Ten Things On The First Half Of The Seaon

With the first semester coming to an end this week the season is pretty much half over for both the men's and women's teams here on campus. It really hasn't been the best of starts for either team with a combined record of 4-25-3 but records don't show the whole story. Both teams are competing very hard but just can't seem to get in the win column. I'm sure this is something that will change in the second half of the season, which is one of the great things about hockey, it's a long season and things can easily turn around. So to round out the top half of the year here is a list of ten things I have come to observe from the season so far.

1. Maine hockey has the best fans in college athletics.
     You can see it pro sports all the time, when a team isn't doing well attendance drops to almost nothing. This is not the case in Orono. Sure there are some empty seats which is not normal for the Alfond, but come game day the students are still outside waiting in line at the crack of dawn. They come loud and proud and make the atmosphere as hostile for the visitors as ever before. Teams still fear playing in Orono and it's because of the fans.

2. If it weren't for the iPad I would go insane.
     Our shortest road trip is 3 hours, and we haven't had that one yet. Most of our trips are closer to 5 when heading in to Boston but can go as long as 6 when going to UMass or UVM. There is nothing worse than sitting on a bus for that long with nothing to do. Lucky for me I always make sure to load my iPad with movies and once the wheels on the bus start going round and round I'm off in my own world.

Next roadie this is what I will be watching

3. I would not want to be an Athletic Trainer, and we have the best AT's in the business
     Last season the men lost maybe 5 man games to injury all year. We were very lucky to have a pretty injury free season in 2011-12. This year it has not been the case as both teams have caught the injury bug. From concussions to knees you name it there are players out with it. It's my job to provide equipment that aids in preventing injury but some things can't be prevented which is the subject for an entire post maybe to come. I also help make adjustments to equipment for when players are coming back from an injury either by adding padding to a piece of equipment or cutting out protection to make room for our AT to add a different type. I can't even fathom how busy our awesome trainer is with all the athletes in his room before and after practices and games. Not something I would want to deal with. Ankle Tape Expert

4. Adidas needs to figure it out when it comes to sizing
     Last season everything from Adidas was too large, this season things are coming in small. This does not make ordering apparel easy. I'm not sure what the logic is behind messing with sizes but it's not cool. A large should fit the same way from year to year. If a sweatshirt one year is labeled as a large and the next year they make it bigger, then change the tag to read XL. Or if they make it smaller make the tag say Medium. The same goes for sneakers, I have worn the same size (12) since I was in 7th grade. Now, without my feet shrinking, I take a size 11 in the same sneaker I have always worn.

Fat Man in a little...Onesie?

5. It's fun to watch the industry improve or degrade from year to year

Stole this picture from CCM...Sorry guys but I figure I pay enough for sticks each year

     Let's just stick with sticks for this point. Last year when the new sticks arrived on campus certain brands seemed to have a leg up on the competition either with weight, feel, or durability. One would think those companies would  already at an advantage wouldn't take a step back but this season there was a leapfrog effect. The companies that seemed a step behind made improvements and launched some pretty impressive products while others seemed to fall into the trap of trying to improve what doesn't need work and actually came out with products that have major issues. Last year if you asked me what stick I would recommend I would tend to say either the Easton RS or EQ50 and to stay away from anything RBK or CCM. This season I would without a second of hesitation say the CCM RBZ is the way to go or the Easton Mako. I would also add the RBK 20K is a pretty decent stick and has seen great improvement from what was produced last year. But again product talk may have to wait for a few posts.

