Do you ever look at a certain situation and wish it had turned out differently? I'm sure we all experience this on a regular basis. The key is trying not to dwell on it too much, forget about it and move on. Well our loss the other night to Gap is still stinging. It wasn't one of those close games that just happened to go the other way on a fluke play. This was a game where we were not into from the beginning.
We got scored on 12 seconds into the game, then a few shifts later and that was pretty much all she wrote! We ended up losing 7-3 and just feeling like shit. For a while we had been struggling to score goals, but for even longer we have been struggling to keep them out of our net. Every game we are allowing around 6 goals. Mostly on our own mistakes, turnovers, giveaways and countless 2 on 1s or breakaways.
How can we stop the bleeding? Well indirectly I believe that if we score the first goal and play some of the game with a lead, our defensive instincts will kick in. I am hoping that Tuesday's home game against Strasbourg can be that game.
I am not sure what tonight's practice has in store for us, but considering the way we played on the road Saturday night, I am thinking it will involve.........skating? Bag skate or not, we are all just eager to get back on the ice and put our loss to Gap behind us and start focusing on our game tomorrow.
It feels like we are in a slump right now but to be in a slump, you have to have previously been at a higher point, from which you have dropped down from...... So far our highest point was beating a Division 1 team, so we can't really call this being in a slump. Our team is too strong for this to continue, we will prevail, we will battle our way out of this and we will surprise everybody when we pull out a huge victory on an unsuspecting opponent.
Let's get things started the right way with a win tomorrow night in Coupe de la Ligue action, then follow it up with another one Saturday night. It is not going to be pretty, but we will get this done!!!
Monday, 26 September 2011
Monday, 19 September 2011
We're Back
Ok everyone, we are back in action, now in Pro Hockey France year 5!!!!
This is incredible how fast these years have gone by, I can't believe I am already in my 5th year of Professional hockey or should I say 5th year living the dream!
So let's get right to it, we played our Home Opener last Saturday at our new rink here in Epinal, the building was packed, it was a great atmosphere, but......we lost 6-1. Ya, so on the hockey side of things, our team is a little behind in our preparations, we didn't get started until August 16th and with the new rink, there were a few technical things that interfered. No excuses though.
We have another game at home tomorrow against Dijon in Coupe de la Ligue action. I feel that this game can be a stepping stone for us and a game that can give us some much needed confidence as we head to Marseille on Saturday to take on Gap. They are currently playing out of the new rink in Marseille because of renovations being done at their home rink in Gap.
Instead of yoga this morning, we took advantage of some free ice and had a practice. I think the more we hit the ice, the better right now. We really need to start executing and getting sharp out there. More crisp passes, better decisions and scoring on our opportunities. This will all come and everyone is working towards making this happen, so with a solid game tomorrow night, it should send us on the right pathway!
Thanks for reading, check back soon
This is incredible how fast these years have gone by, I can't believe I am already in my 5th year of Professional hockey or should I say 5th year living the dream!
So let's get right to it, we played our Home Opener last Saturday at our new rink here in Epinal, the building was packed, it was a great atmosphere, but......we lost 6-1. Ya, so on the hockey side of things, our team is a little behind in our preparations, we didn't get started until August 16th and with the new rink, there were a few technical things that interfered. No excuses though.
We have another game at home tomorrow against Dijon in Coupe de la Ligue action. I feel that this game can be a stepping stone for us and a game that can give us some much needed confidence as we head to Marseille on Saturday to take on Gap. They are currently playing out of the new rink in Marseille because of renovations being done at their home rink in Gap.
Instead of yoga this morning, we took advantage of some free ice and had a practice. I think the more we hit the ice, the better right now. We really need to start executing and getting sharp out there. More crisp passes, better decisions and scoring on our opportunities. This will all come and everyone is working towards making this happen, so with a solid game tomorrow night, it should send us on the right pathway!
Thanks for reading, check back soon
Monday, 28 March 2011
The Lighter Side
Hello everyone, firstly I would just like to thank everyone for the great feedback I got from my previous entry "The Dream." For those of you who took a few minutes of your time to read it then send me emails, I read everyone of them and really appreciate your stories too!
