3-week Mini Camp

By some scheduling snafu, a combination of bye-week and Memorial Day holiday; I don't have another ice hockey game for 3 weeks. I'm pretty bummed to not be able to get back out there this week, or even next. But I'm planning to put the time to good use. I have to be able to shoot the puck and not be gassed in the third period. I have 3-weeks. Go.

Welcome to Ono's 3-week Hockey Training Camp. My plan is to shoot a ton of pucks, work the core for balance/strength, and get some cardio in. Rode the bike this morning. My cardio shape is really lacking. That's sad. But even more sad is that the legs are still sore from my game last Friday. I'm thinking that this break is a good thing.

Yzerman GM, but not of the Red Wings.

Word on the street is that Stevie Y is taking a GM position with the Tampa Bay Lightning. I have mixed feelings about it. Yzerman is 100% Detroit. Drafted, Captained, Cupped, Retired, HOF'd you name it, he did it with Detroit. The organization was grooming him for management, and he did a solid job with Team Canada at the Olympics. (Really, you can only fail at that job and good on him for even taking it) But Ken Holland is not going anywhere. The reality is that Yzerman had to leave Detroit to be a GM. It might be for the best. Can you really expect anyone to surpass what Holland has done? Yzerman can carve out his own GM legend in a different town, but his place in Detroit is already set in stone.

Nostradamus with a mullet

Barry Melrose successfully predicted the Staney Cup Final of Chicago and Philly. I am disappointed that the Habs couldn't continue, but they really couldn't get things done against Philly. 3 shutouts? Ouch. The bottom line is that Washington and Pittsburgh don't have the defense or physical play that Philly does. It turned out to be a bad matchup for the Canadiens. When you don't score, you can't win. I am going with the Blackawks in the Final. I like their younger players and hate Chris Pronger.

Rookie Game

My first "real" league game is in the books. The NG Fighters dropped a 2-4 decision. For me personaly, the stat sheet reads 0 goals, 0 assists, 0 PIM, -2 +/-, 2 scoring chances. Not exactly a Mario Lemieux-like beginning. But my first game is in the books without injury or extreme embarrassment.

The good thing was that I was fairly comfortable with the overall skill level. Granted, we were playing a team that sat as low in the standings as us, so it was expected. We came out hard and had a 2-goal lead into the 2nd period! I was stoked. They answered with 2-goals in the second. Their ringer defenseman went end-to-end to score late in the third, while an empty net goal sealed it for them.

The good. Even though my skating is marginal, I got by. I can't stop to save my life, and while my forward acceleration is OK, reverse is not and cornering is suspect. I played wing, where I figured I would do less damage. I could loop around, forecheck, and slow down enough coming back into our zone to cover the points.

The bad. I play an aggressive style, but quickly gassed-out. I'm in no kind of hockey shape. The whole team seemed to fade with me as the periods went on. Maybe the other players know better than to chase the puck around? While my skating didn't get me into that much trouble, my shot and stickhandling did. Way rusty with the stickhandling, and also not overly confident. That's a bad combination. My shot sucks. Bad. I'm used to shooting a roller puck which weighs less than half as much. I was dribbling shots on net. It was very frustrating. I'm pretty sure my shooting mechanics, which may get me by in roller hockey, are simply not cutting it. I already knew that I was going to have to re-learn how to skate, but the shooting is a disappointment.

Sharkbait

Sharks got swept away by Chicago. Rather than look at the great preformance the Blackhawks turned in, let's jump all over the Sharks. Are the Sharks playoff chokers? Only one team wins the Cup every year, so it's not exactly fair to pin that all on San Jose or is it?

 

The Sharks needed more scoring after last season's playoff ouster. As an Ottawa fan, I can't help but enjoy that the big acquisition of Dany Heatley didn't deliver. Sure, the guy will get you 40+ goals in the regular season. But most of those will be one-timed, powerplay goals. The guy is a tremendous floater and that is a total waste of a big guy's frame. Don't get me wrong, Dany's blessed with a scorer's touch that few are given. But he was clearly given that skill, 'cause he doesn't work hard for anything else. Playoff hockey is not his bag. You won't see him go to the tough areas of the ice.

 

I'm not sure if making the Conference Finals, makes the Sharks playoff chokers by any stretch. That's a pretty good season for any team. The getting swept part really bites; though I wouldn't call their season a failure. But, I do know that Heatley has further solidified his reputation as "soft". I dont' think too many hockey players want that label.

 

 

Warning!

