomorrow (Feb. 13) and Team USA takes the ice on Valentine's Day, playing China. The men start on Feb. 16, when Team USA takes on Switzerland.

I remember the pre-Salt Lake matchups back in 2002; the national teams played one another at different venues around the U.S. and one of those was at St. Cloud State. We watched China play (and noticed their fans in the stands kept buying nachos, but eating only the chips and leaving the dip)-- a Minnesota paper had run an article that I think said there were only three rinks in China at the time, and there were more high school girls hockey PROGRAMS in Minnesota, than there were Chinese female hockey PLAYERS. I think that's what it was--doubtless things have changed since.

Of course, Team USA was training at the Superrink in Blaine all summer; that and three Minnesota players sure makes this feel like a hometown team: Natalie Darwitz of Eagan, Gigi Marvin of Warroad and Jenny Potter of Edina. Wisconsin also has three players on the team and Massachusetts has four.

I like watching not just because they were trained here, but also because this no-check game is the one we play. It's amazing to see it at its very highest level by athletes who know it so well.

What to watch for: Last Olympics, Sweden dealt a terrific upset to the world of women's hockey. For many years, it was a North American fight for the gold, with Canada (usually) coming out on top after a tough battle with Team USA.

While it was sad to see our athletes take third, it was exciting to realize that women's hockey has grown enough that other nations can vie for higher medals. We should have been prepared for the "Damkronorna" ("Lady Crowns;" the Swedish women's team)-- they took the bronze over Finland in 2002.

For women's Olympic hockey, the home team gets placed in the games if they like. This meant the Italian women's hockey team played in 2006, in Torino. But this year, with the Olympics in Canada and that team clearly a medal contender, this frees up a spot for another country's women's hockey team to jump onto the national scene.

The main players return this year: Canada, the U.S., Sweden and Finland. Russia has made all three Games, though never placing higher than fourth (2002). Germany played in Salt Lake and Torino, but didn't make the games this year. Kazakhstan was in Salt Lake but hasn't played since; China missed the 2006 games but is back for Vancouver. The last two spots are taken by Switzerland and Slovakia, the former returning after placing seventh in Torino, the latter making their Olympic debut (does Marion G have a sister??).

I'm super psyched and the Canadians are too--as well as the embassy staff members from different countries. Check out [url=http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepolitics/2010/02/puck-diplomacy-hockey-contender-embassies-ready-for-games-showdown.html]this neat article about how foreign nationals in Canada will be cheering for their teams.

My predictions for women's hockey: Canada is solid and I think they'll take gold again. The U.S. wants silver BAD after Torino and I think they're likely to get it. Winning a silver in Torino really elevated the profile of women's hockey in Sweden, will it be enough to win another? Or will they end up fighting off Finland for the bronze?

[url=http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-hockey-schedule-results/]First games:
Feb. 13: Sweden vs. Switzerland at 4 p.m. and Canada vs. Slovakia at 9 p.m.
Feb. 14: U.S. vs. China at 4 p.m. and Finland vs. Russia at 8.30 p.m.

Backyard rinks

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

I bet the weather has been a challenge for anyone struggling to maintain a backyard rink this year. If it wasn't a thaw, we had several inches of wet, clumpy snow that froze into a bumpy mess.

I have always wondered about a backyard rink. While it seems like it would be fun, I wonder if it would actually get used enough to be worth the trouble. And, not that I care about "lawn," but doesn't it leave the grass all smushed down and create a giant torn-up mudhole? Which I suppose could be fun in its own regard.

Do you have a backyard rink? How much hassle was it to put in? How often do you (or your kids) use it? Is it worth it?

While temps for the next week are solidly in the 20s, we're getting close to the end of weather cold enough to keep a backyard rink viable. WITHOUT starting a discussion of human-prompted climate change (all screeds will be edited or deleted), do you think the season has grown shorter for outdoor ice, or stayed about the same?

PLEASE post pics! We all want to see your backyard rink! Stories are great too--did you stage a neighborhood game? Do the kids all come over on Sunday for hockey and brunch? Share your vignettes.

Stick flex

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0600

I've been around adult players, mostly on the new-ish end, for a while now and I'm pretty sure most people are using a stick that's too stiff for them.