6. Staff pre-game meals are the best

Lobstertail

     Every day when we have a 7 or 8pm face-off you can always find me and the other staff taking a much needed lunch break. Now these are no PB&J and juice box type affairs. If we are at home it usually involves ordering out or making the trip away from the rink for something local. My favorite seems to be Thai or the new go to is the local hotdog place. These trips serve as a way to slow down and relax for a bit before things get crazy come game time. Even better is when we are on the road, specifically Boston. Thanks to a generous friend of our program (FOP) lunches in Boston usually involve a trip to the North End for amazing Italian (anything with veal over fusilli pasta is my go to) always followed by a trip to Mike's Pastry for a lobstertail, which for those out of the loop is a giant cannolli filled with a delicious cream filling. When the North End isn't an option we often venture to a Brazilian cafe owned by the parents of an alum and as always have a great meal. Wherever we end up it's always better than the team's meal which always consists of chicken, pasta and vegetables. Mike's Pastry

7. It's great to have FOPs (Friends Of the Program)
     I don't know where the teams would be without the dedicated FOPs. Now I consider a FOP more than just a fan, a FOP is someone that goes above and beyond for the team without wanting or needing recognition for it (they still get it because they deserve it.) Both the men's and women's teams have booster clubs aptly called Friends of Maine Hockey, and then there are the other FOPs. I wish I could name all of them but knowing that most will probably never even read this I'll keep the list short but just know that I thank them all for all they do for me and the team. Whether it's picking up a mop on game day to help me in the pregame setup, or donating gifts of tools or supplies for the team. So here goes a big thank you to; Jerry LaFlamme, Marty LaFlamme, Pump, Flash, Josh MacDonald, John Halloran, Mark Koscuiszka, Dan Faloon, and Chris Violette. Thanks!

8. Without past experiences I wouldn't be where I am now

I swear I'm not asleep

     There is no doubt in my mind that I wouldn't be where I am today without my year spent at Sacred Heart learning to function without much, or my year at Syracuse where I had access to everything under the sun. I'm spoiled beyond belief here in Orono but there are always things that would be nice to either make my job easier or to make the players experience that much better but we are certainly not hurting. Having seen the best and worst I have been able to find what works for me and when situations come up I have options for solutions that those without the same experience may not think of and at the end of the day I think this gives me an advantage over others.

9. Don't count us out yet
     Hockey is a long season, 40+ games over 6+ months. We are only now at the halfway point for both teams. Things change quickly in this game, all it takes is once bounce in the right or wrong direction and your season is doing a full 180. The men and women are fighters and aren't out yet. Both teams are young and with youth comes mistakes but also with youth comes growth and just wait for these young guns to get their feet under them, both teams will be dangerous and soon.

10. My job is better than yours
     How many people out there can say that they wake up every day and enjoy going to work? Even on the worst days in my job I still wouldn't trade it for the best day at a different job. Every day brings new highs and lows and there is always something going on that's new and exciting. I've seen a lot but not everything. I get to work with 50 of the best athletes and some of the best coaches in college every day, I get to be a part of a program with some of the best history in the game, and I get to make friends with some of the biggest names in the sport that have passed through the doors of the Alfond. Sure my job is a lot of work at times but if it wasn't they wouldn't call it a job, but a little hard work never hurt anybody. Plus I have students employees I can pass the work off to. Speaking of that I luck out with having two of the hardest working students I've ever seen. I need to watch myself or one day one of them might take my job.

So that's my list, if you read it all congrats, you can read. If you just looked at the pictures, congrats for that because it means you aren't blind. I probably wont update this until after I come back from Florida with the men's team. We travel down for a tournament every year and I must say I don't think I will spend any free time inside with a laptop but rather be outside trying not to get bitten by a gater. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday and a great start to 2013. Or if the world ends on 12/21/12 well then bring on the zombies.
    

How I Came to Love Hockey?