I found a letter that was addressed to the Canadiens.

 

Dear Canadiens,

 

To whom it may concern, but mostly Gionta and Cammalleri or anyone of smaller stature than 6' tall. Beware of Pronger's playoff elbows. It could mean a game, series or your career. And don't expect any justice if you do fall victim to them.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dean McAmmond

Habs almost back in it.

Glad that the Canadiens gave a good old fashioned beat down to the Flyers. I'd say they are right back in it, but that won't happen till the series is tied at 2-2. I'm a bit bummed that Halak didn't get the shutout. It would have been fitting to see the Habs blank Philly two times to even the series.

Huge game for the Sharks tonight. There's blood in the water and hopefully the 'Hawks put a quick and decisive end to San Jose. I'm basically rooting against Heatley and the team that bounced the Red Wings. Was I pulling for them recently, when JR was playing on the 5th line? Yes. This means that I don't really care for the Sharks either way. All I know is that they make great poster boys for playoff disappointment. And the Kings have Dean Lombardi now, that's all that matters.

The 37 year-old rookie...

Most of my friends realize that I love hockey and that I have played many years of roller hockey. But, I realized today that my attempts at playing ice hockey are seen differently by some casual acquaintances here at work. "I've always wanted to try playing ice hockey" has come across as "I've always wanted a convertible sports car" or "I've always wanted a 22-year old girlfriend." Apparently, I sound and look like I'm going through some sort of mid-life crisis.

Old Dog, New Tricks

I've been offered a spot to play on a beginner, adult ice hockey league, on several different occasions. But for whatever reason, it just didn't work: childcare, league fees & recession, you name it. It looks like I got a pretty solid lead last Friday. It is a beginner league where my wife already plays, team sounds casual enough, no childcare scheduling conflicts... this may just happen.

 

My hockey experience consists of watching hundreds of hours of NHL gameplay, and playing lots of roller hockey. Actual ice time? Not so much. I usually skate once a year, when my family rents out a rink during the holidays for some informal play. I've got a solid 8-10 hours of skating under my belt over the last 12 years.

 

So, when my friend offered to go play some pickup with me, I figured it was a good idea. It wasn't. It was an open pickup and the skill level varied. But it didn't vary much on the extreme low end. I was clearly the worst skater out there and my linemates, while better than me, were not good either. Overly-serious-pickup-guy had a stick throwing tantrum after 4-5 shifts of playing defense behind my line. It wasn't exactly the confidence boost I was looking for.

 

 

 

 

Energy Drinks

I have sad news today. I have lost all taste for Monster Lo-Carb. Once my favorite of the energy drinks, it's lost all appeal to me and turned to a slight dislike. It could be the sore throat I have been nursing for about a week, but I doubt it. While my overall consumption of energy drinks is way down, the last few years have me opting for the Rockstar (diet) over anything else. 

A more recent resurgence is for the Rockstar Recovery drink. It's basically Gatorade meets energy drink. Rehydration + caffiene + 'energy blend'. It was only a matter of time. Beer companies had tried to jump on the energy bandwagon; that doesn't seem to have worked out. So why not a sports-type drink? Recovery is not carbonated, and pretty much tastes like lemonade. It's what I was looking for when I only saw the Monster Lo-Carb at the market. Give it a try.

iPad Review: Initial Thoughts

I got my iPad yesterday! I was waiting anxiously for the last 5 days, as I watched FedEx tracking of the shipment of my iPad from China, to Tennessee, to California, to my work. First thing it asks is to dock with iTunes, so I did that and found a bunch of free apps to try out.

 

It is heavier than I remember. Robust heavy. It didn't seem that heavy in the store, but was attached to a huge security cord; and my buddy's iPad had a case on it, making it justifiably heavier. Love the screen. At stock setting it was bright and clear, wasn't too bright when used in the dark, must be a well calibrated light sensor or I'm not that sensitive.

 

I spent most of the evening signing up and setting up. No fault of the iPad. But all that new software required a sign-in. Even just visiting my usual websites, I had to sign-in. Had to set-up the Wi-fi and email accounts. This was a good opportunity to test out the polarizing keyboard. No problems for me, and I actually liked it better than my iMac keyboard. I tend to fat finger the iMac keys. But laying on the bed, iPad in landscape orientation, in my lap, it worked good. I actually got pretty fast at switching between letter/number mode. Inputting your email address over and over can do that. I'm not saying I want to write a novel or long, rambling blog post like this one. But I figured for status updates, searches, and the short general text entry I plan on doing, it is fine. (I might upgrade it to good or downgrade to annoying, just need more time with the keyboard)

 

Holy apps Batman! I downloaded only popular, free apps. I didn't get through them all in 3 hours. Granted, I got sidetracked all evening. Changing settings, tweaking icon placement, etc. Some apps were clearly junk and got immediate delete. Others had competitors like paint and weather, so like any playoff, the loser got deleted. I still have a dozen apps to go through yet, haven't bought a thing.