Rob Little told me once that most adult rec players should use 100 flex at the very stiffest. Since the men have more upper body strength, and I do not, I opted for a 65 flex on my [url=http://www.bbsticks.com/warlock.htm]Black Beauty "Warlock" (yes I know it sounds like Harry Potter or D&D, but it's a nice stick with a great low [url=http://hockeystickexpert.com/hockey-stick-lie-better-puck-control/]lie).

Amusingly, the product information states, "Any player between the ages of 11 and 14 who wants to realize the full potential of their game..." (Sadly, I am 12 in Hockey Years.)

I'm not short, but this "intermediate" stick has been a very good option for me. I didn't need to cut it at all, and as a result it's very whippy.

I hadn't realized this but of course it makes sense: cutting down a stick INCREASES its flex rating. If you buy an adult stick and then hack six inches off it, you're making it even stiffer than before. The shorter the stick, the harder it is to bend (think about breaking a new pencil versus a little stubby one, which is more difficult?). So buying one where you DON'T have to cut is a very good option.

I've really liked my 65 flex, I can bend it easily and still have control. I was really surprised at the difference this stick made. I won't ever go back to cutting down stiff adult sticks.

What do you use? Do you like it or not, and why?

Fogerty Level 3 attendance woes

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

It took a lot of work (by Trevor Tjemeland) and money (from JMS) last fall to kick off the Fogerty session.

Signups were strong for a while there but now, alarmingly, have fizzled off. I thought it was stable but with recent turnouts at rock bottom again, I'm seriously considering allocating those JMS funds to another session somewhere else.

I love the idea of pushing JMS out into the burbs so folks can skate close to home; Fogerty was one of the flagship examples of that goal. But with recent low numbers I'm starting to think that doesn't matter, or doesn't matter enough.

What's behind the downturn?
(And don't say it's the hours, because we had some 10.20 start times with full rosters even a month ago... these recent sessions have been 9.40 and 10p starts, with a mere 14 or so skaters. It's not the start time.)

Are people interested interested in having a Fogerty session... but not interested enough to sign up?

The bottom line is that Fogerty has had a good chance for success, but I'm not going to run a session that can't pay for itself... just can't subsidize local hockey that way. If Fogerty doesn't turn around very soon, I'm going to have no choice but to pull the plug on it.

The NEW Notify List

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

The waitlist is gone and has been replaced by a better and more useful tool!

In the past, the waitlist was not automated: I didn't want people to get moved from the waitlist to the main roster without knowing about it. So I asked Andy to design the system so I could contact folks individually and confirm that, yes, Bob will take the now-open spot for tonight's skate. As you can imagine, this was rather tedious micromanagement.

The other problem was that I had to keep checking the waitlist. Constantly. Take a nap on Friday evening and wake up to see I have three sessions with one open slot and a bunch of folks on the waitlist. Or even for sessions days ahead. I've heard many of you express frustration-- "I'm first on the waitlist and there are two open spots, am I in or what?"

Or the reverse happens: someone cancels an hour before icetime and I waste time calling three people on the waitlist only to hear "I forgot... I made other plans..." Argh, and on to the next person on the list, as the clock ticks and more people make alternate plans.

Clearly, things need to be managed better.

The new system is the best way to fill an open spot: just sign up for the notification, for as many sessions as you want. No charge.

From the [url=http://www.jmshockey.com/faq.php#5]FAQ

7e. How does the Notify List work?
When someone cancels from a full session, everyone who signed up for the notify list will receive an e-mail. This is your prompt to log into the JMS website and sign up to take the spot.

While signing up for the Notify List does not debit your account, you should make sure you have funds in your account to cover the icetime signup fee if you receive a notification message. Google Checkout can take 20 minutes and other people from the Notify List will also be trying to sign up for the same spot.

Being on the Notify List is not a guarantee that you will play. Do not just show up at the arena.

7f. So, I'm on the Notify List. How do I know if a spot opens?
Wait for the e-mail. Do not just show up at the rink!

I can't predict cancellations. They happen when someone has car trouble or gets sick or has to work late or gets injured. As soon as someone cancels, the automatic Notify List will send an alert to everyone who has asked to be notified about the session.

7g. How do I cancel from the notify list?
Log into the system, and click [url=http://www.jmshockey.com/skate-times/notifylist/]Manage Notifications, on the splash page, top right under "Member Links."

7h. I think I signed up for the Notify List, how can I tell?
Log into the system, and click [url=http://www.jmshockey.com/skate-times/notifylist/]Manage Notifications, on the splash page, top right under "Member Links."

