When I was at BK Sports Repair earlier in the week I picked up some new laces. A pair of non-waxed and a pair of waxed. The guy behind the counter explained to me that the difference is that the waxed laces allow you to tie the laces up that much tighter. He said some people don’t like them because they feel they cut through the tongue of the skate, but nonetheless you can lace up skate much tighter with the waxed laces.

Of course, maybe I was just on fire last night. Monday is the Adult Dynamic Skills Course at the SensPlex, so we’ll see how the skating goes again then.

And so the next day I headed off to a glum industrial park and walked up a flight of stairs. Well, let me tell you, the place belongs on a movie set! Industrial sewing machines, leather hanging from the wall, unstiched gloves and pads on the work benches, and more Montreal Canadians’ memorabilia in anyplace east of Catherine and Atwater.

So the guy takes my skate, puts it on a machine, and 30 seconds later hands it back and says no charge.

Here’s the link and keep them in mind next time: http://www.bksportsrepair.com/

This time last year, I was put on my equipment for the first time for the Level 1 courses. This year, it’s the level 2 courses I am taking. So in some ways it was like marking an anniversary for me. Since starting last October, the longest I have gone without being on the ice is 14 days. 14 days! That’s pretty crazy, isn’t it? 

Anyways, last night was mostly review of basic skating and skills stuff. But it was the first time I had been on the ice with a stick and puck since I had received the excellent Sean Skinner DVDs on stick handling. To be able to actually be handling a puck along the ice as opposed to a weighted ball on my basement floor was both terrifically enjoyable — but very also sobering!

The bottom line is that no matter how much doing drills with a weighted ball on a hard surface can improve your coordination, quickness, and strength, it is simply not the same as a puck on the ice. And let me say this too:  sure, it is only a small rubber disc, but to stand and go through some basic handling drills is pretty damn tiring! Certainly more tiring than standing in my basement.

So in my mind I am seeing this time as a period to really work hard, improve and also to drop a few pounds. I am 217 now, but I am setting the goal of being at 200 by the time camp ends. How’s that for a goal?!

The other aspect of this ‘training camp’ is I want to really go out there each night, haul ass, take chances, and become a better player. Last year towards the end of my courses there was an element of being happy, “hey, look I am doing a cross-over! I am hockey player” but this time out I want to view the courses as an opportunity to get better and improve.  Last year it was about seeing if I could do it. Now though, I know I can do it, but I want to be able to do it better. And for me what this means is going out of my comfort zone and making mistakes. Or simply put, this means I am going to be falling on my ass a lot!

Think about how in soccer or basketball a player can be having an absolute howler and the only salvation is to get subbed off. But in hockey, you know you got two-minutes of going hard and then it is back to the bench where you can take a breather and get ready for the next shift, the next mini game.

What I have found also is that you can be having a stinker, but all it takes is one good shift to turn the evening around.

That’s pretty crazy, isn’t?

Next week though I consider to be the start of the winter season. My Level II Skating and Hockey courses start up, plus the fall and winter skating schedules at the public rinks will be in full swing so I will be able to get out more often rather than having to drive halfway across the city!

As well, my kids’ skating lessons also will start up.

So maybe in hindsight having those 14 days off will be a blessing.

This little gadget which I picked up for $14.99 at my fav local hockey store Valiquette’s is essentially a specialized cutting tool for removing tape from the blade of your stick.

All you do is simply slip the edge of the device under the tape at the heel end of the stick and simply slide it down the blade and BINGO! the tape is cut down the middle and you can peel it off like a banana peel.

Now that sounds handy, but realize that I tape my stick EVERY time out. I don’t know why I do it and I am afraid I have become a bit superstitious about it, but it is what I do. 

I would post a link to the product but puzzingly I can find no mention of it on the world wide web!

So you’ll just have to head off to Valiquette’s.

This year though was different. I had a year of hockey under my belt and so I actually knew a little bit about equipment. So down I went to ScotiaBank Place for 7:00 am to line up for the 8:00 am opening.

And let me tell you, I had a great time! Like how else to explain going through a pile of used and game worn gloves all worn by the home town’s NHL heroes? 

The odd thing about the gloves for sale were the number of mismatched pairs. And by this I mean even though there was a Nike Bauer Alfredsson right hand glove, the left hand glove was nowhere to be seen. There were tons of Spezza gloves, but not one matching pair between them. 

In the end despite having all the orange and powder blue practice jerseys calling my name out,  all I left with was a white inter-squad Chris Kelly jersey for $70.00.

And I swear that it will be the last jersey I ever buy.

Each time I fell though, I was thinking about the same thing. Or I should say I wasn’t thinking. I wasn’t thinking about skating! There I was trying to be relaxed and smooth while practicing some stuff when all of a sudden CRASH! BANG!

What I realized afterwards is that I am nowhere near a good enough skater at this stage to be out there and not think about my skating. I need to always concentrate, especially when I practicing stuff I am not competent at.

Now, obviously the goal is get to the stage where one doesn’t need to think about having to skate. But I think I’ll have a few more bumps and bruises before that happens.

So here’s an update on what I have been up to and what is planned for the fall and winter:

• Throughout the entire summer I had a weekly game on Thursday nights at the Carleton Ice House. 
• I signed up to ottawarechockey.com , a website that organizes and administers a whole whack of pickup games in the Ottawa region. Now I am not sure exactly how it all goes down from the organization end, but if you are in this neck of the woods and looking for a game, check out the site to learn more. I have been able to skate in two games and each time the calibre was terrific and challenging. I’ll write more on this later on.

• From now until May 1, I’ll have a game every Friday night at the SensPlex. That works out to 33 games!
• Also at the SensPlex, and on Monday nights,  I have signed for another ‘Adult Dynamic Skills’ course. This is a six-week course that will begin October 20th. Last spring’s course at the SensPlex was so challenging, I simply could not turn down the opportunity to do it again.
• On Tuesday nights I will continue with the City of Ottawa’s Hockey for Beginners courses. While last winter was the Level 1 course, this time I will be taking the Level 2 course. And as like last year, I will be doing the Hockey Skills and Power Skating course back-to-back for a solid two-hour workout.