Archive for April 10th, 2009

Choosing Hockey Sticks For Your Best Game Play

Friday, April 10th, 2009
Keith Kingston asked:


Hockey equipment is required for all players who step onto the ice but some differences exist regarding the hockey equipment utilized by different leagues. Players’ hockey equipment generally consists of skates, shin pads, gloves, hockey pants, sticks, and helmets. The hockey stick tends to be the most vital, apart from your body protection.

Choosing hockey sticks that suit you best is important. If you choose the wrong sticks you could end up playing badly or even doing yourself an injury. So how do you work out which hockey sticks are right for you? Here are some helpful tips.
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Firstly, when standing in your skates, your stick should reach your chin. Some defence based players prefer a longer stick to give them more reach when they’re defending. If you can, buy your sticks a little long and have the shop cut them down. This is far better than having a stick that is too long or too short. Most people tend to find they have to have their stick customized to give them their optimum comfort.

You can work out what length you need by looking closely at the wear of the tape on the bottom of your stick. If the tape is worn down near the toe, then you should probably consider a longer stick. If the tape instead is worn near the heel, then you should probably consider a shorter stick. Ultimately you should try sticks at different lengths until you find one that’s got a comfortable weight and feel for you.

When choosing hockey sticks you should also consider weight and blade size. Most players recommend wrapping both the stick handle and the blade with a layer of tape. This is done to assure both a tighter grip on the handle and so that the puck does not slide off of the blade as easy as normal. If you are new to the game and have yet to tape your stick then we recommend that you do this early on. As outlined above, it will help you measure your game.

Different curves will affect the way you stick handle and shoot the puck too. Again, when you’re starting off and new to the game, it is a good idea to try different curves until you find one that feels comfortable. Like with all sports equipment, the best idea is try out a few different hockey sticks so that you find one that conforms to your style.



ROD

Hockey Rules The Hearts Of A Nation

Friday, April 10th, 2009
Chris Campbell asked:
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Hockey north of the US Canadian border seems to carry more sway than any political, national or international moment. Hockey is far more than a sport to most Canadians, it’s a catalyst for memories of our youth. Whether it’s playing hockey on a frozen pond after the snow has been shoveled to the edges, or playing on the street in between cars and until the street lights come on. Hockey brings back crystal clear memories for most Canadians. Used to be mostly boys, but times have changed, and with the rise of women’s hockey, many grown women for this and future generations will be sharing those same memories. And, that’s why hockey means so much more than just a sport to most of us. It’s a nostalgic reminder of a less troubled past, and a reminder of a happy youth.

Not Just A Sedimental Journey

Hockey is great sport first of all, for a variety of reasons. It’s truly exciting to watch. Because of the ice surface it’s played on, very few sports can match the speed at which the players move about the field of play. It moves as a game, really moves! Both the players and the puck. The tide can turn quickly in a hockey game, and you really can’t let down your guard down for a moment. There can be long periods of no scoring, with lots of back and forth action. But then, in a heart beat the other team scores, and maybe a second or third goal shortly after, and fortunes have been reversed. I can think of no other sport that causes such heart-stopping, breath-holding, sheer intensity as when another team is pressing for a goal during a power play or man advantage after pulling their goalie. Usually it resembles some kind of train wreck in front of the goalie, with shot after shot, as the goalie goes down and up time and time again. Defensemen sliding desperately, risking injury to stop the puck, in the hopes, that the final seconds will elapse and the hockey game will be theirs.

The Great Ones and The Great One

Those nostalgic memories of hockey are not just of our own epic battles played between the street curbs and mounds of recently shoveled snow. There were of course the hockey legends themselves battling against one another. Hockey night in Canada is truly as much a national treasure, as any to this nation. During our formative years watching the great hockey teams and their rivalries were both a patriotic right and a duty. And then reliving those times in our own backyard rinks and streets, as we assumed the persona’s of our favorite teams and players, to crush the opposing neighborhood kids with spectacular hockey moves, only to be followed only be even more spectacular goals. Truly times to be remembered, and cherished.

It’s Not Just Our Game

The game is shared now. With other players, and other nations. Everyone plays, and their current and future generations are building their own great hockey memories. Andthat’s OK. I just wonder, if those memories will rule their hearts and nations one day as they do ours.



BOYD

My Favorite Blood Fued

Friday, April 10th, 2009
DeamonCohln asked:

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Deamon discusses the feud between the Colorado Avalanche and the…

DIRK