During the team’s hiatus, I tried my abilities at goalie. I had a great time trying something new and thinking hockey from a different perspective. While I wasn’t playing, I was getting bored of shooting into an empty net and I wanted to try something new. I decided to try goalie for street hockey, since it would be much less expensive and I would be able to play more often. I also knew that my friends and family would be more encouraged to come out and shoot.
I spent a few weeks stretching, catching a reflex ball, and doing other goalie-based workouts to give myself a fighting chance. I ordered some goalie gear online and pieced together some other equipment. While I was waiting for shipping, I gave my mask to my good friend Joy, who is a talented artist. The final pieces of my gear arrived in the mail, and Joy applied a custom Blaze paint-job to my mask, I was ready to face shots.
Before I started playing in any games, I practiced against my friends and family a few times. We had a lot of fun just shooting around and doing small drills. After practicing a few times, I went up to Highland Lakes to play pickup…
I was invited by my good friend and teammate Sean Kenny, who occasionally organizes pickup street hockey. We played 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 with a few other local hockey players and friends. We met at the court on Saturdays and would play a handful of games, each to 5. Everybody had a great time, and I definitely got a workout in.
Next year, I’ll be returning to the crease. Ideally, I will also have goalie roller blades next year so I can be a little more mobile. I don’t think I’m ready to do it on the ice yet, and certainly not in the league – I’ll leave that to Dan. For me, playing goalie is about stacking my pads and having fun!