Ok, so what have I been doing at the start of this off season? Well I am going to change things up today and not talk about hockey at all. Usually I am giving details on a previous game or talking about how bad some of the rinks are in France or pouring out an emotional blog about how much I love being a hockey player....Here I go again talking about hockey......Stop!
Ok, today I am going to write about what I did this weekend
Alright, so Friday morning I woke up and the first thing I did was check tsn.ca to see the Habs got destroyed by the Bruins 7-0, very upsetting news.... Look how pathetic I am, I can't avoid hockey, it is my driving force, I have no control over what I am typing....
Right, ok so Friday night my lovely French girlfriend Marion and I went to see a few of her cousins in Mulhouse about 85km away, but this includes many little towns and lots of 50km/hour speed limits, so it took a little while to get there. Once we arrived, we were greeted with the standard kiss on each cheek. I threw out a right hand for a manly handshake but was told in French "We are not gay, you are family." Ok so kiss away! After the uncomfortable arrival, I was given a beer and quickly felt more relaxed :) We had a great night, we made Flammenkuche which is a specialty from the Alsace region where we were and resembles a pizza but with no tomoato sauce and made on a wrap. The key ingredients were the cream and the onions ;) After eating a few of those, the night was winding down and I stayed up with Marion's two cousins Philippe and Renaud to taste some of his Armagnac, which is a type of Brandy from the Southwest of France and distilled from wine and aged in oak barrels.
That lasted until close to 5am. Then we woke up to fresh croissants and baguettes. The North American inside me was craving bacon and eggs but "when in Rome" right?
The next night we had a costume party for Marion's friend Marie. This had been planned for over a month now and Marion was putting the pressure on me to get my act together and come up with a costume. She was an 80s aerobics instructor and I was Elvis.
We both had a great time this weekend and taking advantage of it now is key because during the season and even late in the off season, this abuse on my body can't be the best LOL! I forgot how much I love Pringles though.
I hope everyone likes the picture of Marion and I, out of the 25 people there, we were easily in the top 5 best costumes, but that's what years of celebrating Halloween in North American does for you!
Ok, so what have I been doing at the start of this off season? Well I am going to change things up today and not talk about hockey at all. Usually I am giving details on a previous game or talking about how bad some of the rinks are in France or pouring out an emotional blog about how much I love being a hockey player....Here I go again talking about hockey......Stop!
Ok, today I am going to write about what I did this weekend
Alright, so Friday morning I woke up and the first thing I did was check tsn.ca to see the Habs got destroyed by the Bruins 7-0, very upsetting news.... Look how pathetic I am, I can't avoid hockey, it is my driving force, I have no control over what I am typing....
Right, ok so Friday night my lovely French girlfriend Marion and I went to see a few of her cousins in Mulhouse about 85km away, but this includes many little towns and lots of 50km/hour speed limits, so it took a little while to get there. Once we arrived, we were greeted with the standard kiss on each cheek. I threw out a right hand for a manly handshake but was told in French "We are not gay, you are family." Ok so kiss away! After the uncomfortable arrival, I was given a beer and quickly felt more relaxed :) We had a great night, we made Flammenkuche which is a specialty from the Alsace region where we were and resembles a pizza but with no tomoato sauce and made on a wrap. The key ingredients were the cream and the onions ;) After eating a few of those, the night was winding down and I stayed up with Marion's two cousins Philippe and Renaud to taste some of his Armagnac, which is a type of Brandy from the Southwest of France and distilled from wine and aged in oak barrels.
That lasted until close to 5am. Then we woke up to fresh croissants and baguettes. The North American inside me was craving bacon and eggs but "when in Rome" right?
The next night we had a costume party for Marion's friend Marie. This had been planned for over a month now and Marion was putting the pressure on me to get my act together and come up with a costume. She was an 80s aerobics instructor and I was Elvis.
We both had a great time this weekend and taking advantage of it now is key because during the season and even late in the off season, this abuse on my body can't be the best LOL! I forgot how much I love Pringles though.
I hope everyone likes the picture of Marion and I, out of the 25 people there, we were easily in the top 5 best costumes, but that's what years of celebrating Halloween in North American does for you!