 Spend enough time around the game and you'll notice that every team has it's ups and downs. Whether it's over the course of a few games, an entire season or even a run a little longer, nobody wins every game. It's the numbers in the loss column that make the numbers in the win column mean something, and seem that much more special. I guess since right now both the men's and women's team find themselves in a bit of a funk that I keep thinking of why I choose to love this game. It dawned on me that I never really took the time at the start of this blog to explain how it came to be that I fell in love with this game and ended up in my current position. Today seems like as good as any so here goes.
I guess you can say I took a round about way to finding hockey. I grew up playing soccer and actually never really learned to skate until I got to college. I had a pond in my back yard growing up and would always lace up the skates and putter around but I never had any edges on my blades so turning and stopping were impossible and I kind of just glided around and pushed a puck. I can track my passion for the game back to my mother of all people, she is the true fan of the family and she got her love for the game from my grandfather. I remember back as a child being taken to an AHL game in Portland Maine back when the city was home to the Maine Mariners. I can't tell you anything more specific other than going to games. I also remember when Albany (my home town) was home to the Capital District Islanders, although I don't remember ever going to games I am sure I did. The spark ignited for me when in 1993 Albany switched franchises from the Islanders to the New Jersey Devils and from that the River Rats were born as the top AHL affiliate for the Devils. I remember going to games that first season and having so much fun, and then in the second season the team ended up winning the Calder Cup. I still remember my favorite players from that team Steve Sullivan, Mike Dunham, Corey Schwab, Eric Bertrand, Scott Pellerin. Watching those guys play was so much fun for me, especially Sullivan who I will still watch in the NHL.

Steve Sullivan with Albany

It was after that championship season that I then started to follow and understand player movement between the NHL and AHL, I not only had my favorite Rats but would then follow them to play with the Devils. I remember going to games in Albany and seeing Patrik Elias fly up the ice, now I watch in awe as he skates with the Devils and am one of many that consider him the most under-rated player in the NHL. I consider myself lucky to get the chance to see a lot of today's greats develop into the players they are now. Brian Gionta, Zack Parise, Petr Sykora, Jay Pandolfo, John Madden among many others graced the ice of the Times Union Center.
I remember back in the mid 90's was when I also started to pick up some of the history of the game. Growing up in NY only hours from Lake Placid it comes as no surprise I learned about the Miracle on Ice pretty young. This event is to me the pinnacle of the game. Having seen the entire US/USSR game many times now I can say that I still get choked up when Mike Eruzione puts that puck in, or when Al Michaels makes his famous call "Do you believe in Miracles? Yes!" I just wish I had been alive to see the team, but 1980 was 5 years before I was even born so I live through the stories.

1980 Olympic Team

Now fast forward from that little kid in the stands to the high school senior still trying to find a college. I had no clue what I wanted to go to school for so I added to my search criteria that I wanted the ability to do something on weekends. I figured why not explore schools with college hockey so that I could attend games in my free time. After visiting a few schools and not getting that "ah ha" moment I added the University of Maine to my list. I had always known of the school having spent my summers in Maine at my grandfather's. I had always somehow found myself hearing about the teams that the Black Bears were putting together and remember them winning the NCAA title in 1999. I figured why not visit the school and see what that would be like, well long story short I set foot on campus and knew I needed to attend. I'd like to say it was all academic but it wasn't, I realized if I wanted to be able to watch college hockey why not attend the school with the best atmosphere in the game. I knew I wanted to call the Alfond home.

2007 Frozen 4 with Barry Melrose

From my days as a student attending games, and helping to lead the students in cheers and jeers I migrated into the arena office and from there down in to the locker room. Never realizing what went in to putting a team on the ice, my first day in the equipment room at Maine was an eye opener. After the equipment manager had asked for help one day in folding bags I knew that I wanted to never leave. I consider myself extremely lucky to have met my mentor and good friend Josh MacDonald that day. I have learned 99% of my job from one person, first as the kid that pretty much wouldn't leave and then as the volunteer that never stopped. I'm forever in debt for being able to learn from such a great teacher. If I thought I had loved the game as a spectator that was nothing compared to how much I love the game as seen from the inside.

