While sipping a last one...

                                                    To think that some weirdos still think I prefer milk and cookies ! Where do they think this belly comes from ?

I have to admit I couldn’t wait for the arrival of our hockey socks, and I have to say I was not disappointed. I dont know for the other teams but in our case, at least in my personal case, and maybe because I am a “visual" guy, I felt like our team had truly become a "unit" and this even though we had 2 spares. I had to swear to the President that I would recover the precious socks with their jerseys after the game because they are "custom made" and to replace them would be quite expensive it seems ...

We can thank José Cabral from « Les projets Solomax» who funded their purchase with a generous sponsorship. It was a Saturday like no other indeed, not just because of the socks;

It was quite a surprise to walk in the arena and see that JF was goaltending for the Tomahawks who incidentally lost to the Loggers that did not spare him, though like any good hockey game it would have taken little for the outcome of the game to be different, that is if the Tom’s had capitalized on some missed chances or again if JF could have «had a second take» at some of the shots that past behind him, the result could have been even tighter for sure ... I guess these are the trademarks of a good hockey game !

The second game ended in a victory for the Vipers on the Czechers. I can not really go in the details having missed the second part of the game, except that the "golden boys" with Jean-Philippe Harvey up front, imposed their tempo by stringing a bunch of fast goals and Carl Gazarian Pagé who between the posts «kept the fort» with his disconcerting phlegm to maintain their lead. On the downside, a late game incident resulted into two suspensions ...

As you probably know, it's my «task» to manage the disciplinary committee, but I agreed to do it because it was first asked me (I could say imposed but it would be an exaggeration: one can always say no right?) in fact it does not bother me because the regulations are pretty straightforward and it does not take a "rocket scientist" to figure out when things go out of line. And to be honest up till now, the decisions were are taken «by themselves», given the nature of the incidents...

Also, I am confident that our league is formed of a bunch of guys that are lucid enough to understand when they have "lost control" . Yet another reason to thank the President for his work at the «recruiting» level ... That said, I invite you to read the rules on our website in the section "LFA Space": Hockey rules, if not already done ... even if basically they are pretty obvious) ... Also, be pro-active and talk to the guys on your team who have a tendency to blow a gasket for a reason or another before things escalate ; breaking tension in the bud is the best way to keep your guys outside the penalty box or to avoid even uglier things that can lead to suspensions ...

With all that I was going to forget the dessert! The third game between The Pub St. Paul Avengers against the McCarold's Shamrocks... You might think I'm biased since I wear the «green goblin» or «leprechaun’s» uniform, but what I remember most from this «ô sôoo» satisfying game for our team appart from the mega performance of our captain Julien Staeger (5 goals) and that of our spectacular goalie Pat Bouchard is that we managed to close down the Av's electrifying attack not leaving them even one brake-away the entire game… if I'm not mistaken ... But most importantly, I tip my hat to the guys of the Avengers who kept trying to the end but mostly they did not let frustration take over like it is so easy to do so when… (let’s say things such as they are)… you get your ass whooped !

For those who did not join us for the post-game festivities, I would tell you that you missed a memorable evening. Once again the president impressed all by offering so many door prizes that he might as well have given one to everyone ... I do not know how many we were but we had a ball at the Windsor and then moved on to old Montreal (a short 15 minute walk) at the Pub St-Paul, the new Avenger’s sponsor ... we played pool and discovered the hidden talents of Stephan Marquis from the Loggers who as a good sport, left the table after winning 3- 4 games in a row giving us a chance to plat a bit... to be honest, it had been a very long time since I was «expelled» from a bar by an insistent barkeeper that found that the last call stretched too long for his liking!

And rumour has it that a few diehard party animals ended up at the "clubhouse" or if you prefer the "headquarters" of the league and sipped a few last ones till the sun came up ... Ohh boy !!!

Happy Holidays, see you in 2015!

Larry