With the Notify List, skaters AND goalies will not have to wait for me to inform them of an open spot. I won't be calling folks who already made other plans. I'm very excited--this change will benefit everyone.

The only significant change is that there is no longer any priority derived from when people signed up for the list. Given the hardships (significant time lag to contact people based on list position, having to start over when they have made other plans, programming the whole mess), I decided to abandon the numbered waitlist and move to a simpler method that just fills the spot--skater or goalie. The new system also benefits the bottom line: I've lost no small amount of money because I was calling skaters, in order, to fill a spot, only to run out of time and then hear later that someone far down the list was dying to play. Argh again.

The new system is evolving and we appreciate your patience and feedback. Post comments here; we will be monitoring the discussion and responding as we're able. We're already thinking that the goalie portion of the Notify List may need to be tweaked to benefit their special circumstances, so watch for continued developments and improvements as we tweak the site to function better and better.

And of course it would never have been done without the genius of Andy Baird's programming, the man behind the scenes who never gets enough credit for how awesome the JMS website is.

When Goalies Cancel

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

This isn't about any goalie in particular, but it's time to discuss.

Everyone appreciates goalies so much--the game just isn't the same without them. But at JMS (and other pick-ups), goalies don't pay. So there's no incentive for them to NOT bail from a game.

The problem is when this is very close to icetime--they have such an important role that their absence means we MUST find a replacement. And short notice is really tough.

I also know that goalie spots at JMS are at a premium, and sometimes people will grab one early, just to get it, and then bail later (argh, close to icetime! so I have to scramble!).

When a goalie bails, it can affect skater signups, too. I know people have told me they won't sign up for a session with just one goalie (and I've also had goalies tell me they won't sign up for a session with low skater numbers... thus creating a head-exploding paradox where no one signs up).

I don't want to charge goalies, not ever. But I also want to cut down on the number of goalies who drop out close to the session start time.

Suggestions from both goalies and skaters?

Under the hockey tree

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

As hockey-crazy Minnesotans, I know your holiday gift-giving (and receiving) included stuff related to our favorite sport.

What was waiting for you under the hockey tree? A new composite? Sleek [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fh4cnFj2C0] Grafs, or innovative [url=http://www.grafcanada.com/hockey_skates/] Thermablades? Wild tickets?

Or were you naughty, and found only an old, battered puck in the toe of your stocking?

And for sharing the hockey spirit--did you give bounteous gifts of NHL jerseys and fresh, new gloves? Or only [url=http://www.247hockey.com/pd_phat_hockey_tape.cfm] tape and [url=http://www.sportwheels.ca/products/laces] laces (praise be, finally available in another color besides pink).

How was your hockey holiday?

Hockey Resolutions

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

What are your hockey resolutions for the new year?

I will skate at least three strides before passing the puck.

I will remember to skate with my head UP.

I will sharpen my skates regularly... and remember to bring them with me to the rink!

I will not retaliate.

I will start jogging again to improve my hockey endurance.

I will LOOK before I pass.

I will wash my gear once a month. Or at least the cloth pieces.

I will eat better on game day.

I will eat better AFTER a game (no pizza mania!).

I will aim where the goalie is NOT!

Your hockey resolutions?

Come skate with your kids!

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

I have a "family" skate scheduled for this Friday, January 1, at Richfield Arena.

Ice is 8.15 to 9.45 p.m. and we have a good crowd already, but still have room for some more.

[url=http://www.jmshockey.com/jms-talk-f3/richfield-new-year-s-day-family-skate-t1398.html#p8770] Click here for details.

PLEASE read about the session and THEN send me a note if you still have questions, thanks--

Hockey on New Years Day

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Come start 2010 the right way!

I have ice at Richfield for Friday night, for the first hockey of 2010!

Whether it's for your healthy resolution, or to make a great memory, or to just get more icetime, come join us at Richfield this Friday.

We'll shake off the holiday excesses and tear into January 2010, the next decade, with some great hockey.

These are combined sessions:

[url=http://www.jmshockey.com/skate-times/01-01-2010/richfield-ice-arena/1158]Level 1 and Level 2 (Ice is at 9.45 p.m.)
[url=http://www.jmshockey.com/skate-times/01-01-2010/richfield-ice-arena/1159]Level 3 and Level 4 (Ice is at 10 p.m.)
[url=http://www.jmshockey.com/jms-talk-f3/richfield-new-year-s-day-family-skate-t1398.html#p8770]Family skate (Ice is 8.15 to 9.45 p.m.)