I've been lucky enough in my short career to work in a variety of different locations and with varying success. My first job was at Sacred Heart University working with both their men's and women's team and lets just say it was a learning experience. I had the chance to work with some of the best athletes I have ever been around but in one of the worst situations I think I could have found myself in. Had it not been for the athletes I don't think I would have survived the year. After Sacred Heart I found myself at Syracuse University working for their women's team. This was in short, an amazing year. I don't think I have had as much fun going to work every day than I did with Syracuse. Now I find myself back in Orono, and couldn't be happier. I had the chance to take my dream job, something that I didn't think would ever be open to me. Every day I wake up and think how cool it is that I get to go to work in the same building that saw greats like Paul Kariya, Garth Snow, Jimmy Howard, Bob Corkum, Gustav Nyquist Shawn Walsh. I still can't even start to wrap my head around the fact that I have gotten to meet some of these greats and can even call some my friends.

Me working at Syracuse Univeristy

So the teams might be in a bit of a slump, and sure loosing sucks but at the end of the day I still love hockey. I am still the luckiest person out there because when I wake up tomorrow I get to go to a job I love. The worst day in my job is still better than the best day I can imagine behind the desk at any other job. All of the dirty laundry, and broken equipment is better than reports to file, or products to sell.
So I hope this distracted you all for a bit, or for those of you reading this at night I hope it will help you sleep. The men have finished the first half of our season and don't see a game until after XMas and the girls have two left before their mid season break. I'm feeling a solid second half from both teams and I think with that these posts should get more exciting for everyone. So until the next time I hope everyone's skates are sharp and sticks taped.

Enjoy the Off Days

Sorry to be so late in getting this new post out but things have been a little busy in the equipment room lately. Here's a quick update for those of you that care, and for everyone else skip a paragraph to get to some entertainment.
So far the Men's team is sitting at a record of 2-9-1 which is far from where we want to be at this point. The boys are working hard but pucks aren't bouncing our way. We only have 3 games left to finish out the first half and we certainly will be working to climb out of the hole. If any team can do it I know these guys can. The girls are have a current record 2-7-1 and as I write this they are prepping for a Thanksgiving game against the Russian Women's National Team. I have to admit I haven't been able to see as many practices and games for the girls as I would like but knowing their work ethic and skill things will turn around in no time. Both teams this season have rosters packed with young players and as any team with a lot of freshmen there are growing pains. Players need to adapt to speeds and skill levels they haven't been used to but both sets of first year players will most certainly adapt and improve. I wouldn't write either Black Bear team off in the second half.
So now that the update is over I thought I would take this time to share my thoughts on my favorite events in the hockey world. The rare day off mid season.
I love my job but even I need to sometimes take a break and get away from the rink. Since September and the start of classes I can count on one hand the number of days that I didn't work in at least some form. Combining working for both teams and their differing schedules I can pretty much bet that I will work 7 days a week. Taking the average most days I'm in around 8am and leave sometime around 6pm. Game days that's upped from an 9 hour day to a 14 hour day. But don't take only this as complaining, because it's far from it. I wouldn't ever want to work a normal desk job, I'd get bored, and I also don't know many jobs that let me wear shorts year round.
With Thanksgiving this week students were able to go home after Tuesday which allowed our teams to have morning practices. The girls play a rare Thanksgiving day game against the Russian Women's National team and the guys are actually off for a few days. This gives me the chance to catch my breath and relax. Neither team has a game this upcoming weekend so I'm going to turn on the lazy switch and spend some time on my couch. It's nice to get the chance to recharge the batteries and come back refreshed.
So to everyone out there I hope you enjoy any time off you get this holiday season, stuff your face with great food and spend time with friends and family. Also never forget to tip your equipment guys this time of year... we need our beer money so that when the players are away we can play.

No I'll leave you with some random pictures to make up for my lame post.

