Climb Every Mountain

Well the summer is slipping away and I have been slacking with this blog. There's so much to catch up on so stick with me as I wander down the road.

We Got Beat
The PuckHawgs versus Stingers championship game saw the number one (us) and number two (them) seeds meeting in what was supposed to be a great game by all accounts. As it turned out, the Hawgs were off their game and Stingers put it to us. We seemed nervous and tight and just a little sloppy for much of the game.  Credit is due to the Stingers who played some of the best hockey I'd seen them play all season. They deserved the win.

Movin' On Up
After getting to the championship game with a 10-2 record in the regular season and some pretty dominating wins, our League Director has pushed us up a division for the coming Fall season. Our only choice to avoid this was to drop our top scorers and that's not something we wanted to do.

It's exciting but crazy to think that this team- still with a core of players we started out with just a few seasons ago- are moving up to a 'B' division. I can vividly remember when starting the team having to talk myself out of slotting us into 'D' and instead, starting in a lower 'C' division. Moving up 2 divisions in 4 seasons is in large part to having a stable roster of guys who play together week in and week out but more so the great improvement in skill from so many on the team. Its been amazing to watch. We've got a rough season ahead but I feel excited at the chance!

The Days of Our Lives

Some thoughts here about being an adult league coordinator... I'm on the roster of 6 teams at the moment and I currently coordinate two of them. I've witnessed some crazy shit over the past couple of years. This summer I've seen players lose their minds for not being invited back. I've seen coordinators trying to duck responsibility for roster decisions and I've heard more locker room bitching than I care to be part of. So here is my list of Top 5 Things to remember...

COORDINATORS

1. You set the tone for your team. Your attitude and behavior shapes the roster and the team you have.
2. Don't be afraid to ask players to leave. Sometimes its best for the team.
3. Yes, you will look like an asshole to some people.
4. No, you probably don't deserve it.
5. Lead but communicate with your team.

PLAYERS

1. When I listen to you backstab your teammates, I'm remembering all the shit they say about you.
2. If you are consistently losing by a lot, maybe it isn't just the goalie's fault.
3. You pay to play. It doesn't give you the right to crap over your coordinator- ever.
4. Being on a team is by invitation. It isn't a life-long commitment like a Columbia House Records.
5. Nothing kills team morale quite like reminding everyone how bad a team mate is. Trust me. He knows that he's bad.