Pandemic experiences part 2 – Lockdown 2.0

Between July and November life was pretty much normal. The only things that were missing from my day-to-day life was hockey at the weekends and Finnish School for the kids. Like mentioned in the last post, I had – by this point – gotten used to working from home.

With gyms open and being able to get on the ice regularly were a big help. I had just about gotten to the end of my regular workout routine by November when the rumours about a month long lockdown started to circulate.

Before long it was announced that the country would lockdown for a month to try and curb the rise in infections. My concerns here were not as great as with the first lockdown. The kids would be going to school as per normal and the only thing that I would miss out on was the gym and hockey. On both fronts it was a blessing in disguise as I had managed to pick up an injury that I wanted to heal up first.

Yes, life was dull with staying indoors, but because I was focused on recovery rather than yearning to exercise, it didn’t feel as bad. The other thing that was easier to process in Lockdown 2.0 was that it was only for a month. There was a clear end-date in sight. Through the various injuries and surgeries I’ve had, a month felt like a walk in a park.

By about midway through I was chatting with one of my teammates who gave me a code for an online portal of at home workouts. Think kind of like Netflix for fitness. As my injury had healed up, I started to do exercise at home. I’ve never been one for body weight stuff, but getting a sweat going on a daily basis felt good. Particularly as the weather was miserable and I didn’t really want to go running in the pouring rain. Doing these workouts brought some stability to life and helped with a routine becoming more than just a cycle of work, lunch, work, dinner, bed. Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love what I do for a living, but I also love doing other things to keep myself active.

The way I approached the home workouts was that they would at least build a base of fitness when we got back to the gyms. You’d be surprised how much a four-week layoff will do to your fitness levels. Once gyms would open my plan was to do a workout at home during my lunch break and then workout in the evening.

As the above sentence might suggest, I was paying more attention to what I was eating. I had started to shift my focus to getting decent lunches in. During the first lockdown the problem was my lunch habits and the excess take-away meals. However, during Lockdown 2.0 I was able to start fixing some of the issues with lunches and start getting into better habits again.

Mental health was affected yes, but not to degree as it was for the first one. I think what helped was the brevity of the lockdown. Where I wasn’t a fan of it (I think my response to a tweet asking how do I intend to use the lockdown was to ruin my guts), settling into a routine was easier.

The other thing that I did through the second lockdown was that I actually cut down on my drinking. During the summer and the relatively normal life that we were able to lead at that point lead already reduced the amount I drank. This was largely down to the fact that I had those other distractions like the gym.

Emerging from lockdown, I started my normal workouts that I would do during the off season, again with the hopes that IF there was a season, I would be ready, but also because I’ve realised that the four month routine that I have works for me and I get good results out of it.

Despite going to the gym, there was something off. I felt lethargic doing the workouts. I pushed through them, but I didn’t have the same vigour and intensity as I normally like to train with. Part of it was probably that I was nursing my back still, but something just felt off.

Going through December, I was already hatching a plan as to what I’d do differently in the new year. I was prepared to miss a couple of days of exercise in because of Christmas and new years. After finishing my workout on the 24^th, I didn’t realise that it would be the last time that I’d be stepping into a gym for the foreseeable future. The government announced that the area where I live would go into Tier 4 on boxing day. For those not familiar with the UK tiering system, Tier 4 was effectively the same level of restrictions as the November Lockdown, so all non-essential stores and leisure facilities would shut down, but schools would remain open.

And with that announcement, it has been a over a month since I left the house to go anywhere.

I’ll go over my feelings of Lockdown 3.0 in the next post as there’s more to unpack here.

Trigger warning: This post will include some talk of politics.

