Category Archives: Uncategorized

The introduction of a second Legacy team meant that we were able to keep both of our goalies. It meant that we could have people play with and against players that were geared more towards their particular skill level, and most importantly, it meant that we had the opportunity to play with literally everyone we knew (including but not limited to one Sir Daniel Sebastian Pickens the 3rd. Okay, I know that’s not his middle name, and I know he’s not the third, but wouldn’t it be awesome if it/he was?)

All at once, everything began to fall in place. The jerseys were ordered. The rosters were set, and after talking to the new hockey director, we got our practice slots set up. Well, we got our practice slot. Yes, slot as in singular, as in one practice slot.

Odd, right?

In the past, Skate Zone has always designated each team with one full sheet practice prior to the start of the season. For some reason, I thought since I was bringing in two teams, that I should be designated, well, one plus one, carry the one, equals, uh, what’s that number? Oh! Yeah. It’s two. I didn’t think that the math was that difficult, but apparently it was to the Skate Zone’s new hockey director, Wayne. When I told him I was bringing in two teams, I thought we should get two practice slots. I know, it sounds a bit ludicrous really, and quite a bit selfish, but I thought maybe because it was highlighted in the brochure that each team got it’s own practice slot, that we should get a practice slot for each team. But then again, why would I realistically expect to receive what I was paying $11,000 for? If the tension between Wayne and myself isn’t evident yet, I can assure you that you might see it a bit later. You have to read between the lines a little bit. You know, because I’m a writer and and there are metaphors and stuff, but trust me, it will be there.

In October of 2010, our 26 game season that would extend through May of the following year began. It’s kind of silly to compare men’s league to professional sports, but in some ways it isn’t all that far off. Long seasons mean that a lot can happen, and trust me when I say that a lot does happen. Injuries keep people off of the ice for entire seasons, egos grow (…and grow, and grow, and grow), rivalries against other teams develop, and different players ride hot streaks to keep the team at the top of the standings (and that’s exactly where we were).

Looking back, I believe that the biggest reason that we were successful as a team is because we were organized. A day or two before every game, I would send out a mass message to find out who was (and wasn’t) going to be at that particular game. From there, I would map out lines and have them ready for each game. At this point, I had played with everyone long enough to know individual strengths and weaknesses. I knew which players were better passers and which were better goal scorers. I knew which players could carry a line, and which ones could be a liability at times. I knew which players worked well together, and could build and sustain chemistry. For example, Mike Benezet often found himself planted just above the blue line in the defensive zone, so I would do my best to pair him with someone like Carl Trainer, someone with a defensive mindset that could put the puck on anyone’s tape, from just about anywhere on the ice.

I had a game plan for Legacy, and it worked. We were winning games, and we were having fun.

In the middle of the season, we were approached by the Ice Devils to play against them at the Wells Fargo Center after a Flyers game. Without asking any questions (or any of my teammates), I agreed. Afterwards, I brought it up to the team, and naturally, everyone was absolutely stoked. We were beyond excited to be able to play on the same ice as the Flyers. However, there was a catch. We had to sell 100 tickets to the Flyers game. Not so bad, right? Right. But there was another catch (there’s always another catch). We had to raise $4,000 in less than a week to pay for the tickets.

So, I did what any responsible college student would do, I charged it.

Fortunately for me, it worked out. We sold the tickets with no problem, and we were on our way to play at the Wells Fargo.

The game against the Ice Devils was much more intense than it should have been. Overall, we didn’t play like a team and it showed. The Ice Devils were a team that we had never lost to in the three years we had played them. Honestly, most of the games weren’t even close. Not even a little bit. However, at the Wells Fargo the game ended in a 3-3 tie (at least we didn’t lose, right?). Either way, it was fun. It was a once in a life time experience that Kent Miller and Andrew Weiss immortalized for us. I literally cannot thank them enough for the photography they did that game (and the shots they will do for us at the Winter Classic on Sunday, January 8th).

Oh.

P.S.

By once in a lifetime, what I really meant was an experience that we would relive roughly a month later when Legacy would take over the Wells Fargo Center.

I just got an email from Amazon.com that is titled, “Amazon Student: New Year, New You”.

It doesn’t really send a special message. In all honesty, it’s about as basic as can be, not to mention tacky and cliche, but at the same time, it was kind of perfect.

Why, you ask?

Great question (and if you didn’t ask it, please continue reading anyway. No seriously, please, keep reading. I keep checking Google Analytics to see how many people come to my page, and how long an average visit lasts. Consider this an experiment of how long I can keep your interest in a single parenthetical. Okay, I’m done).

It was special because right before I got that email, I started this blog. I kept writing different introductions. I kept trying to find the words that I wanted to say, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t get anything right. The words came out wrong. Everything sounded off, or impersonal. I just couldn’t find the words to express what I wanted to say. The only thing that I knew was that I wanted to write a blog about the changes that a new year brings. I wanted to find a way to write about New Years Resolutions, and how they fit into our society. I know, it’s cliche. It’s overdone. Not to mention, it’s late. I mean seriously, it’s the third already, but that’s not the point.

The point is I have never made a serious attempt at a New Years Resolution. Personally, I think they are a bit silly and an overall commercial attempt at getting you to fall into the pits that society creates. By that, I mostly mean that they want you to join a gym. Well, not always, but it seems like they embed that as a message in every ounce of the media. It’s like,  overweight? Get to the gym. Underweight? Get to the gym. Eat an Oreo? Get to the gym (but only so that you can burn off the calories that you consume while eating Oreos, so that you can buy more Oreos, so that you can get to the gym and burn off those calories, so that you can consume more Oreos. Yes, they are delicious. I know. I can’t help myself either, but their deliciousness alone is not why they want you to buy them. They want you to buy them because they make money off of both the Oreos and the gym memberships. It’s a cruel, cruel world. Delicious, but cruel).

However, this year, I kind of want to fall into that pit. A part of me wants to allow myself to embrace the change that a new year brings, which sounds kind of silly. (No, I’m not getting a gym membership. I had one prior to the new year, but I’m probably going to avoid it for a while to avoid the Oreo eaters, at least until February when they stop using the gym and return to their full time Oreo consumption). I mean, why do we wait until a new year to change something about ourselves? Does writing 2011, and then scratching it out/erasing it/backspacing a lot of times before rewriting 2012 really make a difference? The only real difference is that halfway through the year, we will finally start writing the year out correctly, and then half a year later, we’re going to do the same thing all over again. Doesn’t that mimic our lifestyles in so many ways? I mean, is January 1st really any different than December 31st?

The only real difference between the the two days are the differences that we, as a society, associate with it.

But you know what? I think that that’s okay.

I think that we could all use a little bit of change in our lives. I think that we could all be a little bit happier, or healthier. I think that in some ways, we could all use the change that a new year brings, because a new year brings a new us and sometimes we all need that little push to get there.

And that is what the end of one year and the beginning of the next brings. It brings us an opportunity to reflect upon ourselves. It gives us the chance to look back at the person we were for the past year, and it gives us a chance to change that person. Consider the end of each year a check point. Consider it an opportunity to start over. If you’re not happy, get happy. If you’re not healthy, get healthy. If you’re not eating enough Oreos, eat more Oreos.

I know this sounds preachy, but you only live once, and we deserve what we want out of life, but don’t expect it to be handed to you. You have to be the change that you want to see you in yourself.

This year, my resolution is to write more. Sure, that means that I’m going to write useless anecdotes about my hockey team that no one cares about. It means that I’m going to write about television shows and movies that I love (or hate). It means that I’m going to write about the mistakes that I have made in the past. It means that I’m going to write about a little bit of everything. It means that maybe, just maybe, I might actually finish something that I start.

And who knows, maybe that means I might be happy.

What about you? What are your New Years Resolutions? What are you doing to be the change that you want to see in yourself?

Feel free to comment below!