For those thinking this blog was about hockey, here is our bench

I'm guessing rather than turkey this is what a shark eats on thanksgiving

Quick shout out to my friend Dave who is a total sieve

History Lesson

Here is a little history lesson to brighten everyone's day. November 1st marked the 53rd birthday of the hockey goalie mask. Yes that means that 54 years ago goalies were playing without facial protection. And I thought goalies were nuts now, I guess they have calmed down a little in the last half century. Now I am sure everyone knows the story of how the first mask entered in to the game but for those that don't I'll tell you.
In a game between the NY Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens, Habs goaltender Jacques Plante was struck in the face while blocking a shot. Plante had to leave the game to get his face stitched back together but would return to play the rest of the game,with a simple shield covering his face. What started out as a plain piece of protective equipment simply made to cover the face and protect against lacerations has now evolved into one of the most elaborate pieces of sporting equipment out there.
Plante's mask was just a piece of white plastic, no design to it, and it just covered the face. Now the mask has evolved into a full helmet, covering every part of the head and protecting against impact as well as cuts and scratches. No longer made from plastic today's masks are at the edge of new technology, fiber-glass is now the primary material used which makes today's mask lighter and stronger than ever before. What truly sets a goaltender apart though is not what his mask is made of though, it's more what artwork adorns the brain bucket.
To goalies their mask is a way to express themselves and project this to the fans. A new mask is a new canvas for goalie and painter to come together and create a masterpiece. But hey, rather than me go on about the artwork that goes on a mask why don't I just show pictures of some masks. Many of the masks below have been painted by my friend Heath at EzAirFx for more of his work please visit his site at www.ezairfx.com

David Wilson's mask from 2009-'10 featuring Maine greats

Back of Wilson's mask

My friend Andy's mask that the great Frank Cipra did for him

Other side of Wilson's mask featuring the Stein Song, and Maine fans... I'm the bottom right fan under the "E"

A simple design for a Oli St. Onge while at Sacred Heart

And to finish it off a video of Jimmy Howard chatting about his mask from 2011-2012 season. Enjoy!

                   

Homecoming 2012

Meet Bernie, I created him in 2008 and he still "hangs" around

If you are reading this you obviously survived the weekend so well done. To put it simply this weekend and the days leading up to it were pretty crazy here. From Thursday at 9am to Sunday at 9pm I was at work a total of 61 hours. Since it would take me about that long to do a full recap of the weekend I will just do a daily highlight reel.

Thursday: Normal practice day for both teams, nothing too exciting other than ordering Chinese food for dinner while I waited for the visiting mens team to arrive. They showed up around 10pm which allowed me to throw in their dirty laundry and be home by 11:30. Stupid me and my insomnia stayed up watching movies most of the night though which made Friday seem longer than it was.

National Anthem as see from the Student Balcony

Friday: Game Day! Made it to work by 6am so that I could start my game day prep. Got both teams on the ice for their pregame skate and had laundry turned over pretty quickly. My women's team had practice that afternoon which made things a little tight timetable wise but nothing we couldn't all work with. It was actually a nice way to break up the day and the boredom that sometimes come while waiting for the game to start. After the game Friday is when the fun really started, and here is why. As the title says this was homecoming weekend. Which means for most schools a football game. Now I have pretty much nothing to do with football except that the visiting teams always use the locker rooms in the arena to dress. Now both hockey teams were home this weekend which means they each had a visiting team in the building, plus football and you have 3 visiting teams using 2 locker rooms. So after the men's game Friday the visiting team had to bag most of their gear and condense it in to a small changing room so that Saturday the visiting women's team could have a place to change. I left work sometime after 12am Saturday after having gotten all the laundry at least started.

Saturday: 4am came very early, even more so when it's pouring rain and I really don't want to move from my amazing bed. I managed to get myself up and to the rink. Pretty eventful drive to work actually which surprised me. Driving up the hill to the rink I came across a guy on a bike and a car in the middle of the street. I slowed down and rolled my window to make sure everything was okay. The kid of the bike tells me that he had just come across the car and that it was abandoned. I parked my car and proceeded to call campus police to get things taken care of. I checked out the car and the windows had been smashed out, it reeked of booze and oh yeah, there was a huge branch sticking out of the wheel well. I guess someone had too much to drink, missed the turn on to campus and went through the trees. Word of advice kids, DON'T FUCKING DRINK AND DRIVE!

