Maple Leaf Gardens inhaled in a youthful dose of mouth to mouth on Monday with the unveiling of Ryerson University’s new athletic and recreational facility. The $60-million Mattamy Athletic Centre emerged in style complete with dancing red flames and an appearance by Canadian celebrity, Prime Minister Stephan Harper.
The arena that once housed legends of the game, took its first lively breath since 1999 when then current tenants, the Toronto Maple Leafs, packed up and moved to the flashy Air Canada Centre leaving the Gardens garbed in black. According to Ryerson University President, Sheldon Levy, the new ‘look’ on Carlton Street has finally “turned the lights back on”.
Boasting a 2620-seat hockey arena upstairs and a 1000-seat court for volleyball and basketball below, the Mattamy Athletic Centre is just the revitalizing face-lift the nostalgic Toronto monument needed. The project came to fruition thanks to a $20-million dollar levy approved by Ryerson students, $5-million from downstairs neighbours, Loblaws, $15-million from Peter Gilgan’s company, Mattamy Homes, and an additional $20 million in government funding.
The new community-friendly Gardens is not only the sole survivor of the Original Six Arenas; it is also the only one available for public skate. Maple Leaf Gardens, deemed by many a hockey shrine, has not pulsated with such exuberance since opening its doors in 1931 and Ryerson University’s 2012 relic revamping represents a perfect partnership between past and future Hall of Famers.
Problem: One of my all time favorite post ice, post workout, on the go snacks is apples with cinnamon and sugar. One of my all time least favorite things, is when the apples turn brown and the syrup that cinnamon and sugar apples make if not eaten right away. In case you were wondering, the amount of time spent on the ice is pretty much perfect for creating the apple mess. Quite the predicament, when it’s your go-to snack of choice everyday.
Cinnamon Sugar Bag, Apple rubber banded!
Solution: Cut your apple with an apple cutter and then rubber band it back together, it still looks like an apple, just sliced and diced! With the slices still “together” they aren’t exposed to air and your apple will stay crisp and white. Drop your apple in a sandwich bag, wrap it in saran wrap, pop it in a container- whatever works. Next, put your cinnamon sugar mixture in a Ziploc sandwich bag. Throw your apple, and cinnamon sugar bag into your purse, hockey bag, backpack and head to the rink. When you hit the locker room or even your car, pop off the rubber band, throw your apple in the cinnamon sugar Ziploc and shake.
Perfect apple slices 🙂 YUM!
Voila, cinnamon sugar apples the way they were meant to be eaten!
Twelve players, twelve sticks, twelve pairs of skates, ten helmets, two masks. The equipment breakdown is the same no matter what team you play for, but it’s undeniable that the coolest piece of equipment is worn by the goaltender.
Goalie mask evolution has come a long way, but the premise remains roughly the same; a piece of fiberglass used to protect the head from injury. Jaques Plante donned the first piece of contoured fiberglass in 1959, with a mask/cage combination appearing in the early 1970’s. A lot can change in approximately 53 years. One notable change is the artistic style, and individual goalie influence that you now see each and every season.
While they have incredible talents on the ice, for most goaltenders, being artistic isn’t necessarily part of the job description. Although they lend a huge hand in the design process, it is their mask after all, most goalies leave the heavy painting to a professional. But before the painting even occurs, the mask itself needs to be made. While no two goalies are alike, neither is the mask that protects them.
Bruins Tuukka Rask
Pro’s Choice, located in Middleton, MA has been in the mask making business for over 20 years. Partnering with Vaughn Hockey two years ago, the talents of head designer Dom Malerba can be seen between the pipes at NHL and minor league arenas around the world. With a resume that holds the masks of Bruins Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin, Blue Jackets Steve Mason, Blues Brian Elliot, Coyotes Mike Smith, Sharks Anti Niemi and Thomas Greiss, and Oilers Nikolai Khabibulin, the process from conception to completion is a surprisingly short one. Ranging from just 2-3 days for the mask, the painting process is an entirely different story.
In a league that has made 3 year contracts a rule of thumb, the new rise in lengthy deals is astounding. It’s no guarantee that a player can keep healthy, uninjured and focused for 3 periods, let alone 3 years. So, the commitment from both a franchise and a player for extended contracts spanning longer than possible careers is a hard one to process.
From an outside perspective, the choice to sign a lengthy contract may appear as a no-brainer. Make millions of dollars, buy a house, settle down, and play some hockey. Easy right? Wrong. Long contracts and millions of dollars come with a price, one that often places a player under some unwanted scrutiny. The successful play that brought on such a solid deal may decline at any moment, and lead fans to wonder if a player is really worth it.
Young fresh skating skills and talent might be successful at the start of ones career, but 6-10 years later, will the story be the same. Only time will tell and for many NHL teams, they have close to a decade with some players to find out.