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
The Dream
A few weeks ago my dad sent me an email titled "The Dream." At first I was not sure what it was but as soon as I opened the attached picture it was clear. I had not seen these drawing in so long and had basically forgotten about it....
In my father's office at the University of Windsor, hangs a framed drawing I did back in around 1993, the same year the Canadiens won the cup! Back then, I was very much into drawing hockey players, especially goalies. I would always start with either their mask or their blocker and go from there. But one day in front of Hockey Night in Canada I drew something different.
What I drew was actually a description of what I did every night; I would dream I was a Pro hockey player, scoring goals, winning championships etc...
I think every young kid who has a passion for hockey dreams of being a professional hockey player at some point in their life and for me it was no different. Growing up with an older brother playing travel hockey and a father who worshiped Maurice Rocket Richard, it was from about the age of 3 that I wanted to be a hockey player for a living. It just seemed like the perfect job, so from that point on I dreamt of just playing hockey. It wasn't that I wanted to avoid working in the real world from 9-5, it was just that I loved hockey and that is all I wanted to do.
Over the years that followed, nobody would have predicted that I would be earning my living as a professional hockey player, not even my brothers, especially my brothers hahaha. The fact is, I was not very good. Though the year I drew that picture I was actually voted "Most Exciting Player" for my league. What league you ask? Tier II house league in Windsor.
I was cut from AAA (obviously), then cut from A, then assigned to a team in Teir I house league. I played 1 game and was then cut from that and dropped down to the lowest possible level for my age, anything lower I would have been playing in a road hockey league. But I did win "most exciting." :)
So to fast track, I finally made a travel team, then got a bit better, I made a junior hockey team, was drafted to the OHL in the14th round, 293rd overall (at least I was drafted right?) Then I played up and down with Jr. B and the OHL, until settling in at the University of British Columbia for 4 years. Faced with many different challenges, my dream was still clear.
Seeing this drawing now is pretty cool. It is like I could see the future back then around the age of 11. Wearing the number 88 in the drawing was most likely for Eric Lindros, my favourite player at the time. Though some may contest that I wore number 88 because unconsciously I knew that I would be playing Pro Hockey in Epinal, France where the city postal code is 88 000 or perhaps it is because my French girlfriend who is from Epinal was born in '88???
This is my 4th season in France and my 3rd in Epinal. The French league is nowhere close to the NHL but it is a good league in Europe and just perfect for me. The feeling really sets in when I am asked what I do for a living....Occupation: Pro Hockey Player!
That is just how I envisioned things as a young boy in Windsor, Ontario watching Hockey Night in Canada.
The dream lives on....
In my father's office at the University of Windsor, hangs a framed drawing I did back in around 1993, the same year the Canadiens won the cup! Back then, I was very much into drawing hockey players, especially goalies. I would always start with either their mask or their blocker and go from there. But one day in front of Hockey Night in Canada I drew something different.
What I drew was actually a description of what I did every night; I would dream I was a Pro hockey player, scoring goals, winning championships etc...
I think every young kid who has a passion for hockey dreams of being a professional hockey player at some point in their life and for me it was no different. Growing up with an older brother playing travel hockey and a father who worshiped Maurice Rocket Richard, it was from about the age of 3 that I wanted to be a hockey player for a living. It just seemed like the perfect job, so from that point on I dreamt of just playing hockey. It wasn't that I wanted to avoid working in the real world from 9-5, it was just that I loved hockey and that is all I wanted to do.Over the years that followed, nobody would have predicted that I would be earning my living as a professional hockey player, not even my brothers, especially my brothers hahaha. The fact is, I was not very good. Though the year I drew that picture I was actually voted "Most Exciting Player" for my league. What league you ask? Tier II house league in Windsor.
I was cut from AAA (obviously), then cut from A, then assigned to a team in Teir I house league. I played 1 game and was then cut from that and dropped down to the lowest possible level for my age, anything lower I would have been playing in a road hockey league. But I did win "most exciting." :)
So to fast track, I finally made a travel team, then got a bit better, I made a junior hockey team, was drafted to the OHL in the14th round, 293rd overall (at least I was drafted right?) Then I played up and down with Jr. B and the OHL, until settling in at the University of British Columbia for 4 years. Faced with many different challenges, my dream was still clear.
