Breakfast Club: Week Two

It was another good day on the ice. We worked on the fundamentals of the game: skating, puck handling and shooting. We started off with a puck handling drill, moving the puck the length of the ice, while wide dribbling around other players. Players were used as human cones in the neutral zone. One puck handler cut it a little close and mowed over a cone, also named Laura. I can see how this happened: 1) Laura is small (but huge in spirit) and is wearing a XXL red jersey that drapes down to her ankles, so she looks like a cone and 2) after six months of road construction in the Detroit area, it’s only natural to want to plow the freaking things over – no road rage here! So, my client is innocent your honor.

Then the class was split into three groups: shooting, puck handling and my favorite, backward skating. Dave Gumbel was instructing the shooting session, wrist and snap shots – the main arsenal for any adult recreational players. If only we could just work out the power and accuracy issues. I got a little worried when Randy was making a few head shots on Ronnie. Does everyone remember last winter when Lyle was demonstrating a drill, took a slapper on Ronnie, and it kind of “got away from him?” It hit Ronnie square in the mask. We thought he was dead. He’s fine. Ronnie has adjusted well to being crossed eyed and the doctors say his stuttering could stop at anytime. Only kidding.

Scott was instructing the puck handling. I especially liked eight skaters working the puck in the face-off circle, a little tight quarters there, keep your heads up folks.

Then it was the backwards skating and, of course, Lyle as the instructor. I think that was the more humbling of the sessions today. Everyone can use a little practice on that. Power stride right leg, power stride left leg, power stride touch your knee to the ice, power stride touch both knees to the ice, power stride touch your knees to the ice while using your right hand to touch your left ear. I had some problems with the left power stride. I would start left and go right. My buddy Scott gently reminded me (screaming down the ice) “your other left dummy!” Actually, Lyle did a good job of breaking down each move so you can think it through. We only give out small doses of kindness to Lyle, need to make sure his ego makes it through the double doors of the rink. It could be a long practice for me next week.

Hey folks, obviously just having some fun. Great workout today! See ya next week. Kirk out.