Only better seat to watch the game is on the bench

   After my eventful morning the rest of the day went by pretty quickly. Had a pregame skate for the girls and the visiting guys. Did some laundry, watched some football, got soaked watching football, dried off and then it was game time...for the girls. I was busy trying to get things set for the guys so I sadly missed most of the girls game, but from what I did get to see they played very tough. They ended up taking the game to OT and came up just short falling 4-3. After the girls it was the guys time to play. The game didn't go as planned as they can do from time to time. I was kept pretty busy with lots of broken sticks and a puck that missed my face by an inch. After the game I cleaned up quickly and headed home to get what little sleep I could because I wasn't done for the weekend yet.

Sunday: Sunday was an easy day of sorts. I did a lot of laundry and a lot more laundry, and on top of that more laundry. The girls had their second game of the weekend and were able to swing the score in their favor for their first league win of the season. I was able to watch most of their game and it was a great way to relax after the crazy days prior. I've found I have become an awful fan of hockey now that I work in the sport, I can't just sit back and watch, I analyze. Sunday I was probably just too tired to think and watching was all I could muster. After the game I did more laundry and then pretty much had time to kick off my shoes and passed out as soon as I got home. All to wake up and start the week and prep for the next set of games.

Women's player lighting the lamp on Sunday

This week I hit the bus for the first real roadie of the year, we head down to Providence for 2 games. I'm excited to start league play for the guys, and catch up with my counterparts from other schools. I'm not looking forward to the 5+ hours on a cramped bus but such is life when your closest opponent is 3 hours south. I'll be sure to let you all know what fun adventures I get myself in and hopefully out of sometime next week.

The Mid-West Doesn't Suck

     If you couldn't figure it out from the title, first let me say I'm sorry you're an idiot, and secondly let me now share the adventures of Maine hockey as we participated in the College Hockey Inc. Ice Breaker Tournament.

How many Freshies can fit in a Jetta?

     We started off the trip at 4am boarding a bus that we loaded the night before. Now if you didn't know this hockey teams travel with a lot of stuff, and we are no different. We packed light for this trip in that we only had 40 bags of hockey equipment. The bus brought us from campus to the Bangor International Airport where we checked in and boarded our 6am flight to Washington DC. This first flight, like any out of Bangor was very cramped as we took up 35 of the 50 seats on the plane. I had a window seat towards the front which provided me with something I didn't expect. I had quite possibly the best view of the nation's capitol I could ever imagine. I'm bummed I didn't think quicker and take a picture but I was glued to the window. We came in just off the National Mall and from my cramped seat on the plane I could see the Capital, Washington Monument, Jefferson and Lincoln monuments and all of the museums surrounding the mall. It was pretty awesome to say the least. And to top it after switching planes on take off from DC I was able to get a good look at the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery.
     We touched down in KC, just after Noon Central, quickly loaded our bags on a van and headed towards the city. I was in the equipment van heading over to start my duties of unpacking and organizing the locker room for a practice later that day. Set up and practice went well and first impressions of the Sprint Center we everything I had heard of it before. It is a beautiful building, with great facilities for teams. We were in the "Home Basketball Suite" which consisted of a Head Coaches office and bathroom, Assistant Coaches office, locker room, bathroom, the team locker room with 21 beautiful wooden stalls, a large shower and bathroom, a full size training room, weight room, hydro therapy room, and to top it off a sauna and steam room (sadly it wasn't working)

