For example, by the end of the week they were critiquing themselves before we could say anything in the video sessions.   Or, we would say their name and they would comment back, "I see the mistake."  Their bodies were leaning forward in the chair trying to absorb the video.  Their intensity was like the footage in the movie "Miracle" when Herb Brooks is showing film about the Russian hockey team.  In the beginning they were joking, but then they wanted to learn.  It was an incredible transformation over the week.

Dry land training the most popular event at camp?!  To be honest, I never pictured dry land being this popular at camp. After two hours of hard on-ice work, the goalies would head outside to jog, run ladder drills, and have hand-eye coordination competitions (The losers would have to do push-ups or sit-ups).  Everyday when the goalies got dressed, all they would talk about was dry land.  There would be the inevitable questions like “What are we going to do?” or “Are we going to do that drill again.”  Or, the parents or the goalies’ siblings would comment about dry land training at home.  It got to the point that they would get upset if dry land was cut short for video sessions.  They started showing up early and getting dressed quickly just so they could have a full dry land session.  The part that stuck out the most to me was the last night of camp when we finished the award ceremony 5 minutes early.  Do you think they were running to get their hockey gear and leave?  No, they wanted to head outside for 5 more minutes of dry land training.   Dedicated goalies - their teams will reap the rewards from their goalies hard work.

I will give you one example of a seemingly little thing from this past week.  The first two days of camp there was one goalie who was always the last to get on the ice.  His mother asked me about game preparation.   I explained the routine my son has and how early we get to the rink.  He has had this routine since he was 8 years old and each year he wants to get to the rink earlier and earlier.  After that conversation, for the next three days her son was either first or second to the rink.  He was dressed and ready to skate ten minutes early.  He was extremely focused.  He would diligently work with a bungee ball right next to my son perfecting their hand-eye coordination.  This young man was awarded "Most Improved" for the week.  On the final day of camp, he won the skills competition.  His expression - priceless!  Upon receiving his award, he commented that he wished camp was a few days longer.  I will see this goalie in a couple of weeks when fall AAA hockey starts again and look forward to seeing his progression.

I truly believe you start a hockey team from the goalie and work out.  Too many coaches work the opposite way.  Hopefully, the coaches see their dedication and hard work.  If the goalie is the hardest working person on the team then it should trickle down to all the players.  All these little things are not little at all!

"COMMON MEN GO NOWHERE.
YOU HAVE TO BE UNCOMMON."  Again...    Herb Brooks

Lightning fire Tortorella after six years
Jets add depth to backfield by signing Musa Smith
Lightning ink former Calder Cup champion Wyatt Smith
Lightning lock up Roberts and Malone

The all-new Manchester United's away kit for the 2008-09. its really nice though I prefer the previous black one more. It gave the team more devilish look. Though better than Arsenal's new offering anyway!

And this is one for the goalie! Not bad at all...and it would be worn with black shorts

Though this got on the internet over amonth ago, I wonder why anyone did not put up the pictures on wordpress.

Denn, und hier beginnt der bierbittere Ernst, was soll dieser Helm? Schädelbruch? Wer glaubt denn dieses böhmische Märchen? Der Goalie ist nicht mehr als ein ferngesteuerter Zombie, dessen Synapsen verdrahtet, verkabelt, vernetzt sind mit dem Geflecht der tschechischen Seele. Er hält, was Tschechien sich verspricht. Insofern ist der Ostblock uns um Jahrzehnte voraus. Oder zumindest um ein Tor.

Der Freundin schenk ich ein schales Bier. Das schmeckt einer Tschechin möglicherweise noch weniger als uns die Niederlage. Prost.

I’ve been 26 going on six days now…  I think the mini-crisis I was having about it is over now.  I don’t know why this age struck me like it did.  It might have something to do with what’s going on around me with weddings, births and such.  It could also have been that the older I get without a Bachelors degree I feel increasingly like a job will be harder to find.  No use crying over a vase that has not even been placed on a table to be broken yet.  

My new goalie pads arrived Monday.  This summer decision to play net feels like it will pay off; it’s just a frustrating learning curve.  Hopefully these pads will make the transition a bit easier.  It’s also frustrating that we can’t seem to find a second, steady goalie.  This also means it’s harder for me to get one or two games out of net this summer.  

As of this morning I find that Obama wrapped up the democratic nomination.  If you know me then you know I’m excited about this.  I think he’s good for the country, win or lose.  As for the general election itself, now I hear he may run with Hillary…  Why not I guess?  The problem was always the voters for each of them jumping ship so why not band together for the good of the party.  But the polls that showed all of Hillary’s voters would be voting for McCain was a bit odd to me.  I mean if you asked all Coke drinkers if they would drink Pepsi or something else, I’m sure they would take something else just to not throw support at Pepsi.  But take Coke away and they will drink Pepsi because it would then be the best option.  I think the same is true here; Clinton supporters didn’t want to show Obama support so they said McCain.  Now that she is not there, the next best option is Obama.  I know its some weird logic but it works for me.

Comment: Biffle fits as Stewart replacement
Canada to face Russia in gold medal game
Crosby, Pens to face big Broadway test

All Hail the Returning Champions!

The win gave Celtic, who at one point was 9 points behind their cross-town rivals Rangers toward the beginning of the season, the League Title, completing a spectacular rally.  This title gives manager Gordon Strachan the honor of being the first Celtic manager since 1956 to win the league three times in a row. 