Skate with your friends, skate with your kids... start the new year with everybody on the ice!

Hope to see you there--

EVERYBODY at the X on Dec. 27!!!

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

I have more ice at the Xcel Energy Center for another round of family (ie, parents and kids) skate times!

I ALSO have ice for an adults-only skate. Read on...

JMS will host ONE family skate at the Xcel Energy Center on December 27, from 3.45 to 4.45 p.m.
The ADULT open skate is the same day, 2.30 to 3.30 p.m. Details [url=http://www.jmshockey.com/jms-talk-f3/adult-session-at-xcel-energy-center-dec-27-t1394.html#p8744]here.

Treat your kids to an awesome holiday gift: an hour of playing hockey on Wild ice at the Xcel Energy Center. We'll take the elevator down to arena level, walk under the seats to the special locker rooms and then step out onto the ice.

Standing at the bottom of the bowl... looking up at the immense space and the looming Jumbotron--it is an amazing experience for any hockey fan, young or old.

Plus, it's a chance to play with your kiddo, and who doesn't love that?

Please read the rules BEFORE e-mailing me with questions:
[url=http://www.jmshockey.com/jms-talk-f3/family-skate-at-the-x-dec-27-t1382.html]Family skate rules and registration

Please read the entire post.
If you still have questions, e-mail me. Do not send a "private message" through the site; I check e-mail constantly but I can't always log into the website.

We're going to have a blast! Spots will go fast so sign up now to give your kid this amazing memory.

Reminders

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Just a couple of things--

I've had several requests from goalies that they get time to warm up.

We're reminding folks not to take slappers through traffic (ie, THINK before you SHOOT!), and continuing this reminder is good. Nobody wants to get annihilated.

Jersey color--even though everyone agrees to JMS rules when signing up, most don't read that YELLOW and GREY jerseys are not allowed. I find they agree once I explain about how these colors are too ambiguous in the whole light/dark team thing. Use your judgement; if it's DARK grey, then fine. Or if it's so light it's practically white, that's okay too. Just nothing that's confusing, of course.

No drunkenness, and no drinkies (at Richfield).
The Richfield rink attendants asked me to remind everyone that there is absolutely NO BEER IN THE LOCKER ROOMS. For those of you with Richfield sessions,

New sessions L2 Tuesdays and L4 Mondays

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

New sessions so icy for you to enjoy!

I have added a Level 4 to Mondays--first one is December 21 at Richfield, prime start time at 8.45 p.m.

I have also added a Level 2 to Tuesdays--the first one is at HopkinS on December 22.

Hopefully the day/rink/start time combinations are enticing and yield good signups so I can continue to offer a wider palette of options to the JMS community.

Cheap Wild tickets ALL GONE

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

***UPDATE: Dec. 13. ALL TICKETS GONE. I hope everyone who bought them has a lovely time at the game!***

Great holiday presents! Nothing says Happy Kwanzaa like ice hockey, right? Upper level, selling for $20 each (nearly 25% off). Not too many left--

December 15 (Tuesday), 7 p.m. vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
December 23 (Wednesday), 6 p.m. vs. Edmonton Oilers
January 6 (Wednesday), 7 p.m. vs. Calgary Flames

Please e-mail me if you are interested. Do not send a "private message" through the JMS website; I can only retrieve those by logging in, but I check e-mail constantly.

Family Skates at the Xcel Energy Center
And yes, the reason I have tickets is because I bought more ice at the Xcel Energy Center. We'll have another two family skates on the afternoon of December 27.
I'll post details later, but the sign up format and session rules will be very similar to the last time--those details [url=http://www.jmshockey.com/jms-talk-f3/jms-family-skate-at-the-x-nov-28-t1258.html#p8006]here. Please please go read details about how we did it last time before you post or e-mail questions.
The only major difference I anticipate is that we'll try again for a "younger kids" and an "older kids" session--last time, all the older kids were off playing tournaments and missed their chance to play at the X.

Details forthcoming! This is only first notice.

Olympic Ice

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

The only Olympic sheets in town that I know of are at Bloomington, Plymouth and the National Sports Center (Schwan's, in Blaine).