Pandemic experiences part 1 – Lockdown 1.0

If you’ve lived under a rock for the past year or have just been woken up from cryogenically induced sleep, the world as we once knew it seems like a distant memory. The COVID-19 pandemic has limited our lives quite a bit. It has taken an immeasurable toll on families that have lost loved ones as well as a mental toll on those that are working on the frontlines fighting this pandemic. As many have said before, we owe you a debt of gratitude (I’d like to see frontline workers properly rewarded as opposed to a symbolic calp).

Before I get on my political high horse, the thing I wanted to share were experiences living in the pandemic. I wanted to write this as honestly as I could, but also as concisely as possible to summarise the past 12-months of the strangest of times. This turned out to be a longer text than planned, so it will be released in sections: Lockdown 1.0, Lockdown 2.0 and Lockdown 3.0

Lockdown 1.0:

Before my country of residence (UK) was placed on lockdown, the company I work for moved all of us to work remotely at the end of February. I thought that this would be a short term thing and early indications were that things were going to go back to normal quickly. Haw Haw. How wrong was I.

When the government announced the lockdown of all non-essential facilities on the 23^rd of March, I started with a sense of relief. Before this, we were always on the go. There were very few free weekends. During the week, I’d get back home from work, eat dinner, play with the kids, do bed time and head to the gym. During the week, I felt like my home was kinda like a hotel that I just slept at.

After about two weeks into the Lockdown, I started to struggle. As I’ve detailed in the past, I’ve struggled with mental health issues and the isolation of being at home and not able to train properly or seeing people started to grind me down. It was the lack of routine and not getting a daily release from exercise that really wore me down. That combined with the daily news briefings that offered little to no hope of a better future.

During this time my mental health collapsed to the point that on one of the rare times, I bothered to workout in my garage, I was looking at the beams and picked out the one that I would hang myself off of. My head was telling me that I didn’t want to be alive anymore. My past struggles with these issues told me that I needed to open up to someone, or else I would really be hanging from the beam. My friends and family were a massive help in all of this and really helped me through the dark time, whether it was checking in, or just by sharing a joke on WhatsApp or text.

Those small touches really helped me through. It was difficult to see the kids struggle as well. Stripped of their routine and with no structure to their days with the absence of distance learning, my daughter reverted to drawing on the walls and furniture to get attention she wasn’t getting due to having to work full time. My son who is older, didn’t start doing that, but he was open with us that he was struggling with the isolation and not seeing his friends or having his hobbies. He’s a really active and social kid, so having all of that taken away from him hit him hard.

In the years to come, I worry about the impact that the lockdown has had on their learning, but also on their mental health. Being exposed to such drastic measures at such a young age will certainly leave a psychological scar in many people, that I fear will develop into a pandemic of its own in the years to come.

With my own routines disrupted heavily and falling to the grips of depression also impacted a variety of things during the first lockdown. I began drinking heavily and nearly daily, just to escape the dull mundanity of life. For those that don’t know me, I get drunk maybe 3-4 times a year. This time I was getting hammered every week, sometimes even mid-week. Where we did try and go for walks and stuff during the weekend and there were weekly quizzes, they weren’t enough to give me the hope of something better coming along.

Normally during spring, I draw my energy from it being light and on the rare occasion that the sun is out, I get a boost from that. In my mind, I had hoped that once we got to May time, my mood would get better. However, there was none of it. In other times, I would get this energy to workout and to improve my physique and get ready for the hockey season. Now as the sun was out I grew depressed that I was not able to use this time to effectively train and to get into shape. With the rumours circulating from the league and leagues above, it grew more and more likely that we were not going to have a 2020-2021 season. There was literally no reason for me to do anything.

Despite being at home, and seemingly having more control over my time, my eating habits slipped. Combined with my declining mood, lack of exercise, my diet slipped to eating at irregular times and eating whatever was quick to make. I was so dedicated to work as it was distracting me from the dullness of life that I worked late into the afternoon and the would eat some toast as to anything nutritious. With not spending money on anything apart from groceries, we had money to have takeaways and as usually happens with depression, junk foods give you that feeling of euphoria and you just crave more. So yes, my weight went up and physique changed. Something I regret to this day.