 

The iPad is very focused on media consumption. News websites, books, video, music. But the bigger surprise is the creation aspect. My kids were playing around on it with me. The drawing programs were popular. We made several dozen drawings and it was a blast. I think because kids naturally want to touch the screen. The computer and laptop have smudges from little hands all over them. It drives me nuts. With the iPad, that's the point. The screen is bigger than other "personal" devices: phone, Nintendo DS, iPod; so it can be very interactive with multiple people. The only downside is several hands trying to do something at the same time.

 

My inital thoughts are positive. Is it just a big iPad touch? Absolutely. But I love it so far...

Les Habitants

YES! Hearing about the Canadiens victory last night made my day/week/month and salvaged the Cup Playoffs for me. I cannot remember EVER rooting for Montreal. I think that has to do with the lingering ties to Patty Roy, but I guess I'm over it since they haven't mentioned that guy (surprisingly) on the telecast. I TIVO'd the game, since I wasn't home until 8:00. But I had the scoring updates going on my phone. My dream of #1 & #2  in the West along with #7 & #8 in the East is taking shape. Philly is one win from coming back 0-3. That's pretty crazy in itself.

What do the Penguins do now? Why did they collapse? Did Crosby pull a LeBron? I heard all the questions while browsing the NHL related websites last night. How about giving the Canadiens a little credit for limiting Crosby and Halak doing the rest. I'm not saying that it wasn't an upset. But it wasn't any Miracle on Ice, either. (The series against the Caps was more Mission Impossible, in my mind) The fact that the Senators pushed the Pens, despite weak goaltending, was a sign that all was not perfect in Pittsburgh. The Sens blew 3rd period leads and had OT losses. Ottawa lost the first round match-up as much as the Penguins won it. I love my Senators, but a high performing Championship team should not have had close games with a banged-up Alfredsson & Co.

Bob Gainey now has a bit or redemption for signing the smallest free agents out there over last summer. Gionta & Cammalleri? They may be small but are gamers. Gomez and Gill? I like all these guys individually, but wouldn't necessarily throw them on the same team. Bottom line is that they all performed in the post-season.

The good news for Cinderella is that Halak is the best goaltender left in the playoffs. It's not unrealistic for the dream to continue. I'm pulling for them. Well, that and the Sharks to lose to Chicago...

 

 

 

Halak Attack

Big game tonight. I'm really pulling for the Habs to upset the flightless birds. Again, Halak is key. I'm really gonna lose interest if the Pittsburgh wins. I guess I could still root against them for another round, and/or watch the Sharks come up short again. As much of a hockey fan as I am, it's kinda painful to watch teams I'm only half-heartedly interested in.

Right now, the West is set with San Jose facing Chicago. Sportscenter mentioned something about how long it's been since #1 faced #2 in the Conference Finals. In the East, its still possible for #7 to face #8. That would be interesting.

Speaking of dis-interest, I'm considering dropping the NHL Center Ice Package for next season. What?! Blasphemy for a hockey fan! True. But, the Kings have given me sufficient hope this year, that the team is worth watching next year. So, I don't have to follow some other Eastern team after December, like I have been. Plus, the Fox Sports HD coverage is excellent. Some of the best announcers, cameras, and interviews in the game. I can get that local feed for free. It sucked to pay for grainy Senators games that were rarely in HD. Plus, my family will get my full attention back for the equivalent of 80+ games. I call it the recession hockey package.

Halak, Boucher & Leighton

A crazy night. Halak & Cammalleri lead the Habs to a 4-3 win over the Pens. And pretty much anything can happen once a series gets to game 7. (See: Capitals, Washington - 2010 Playoffs, Round 1) Probably the Penguins worst nightmare. Boy will it suck for Pittsburgh to lose at home. Boucher and Leighton teamed up for the first tandem, playoff shutout since something like 1975. My wife listens to XM Home Ice and told me that the word this morning is MCL tear. Not sure where they heard this since injury reports during the playoffs are harder to crack than a bank vault. Looks like Leighton got his job back. I think it's only fitting, since the Flyers went through what seems like a dozen goaltenders this season. But I feel for Boucher. That guy will never get his due. He's been great this post season, if the injury report is true, that's a tough end for his season.

