Breakfast Club: Session II - Week 10

Today was the last session. Can you believe it? Twenty weeks of training have gone by fast. Today is also the first day of Spring. It’s a good time to do a little progress check on your hockey career over the past 20 weeks. We all know hockey is a difficult sport with the skating, puck handling, shooting and game tactics; it’s hard to get it all working together. As soon as you feel comfortable in your skates, try it with a puck and then add the other players. Even the pros spend thousands of hours on the ice and still practice everyday. So, I've learned to measure improvement in terms of inches instead of yards. That way I don't get too discouraged and I keep motivated to play. Granted, on some days it seems like your loosing ground instead of getting better, so I look at it over time. Overall, I'm happy with my skill improvement and I feel more confident on the ice. I also know more about the game and what I should be doing on the ice. It may not be noticeable to others, but I know of the little things I'm doing better. Bottom line is after seven years of doing this, I still enjoy walking into the rink and have never regretted coming to the rink when I leave. Did I mention the fun factor? The Breakfast Club allows us to learn in our own way and our own speed. You can't learn this stuff playing in league all the time. Plus, even at open skates I'm concentrating more on not knocking over the four year old and making a big scene.

This is a milestone – the end of the fall/winter session – we made it and we are better players. This isn't the last chapter folks, oh no, remember we play year round. We are professionals; your family, friends and work understand this. Hockey is in your DNA. Spring session starts April 18th, that's in three weeks. I'm going to have a hard time making it through a week without Lyle yelling I mean instructing us. It's part of the weekly routine.

That's a wrap folks; it's been fun doing this. Another great thing about hockey is the people you meet and the new friends you make. See ya around the rink. Kirk out.

Breakfast Club: Session II - Week 9

Week 9, fire up. The big event today was of course the videotaping of the players. Yeah, individual taping of players skating then let's break it down guys (and a few gals). Once we got the groups of four worked out (that would be 4 not 5 Randy) and trained Scottie how to use the camera, players standby, action. Laura stop mugging for the camera. Skate with the puck around the cones, not through the cones, figure eights, deke, cross over circles til your dizzy. OK, feeling pretty good here. My video is going straight to the NHL, move over Sydney Crosby. Coach Scottie is doing the debriefs, you're up next Kirk. Ready here goes, first off that isn't me, yes it is, OKay maybe it is. Secondly, that's really funny Scott, why do you have it in slow motion? It's not in slow motion. That can't be me, that person who looks like me has no knee bend. I bend my knees more than that. Wow, I thought I had more knee bend. So, several mental notes to walk away from today – KNEE BEND and hands away from the body not glued to my pants. Probably need a reality check with the video camera every so often eh folks. Nice learning tool, what do you think?

Lyle was keeping the pace going while Scottie Spielberg kept the video process moving. How about the 1-on-1, 2-on-2, 3-on-3, 4-on-2 drills? I was waiting for someone to break down crying and beg for mercy; I almost did. Lyle, no more please, the mind is willing but the body is broken. He just smiles and says next group. Some good play out there today folks despite running out of gas. Next week is the last session and don't forget next Thursday at the Joe.

Since you're all professional adult recreation league players, you should be playing year round correct? That's correct. Sign up for the spring and summer class. You know what it's like when you take a few months off. You wind up spending too much time getting back to where you were. Spring has been part of the Suburban curriculum for awhile. For the past few years in the summer, we got enough players together that Lyle ran another class for us that wasn't on the schedule. By popular demand the BC summer school class is on the schedule. Starts after July 4th, runs for 10 weeks, on Wednesdays, 6:30-7:30 am at Suburban. Keep your competitive edge, play this spring and summer. No pressure, but remember you're professionals, you owe it to yourself, your teammates and the hockey world, OKay a little dramatic. Seriously folks, not running a commercial here but keeping the dust off your hockey skills does keep you improving; for me, that's the name of the game. Kirk out.

Breakfast Club: Session II - Week 8

OK, Kirk, what's with me getting the blog days with the bad weather? A few inches of snow and attendance falls off? It works for me because I get more ice time and more one-on-one, of course, but we do miss the rest of you when you don't show. So if you missed this morning, make sure you take advantage of going on "the other morning" so you can get the benefit of being there.

And speaking of shifting days around, the "skate at the Joe" is moved to the last week of class. So, plan accordingly.

With that bit of housekeeping aside, let's have a discussion in passing about passing, shall we? It's not a pass if it doesn't go to the player you intended, nor if you had no intended recipient in the first place. Nope, not a pass, those are more likely a turnover. Seems intuitive, but geesh, it's harder than it looks. Tape to tape. If I don't send it to you good and clean, how can I expect you to get that puck? If you've got your stick up in the air (all you hay pitchers out there) where exactly am I supposed to send that puck? If I just throw it somewhere, "away", with no idea where, chances are it will go where it shouldn't have.

The half-ice offense/defense drills were great, albeit humbling. The first time through, the defense didn't even have their sticks, for crying out loud. So why was the offense so quick to make a panic pass? A blind pass? An otherwise lousy pass, actually not a pass at all but a turnover. All I can say is, it's a good thing there weren't any scouts in the upstairs exercise room today.

This weekend is the St. Baldrick's fundraiser. You don't have to shave your head to support them, you know! Just surf on over to www.stbaldricks.org. The official local event is Sunday the 11th at the Walled Lake firehouse. But I'm sure this great organization will still gladly accept your donations regardless of the date.

Keep your head up and your eyes on the goal!