There were some bright parts as well. At least when the restrictions were eased, we were able to go away for a holiday back home in Finland. Even when there we ensured that we kept to our bubble and only saw grandparents at the end of our stay to ensure that we did not develop any symptoms post travel.

Where getting away from the UK for a couple of weeks was welcome, it was bitter sweet at the same time. Being back home was like going to utopia. Things back home were much closer to normal life in comparison. To this date, Finland has recorded less than 700 deaths during the pandemic and comparatively, the rates of infection remain relatively low on a day-by-day basis.

So come July and things were opened up and life, to be fair, started to feel more normal again. I had pretty much accepted that hockey was not going to happen, despite clinging on to the hope that it would be. I was able to start working out again and using the glimmer of hope that there would be a season drove me to actually do something. It was also refreshing to go out somewhere. Even if it was just a trip to the local mall (shopping centre) felt like a welcome break from reality.

In the first few weeks I wasn’t really flexing my muscles or anything, but just the clarity of mind that regular, vigorous exercise gave me. I know it’s often easy to say that exercise will be good for your mental health. For me it works, but I know that for some it’s not a cure or a “pick-me up”. I know full well from personal experience the struggle it can be to get into habit of exercising or doing anything when you’re severely depressed. It works for some and it not for others. For me personally, it is a lifesaver.

By July, I was somewhat accustomed to working from home and had developed ways of getting some variety in my days, but my eating habits were still all over the place. My lunches weren’t particularly nutritious or well timed. Looking back on it, it’s peculiar as when working in an office, I had a regimented pattern that I would pause for lunch at a certain time and I would actually look at what I ate. I still haven’t figured out why it all went so horribly wrong when we moved to work from home and whether it was all down to my overall mood, that I was seeking comfort from just eating whatever made me feel happier. Probably, but it’s not like I changed anything too drastically.

Then there was the opening of the rinks. I was able to get some ice with a local rec team to get back into skating, again with a view of being ready if there was a season. It provided some semblance of normality that things that kept me grounded and that were part of my personality were still there to be enjoyed.

From July onwards, life was easier as I had access to the things that kept me going. My fitness journey started to show results and I started to feel better about life in general. However, as we know, when summer turned to autumn, we were in for a rougher ride.

From the Ashes I Rise

It has been a long time since I wrote anything on the blog (in fact last time was in 2017) but over the past month or so, I’ve had the urge to start up again.

Before we dive into the stream of consciousness, I feel like I owe you an explanation as to why the blog fell silent. The blog was started way back when as a way for me to analyse my performances in hockey games and how I can best develop as a player. It was an outlet to vent frustrations I had of myself and so on. Since then it evolved to talk about all things hockey and started to include product reviews, which I loved doing.

However, I thought that I would try and monetize the blog and draw an income off of it. This was ultimately its downfall. In fact, it seems it is a downfall of everything I think of monetizing. It didn’t feel natural anymore and started to transform into a full-time job with no pay next to my ACTUAL full-time job. As my job already involves a lot of writing and content editing, the last thing I wanted to do was write some more when I got home. I still love playing and absolutely miss being on the ice and with my team, but the blog was just that stretch too far to think of click baity articles.

The biggest reason was that, I had two young children that I wanted to spend time with and I wasn’t actually “living and breathing” hockey as much as I was before. I still have the kids by the way. It’s not like I sold them on eBay. The kids are bit older now and with the pandemic, I have a bit more free time at my disposal.

So I’m bringing it back. But this time, I’m taking no pressures over it, much like with my social media platforms. I’m not obsessing over readership numbers, I’m not stressing over a content schedule, I’m not going to lose sleep about how many clicks an article might drive. I’ll just write this as a personal thing as and when I feel like I have something to say and feel like writing.