Panorama of the locker room

     After practice it was off the dinner as a team, and what else would we get while in KC but BBQ. Let's just say the 3000 calorie plate that was given to each of us was interesting. I love food and had no problem pounding it down. The ribs were amazing, the brisket was fantastic, and the ham was the best I have ever had. Their sauce was tangy yet sweet and their beans were the perfect accent. I also think I was the only person on the trip that didn't complain about the meal.
     Friday was spent at the rink. We had a morning skate to get the guys moving, then while they were off in team meetings and meals at the hotel I went to work setting up for game time. I thought I did up a pretty good locker room for the guys and I could tell by the expressions on the faces of the freshman that they agreed. Sadly it wasn't enough to get the guys a win as we fell to Notre Dame 1-0 in the tournament opener. We had our chances but couldn't put the puck in the net, but such is the game. I stayed and watched some of game 2 (Nebraska Omaha/ Army) and set things up for Saturday so that I could sleep in a bit the next morning.
     Saturday proved to be a new day in many aspects. I woke up and rather than going to breakfast with the team I headed out on my own to take in the city a bit. Pretty much I just walked a different route to the rink than I had done the days before. Knowing that I had some time to kill I also took a tour of the National College Basketball Hall of Fame that was actually attached to the Sprint Center. I was disappointed in the fact that there really was no hall of fame. It was one small room with lighted glass plaques. The rest of the building was filled with basketball courts and annoying kids trying to dunk and beat each other up. It was a good waste of a half hour, just not worth the 12 bucks. The game Saturday prooved to be much better than Friday as we beat Army for the first win of the season. We ended up winning 4-3 and put 55 shots on net. I guess they say getting the first win is always the hardest so lets hope things continue from here.
     Sunday we got to start the return trip at 4am again and we landed in Bangor around 3pm after a layover in Philly which consisted of me eating way too much and then being hyper on the flight home. Once back on campus I had the lucky task of washing all the laundry which kept me rather busy for the next 8 hours. Then it was time to finally head home and pass out... that is after I unpacked my own stuff.
      So there you have it, the overly drawn out recap of my weekend in KC. This next weekend is homecoming, the men play St. Lawerence Friday and Saturday and the Women play UConn Saturday and Sunday, we also have women's soccer, football, and field hockey, so it will be one crazy weekend. Thanks for reading and if you did make it this far congratulations, you just wasted 10 minutes of your life that you can never get back!

Ready or Not Here We Go

Women's Home Opener 4-0 Win!

     There are a few things in life that are certain, death, taxes and another season of college hockey. It doesn't matter if the players, coaches, staff, fans, or arenas are ready the season will come. Summer always seems too short this time of year and many are left to think about how we could have prepared better for puck drop, I'm no different. This past summer I was on the phones and emails just about every day getting things set for the athletes return in September. No matter how set you think you will be though and no matter how many deadlines for orders you were early on things will always become a cluster fuck in the end, this year has been no different. But hey at least my new order of gloves did arrive, less than 24 hours before game time. Plenty of time to have them broken in and comfortable for the players...NOT! Oh well, I don't wear them, that would be way too annoying trying to sharpen skates without the use of my thumbs.
     The men opened the 2012-2013 campaign this past Saturday (girls started last weekend but only an exhibition.) The men played ECAC foe Quinnipiac University. Lucky for me the team arrived in town Friday around 8pm unlike our normal 11-12pm arrival times during league play. That set me up for a great Saturday morning where I was able to come to work after getting a full nights sleep. Game day prep is what I consider ordered chaos. There is always something going on during the day running up to puck drop. Usually for home games I start things off with a stop at Tim Hortons for coffee and donuts and then a round of skate sharpening. I can tell you all find this very interesting. The teams will both have an hour of ice to loosen up the legs and get the heart pumping, sometimes I think it's more just to get the guys out of bed and off the couch which is not a bad thing. Once our guys take off from whatever meetings and meals they have and the locker room is empty it's really my time to get moving. My staff (all student workers and volunteers) and myself will work to clean and organize the locker room, set up whatever items are needed on the benches and pretty much get everything ready for the players so all they have to do is show up and play the game.
     It might sound strange but during the game I usually sit back and catch my breath. There is little that I can or need to do as long as I am fully prepared before the game starts. On the bench I will hunker down in the corner next to my array of players back up sticks and try my best to actually watch the game. It's not easy to see around a backup goalie in full pads so most of my game viewing is on the jumbo-tron. If something does break I'm still limited in what I can actually do without getting off the ice. Time is essential for the players as they don't want to and often can't afford to miss shifts so I do tend to stay on my toes to hand out sticks when needed and to fix the lost skate edge or helmet screw.

