What makes one persons slapshot better than another? Well, if we take” aim” out of the equation then it comes down to two things; stick-on-puck time and recoil time. increase the two of those and you end up with greater velocity on your shot. So says the results of a study examining the “recoil” effect of the ice hockey stick shaft during a stationary slap shot.

A Villasenor, RA Turcotte, and DJ Pearsall, from the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at McGill University tested nine male adult subjects (four elite and five recreational) . Their performances were evaluated by simultaneously recording stick movement and internal bending from high-speed digital video (1,000 Hz) and puck acceleration from a triaxial accelerometer positioned inside the puck.I n addition, an electrical circuit measured blade-puck contact time.

For the record, the elite players shot the puck at about 12okm/h. The beer-leaguers, about 80 km/h.

Analyzing the data reported on several dependent variables, including final puck velocity, puck acceleration, maximum stick shaft bending (angle and distance deflection), stick shaft angular velocities, blade-puck contact time, and corresponding time events.

The results indicate the following.

Interestingly enough puck acceleration was virtually the same between the two groups. So how did the elite players manage to shoot the puck harder? Well they would have had to accelerate for longer: about 11 milliseconds longer.

Blade-puck contact time was greater for the elite players than for recreational players (38 +/- 9 ms and 27 +/- 5 ms)

How did they do this? They bent their sticks more. The greater the bend means the recoil is greater and therefore spends more time accelerating the puck. 59.8% of blade-puck contact for the elite players was spent recoiling.

“Go to the net!” your coach screams. “Go to the net!” your team mates scream. It causes traffic in front, and screens the goalie, and you get a rebound and you can pop one in, BUT you may also get a cross check in the upper back, or a butt end in the ribs, or a goalie paddle on the back of your legs, so although the goal would be fun an injury never is.

Well here is a study that should make you quit your whining and send you willingly to the front of the net.

At the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA, in a study titled Descriptive epidemiology of collegiate men’s ice hockey injuries: National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance System, 1988-1989 through 2003-2004. (J. Agel, T.P. Dompier, R. Dick, and S.W. Marshall) they found that the majority of injuries in college hockey take place in three main areas on the ice:

1) The majority of injuries occurred between the blue line and face-off circles (28.0%)

2) The second highest occurrence was in the corner (23.5%)

3) and in third place: the neutral zone (21.4%).

That doesn’t leave too many more areas left: in front of the net, behind the net, …on the bench? But somehow in front of the net didn’t rate in the top 3. So drive hard to front of the net because statistically it won’t hurt.

If there’s something we love here at BLH, it’s classic hockey clips. This one happened just the other night, but is destined to become a classic. Jonathan Toews (pronounced “Taves”) of the Chicago Blackhawks takes a breakout pass from a defenceman just outside his zone, then proceeds to split 3 players from the other team and stuff the puck in past goalie Jose Theodore of the Colorado Avalanche.

This is one of those clips that happens so fast if you blink you’ll have missed it. Good thing we have slow-motion replays. Click here for a link to the clip on YouTube if you’re unable to watch the embedded version.

[via James Mirtle]

Hockey is fast, it is physical, it is adrenalin charged. It provides plenty of opportunity to get under the skin of your opponent either through verbal jabs, strong shoulders on the boards or the “coincidental” hits on the ice during a non-contact game. There are also plenty of ways to retaliate if it’s your ire that the opponent is raising. The best way of course is to score a goal. If it’s the winning goal, even better.

But there are some things you just don’t do.

1) Hits of any sort to the head. Whether an elbow, a shoulder or a stick, keep it down. With the speed you’re travelling on those skates, with your body weight behind you, if you can’t take a guy off the puck with your shoulder to his body, or if you can’t pin him to the boards to free the puck for a team mate, then you need work on your balance and strength. Hitting the head of an opponent is a cheap tactic used by cowards that are looking for an easy way out of a good battle.

2) Taking out the knees. There’s a saying in rugby: “Take away his legs, he can’t run without them.” But this ain’t rugby. In hockey you don’t tackle, you hit or out-hustle your check to the puck. A knee-on-knee hit is a lazy attempt at slowing down a check. You desperately try slow the player down by throwing your knee in front of him. because you were too slow to get there and off target.

3) Hitting from behind. Simply ignorant. All youth recreational levels of hockey have stop signs on the back of the jersey as a constant reminder how dangerous this action is. Head injuries, spinal cord injuries, shoulder injuries, rib injuries, leg, ankle and foot injuries are all possible outcomes of a hit from behind. Personally I’ve seen cracked ribs, a concussion and a broken heel in my years of playing. Most recently the broken heel which has put a labourer, foremen, husband and dad out of a job for 8-weeks. I’ve also seen the brouhaha that results afterwards, and the retribution carried over seasons. The most telling sign of how distasteful this action is; team-mates shaking their head, turning away from their own player who committed the foul.

In the beer-leagues where every person on that sheet of ice has a family and a day job to go to, a hit to the head, a knee-on-knee hit and a hit from behind into the boards extend well beyond the game. It can affect a person’s whole life. In an emotionally charged game we all get carried away and perhaps do or say things that we know we shouldn’t, but no matter what the situation, the 3 now-written laws of hockey are never part of the scenario.

The 3rd Annual MOES 4 A CURE Fundraiser for Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation begins in November.

In honour of a teammate’s 4-year-old daughter who was diagnosed with type-1 (insulin dependent) diabetes, The 16 Guys Named Moe Hockey Club kicked off an annual November Fundraiser in 2005 for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) — the leading charitable funder and advocate of diabetes research worldwide. Since then, MOES 4 A CURE has raised nearly $10,000 for JDRF.