I would love to do some more gear reviews in time, but those might be difficult as I’ve not kept in touch with the manufacturers in nearly 3-4 years. We shall see where we’ll end up with that.

In the main, I want to keep this as a journal about my progress again. I have a particular goal in mind that I want to achieve, and want to use the blog and my Instagram account as ways of tracking my progress and my thoughts throughout the journey.

So if you’re tuning back, welcome and sorry the blog fizzled out. If you’ve decided to move on to different content streams, no hard feelings. If you’re a new reader. Welcome.

Review: TRUE XC9 ACF Hockey Stick

TRUE has certainly raised its profile in the hockey market over the past couple of years. When we first tested its A6.0 and A5.2 sticks, the company has gone from a “new” player in the market to be seen as the future of hockey sticks and equipment in locker rooms across the globe. We say “new” because TRUE has been manufacturing shafts for a number of years, which have been used to win World Junior titles, Stanley Cups and World Championships.

The company definitely has pedigree in stick manufacturing and having recently acquired VH Footwear and relaunching it as TRUE, the company definitely has wind in its sails to take it to the next level, helped by a growing roster of players in NHL and other top leagues opting to use TRUE’s sticks, gloves and skates.

We have been testing the company’s latest flagship stick, the X-Core 9 ACF. We previously tested the first generation X-Core 9 stick and fell suitably in love with it. Whenever a company launches the next edition of a stick or any equipment, we want to know whether it is actually any better, or if it is just re-using old technology with new livery.

Look:

The XC9 ACF does get new look and it makes it look good. TRUE has improved the look of its sticks since the first generation A range. The stick has received new colours, whilst still maintaining its modern styling and the recognisable electric blue lettering. As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and since we’re really interested in the performance, we won’t spend too much time on waxing poetic about the looks

Weight:

The stick weighs 415grams, which is in line with most top of the range sticks on the market, including the Warrior Alpha QR that we recently tested. However, the stick feels lighter than its stated weight. This is due to the way the stick is balanced.

After having several different players pick up the stick they were all surprised by its weight and how light the stick felt on their hands. What we found with the overall weight distribution of the stick is that the swing weight is better and you are able to unload a shot easier. The low weight and the way it is distributed also helps with getting a quick release off of the stick.

Blade:

One of the biggest surprises of the stick has been the blade. The blade features the urethane insert we saw in the previous XCore 9 stick. The insert is designed to provide 30% more spin on shots. This was one of the features we loved in the stick. In terms of the performance of the insert, it still provides you with great spin on the puck and allows for a great feel. However, for the XC9 ACF, TRUE has re-engineered the blade

The XC9 ACF has a new blade that features TRUE’s Braided Rib Technology (BRT). This technology means that the blade is now more durable (We’ll come to that later), but it has also mean big improvements on the feel.

You get a “soft” feel from the blade but at the same time a feeling of utter durability. It is difficult to find ways to describe the “soft” feel of the blade. Wayne Gretzky used to sprinkle baby powder on his blade because he believed that made his passes softer. Well, the blade on the XC9 ACF is like that for passing, receiving a pass and shooting. The blade is definitely is one of the highlights of this stick.

While the blade gives you that nice soft feel on the puck, it is actually more durable and rigid than before thanks to the BRT technology we mentioned above. The technology consists of seamlessly braided tubes at the centre and bottom of the blade which reduces cracks in the blade. It was first introduced in the A6.0 stick and won us over when we tested the A6.0 last year.

The BRT technology also increases the strength of the blade. TRUE says the BRT blade is about 50% stronger in comparison to its Active Bond II blade. Additionally the BRT in combination with the X-Core technology provides you with that awesome pop-feel for longer.

Perhaps one of the biggest improvements we’ve noticed in comparing the XC9 ACF to the original XCore9 stick is that our shots feel more consistent that we are able to get the same velocity and get the shot to go to the same location more consistently.