The lone goal was hit by Celtic striker Jan Vennegoor, his 20th goal of the season.  He scored off a cross by Paul Hartley in the 71st minute of play.  Artur Boruc, Celtic's Polish goalkeeper, played brilliantly, saving all of the efforts United made to score. 

The match finally ended with the referee's final whistle, declaring that Celtic had once again won the League.  Unfortunately, I did not get to actually watch my favorite team win, but I am pumped none the less.  Time to roll out my Celtic F.C. jersey and revel a bit.

Oh by the way, we have two cats. 

Well, you’d like to know why the word-wide sports network is crazy about soccer. I’ll tell you why, it is just about the best sport ever!

Before I lecture you on why people get so consumed by this amazing game, let’s talk about the fundamentals.

Soccer is played on a field that usually ranges from 100-120 yards long and 30-50 yards wide. There are eleven players on the field at a time, including one goalie. The goalie is the only person on the field that can use their hands at any given time. And if you didn’t know soccer is played with your feet, well, now you know.

Each player does have an important role and there is no one person who is more important than any of their teammates. You cannot score without forwards and you cannot block the ball from getting into the net without a goalie.

Oh, the goal is the objective in the game of soccer is to score goals into the opposing net and block goals from going into your own net.

Now that we have established what the key objective is, let’s move on to what each position does for the team as a whole. Remember, soccer is a team sport and no one player is more important than the man or woman standing next to them. If you want to be an individual this is not the sport for you, go play tennis or golf.

First, the forward is the person who is usually the best striker. “Striker” is a term used for people who can strike the ball very well; this includes force, accuracy, and consistency. The forwards usually have great agility, ball skills, and speed.

Next, the midfield. The Midfield players are essential to every single play. The Midfield position is the position on the field that does the most running because they act as forwards and as defenders. They run up and down the field like they will never run again. Most midfield players are exceptionally experienced and know the game very well. It is important that midfielders have outstanding endurance, quick reflexes, and accuracy in being able to place the ball at a teammate’s foot.

Subsequently, the defense. The defense is the last chance to block opposing players from getting close to the goal. Many defenders have great strength in their kick and strength in their bodies to be able to knock a player down from time to time, in a clean way of course. Defense is important because they also help guide the players in front of them and have a great sense of the field.

Lastly, the goalie. The goalie to soccer is like the catcher to baseball. A goalie is the only thing standing between scoring goals and blocking them. A goalie must be quick, fearless, and strong. Goalies are often injured because of the brutal beatings that people give them. Another important quality in a goalie is the ability to have great extension of the body and great height when jumping for a ball that is high.

Now that we have established the positions, let’s talk about the usual format that most teams use during play. The 4-4-2. Why it starts from the back number to the front I couldn’t tell you, I thought the normal way to count and read is from top to bottom and left to right but, whatever. The 4-4-2 stands for: four defenders which are called the sweeper, stopper, left outside, and right outside, four midfielders which are called the left outside mid, center mid, center mid, and right outside mid, and two forwards which are called left wing, and right wing.

If you didn’t know much about soccer, you now know the basic line-up for most teams. People will definitely be impressed with you now.

So, now that you may understand soccer a little bit better, go try to watch a game, you may appreciate it and begin to understand why s many people world-wide love it.

And if you still have a hard time enjoying it, turn on a Galaxy game because who can honestly say they don’t want to see Mr. Dreamy himself, David Beckham.

-Jess

"They tried to put pressure on Marc-Andre, they tried to get in the crease, and we discussed it with the referees; they're not supposed to stand there and if there's a goal, it's not a goal. . . . It's tough to give penalties if they're really close to the crease, but if Fleury's in the crease and he can't play the puck, it's no goal. This is what the referees told us. . . . I noticed what Shanahan did. Guys with experience, they try to find that line, and I addressed it with the referees. They were saying that they were going to pay attention, there's no doubt, you can't obstruct the goalies."

The Devils complained about the Rangers crashing the net on Brodeur, and the response from the Rangers (and the refs) was "That's hockey." They aren't breaking any rules, and last time I checked it was still okay to screen the goalie (at least if your back is to him). The Shanahan play in the 1st period that Therrien referred to looked to me like a pretty standard screen in front of the goalie. But Therrien said he spoke to the refs between the 1st and 2nd periods about it and they assured him that if the Rangers were interfering with Fleury during a goal, it would be disallowed.

If the Penguins had their way, the NHL would go back to the 1999 Stanley Cup Playoffs where virtually every goal was reviewed to see if 1 inch of a player's skate was in the crease.

アナウンサーの、あの子は将来…キッパーのストーカーになるかも、と言ってるのも笑える。

Overkill? He's awfully good at mimicking the Kipper's every move though, maybe he can become a character actor when he grows up... but only in roles as the Kipper  :-P 

Landon_Bullis_041808-37, originally uploaded by hennessey|g photography.

I was going out with some friends on the other night which made it senseless to drive all the way home and then come back out to the restaurant we were meeting.  So I checked www.laxpower.com to find a game in the area and luckily found that the Landon School was playing against the Bullis School.  Now for those of you who don't know , The Bullis School is famous for tutoring the sons of our nations elite and The Landon School is famous for Lacrosse.  Not all that they are famous for but if you were to play word association with the names of the two schools in this area, that is what you would come up with. 

Fortunately, I had my camera in the car with a good telephoto lens, so I wandered down to The Landon School which is not far from where I worked and was glad to be able to watch a competitive game in the IAC.  Landon, traditionally the better lacrosse school, won the game 7-2 but I thought that Bullis represented itself well, especially defensively.  Here are some pictures: