CJ Boiss

Given what's happening in Alberta right now, not really. Today, we almost doubled our previous record for new daily cases of COVID with ~4,500, and Hinshaw said we're probably only finding 1 in every 6. Our positive testing rate is over 33%, and I saw one estimate put our actual new daily cases at over 20,000.

There was no bubble. Yes, all the teams were trying to isolate in their hotel rooms and such, but there was no bubble that all the players and staff were in. The hotel with the American and Swedish teams hosted a wedding party.

It's supposed to be used in the back. Pull the trigger, wiggle that little tool into the rear, and the blade hinges out.

Hot swapping mid-game can be difficulty; ice/snow/water on the blades, and such. Tool makes it easier.

What part of "lots of goalies" made you think I said "no goalies"?

Lots of goalies don't wear danglers or neck guards either, but we still have rules against kicking pucks into the net.

We accept danger as a precondition of playing, yes, but "guys swinging sticks literally around our heads when they're behind us" still isn't a danger we should have to deal with. Anyways, the "spectacular/unusual/rarity" argument could've been made to ban the Datsyuk and Forsberg dekes. Could be made to ban the Kucherov deke. Could be made to ban a lot of moves and plays that are iconic. Banning something because of its novelty seems far weaker, to me, than banning something because of its potential for danger.

I still don't like the idea of not allowing players to do anything with the puck if they lift it off the ice. Require them to be stationary, sure. Automatically disallow any goals if they contact the goalie's head with their stick while attempting a Michigan, definitely. But disallowing stuff like the Zegras pass? No sir. That was electric, an amazing play, and if guys can pull that off they fuckin' deserve to. To me, this begins and ends as a goaltender safety issue. If guys keep trying the Michigan then someone, probably a goalie, is going to get a stick in the eye. Not allowing guys to skate with the puck in the air on their stick, and disincentivizing trying to tuck it top corner past the goalie's head, would solve that.

The game is a lot faster than it used to be. Even the speediest defencemen will get burned if they try to play man-to-man all the time. Doesn't mean they shouldn't be more physical where time and space limits where an opponent can go, such as behind the net, but it's not as simple as "modern defence bad".

Zegras took possession of the puck off the ice in the same way as a guy flipping the puck 20ft over everyone's heads when clearing the puck to centre ice, only he flipped the puck 1ft over the net in a pass to Milano. Possession of the puck in hockey is interpreted as literally touching the puck. Delayed penalty, and you push the puck with your stick? Possession, tweet, play ends. Puck in the air and you bat down to the ice? Possession, even if you don't ever have control of it. Disallowing players from passing, shooting, skating, or playing the puck when it isn't touching the ice would require, at a minimum, fundamentally changing how possession is called in hockey. If you want to get more specific, and ban players from having "control" of the puck when it isn't touching the ice (and, again, "control" can be as simple as pushing the puck), then you're still creating a massive grey area around what is considered legal and illegal control of bouncing or mid-air pucks. Would Tkachuk's between-the-legs-goals be allowed, because the puck stays on his blade after it's left the ice for longer than it does during a slapshot? Would players not be allowed to "lift" the puck when they're clearing the zone, or trying to elevate it when in close to the net? Where's the line between a legal tip/deflection/redirection and an illegal one? "players are not allowed to skate while the puck is resting on the blade of their stick"? Fine, that's clear, and easy for refs to interpret and call. What you're suggesting is anything but; stamping out one incredibly uncommon "problem" while creating dozens more that would happen literally every play.

Zegras didn't travel with the puck on his stick. He lifted the puck onto his blade and, in the same motion, lobbed it over the net. A saucer pass (or any shot which raises the puck off the ice, for that matter), does the same thing. Just more quickly. Do you really want a rule that dictates how many seconds players are allowed to have the puck on their stick in mid-air?

Strangely prescient post from two years ago.

Now you want to ban... saucer passes? Because that's what that was. Zegras was standing still, elevated the puck on a pass to Milano, who knocked the puck in before it touched the ice. Sure, he did a fancy bit of stickwork to get the puck over the net, but it's still a pass. It's substantively different than carrying the puck on your stick, and then driving said puck/stick blade towards the goalie's head in an attempt to score. I'm all for creating some rules around those kinds of plays, in the interest of protecting the goalie, but this is just an unreal play. No reason to ban "passing the puck after lifting it off the ice with your stick".