Seeing this drawing now is pretty cool. It is like I could see the future back then around the age of 11. Wearing the number 88 in the drawing was most likely for Eric Lindros, my favourite player at the time. Though some may contest that I wore number 88 because unconsciously I knew that I would be playing Pro Hockey in Epinal, France where the city postal code is 88 000 or perhaps it is because my French girlfriend who is from Epinal was born in '88???
This is my 4th season in France and my 3rd in Epinal. The French league is nowhere close to the NHL but it is a good league in Europe and just perfect for me. The feeling really sets in when I am asked what I do for a living....Occupation: Pro Hockey Player!
That is just how I envisioned things as a young boy in Windsor, Ontario watching Hockey Night in Canada.
The dream lives on....
Monday, 7 March 2011
Season is over, now what/where?
Well, another season has come and gone, this one was probably one to forget, at least on a personal note. With the complications after the operation this summer, I did not start playing until late November, and for the next two months I was playing on 1 leg. It was a tough season but I wanted to contribute in whatever way I could and though I was not at 100% until the end of January, it was still important to be out there with the guys to battle each night.
With the playoff format for the first round best of 3 series starting on the road for the higher seeded team, it does not really give you that "home ice advantage" that you get in the second round (first 2 games at home). So we started off in Strasbourg and lost the first game 4-1, then came home for games Friday and Saturday. After trailing 2-0 with 10 minutes remaining in the 3rd period of Friday's game, we made a dramatic comeback to win 3-2 with just over a minute left to play.
The same could not be said for Saturday night, where we quickly went down 2 goals in the first period. Then with 2 minutes left in the first period, the referees decided to stop the game to repair a hole in the ice. Flash back a few weeks ago, our game was canceled before the 3rd period due to a huge hole in the ice, and it was replayed in the Alpes. After sitting in the dressing room for almost two hours, we were told that we would be continuing the game. We started around 10:30pm and the game ended around midnight with a 2-0 loss.
There were not too many scoring chances after starting up the game again, most guys were hungry and mentally shut off after the near two hour delay.
Now that we are done, it is time to think about next season. What kind of adventure will I be embarking on for 2011-2012?
I wanted to give an update and next time I will recap my return to Briancon for our last regular season game.
With the playoff format for the first round best of 3 series starting on the road for the higher seeded team, it does not really give you that "home ice advantage" that you get in the second round (first 2 games at home). So we started off in Strasbourg and lost the first game 4-1, then came home for games Friday and Saturday. After trailing 2-0 with 10 minutes remaining in the 3rd period of Friday's game, we made a dramatic comeback to win 3-2 with just over a minute left to play.
The same could not be said for Saturday night, where we quickly went down 2 goals in the first period. Then with 2 minutes left in the first period, the referees decided to stop the game to repair a hole in the ice. Flash back a few weeks ago, our game was canceled before the 3rd period due to a huge hole in the ice, and it was replayed in the Alpes. After sitting in the dressing room for almost two hours, we were told that we would be continuing the game. We started around 10:30pm and the game ended around midnight with a 2-0 loss.
There were not too many scoring chances after starting up the game again, most guys were hungry and mentally shut off after the near two hour delay.
Now that we are done, it is time to think about next season. What kind of adventure will I be embarking on for 2011-2012?
I wanted to give an update and next time I will recap my return to Briancon for our last regular season game.
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Pedal to the Metal!
The break is finally coming to an end soon. We get back to action on Friday night at home, against Grenoble after a 2 week break in the schedule. Everyone is looking forward to getting back into game action but with 4 games in just over a week, I'm sure the fatigue factor will be setting in quickly.
Normally we only play 1 or 2 games per week in France, but for some reason, we play Friday, Sunday, Tuesday and then Saturday to close out the season. With playoffs starting 2 days later on the Tuesday. I am not sure why the schedule is set up this way, as teams get used to playing 1 or 2 games per week, then when the playoffs hit, we could play 5 games in a week.
