PRE-GAME RITUALS
/Arnaud & Jacob from the vipers in one of their many pre-game rituals (photo jfd)
Pre-game rituals vary greatly from one individual to another and in some cases they are old habits that were picked up during adolescence or even childhood. From pasta, to a nap in the afternoon and right down to the music that sets the "mood", each player has their superstitions and habits on game day, and when they are messed up by external causes, a poor performances can be blamed on the breaking of the ritual.
It’s a broad topic if there ever was one, because we are all different, and over time some of our habits change and adapt to your teammates. This could be the case with some members of the Vipers, who despite beginning the playoffs on the wrong foot, are still in the game. Having finished 4th overall, they have the tools to perform in the round-robin; they have forged new friendships amongst them and also have pregame rituals that differentiate them from the rest of the league. Take, for example, Arnault and Jacob’s pregame ritual: for the past few weeks, once at the arena, they put on their long underwear and go jogging around the arena several times, and then perform different exercises to prepare them for their game. A fine example of guys who take their hockey heart and are willing to do what it takes to win. This did not translate into victory on Saturday, but as our national "Scrudland" said yesterday during the post-game get together, mathematically, they are due for a win, so "watch out!" The Vipers have not said their last word. That being said, they face the Avengers next week who are also seeking their first win in the playoffs, so we will surely have an interesting final game next Saturday as they are playing the 6h30 game.
I cannot comment to much on the games as me and Champagne missed the first one due to administrative duties and during the next two encounters, I was often having to return to the office to record deposits from players who wanted to be sure that they can take part in the summer season draft as well as the fall draft. ALL DEPOSITS ARE DUE BY APRIL 18 IF YOU WANT TO BE A REGULAR IN OUR NEXT CAMPAIGNS (summer & fall). The most exciting bits of the evening that I had the chance to see were between the Shamrocks and Tomahawks, who gave the people in the stands a good show, where they saw the captain of the "red machine” snipe a goal late in the game to level the score.
As in the music industry, it is often the third album that we judge the viability of the career of an artist. The next week may give us a good idea of ho we will see in the final on May 3, our six teams still have a chance to go there, but two of them can almost "close the deal " during our third week of the round robin. That said, expect changes next season as we will introduce semifinal games in our series, just to keep the suspense going until the end.
Sebastien Renault from the cabane loggers, winner of the LFA player of the month award powered by sher-wood (photo-montage by totem urbain)
Our last LFA player of the month winner for the season powered by Sher-Wood is a guy who does not make a lot of noise in the league but is a silent force that brings a lot to your hockey experience, including contributing to the multi media side of the LFA, capturing different images throughout the season, images that will be useful for a post mortem in the off season and also encourage team members to participate in various aspects of the league while creating a dialogue through their group, and that surely contributed to the success of the Loggers, especially late in the season. On the ice, he remains a hard worker who makes surprising moves and passes on the tape like it should. Congratulations to Sebastien Renault for well-deserved recognition, hoefully he will be able to stay with us next season due to scheduling conflicts with his better half.
Larry from the shamrocks, jonathan from the logger & craig from the avengers in a post game ritual done by most of our members where tremblay beer & good sportsmanship go hand in hand (photo jfd)
With that, have a nice week and follow your pre-game rituals what ever they may be, next weekend possibly being the most important of your season. Do not forget to mention the final which benefits Sun Youth and their SLAP hockey program that helps disadvantaged children and those from immigrant families to discover our national sport that we love so much, and especially to integrate into our culture and society. Together we can make a difference in our community by building a championship game and a unifying event for the benefit of all.
JFD (AS TRANSLATED BY TOM SPENCER)
All deposits for eaTher seasons are due by the latest on april 18th
