I've said before that I’m a huge hockey fan. Now, I know that being a Leafs fan opens me up to many jokes: “That’s like being a music fan and saying Nickelback is your favourite band”*….well, c’mon, it’s not that bad! Having said that, it is true: I love hockey! Which is why, when given the opportunity to play Spring Pick-up for 8 weeks, I jumped at it like a cougar on a young man at the 20/20…there’s only one problem: (unlike the cougar) its been a while.
Before last night, I hadn’t played a game of hockey since Killarney Cup 2009 (that’d be February); before that I hadn’t played since Killarney Cup 2008. Even with the Killarney Cup, I haven’t played in full gear for at least two years…possibly a bit more. As I found out: that’s a long time.
Now, you could say playing the game is kinda like riding a bike; you never forget. Well, that may be true; as a fan of the game, the general rules, and positions are certainly ingrained in the mind. In fact, the way to put on the equipment, do stretches and take shots or feed passes all comes back instantly. The problem is skating. Playing hockey is kinda like riding a bike, if the bike you’re riding is a stationary on the hardest possible resistance.
As I stepped onto the ice last night, the first time in full gear in over two years, I was confident. I mean, I go to the gym regularly, where I jog on a treadmill** for extended periods of time. ( I can’t help but think of Anchorman with that sentence) So, you’d think that the opportunity to take a break on the bench every couple of minutes would make playing the game a cinch; right? Yeah; not so much.
As I jumped the boards for my first shift, I felt my legs tense up as they, seemingly, spawned about fifty pounds each. It was a mess. When I reached the bench for my first break, I tried to catch my breath, except my breath had left me so long ago, that catching it was never a possibility…it remained that way until the rest of the guys finally slowed down (which occurred about 50 mins into an hour ice-time), making me feel as though I was finally starting to get some wind. I have seven more weeks. Can I borrow your puffer?
*Standard Nickelback slam, which is bound to be a recurring feature of this blog…
**Hockey & Treadmills don’t mix...
No comments:
Post a Comment