I was thinking about the difference between skating on a NHL-size sheet and playing on an Olympic one. It's only 15 feet wider, for a total of 400 square feet difference (or 20 percent... if I got the math right).

Do you notice the difference when you're on an Olympic sheet? Do you change your play? I have to confess that I don't. The only thing I notice is that people seem to get tired faster, though I'm first to admit that it's probably all in our heads.

Goalies--I bet the Olympic sheet, with its bigger corners, changes your game some. How? What do you do to adjust?

Car talk

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

Several folks had to cancel out of sessions lately due to bad weather (a pity the rinks NEVER close).

But as I was sliding around in the yuck, I wondered if it's better to drive in lower gear with more power to each wheel (though faster spinning speed) or higher gear with less traction but spinning slower. I asked car genius and hockey player Seth Miller. I thought everyone would find his comments useful for driving on slick roads (and also just the curiosity factor). Here's his reply:

All engines have a "power curve." Do a Google image search of it.

You'd want to avoid driving with the engine running in the rpm range that makes the most power as a small change in gas pedal position would cause a greater increase in power sent to the wheels possibly causing wheel spin.

If you were to shift to a higher gear so that the engine rpm were off of the peak, a small change in gas pedal position won't change the power output much and as such be less likely to cause wheel spin.

As an example, think of driving at a steady 30 to 35 mph in 3rd gear (in dry conditions). If you then floor the gas pedal, you'll most likely start to accelerate pretty quickly no? Now, drive at that same steady speed in 4th gear. If you floor the gas pedal, you most likely will accelerate, but not at anywhere near the rate you did in 3rd.

In 4th gear, the engine isn't at the peak of the power curve and so it struggles to accelerate the car. In 3rd gear, the engine is somewhere near the peak of the power curve and acceleration is easy.

Now, in wet or snowy conditions, the same holds true, except instead of accelerating in 3rd, you'll spin the tires. In 4th, you might not. So, it would be better to drive that speed in 4th so long as you can maintain that speed (don't need the power to go up a hill, etc.).

Wild tickets for holiday gifts

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

I have

Vote now Level 5 or Level 1

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

I have an extra session for Friday, December 11.
Should this be a Level 5 or a SECOND Level 1 session?

The attempt at having a Friday Level 5 tanked miserably this week, but it worked fine on November 13 and 20 (none on 11/27; Thanksgiving). I DO want to provide a second weekly venue for the L5s.

But... the Level 1 Friday sessions usually have a long wait list, and it breaks my heart to see SEVEN beginners anxious to skate, but know I don't have room for them.

The extra, to-be-determined session is at Richfield, around 9.30 p.m.

So: please weigh in by clicking "comment" below.
TO VOTE, post like this:

Jim Bob Berkowitz, Level 5 skater - I would play at Richfield on Friday, December 11.
or
John Larson, Level 1 skater -- I would play at Richfield on Friday, December 11.

All comments about this topic are welcome, but you MUST list your level if you want your vote to count. I will use this data to decide whether the session is a second level 1 or a level 5.

Don't post that you would sign up for the session if you won't, because that is seriously lame and I will get all frowny with you.

I will announce the allocation on Sunday night and open all Dec. 11 session for signup then.
I'm very interested to see the responses--I could make a good argument for either one, but I really want to get a slice of what the skating community thinks. The four of you who read this post, anyway.

Hoping for lemons

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0600

I've canceled the level 5 at Richfield for December 4.
A shorthand of the collapse (for anyone wondering about behind the scenes stuff...):

While the Friday before (Thanksgiving weekend), I anticipated low numbers and didn't have a level 5 skate, signups the previous two Fridays had been 19 and 17. The Monday level 5s are very popular too. So I don't think it was nutty to put a level 5 out there for this Friday... and I did it at Richfield, one of if not THE most successful rink for high skater turnouts.

When I posted the session on Saturday, November 28, two goalies and a captain signed up right away. And then nobody else. People always tell me they like to wait to see the roster fill up... not realizing that THEY can take action to HELP it fill up.

And I will sometimes remind folks midweek, if a session is low. So on Wednesday night, I sent out a note to the level 5 skaters. Shortly after that, we lost a goalie--I'm guessing he thought the session wouldn't go, so he bailed.

And then the skaters started e-mailing me: "I WOULD sign up, if we had another goalie." Not realizing that the lack of skaters is what probably took the goalie off the list.

