What are you Playing For?

Team Blade had a big win last night in our first Tuesday Night C-Division Men’s League game of the season. 5-0 with some pretty nifty goals for the boys. The semi-primetime game at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minn. was attended by zero fans, but that is beside the fact. Two goalies on either end and a few extras on the bench can still prove for a good game.

After playing junior hockey, I really didn’t think that I would lace ‘em up again competitively. I wasn’t planning on it, but wound up having a defense coach take a chance on me at D-3 school pretty last minute.

After my short college stint, I knew that that would be the end of my competitive “career”. I knew there wasn’t a next step for me. But that really isn’t the reason we play the game.

We play the game because we love it.

That’s why on any given weeknight at the rink I play at there can be 15 guys on a men’s league team showing up to play some hockey, despite it being 10:30PM on a Tuesday and everyone still having to get up for work early the next day. It’s the reason why the park rinks can get almost too packed in the winter to even make a move without running someone over, but you still keep playing.

There was a great article in City Pages a little while back that discussed the culture of hockey and the want of players to move through the ranks as quick as possible. It isn't a bad thing to want to move up, that is a huge reason why hockey is so competitive.  One question that really stuck out to me in the article was posed by an ex-NHLer and now agent, Neil Sheehy. He asks each one of the younger clients that he councils this question.

Why do you play hockey?

Players usually think it is a trick and he has to assure them that it is a very basic question with a simple answer. He is looking for players who 1) love hockey and 2) love hockey because it is fun.

I’ve lost about two steps to my game. My buddy on the way home last night after our game said that it looks like I still think I can fly on the ice. I’m still a decent skater, but I know my hands get me into trouble because my feet can’t keep up anymore.

I loved my time playing competitively and it felt great moving through the ranks even when it was uncertain. But it is still just as fun for me to play once a week in a summer men’s league. It is still great to play pickup hockey at the park with a few buddies and some people you just met. It is fun being able to step on the ice and get better (even if my feet don't keep up the same way anymore). So why do you play? And if it isn’t for the love of the game, what are you playing for?

Play hard, play fair and have fun

-Taylor

Zurowski, Cory. "Game Misconduct: The Assault on the State of Hockey." Weblog post. CityPages. N.p., 21 Jan. 2015. Web.

The Importance of Great Goaltending

If your NCAA Bracket looked anything like mine after the first two rounds of the tourney, you probably aren’t too happy with Minnesota teams. I had the U of M winning it all, beating Mankato in the Championship.

But if this weekend of hockey proved anything, it is the importance of goaltending. Eight of the twelve games played in the tournament were won by teams with four or more goals. In six of those games, the winning team held their opponents to only one goal.

At all levels we see good goalies influence his/her team’s play. It is easy to rally behind a goalie that you can trust. I might be partial since I am from here, but let’s take a look at the Minnesota Wild. Since Devan Dubnyk has joined the team, his record in net has been 26-6-1. He was just named the NHL’s player of the week for the second time this season.

Having the ability to play knowing that you have solid goaltending gives a team the ability to go out, score goals and not have to worry as much about their defensive zone. I guess we will see what happens in Boston for the #FrozenFour and also in the NHL Playoffs.

http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/25127031/watch-goalie-scores-goal-finnish-announcer-completely-loses-it

But, then again, maybe we should just hope for goalies who can pull that off.

Play hard, play fair and have fun

-Taylor

Blade Hockey; Minnesota Brand Giving Back and Cutting Costs

It isn’t a secret, hockey is an expensive sport. When all is said and done, a player can be skating around in more than $2,000 worth of equipment, easily. Skates get lighter, helmets are getting safer and sticks are made with technology that fifty years ago would have been unthinkable even at N.A.S.A. Some will note that the best pair of skates doesn't make you a good player, that is true. But still, even if you’re looking at a conservative price range of all the equipment that isn’t top of the line or maybe even used, a family that is considering having their child play might be convinced to stay away from the sport altogether. And truly they aren’t crazy for doing so.

It adds up quickly.

Blade Hockey is looking to tackle (or slash) the issue of cost. The Minnesota start-up has launched their brand with a mission to “reduce the cost of playing hockey for families in Minnesota”. Their goal is to provide low cost, but comparable quality equipment and apparel.

It also isn't a secret that hockey has a very tight knit community. Minnesota hockey players have a sense of pride in their hockey roots and the associations that they cut their teeth in. The other, equally important half of Blade Hockey’s two pronged mission is to give a percentage of their sales back to youth hockey programs across Minnesota. 10% of their stick sales go back to those programs and you get to choose which association you would like the donations to go to.

The founder of Blade Hockey has a story that is not too unfamiliar for many in the State of Hockey. He played youth hockey, high school, juniors and finished his playing career at a D-3 M.I.A.C. school. He knows what quality gear feels like, because he’s seen and experienced the progression throughout his career. 

I tried the Blade RZ stick out for myself the other day. It is a one-piece that has a very similar feel to a Bauer. The reason the price can be lower than the bigger names is because he is cutting out the middle man and selling directly to you. The pre-order price for a senior model is $149.00, with multiple different flex and curve pattern options and $99.00 for a junior model. And again, 10% of the stick sales go back to a youth association of your choice! 

Check them out at http://bladehockeyus.com/ . 

Play hard, play fair and have fun

-Taylor