 

Sharks pull the upset!

Did I just say that the Sharks upset the Red Wings? Yes I did. But, the Sharks were the #1 seed in the West. True. But as an organization, Detroit is a winner until proven otherwise. I doubt that the Sharks would have made the playoffs, had they faced the injury adversity the Red Wings did. Excuses? Maybe. Detroit lost those close games that they should have won, and got down 0-3. Howard wasn't good enough against San Jose. Maybe that's not fair, but you have to get quality goaltending in the playoffs. Time to look at where the Big Red Machine went wrong.

 

I think it stems back to last summer. Patrick Eaves was an acquisition. I thought it was a golden opportunity for Eaves. I'd seen a lot of him with Ottawa. Thought he had a good all around game, attitude, and grind-ability. A smart player. Your basic interchangeable Red Wing type player. I don't think he panned out. Bert should not be in the NHL based on his skating alone. He did better than I expected, but it's not enough. Franzen was off for too long from his injury. Didn't really get his normal playoff groove. Zetterburg played like he was nursing an injury. The Wings needed more from Fillpula. Hudler and Hossa were missed. Howard was good. They needed Howard to be great.

 

Is this the end of the Red Wings era? It might be fair to the other organizations if that is the case. More than likely, Detroit will make some minor tweaks to the roster over the Summer, players will rebound, some rookie will improve the team. I know this because that's what usually happens. Unlike most other teams that only wish for this to happen. It is expected from Detroit. I'm not ready to throw away the octopus quite yet.

Bellator, JT Money, & UFC 113

Stoked for the Bellator Season 2 lightweight semi-final tonight. In my eyes, they are the next WEC. A small organization, that is putting together quality events without PPV. I like the tournament style set-up that they use, like the Dream/Pride Grand Prix tournaments. It's great for building a fighter's exposure. For the finalists, you get to see the same guy fight three times in under 6 months. The best part is that they are on Fox Sports Net. Not as obscure as Versus or ESPN Deportes. I don't know how Bellator got such a good TV deal, but it's best to not question free programming.

 

Roger Huerta and Toby Imada are fighting. And lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez faces Josh Neer. It's not a title fight, however, at a catchweight of 160. That's 3 of the better lightweights, not in the UFC, on one fight card.

 

Also, Jesse Taylor fights Thales Leites on Friday in Maximum Fighting Championships (MFC). Yeah, pretty obscure. I've only seen a few MFC highlights on Inside MMA. JT Money is interesting to follow, as life without the UFC can be tough.

 

UFC 113 in Montreal this Saturday. It's the much hyped Shogun vs Machida rematch. I'm not a fan of re-matches. I saw the first fight live at Staples Center, and it was close. I had it 48-47 Machida. I think the commentators sway the viewing audience quite a bit. Seeing a fight live is totally different. I don't argue that the judges should also have video monitors. MMA judging is inconsistent at best.

 

Koscheck vs Daley and Kimbo vs. Mitrione are also hyped fights. Don't care too much about these guys. I kinda like Daley as a KO artist with a bit mouth. A smart Kos will wrestle out a win, though.

 

Sam Stout vs Jeremy Stevens and Cote vs Belcher round out the card. These fights could be good. I'm a Stout fan. He always brings it. Cote and Belcher are a battle of guys you haven't seen in a while. Cote is coming off a knee injury. Still, I think these lesser hyped fights will probably be more entertaining.

Sharks on verge of sweeping old Red Wings team.

0-3. Wow. I didn't expect the Wings to be down 0-3 to anybody in the playoffs. But they lost way too many faceoffs in the first two games, Bertuzzi looks impossibly slow, Howard needs to be better, the defense looks old and over matched at times. The Sharks top line is finally doing something. They are getting contributions from depth players. It looks bad for Detroit.

 

All I can say is that if the Red Wings don't have it this year, so be it. By far the most injury plagued season, yet they still got things together in time to make a playoff push. They beat a tough Coyotes team. Maybe the long seasons of making the Cup final the last two years are catching up to them. But the glass is still half full. Howard needs to stop a low angle, five hole goal in the 3rd to tie it. But the Thornton shot, redirected two feet in front off of Ericksson's stick was pretty impossible to stop. Lidstrom's stick breaking giving the go-ahead goal in game 2 was tough to swallow. The Sharks are making their own luck right now.