Durability:

As for the durability: Hockey is a tough sport and sticks will break. That’s a fact. As our benchmark for durability, the XC9 ACF has to live up to the standard set by the previous XC9 stick. Our previous XC9 stick lasted a whole season in use. Our test sample gave up the ghost during the off-season when the blade developed a crack, following a player stepping on the blade. As the crack widened during use, the blade lost some of its rigidity. The stick is still intact, but the blade on the original XC9 is not so healthy anymore.

So a full season of use in training and games and only broke once someone stomped on it, it’s pretty good going.

We’ve used the XC9 ACF now for about two months in training and games. The stick is still intact and the blade has only scuff marks from pucks (due to the way we like to apply tape), but these are only cosmetic blemishes as opposed to something to be wary of. Otherwise, there is no chipping of any kind, or signs of wear and tear. The stick has been subject to blocking shots and couple of slashes in game situations, but as said, there are no chips or cracks.

Versus the original:

The XC9 ACF is definitely a step up from the original XC9. The blade is much improved and the stick borrows elements from the A6.0 stick. The A6.0 stick was great for shooting and this element is now more prominent in the XC9 ACF over the original XC9. The swing weight on the XC9 ACF we feel has improved markedly and in comparison to the original XC9, the shots come off the blade quicker.

Range:

What is new with the XC9 ACF stick is that it now encompasses an entire range. TRUE had established it’s A series of sticks and when the original X-Core 9 came out, it was just the X-Core 9 stick. Now you have a range that goes from XC9 ACF to XC5 ACF. This range should appeal to players from across the spectrum that want to experience the XC feel, but might not necessarily want to fork out for the top of the range stick.

This has been one of the positives in TRUE’s evolution, in that it continually evolves its product lines to cater for the requirements of different players.

The XC7 and XC5 feature a lot of the same technology that the elite level stick does. The XC7 weighs in at 455grams and XC5 at 495grams. In terms of the technology both sticks miss out is the Smart Flex from the XC9 and will have a bit more fibreglass inserted to provide added durability (and lower purchase price)

Competition:

How does the XC9 ACF stack up the competition in the market? The Warrior Alpha QX might be a touch a head of the TRUE XC9 ACF in terms of the velocity and power you get behind the shot, but when we compare it to the likes of CCM Ribcor Trigger 2 or the Warrior for that matter, we always come back to the same point; The blade and the versatility of the XC9 ACF is what makes this such a great stick.

Conclusion:

In short, TRUE’s XC9 ACF is for a player that wants a stick that provides them with great amounts of accuracy, quick release and supreme feel in one. It provides you with accuracy control and feel, just as the name suggests. Is it better than the Warrior Alpha QX we recently tested? Yes, we would say that it is better. In fact, we would go as far to say that it is the best stick available in the market now due to its versatility.

The XC9 ACF is a showcase of precision engineering and meticulous product development. This is why TRUE is heralded as the future of hockey equipment. There is a feel from the company that it does not churn out new product for the sake of churning out new product, but there is actually substance behind each new product launch.

In terms of price, yes the XC9 ACF is the flagship product of the XC range and therefore comes with the appropriate price tag, but in comparison with some of the Bauer sticks, you get more bang for you buck. At Hockey Monkey the XC9 ACF is priced around the same price as the Warrior Alpha QX, which we quite liked. So from a price point of view, the XC9 ACF is not the most expensive stick on the market.

Final thoughts: Like a car that always puts a smile on your face every time you drive it, the TRUE XC9 ACF gives you that feeling in a hockey stick. Two months in, and we can’t wait for training days and game days, knowing that we get to play with what is by far the best stick on the market.

 

#offseasonproblems

****This was written originally in July, but given issues with laptop I’m only publishing this no

Every day is arm day

w. The one thing that may have changed is the body fat %, as I’ve been mostly sitting in my underwear eating Haribo. Oh and I’ve started skating.***

So as we are hurtling towards the start of the season, I thought it’d be a good chance to update on the struggles that hockey players go through every summer, otherwise known as off-season problems. Summer is obviously a chance to take some R&R time from the game and kick

 

 

back, but it is also the time when you build the foundations for the year ahead.

