rfleming's 2011-12 season

Originally Posted by rfleming

... and they don't understand what "I can't see!" means yet...

Talk to your entire team before the next game. Tell them that they were screening you. You need to yell "screen", one word command. This should prompt the d-men to move, left defenseman to the left, right defenseman to the right. If they are covering someone, they need to shovel that dude away while moving.

Originally Posted by caveman27

You need to yell "screen", one word command.

Yeah, I need to learn how to shorten what I'm trying to say. I'm learning to communicate with my team on the ice (never really had to communicate during pickup roller games), and right now I have too much "fluff" in what I'm yelling. I need to work on using keywords like "screen" instead of trying to get a whole sentence out.

Worst thing ever was when I started playing goalie for a friend's Turkish soccer team. No joke. First thing I did -- before any game -- was had him teach me "screened," "move," "center," "back," and "behind" in Turkish. Communication is extremely important. The simpler you keep it, the faster they can process it on the fly.

Game 2: Rangers 4 - Stars 1

Game two was a complete different dynamic for the Rangers. We passed better, communicated better and spent a ton of time in the offensive zone. I cut my communications to 1-2 words when needed.

The one goal I let by was me not being aware of the whole game. We were on the power play, but when the Stars dumped the puck, one of the refs yelled "ICE" and had his arm up. I was letting my teammate that ice was called, and started skating behind the net (we play no touch icing) to pass pass the puck to the ref, but a Stars player blasts past my teammate right when the ref corrects himself and yells "NO ICE". I tried to play the puck but that didn't work out too well. I turned it over behind the net, got back to the net, but didn't get good position on my post and they put it 5 hole and off the opposite post. I should have known there was still 5 seconds left on the powerplay, but I don't like looking at the scoreboard (It tends to unfocus me).

Hopefully we keep improving and the Rangers leave the basement this season.

Game 3: Rangers 4 - Penguins 4

I played game three with a heavy heart. My Mother-in-Law died on Friday, which was also my wife's birthday. I did not have a great relationship with her, she suffured from a mental illness and made the relationship with my wife very hard, which I didn't handle in the best way possible. There is speculation that it was a suicide, but we will probably never know with it being a motorcycle accident. I don't need to get into that here... back to hockey. I made a make shift memorial patch and put it on the chin of my mask. It helped me get over a rough first period. I got absolutely beat high glove side 2 minutes in. I got a piece of it with the outside of my glove, but not enough. Then I took a bad angle shot off the shoulder, and it bounced weird over my shoulder and in. Between periods (it's now 2-2), I skate past my bench and fist bump everyone and tell them "good period". When I got to my net, I took off my mask, got water, wiped my face, and when I went to put my mask back on, I saw the white duct tape with "R.I.P. CDR 9-9-11" written with blue marker. I realized that even though we didn't get along much, she would have still come to watch my games. It put me at a peace that helped me forget the previous goals. In the second, we go up 3-2 early, then with about 8 minutes left I let a bad one go five hole. I was able to forget that goal quickly and less than a minute later made a wicked stop on a 2-0. In the third period I got beat on a cross crease pass that I butterfly slid from glove to blocker side, but the shooter had a ridiculous shot and went to the opposite top corner. I went to the bench with about 1:15 left in the game, and we were able to get the tying goal with :30 left. We are now 1-1-1 and I've realized how great of an excape hockey really is.

Sorry this post was long and rambly, it's just been one of those kind of weekends.

Game 4: Rangers 7 - Capitals 3

This game happened last Sunday, I just haven't had time to update here. I made it to about halfway through the second period before I let the first goal in. It was on a turn over between the circles and a quick breakaway. I went down way too early and got beat. The second and third goals came in the third period. The second goal came on a shot from the right circle, I let a horrible rebound go right to another Capital who snuck into the slot and he had an open net. The third was a 2 on 1 kind of, my 1 wasn't really in the play yet, and I got caught cheating trying to play the pass and not the shot.

I also have an embarrasing confession to make, up until this game, I had no clue how the moorings work on nets. Anyway, now that that's out there, I caught an edge during the second period and knocked the net off. I was hollering "Net's off" to the refs, but it took them some time to stop play. I had pulled the net within an inch of getting it back into position, but the play never left neutral ice and was coming back to me, and again, I wasn't sure how to get it back into position. The ref finally blew the whistle, skated over to me, started cusing at me telling me to do it myself next time and finished putting it into place. Between periods I skated over to the ref and was like, "This is my fourth game on ice, I've never been shown how to put the net in place, so how about instead of cussing and mouthing off to me, show me how to do it." After showing me how to do it I added, "Also, I'm not going to turn my back to the play to mess with the net if the play is in the neutral zone." And he was like, "It was only an inch off!" to which I responded, "Yeah, after I pulled it from about a foot away when I was first yelling 'net off'". Even though we "made up" if you will, ever time the puck was frozen by me or near me after the cussing, I pushed the puck away from him if he was the one getting it. Now please don't think of me as a softy, crying because the big mean man in a striped shirt and green hockey socks (which looked ridiculous by the way), I just think if we pay for ice time and get fined if we mouth off to the refs, then a ref who gets paid $35 bucks a game shouldn't be mouthing off to us either. Just my opinion.

Absolutely agree with you. Ref was a douche, and, honestly, if I were you, I'd contact whoever his manager is. That's ridiculous to cuss at you because you didn't put the net back on. Especially when you're so new to the game. I've refereed for years, and never once relied on the goalie fixing it himself. If the net comes off and if I could get to it, I'd fix it. If I couldn't, I'd blow it dead. Easy. Like you said, a goalie's back should never be to the play, because you never know when someone's going to launch it at the net.

Game five tonight against the Red Wings. My motivation tonight? They have yet to win a game, and I don't plan to be the goalie that gives them their first win. I haven't played since two Sundays ago, so I'm hoping I'm rested instead of rusty.