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Meltdown

MARCH 12, 2009
No. Not referring to the banking system.  I've had a few folks ask me about the rink, so I thought I'd put up some pics. It may not be illustration, but I do see making good ice as a bit of an artform.

The robins are buzzing around the treetops and the sun has broken through. We said goodbye to the rink last week. I put on the blades and played net for the kids. I put on some goalie pads because I have experienced the pain of a wrist shot on the shins. It's been a good season, although I had to rebuild the rink almost from scratch two times. We had some warm and wet storms pass through, followed by bracing cold spells.
 
As you can see from these shots, the barn and surrounding trees cast a lot of shadows. It keeps the sun from burning through the ice and dissolving it to slush, even on cold days. Makes for good ice and gives me a couple of extra weeks at the end of the season. The best days are the sunny late-season skates when you don't get a chill and can stay out for a couple of hours.
This year I put up a home-made target and painted net. You gotta work on those corners, so extra points for going top shelf or a couple for the five hole. Great for practicing your shot, and saves me having to fetch pucks from the neighbor's hedge. My son Lucas has developed a serious wrist shot this year. He was able to meet P.K. Subban this winter and ask him a few questions. P. K. is a top-ranked defenceman who played for the world-champion Canadian Juniors this year and has been drafted by the Montreal Canadiens. Even though he grew up in suburban Toronto, he told Lucas he always had a back-yard rink, where he learned skills and practiced trick shots.
Lucas has turned out to be a solid hockey player, and this year his rep team won the division championship in two hard-fought playoff series. They will be going to provincials this weekend. It's nice to see him be a part of a great team, and being rewarded for his hard work, and all of those after-school sessions on the rink. He is having a blast. Go P.E.C. Kings!
A recreation of Lucas' two-goal shift in the third game vs. Port Hope Phantoms
Topical: build  fun  
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