To raise money they are holding - and depend on your participation in - numerous events including an Online Auction and a Charity Poker Tournament.

Hailing from Toronto, 16 Guys Named Moe are an infamous beer league hockey club established in 1997. The 16 Guys Named Moe’ name was suggested by a player named Stephen Thorne and the team’s motto became something like, “If we’re going to stink the joint out, we may as well have fun doing it!”

And yes, they are named Moe on the ice: Moe Skeedo, Moe Diggity, Moe D Lawn, Moe Lovin, …

If you can’t benefit from the Toroto-centric auction prizes or attend the poker game, don’t worry. You can donate online thru PayPal!  Its quick, easy and 100% legit, I’ve done it myself.
Let’s rally ’round the puck people and support your fellow beer-leaguers in the most worth-while cause there is: Family.

16 Guys Named Moe

Today marks the official release date of Howard Shapiro’s new children’s illustrated book, “Hockey Days.” Howard will be making an appearance here on Beer League Hockey sharing the stories behind the deals of promoting the book with Fury Sports and Tom Cochrane and all of the highs and low involved with self publishing. The book will also go under the critical eyes of about 5 youngsters as BLH executives Jason and Glen will be reading the story to their respective offspring.

Other more notable reviews can be found in a December issue of “The Hockey News” and it will also be featured in the Gear Up section of the November issue of “USA Hockey Magazine.” “Hockey Days” is available at Borders stores, Amazon.com and at Chapters, Indigo and Coles stores in Canada. Copies can also be ordered at www.hockeydays.net.

There’s the standard kind of shame felt as a goaltender; the feelings of inadequacy, the look of disdain in the eyes of your teammates after an 8-1 loss, the smell of your trapper hand during dinner.

And then there’s the shame felt when, during a pickup hockey shelling, you’re asked to skate the length of the ice and take up residence in the other net. Ah. The Skate of Shame.

The Skate of Shame is known to any goalie who has ever said yes to an 11:00 PM start time game of shinny on a Tuesday night because a buddy was desperate to fill the crease. You grab your kit, you get in the car, you roll to the rink, you strap on the pads, you skate to the net and then it begins. Ten minutes go by and your side is down 16 goals.

Clearly, the left winger with the shin guards taped to the outside of his jeans is not pulling his weight. In fact you’re pretty sure that they don’t make water bottles out of 355 ml aluminum cans, despite nearly every member of your team drinking from them. It’s not your night.

And then you get the call. Some genius on the other bench says the magic words “hey, goalie… switch ends.”

continue reading "The Skate of Shame"

The Vancouver Canucks offer 16 games a season on pay-per-view, and the broadcasts are produced by “Canucks TV”. This year they’ve decided to offer two pre-season games for free, broadcast on Rogers SportsNet. I can only imagine that the idea here is to show Canucks fans what they’re missing if they’re not shelling out the big bucks for the pay-per-view games.

Unfortunately, based on the first one I’m definitely not impressed. While San Jose’s Shark Tank is certainly not the greatest rink with respect to camera location, the camera work in general was terrible. It seemed like they only had two cameras in the entire rink, and the whole broadcast was just flat. Vancouver personality Don Taylor did the play-by-play, and as much as his act works great for highlight reels, Canucks TV probably should have gone with either Jim Hughson, or simulcast the Team 1040 broadcast with John Shorthouse. Unfortunately simulcasts are a pain, and my bet is Canucks TV can’t afford Hughson (or he may be contractually prevented from doing it).

In any event, at this point I’d have to recommend that Canucks fans save their money and just listen to the pay-per-view games on the radio. And don’t get me started about the fact that the premium pay-per-view games aren’t offered in High Definition. Gary Bettman, you want to fix the NHL? Look at some of the obvious stuff like this.

We’ve all heard the stories of how some athletes have been hospitalized due to an infection from dirty gear. Ed Belfour, Joe Thornton, Mikael Renberg, Barry Trotz just to name a few. But an infection from dirty hockey gear is one of those things that happens to someone else, so we don’t worry about. Well it happened to me.

It happens when a break in the skin lets in nasty bacteria, The bacteria finds it’s way into your joints and the bursa sacand starts to reak havoc. The consequences can range from irritating, painful, debilitating, all the way to amputation or worse.
continue reading "Dirty Deeds, Done By Dirty Gear"

Not since the sequel of Slap Shot has a hockey movie been so anticipated; and what happened to Slap Shot II Breaking The Ice? Straight to video. One can only hope that the combination of Mike Myers’ comic brilliance and being a hockey fanatic can give this movie a fighting chance.

Written by lifelong Leafs fan Mike Myers, The Love Guru, revolves around the team’s 40-year Cup drought he dubs the Bullard Curse. It’s scheduled to come out next summer, by which time the Leafs will have gone 41 years without a Cup.

Pitka (Mike Myers) is an American raised outside his country by gurus. He returns to the US in order to break into the self-help business. Pitka is engaged by a hockey team manager (Jessica Alba) to settle the romantic troubles and professional life of a star hockey player whose wife left him for a rival star Jacques Grande (Justin Timberlake) out of revenge, sending her husband into a major professional skid — to the horror of Coach Cherkov (Verne Troyer). Pitka must return the couple to marital nirvana and get Roanoke back on his game so the team can break the 40-year-old ‘Bullard Curse’ and win the Stanley Cup.”