Do what I say, not what I do: I 100% played through a mild groin sprain for months (and ended up spraining the other side of my groin. It was also fairly mild. I got lucky). Honestly, as much as I hated being off the ice during COVID lockdowns, it gave my body some much needed time to heal all the little things I'd been ignoring or pushing through. But, I have no interest in goaltending through an injury anymore. If I can skate out without aggravating anything then I'll do that, making sure my team knows I'm not 100% and how that's going to change my game, but I'm not going to make myself the last line of defence if I know I'm compromised.

My opinion? Don't play injured, and don't play if you've got equipment failure (broken mask/cage) that makes it unsafe. If it's competitive hockey there's another goalie on the bench who can finish the game. You've got zero reason to push through or risk yourself. If it's recreational hockey you're there to have a good time, not risk your long-term health over a game. You've got zero reason to push through or risk yourself. I know we applaud guys who "fight through it" and shit, but that's typically reserved for a player finishing out the PK after blocking a bomb, or pushing through pain for the sake of the team. And there's a difference between pain and injury. Pain is bruises, a puck riding up into your fingers, or finding your ribs past your chest protector. It hurts, maybe it leaves a mark, but everything is in one piece and you'll have full function of your body come tomorrow morning. Injury is pulled or torn muscles, concussions, cracked and broken bones. Something broke and it's going to be a while before your body repairs itself. Unless you're making bucks and pushing for a championship, unless you've got big league insurance to cover your recovery and rehab, don't play through injury. It isn't worth it.

It's amazing what a single elastic strap behind the heel of the skate does, eh?

Shipping got delayed a week. Anyways, wearing it right now as I sit at home. First impression: it's quite comfortable, more so than I was expecting from a neckguard with a D3O insert. I'll update after my game tonight. [EDIT] Update: I like the neckguard. I found it vaguely irritating between plays, but didn't notice it when the puck was in my end and I was focusing on the puck. That'll go away eventually, as I get used to the feeling. Otherwise, very comfortable. Didn't take any shots there but I know it'll be a damn sight better than the soft neckguard I was using. I'd feel pretty comfortable playing without a dangler, wearing that neckguard.

I went from a 35" G3 to a 36" G4. Took me ten or so skates before I figured out how to adjust the strapping in a way that felt comfortable. With the G3s I strapped down to my calf, G4s I go behind the knee. Toe elastics and boot straps stayed the same tightness, and I run the boot strap behind my foot, through the Lundy loop; with my G3s, it kept my knee from falling off the top of the block, with my G4s it keeps my knee from falling off the bottom of the block. Calf wrap kept as loose as possible with both. If you're familiar with Pro Lace ties, putting those on can't hurt if the stock toe elastics feel off. I haven't noticed the knee blocks interfering with my skating, with either pad, but I did notice more contact between the tops of my thigh rises with the G4s (naturally, they're larger pads); that is just a "getting used to it" thing, provided the pad is sized correctly. If you don't want to adjust to it you can always go the drastic route of chopping the thigh rise down; personally, I'd just get a different kind of pad with less thigh rise.

No suspenders, and I don't tie the pants and chest together. Internal and external belt on the pants are kept tight, chest straps up snug around the ribs, and that's it.

Only if they change their dogshit runners.

Well, if I get it in time to wear for my game tomorrow I'll let you know how it feels. But yeah, Kevlar and d3O is pretty much the tops in terms of cut and impact protection.

I wear a dangler to catch pucks, and a player neckguard for cut protection. I hate the feeling of my chest protector interacting with the additional clavicle protection that goalie neckguards have; never had a puck slip past my dangler, and I've never had issues with my chest protector covering my clavicle, so I don't feel like I need it anyways. I used to not wear any kind of neckguard, but then I had one clown blow through my crease at full speed when I was belly-down on the ice. The heel of his skate kicked up and the runner caught me full on the side of the neck. I got really lucky to not contact the blade. Just bought an Aegis Interceptor, it should be delivered tomorrow.

No ringers since I started wearing a Coveted, and I've had pucks hit it from all angles.

Warm, dry air coming down out of the Rockies. Melts/sublimates snow and ice, and it usually brings the temperature up to around 10^C.

If he's lucky it'll be chinooking.