Either way, it is going to be an exciting month at full speed! The best part about this would be to get into a good rhythm and just ride that momentum through the playoffs. We have a very good team and if we can stay healthy and play our best, we will be a very dangerous team to face in a 5 game series.
Stay tuned.....
Normally we only play 1 or 2 games per week in France, but for some reason, we play Friday, Sunday, Tuesday and then Saturday to close out the season. With playoffs starting 2 days later on the Tuesday. I am not sure why the schedule is set up this way, as teams get used to playing 1 or 2 games per week, then when the playoffs hit, we could play 5 games in a week.
Either way, it is going to be an exciting month at full speed! The best part about this would be to get into a good rhythm and just ride that momentum through the playoffs. We have a very good team and if we can stay healthy and play our best, we will be a very dangerous team to face in a 5 game series.
Stay tuned.....
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Allons Enfants de la Patrie....
Allons Enfants de la Patrie.....Le jour de gloire est arrivé....
That is the first part of the Marseillaise (French National Anthem), so it is fitting to start off this blog post with that because last Friday I received my French Passport! It was a very exciting day because since being informed that I have become a French citizen on June 22nd 2010, I have been waiting patiently for my official documents.
Back to la Marseillaise.... I felt it was important to learn the French anthem so on my flight over to France with my girlfriend Marion, we spent a good part of our 12 hour flight from Vancouver singing together. Line after line it would go until Marion was just so exhausted with the sound of my voice, she put on her headphones and watched a movie as I continued writing out the lines in the song and going over it again and again.
By the time we landed in Paris (and for the next 3 weeks) that is the only song I had in my head.
When I received that call from La Mairie on Friday morning that my passport had arrived, I simply said "J'arrive!" (I'm on my way)
When I arrived, there was nobody there so I went right in, signed a few documents, they took my fingerprints because this is a Biometric passport, then it was official! Right after that, being in the French spirit, I went to my favourite Boulangerie where they have the best "pain au chocolat" in the world and amazing "croissants" too. After grabbing 2 of each, I parked the car in the Centre Ville and walked up to the Castle. From the top of the Castle you can see the entire city of Epinal, so I sat up there and took 45 minutes to just appreciate my French Nationality and eat my treats from la boulangerie. During that time, I just looked back upon my arrival in France and thought about how far I had come and how many people helped me get to this day. It was almost 4 years earlier that I sat in that very spot thinking "holy crap, I am in France playing hockey....what an adventure"
It feels real now that I have my actual documentation, but the day I get to use my passport in the European Union line at the airport is that day that I believe it will really sink in. No more big long lineups hahaha.
That is the first part of the Marseillaise (French National Anthem), so it is fitting to start off this blog post with that because last Friday I received my French Passport! It was a very exciting day because since being informed that I have become a French citizen on June 22nd 2010, I have been waiting patiently for my official documents.
Back to la Marseillaise.... I felt it was important to learn the French anthem so on my flight over to France with my girlfriend Marion, we spent a good part of our 12 hour flight from Vancouver singing together. Line after line it would go until Marion was just so exhausted with the sound of my voice, she put on her headphones and watched a movie as I continued writing out the lines in the song and going over it again and again.
By the time we landed in Paris (and for the next 3 weeks) that is the only song I had in my head.
When I received that call from La Mairie on Friday morning that my passport had arrived, I simply said "J'arrive!" (I'm on my way)
When I arrived, there was nobody there so I went right in, signed a few documents, they took my fingerprints because this is a Biometric passport, then it was official! Right after that, being in the French spirit, I went to my favourite Boulangerie where they have the best "pain au chocolat" in the world and amazing "croissants" too. After grabbing 2 of each, I parked the car in the Centre Ville and walked up to the Castle. From the top of the Castle you can see the entire city of Epinal, so I sat up there and took 45 minutes to just appreciate my French Nationality and eat my treats from la boulangerie. During that time, I just looked back upon my arrival in France and thought about how far I had come and how many people helped me get to this day. It was almost 4 years earlier that I sat in that very spot thinking "holy crap, I am in France playing hockey....what an adventure"
It feels real now that I have my actual documentation, but the day I get to use my passport in the European Union line at the airport is that day that I believe it will really sink in. No more big long lineups hahaha.
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