Hockey Preseason
Our season was pushed back another week, and our first game is now scheduled for March 9th. We were ready to play, but the truth is we can definitely use the extra week of practice to get ready for game conditions.
Last week, at practice, we had a second goalie who was going to come so we could play a full game. He bailed at the last minute, so instead we had one live goalie at one end and two chairs, some hockey pads, a goalie stick and an ornage cone protecting the other net.
We moved the puck well, and I sensed that the team is starting to get a feel for playing with a puck instead of a ball. There were crisp passes, hard shots, and the feeling of a team beginning to gel.
Off the rink, we have problems, but first the good news. Our jerseys look awesome. Our sponsor, Jerusalem Pizza, is happy with the design, and the pizza shop is talking about doing some kind of hockey team promotion at the store, perhaps featuring different team members each week, and giving away hockey cards of all of us.
Their was one guy we wanted on the team. His father died a few months ago, and he went home to help in the final weeks of his father's life. i am not really friends with this guy, other than hockey, but from what i understaood they did not have much of a relationship while he was still alive.
Anyway, we tried to contact him while the team was being formed, to see i he was coming back to Detroit, and if he would be available to play. He has mad skills, both in front of the opposing teams net, and a never stop moving attitude that is sure to save goals on the defensive end of the floor.
He did come back to Detroit, and we offered him a roster spot, but he wasn't sertain about his plans, and couldn't commit, so we finalized the roster without him.
Now, as you can see coming from about three paragraphs ago, he wants to play. I haven't heard from him, but four people have told me that he wants to join the team.
He would make it ten people on the team, which would complicate line changes considerably, since we would have an odd number of "out" players. Then again, what is the likelihood of having the full team show up after the first two games.
We only ordered the exact number of jerseys we needed, so we will have to order his jersey separate, which will cost him an extra $20 set up fee, plus about $25 for the jersey, since we went through all our pizza sponsorship money. In addition, the
league will charge him an extra few bucks for registering late, making his total about $160, when all the rest of us only paid $115. But that is his problem, and his choice if he wants to do it.
My problem is each extra person added means 2 1/2 minutes less average playing time, which is an issue for some people, and the complicated line changes that would develop. I don't want to spend the game worrying about playing time for everyone. I want to spend the time thinking about defense and putting the puck in the net.
The bottom line is, he makes our team better, and gives us a chance to compete with the top teams in the league. This is about fun, but it is also about competing, and there is nothing I would like more than to see the name Jerusalem Pizza with our picture on the wall of fame at Joe Dumars Fieldhouse.
Last week, at practice, we had a second goalie who was going to come so we could play a full game. He bailed at the last minute, so instead we had one live goalie at one end and two chairs, some hockey pads, a goalie stick and an ornage cone protecting the other net.
We moved the puck well, and I sensed that the team is starting to get a feel for playing with a puck instead of a ball. There were crisp passes, hard shots, and the feeling of a team beginning to gel.
Off the rink, we have problems, but first the good news. Our jerseys look awesome. Our sponsor, Jerusalem Pizza, is happy with the design, and the pizza shop is talking about doing some kind of hockey team promotion at the store, perhaps featuring different team members each week, and giving away hockey cards of all of us.
Their was one guy we wanted on the team. His father died a few months ago, and he went home to help in the final weeks of his father's life. i am not really friends with this guy, other than hockey, but from what i understaood they did not have much of a relationship while he was still alive.
Anyway, we tried to contact him while the team was being formed, to see i he was coming back to Detroit, and if he would be available to play. He has mad skills, both in front of the opposing teams net, and a never stop moving attitude that is sure to save goals on the defensive end of the floor.
He did come back to Detroit, and we offered him a roster spot, but he wasn't sertain about his plans, and couldn't commit, so we finalized the roster without him.
Now, as you can see coming from about three paragraphs ago, he wants to play. I haven't heard from him, but four people have told me that he wants to join the team.
He would make it ten people on the team, which would complicate line changes considerably, since we would have an odd number of "out" players. Then again, what is the likelihood of having the full team show up after the first two games.
We only ordered the exact number of jerseys we needed, so we will have to order his jersey separate, which will cost him an extra $20 set up fee, plus about $25 for the jersey, since we went through all our pizza sponsorship money. In addition, the
league will charge him an extra few bucks for registering late, making his total about $160, when all the rest of us only paid $115. But that is his problem, and his choice if he wants to do it.
My problem is each extra person added means 2 1/2 minutes less average playing time, which is an issue for some people, and the complicated line changes that would develop. I don't want to spend the game worrying about playing time for everyone. I want to spend the time thinking about defense and putting the puck in the net.
The bottom line is, he makes our team better, and gives us a chance to compete with the top teams in the league. This is about fun, but it is also about competing, and there is nothing I would like more than to see the name Jerusalem Pizza with our picture on the wall of fame at Joe Dumars Fieldhouse.
posted by Air Time at 1:11 AM
3 Comments:
you are faced with a difficult decision. i think you have a responsibilty to your team and Jerusalem Pizza to put the best team you have in the ice. If this player is the difference between championships and non champs, I think he should play. If however he's like TY Law, a great player, but you can win it all without him, then dont g through the headache of switching things up
I feel the more people you have on your team the more of a chance you'll have a full team at the start of each game this season
You have an outstanding good and well structured site. I enjoyed browsing through it »
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