 

But when the winged wheel is at its best, even fans of other teams will begrudgingly appreciate the team skill. The Sharks are choke artists and will remain such, until they break through and win a Cup. Nabby's game can turn on a dime. He was horrible in the Olympics when the pressure was on. I'm not ready to count this team out. They have no room for error now, but I see it as an opportunity. We are potentially on the verge of the biggest Sharks collapse in history. When they had the mighty Red Wings on the ropes 0-3, only to fold like a origami.

 

iPad

So what's the big deal with the iPad? Isn't it just a big 'ole iPod Touch? A watered down netbook? It doesn't even have a camera for webcasting or chat! If I wanted an e-reader, doesn't Kindle have a vasty superior library? I never jumped on the iPhone bandwagon, so I'm not an app-buying fool. No Flash ability or printing? I don't get it....

 

Well, that was before test driving one. It's definitely an Apple product 'cause it's sleek and solid, while being minimalist and simple. Still, a big iPhone without the phone. But, I never realized how cool that would actually be. First off, I'm not a laptop fan, never was. I don't like the layout. Keyboard is too small, but more importantly the mousing is IMPOSSIBLE. The battery burns your lap and that's especially bad if you have gonads. It's best feature is playing movies, but you can get that from a portable DVD player costing hundreds less. The iPad fixes these problems. The touch screen eliminates the ineffectiveness of laptop mousing. Finger navigating through web pages shouldn't seem revolutionary, but to this laptop-hating-guy, it is. You basically hold the iPad, so it doesn't heat your junk. My buddy had a cover on his, so I'm just assuming that it would be heat-free on your lap.

 

Bigger apps? So what? Well, I tried the bigger version of several games and it makes a world of difference. Not a scaled-up bigger, but iPad optimized versions. Totally different experience and that means better, in this case. I can see board games being very cool on this thing. I don't have an e-reader, but the iPad version was cool; and I heard you can get the Kindle reader to work on it to further open-up the availability of books. The note taking and drawing apps seemed very cool as well. I'm an artsy-fartsy guy at heart and this appealed to me. Ironically, this is where a stylus would really be best (sorry Steve Jobs, I know that's heresy). My iPad buddy said a "finger" replicating stylus is out now. I'm nearly sold.

 

Flash seems a huge downer as well as no-multitasking. I like having Twittter going in the background when I'm browsing the web. I'm not really sure how many of my sites use Flash, but for sure that would be Hulu. Bummer. Apple's need to make you buy all content is at heart and that's disappointing and yet understandable from a greedy capitalistic sense. Are these hurdles too much to overcome?  Hmmm.

 

At the end of the day, my desire to get one of these bad boys is party because my buddy has one and I'm jealous. It's a cool device. I'm not crazy about spending as much money in apps and I do on hardware (like the iPhone morons), but that's the Apple business model. And that's the appeal. Entrepreneurs saw the potential in the iPhone, and TONS of people made apps. I gotta believe the cash hungry developers will do the same for iPad. The apps out now are cool, but limited.  However, I know for a fact that even cooler apps will come out. And it's this promise of future coolness, which tips the scales for me.

 

I want one.

 

 

Halak

Well, I can't say I wasn't worried that Jaro laid an egg in game 1. But he faltered against the Caps one game too, getting lit-up and pulled. But we're talking about the Capitals and Penguins respectively, so it doesn't get much tougher than that. And you have to wonder if the team didn't play deperate in front of him or could only have a letdown after the Caps series. Game 2 was a different story, 38 saves, back to 1.0 GAA and the win.

I have always been interested in goaltending. I've even tried to play the position. I love all the nuances that come with it. The quirky personalities, mental toughness, video game champ reflexes, yoga master flexibility. A goaltender cannot win any playoff game by himself, but he/she can single-handedly guarantee that the other team does not win. It's an amazing position.

So, when you have a guy like Halak that puts on a display, it's a joy to watch. There's nothing like watching a team realized that they have little to no chance at scoring; except for luck, a fortunate bounce. A zoned in goaltender seems to get better as the shots pile up. Impossible saves become expected. This why I watch hockey.

Losing Interest

It sad to say, but I am losing interest in the Playoffs. With The Kings and Senators bounced in the first round, I jumped on the Red Wings and anti-Penguins bandwagons. But it's not the same. I don't feel the urgency to watch the games. I guess it doesn't help that there aren't any true hockey fans here at work. I think more people will talk competitive eating with me, than NHL.