If you were a GM, would you take the 3 year route or a decade when choosing a player to line your bench?
By Rochelle Bergman
It is Friday August 10th and I am sitting in my garden. The sun is shining and hockey is the most remote idea in my mind right now. I am reading a daily paper. I usually pass over the sport section in August but the Olympics are on so I am looking over the section.
I turn a page and to my surprise there is a picture of the NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman. The title of the article reads “Bettman warns of new NHL lockout” This can not be, it seems like yesterday when the players went on strike, the last time. The magic date this time is September 15th. If there is no new collective bargaining agreement by this date, then the season will not start. The regular season starts on October 11, 2012.
It might be the off season and it might be too hot to wear your jersey; that doesn’t mean your team support should stop. Here is a Pittsburgh Penguins look that allows you to bask in the summer sun and still support your favourite hockey team. This look unlike many other Team looks of the week gives you options. This look can take you from the pool to a party all while supporting your favourite team.
This look provides you with a Penguins bikini and cover-up to wear while lounging by the pool and a simple yet chic maxi dress to wear around town. This look comes accessorized with everything you need to look fashionable by the pool, most importantly the sun screen because skin cancer is never chic.
Just like always if you don’t have something here don’t sweat just use what you have, this look is just a guideline. If you love this look and aren’t a Penguins fan just swap out the Penguins stuff to fit your team colours and logo. Hope you enjoyed it.
Another guest post for the beauties over at Wheels Hockey:
“Dictionary.com definition: Ritual (noun)- any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner.”
Rituals; we all have them, whether it’s conscious or sub conscious. Whether you wake up and step with your left side out of bed or lace up your right skate first it’s a major contributor in how you play the game. To the ordinary person, ritual is going about your day to day life in a string of reoccurring habits. To an athlete ritual becomes an often overlooked necessity. For some players it can make or break a game. It’s often been said that goalies are the most ritual plagued member of a team. Turns out they aren’t the only crazy ones.
While currently suffering from an overwhelming case of the off-season blues, it’s easy to think about the random aspects of the game. What rituals does a player face before hitting the ice? Are the pre-game preparations set each day or can it fluctuate? Read the rest here: Wheels Hockey Blog
Here at The Pink Puck, we love animals, almost as much as we love hockey…
Of course your favorite team has merchandise for the entire family, that includes the four legged love in your life. Maybe you don’t want to be wearing your jersey around the dog park, but with this look your pup can say “Bonjour, comment allez-vous?”, while showing enough team support for the both of you. Of course, if the Canadiens aren’t your thing, pick the team that makes your pup say “ruffff”.
June, a month where it’s possible to ride the continued waves of excitement brought on by the NHL playoffs, NHL Awards and of course the NHL Draft. In June, it’s possible to experience occasional moments of the hockey free lifestyle; after all everyone needs a break. It’s a month that begins with the most exciting games in hockey, ends with a new class of players and has a few perfectly scheduled days for hitting up the beach. June is the perfect month for any hockey fan looking to ease into summer.
July, is a bit harder to swallow. Sure, the month begins as one big firework display. With NHL free agency beginning on July 1st it’s practically a 24 hour watch, filled with anticipation and excitement. Oh, the possibilities are endless. It’s similar to celebrating Christmas in July, with players being wrapped up and delivered to different teams throughout the league. July 1st not only brings free agency, but Canada Day. Canada Day rolls into the Fourth of July for Americans and before you know it, you’ve killed an entire week celebrating. Celebrations come to an end and you find yourself believing reruns of NHL36 are more exciting than the newest episode of True Blood. Of course, seeing Mike Richards share ice cream with his dog on the beach in Malibu is cute the first 10 times; but eventually it gets depressing. Although NHL Network reruns are a somewhat satisfying substitute for the regular season, nothing beats a live show. Cue development camp, perhaps the best thing about the month of July. The chance to see the future of your favorite franchise take the ice, all while giving you a much needed “live” hockey fix. But a week of development camp skates by faster than Claude Giroux.
wheelshockey.com
With many things in life, the line between like and love is extremely thin. For hockey players, the line simply never existed. The second your foot hit the skate, before you even laced up, it was love. The last beep of a 4am alarm clock was nothing more than a definitive starting point between consciousness, and your first stride. Hockey players are no strangers when it comes to kissing the moon good morning. An early morning commitment that builds a different kind of athlete and gives a special meaning to the term “for the love of the game”.
Hockey is a religion, a lifestyle, and above all else, a family. It may very well be the one sport where camaraderie isn’t lost when a player exits the ice, it’s strengthened. Teammates become siblings, coaches parents and fan a mix of extended relatives, all essential to the game. A group of people now related, by their lifetime dedication to the ice. Continue reading over at Wheels Hockey!
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