Fortunately, we got another one goalie Thursday evening, but it's too late. Trying to change the momentum on a skate is very, very difficult. A successful session draws people BECAUSE it is successful. A struggling session does NOT draw skaters--BECAUSE it's not successful.

No matter how many e-mail nudges I send (and --though I really do try to keep the noise low-- sometimes BECAUSE I send a nudge note), a session with three skaters 48 hours before icetime is almost certainly not going to turn around. Sessions with ten skaters two days out? They have a good base and the fence-sitters will get comfortable enough to sign up, and it will end up working.

In addition to the "I might consider it if you got a goalie" notes, I had e-mails from people saying they'd love to play but this week doesn't work, so please keep the sessions going anyway until they CAN play (er, sure... I take checks...). Or, the location isn't convenient (someone once asked for a level 5 in Chaska). Or the time is too late, or too early.

It's kind of like a slot machine. I have the icetimes and then I allocate them, hoping to hit the jackpot with the day of the week (LEMON!) and the rink location (LEMON!) and the time of the skate (LEMON!). And then (assuming three lemons is worth something in the land of slot machines), the session gets enough people and it's successful and everybody wins.

What keeps JMS running is having a large enough availability/interest pool to make one or more 22-player sessions work. We can't have JUST 22 skaters--because someone will get sick, or have to work late, or be out of town, or have car trouble.

Trying to aim for 22 skaters means that sometimes we won't have enough and sometimes we'll have people clamoring to play--it's hard to gauge and come out with exactly the right number of sessions (at the right rinks, on the right days, at the right icetimes).

I can have a whopping SEVEN people on the waitlist, seven people who REALLY want to skate... but that is still not enough to open a new session. You can't play 90 minutes of hockey with seven people--technically, I need 16 people on the waitlist, and THEN we can have a new session. One, or two, or seven people who REALLY REALLY want to skate aren't--for all their enthusiasm and wanting--enough to make it work. (Yes, I've tried low-number sessions at mini-rinks. People don't like them.)

So with a large availability/interest pool, there's more elasticity to cover the spots (and sometimes have folks left over, alas, who didn't jump on the roster soon enough). I guess the pool for level 5 on Fridays is just going to take more time and study. Pity the only way to really capture data is to book a $300 icetime.

Fortunately the good people at the rink let me swap out the ice for another 90 minutes on New Year's Day. It's not ideal (I already have two other sessions that Friday) but I'll make it a family skate or something--a little more work, but I won't have to fork out the entire $300. Whew.

Look--I want to be absolutely clear. This isn't me whining or grumping. I'm just trying to wrap my head around what makes people sign up for sessions--or not. It would be easier and more efficient for everyone if there was a method to it.

But we all know INTEREST doesn't translate into SIGN UPS, so I'll keep making the best guesses I can and hope to hit the lemon trifecta (can I mix gambling metaphors? maybe I should just call it a hat trick?) and get the PERFECT day with the PERFECT location at the PERFECT time... or enough people are willing to bend on one or more of those.

So while most people know the end result (that the session was canceled), this is an explanation for those who are curious about the backstory. While I do appreciate support, I'd like comments to be constructive. This really isn't meant to be me soliciting positive feedback--nice words are nice, but I want it to WORK! There has GOT to be some more data out there that will help me plan better.

Kids at the X

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600

I was watching the kids play at the X this holiday weekend. Most of them were between 7 and 10 years old.

I was really surprised by the difference between adult beginners and child beginners. The kids were ALWAYS moving, whereas adults are often gliding and watching the play. Adults will more often reach for a puck instead of skating to it.

The kids also seemed without any kind of embarrassment--another huge difference. They fell down a lot--and got right back up again. They took a shot and missed... and instead of banging the stick, giving up, all that--they just kept working to score.

Their enthusiasm was amazing. Some were skating awkwardly, just like the adult beginners I see so often. But unlike the adults, they were going as fast as they could--legs and arms flying.

I think the biggest difference is self-consciousness. As adults, we're very well aware of how we look, and we get wrapped up in "doing it right" or "looking cool" -- both of which include a fear or at least wariness of failure, and sometimes trying to look like we're succeeding without effort (while of course we're obsessing about whatever it is: taking a shot, skating through traffic or anything else).

I think the kids--not only not CARING, but beyond that: completely unaware of how they look--were therefore more likely to be successful. They just kept trying and trying after a "failure." It was almost like they didn't know they had "failed."