First Career Goal Celebration

    Anyway, now that you are all bored here is what happened in the games. Saturday we ended up losing to Q'pac 2-1. The boys played well, we were really flying out there on the ice, just couldn't put the puck in the net. The one highlight did come early though as one of our freshman scored his first career goal, off an assist from his older brother.
     Sunday was much the same for me, we played the University of New Brunswick and ended up tying 2-2. I gave my student assistant a shot at taking the game and I watched from just off the ice in case I was needed. I think it was a good experience for him and something he will get to do many more times this year. It was fun for me too, I got to take a breather for a few hours which does not happen often in the season.

Behind the Visitor's Net

  Now it's on to the next set of games, and our first roadie. Thursday at 4am we fly out to Kansas City MO for a two game weekend. First off we play Notre Dame who next year joins our conference and Saturday we play either the University of Nebraska Omaha or the US Military Academy. I'm thinking all the time on planes this week will warrant a second post so stay tuned for more fun and exciting times from ITER.

Setup of Men's Locker Room

Life is all about me...or at least this entry

     So here we have it, the first of what might be a few or many posts from inside the equipment room. This is all very new to me so I hope you are all strapped in and ready for the ride. I'm no writer, not even close, since leaving college the extent of my writing have been orders of equipment, and emails plainly stating "Where the fuck are my orders?"I want to use this blog as a way of sharing my experiences in working for a Division I college hockey team.I wont come out and tell you what team I work for but I promise you will be able to figure it out sooner or late, you will just have to keep reading. I know it's a mean trick but I have to keep you coming back for me. I've been in the industry for a few years now, starting as a student volunteer and then jumping around a few schools before I was able to land my dream position. That's all I'll say about me and now on to the fun stuff.

Meet my co-worker, we share an of

    Now let's see what to say about what exactly my job is? I guess the best place to start is with the title, Equipment Manager. I'm in charge of every aspect of the equipment operations for the men's and women's teams here on campus. That means I do everything from ordering, organizing, repairing, selling and cleaning every piece of equipment that the teams use both on and off the ice. I sharpen skates, patch gloves, sew jerseys, put cages on helmets and oh so much more. Unlike a lot of college facilities I'm equipped with everything I need to repair and maintain every piece of equipment we use. And then there is the fun part of the job, the laundry. Two huge machines do all my washing and drying for me but lucky me I push those buttons. There's also a lot more to my job than just hockey stuff though. I act as middle man between coaches and players, and sounding board for whoever walks through my doors. It's part mediator, psychiatrist, secretary, friend, enemy and lastly comes the equipment aspect.

It's always your co-workers that make the job great

     Every day there is something new and it's never boring. I guess it doesn't hurt too all the free stuff that I get from different companies. I think the best part of this job though are the people. I have been lucky in my short career to work around and become friends with some of the top hockey players in the game at both the college and pro levels. Summers with a locker room full of alums who now grace NHL rosters are always a plus, especially when they pick up lunch.
     So that's the job in a nut shell, I'm sure you're all bored stiff but in case you made it this far I promise next entry will be more interesting. We will have had the first weekend of the men's season under our belts and hopefully come away with a few wins. I'll be sure to include some pictures and a full insight on what it's like to watch a game from the best seat in any arena if I can see past the backup goalie. So until next time aim for bar down.