And maybe they hadn't. If learning hockey means trying things, and if trying things means not always succeeding the first time, then no, they weren't failing.

We have a lot to learn from the kiddos. "Being good at hockey" doesn't mean "trying to look like you're good at hockey" -- it means pushing the comfort zone, falling down, trying something new and building from that. Instead of trying to LOOK experienced, the kids were skating hard, taking risks and GETTING experience.

Bring the fans

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600

So... Mom and Dad are in town for Thanksgiving, hmm?

Like so many other traditions, this Friday is the one where we usually see the most fans in the stands. People bring (doubting) siblings and parents to prove that yes, we ARE playing hockey.

I've seen some other fans in the stands on other occasions--sometimes watching a neophyte, sometimes just along for the ride.

Have you ever invited someone to watch your hockey game? Pick-up or league? And how did it go? Were the watchers proud or did they chuckle a little?

I will be watching for your mom and dad in the stands this Friday!!!

Slapshots

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600

The JMS rules--and common sense for all pickup games--dictate no slapshots through traffic.

I want people to improve their hockey skills and mastering the flashy slapshot--hallmark of the hockey player--is certainly one of those. For all that it's not incredibly effective (especially at our level!), it's a coveted skill and probably the one thing most beginners want to learn.

But it seems people first learn the logistics of a slapshot, and then--later--learn the more important lesson: when to deploy it. It's kind of like teens and sex; just because someone understands the mechanics of a thing doesn't mean they should be doing it.

Knowing when to deploy a slapshot takes wisdom. You can learn the steps to do it easily enough, with good instruction and repetition. But knowing to take a look before you fire your that mighty slapper is the harder skill, and the more important one.

In the split seconds you're deciding whether or not to throw a slapshot at the net, LOOK UP.
Are there people between you and the net?
If there are, don't shoot.

The different levels will respond to potential slapshots in different ways.
In level 2, where people are just learning them (and usually firing slappers when they shouldn't), some skaters don't yet know to clear out of the way. The slapshots are less powerful, but also less targeted.
In level 3, I think most skaters know to move, and the shots are a little more controlled.
And in level 4, the experienced players are accustomed to seeing slapshots--some near the line of fire won't clear, but instead go into defensive lockdown, with legs together, arms in and gloves protecting delicate bits.

And, okay: in level 4 and level 5, the shooters can usually be pretty targeted; if there are people in the vicinity (again, a nebulous and situational determination), these experienced shooters can aim to avoid them. And they're usually successful. Note usually; it still doesn't hurt to be safe and get out of the way. And, of course, for the shooter: it still means you should THINK FIRST if people are around, and SHOOT CAREFULLY!

If you find yourself facing a slapshot, the best decision is to get out of the way--while facing the shot (there's a reason you have more protection on your FRONT than your backside!). That huge black bruise on the back of your leg is a mark of shame that says I was looking the wrong way... And of course, moving out of the shot path lets your goalie--who IS used to getting pucks fired at her or him--handle it.

If you can't more--or you really, really trust your gear--then go into defensive lockdown: bring in all your appendages, protect the soft parts and tuck your chin. I've also seen fools dive in front of slappers. Jeepers, this isn't the NHL with great physical therapists standing on the bench, waiting to patch you up! This is pick-up; let the goalie have the shot.

And from what I've heard from my goalie pals, they LOVE slapshots. I remember one goalie smugly noting that few moves are telegraphed more than a slapshot. "It gives me plenty of time to get in position," he gloated. A fun shot for us skaters, but probably not the best one. How many slapshots have YOU seen end successfully in a goal? Better to be in position and watching for the right opportunity than take the time to set up the cannon.

So... should you do a slapshot? Well, it's fun. It feels powerful. It feels like a real hockey player. Will it score? Probably not. Maybe someone can get a rebound? More likely the goalie will see it coming and freeze it for the other team's control.

But can you do it safely? If there are people in the way, don't shoot. If you're in level 2 or level 3 and people are NEAR your line of fire, don't shoot. In level 4 and 5--be careful, of course, but targeted, controlled slapshots are part of the game for an experienced hockey player. For those still learning--be careful and as always, err on the side of safety. Think about it: you know you don't want to hurt anyone, even accidentally.

Like everything else, evaluate the situation and use your brain. Don't fire into a crowd, and if you see a slapper coming, get out of the way.