I thought that after the season was over I’d give myself a good chance to rest and

Progress in mid July

recover, both physically and mentally. I had planned on a two week break once the season had wrapped up, but that didn’t really go to plan. I got bored after a couple of days and started doing light workouts and then after a week, I was fully vested into my off season workout plan.

 

In terms of strength and conditioning, I am using a program that I’ve used for the past two summers, so this is the 3^rd summer I’m using this particular routine. Last summer I added 3kg of muscle, so I thought that it’s the right program. Plus given the fact that I’m at 100% health and not having to contend with any injuries, I felt I’d be able to push harder at the gym.

 

I’ve not just been a meat head for the summer. I have spent time with my family too

Additionally to the program I’ve added few layers to it, to improve my grip strength as it supposedly helps with shot velocity (and who doesn’t want bigger fore arms) and speed workout which I’ve been carrying on in parallel to the strength and conditioning workout. Last season I felt that the strength and conditioning side worked well, but I wanted to add another level to training. With the league getting harder, it’s important to respond to the increase in competition in the right way.

 

The speed workouts really work on the ‘engine’ of the hockey player, so it’s focussed on the glutes, hamstrings, quads and core. That is where your speed is generated and given my history with back injuries the last two seasons, I felt that I need to improve this area in my body. Besides, who knows, maybe it will help me look better naked.

 

What has been different about the off season so far is that I’ve not really thought about

I also drove a bunch of fast cars. Didn’t get killed or kill any cars. 

hockey while I’ve been working out. I’ve been doing it because it has been fun and it has been a journey of self-discovery again. I’ve found that I’m able to push myself more and more and I’m actually finding enjoyment out of seeing that puddle of sweat by my feet at the end of the workout. I think, in comparison to last summer, I didn’t go to those levels with training.

 

One philosophy that I’ve carried with me subconsciously, though, is that the off season is still competition. You are building for the season ahead, but you are also competing against your future team mates by wanting to be fitter than any of them and you want to make sure that you claim your spot on the roster. That is one of the reasons that hockey is such a fascinating sport. You compete all year round, in the summer, against your teammates and then you put all of that aside and you compete with those guys to help your team win. It is a never ending competition.

 

So what about the results from the training then?

 

Well, to the end of June, I had slashed my body fat % by 3% to get it sub 10% for the first time since before my back went. I’ve maintained the muscle mass that I had, but I feel quicker, if that makes sense? I’m yet to skate, but whenever I’m doing sprints, my legs feel lighter and I feel like I’m producing more power through my legs. One shall see when I hit the ice whether that feeling is all in my head, or whether it is all results.

 

The next steps are to start skating. Whenever regular training starts, I want to have the cobwebs worked out of the system. Simultaneously to this, I’m going to start working on some stickhandling stuff. I’ve got hands like cement blocks so if I can soften my touch a little bit that should all help. It will be interesting getting back on the ice. I’ve not skated since April, so I’m bound to be rusty as anything. It’s the first four sessions that are the worst and after that it starts getting easier.

 

Until it does, I’m dreading those four sessions.

 

First impressions: Warrior Alpha QX Stick

We had an opportunity to try the all new Warrior Alpha QX Stick recently. Similar to the QRL review last year, this is a quick overview of our thoughts on the new top of the line stick. The Alpha QX range replaces the outgoing Dynasty range of sticks. These first impressions are based on about 45 minutes of tinkering with it. The stick was tested in dry land conditions only and for shooting.

 

Upon picking up the stick it feels incredibly light. The stick weighs in at 410 grams, which isn’t the lightest stick on the market but on hands it definitely feels a lot lighter than it actually is. The stick is finely balanced and feels good on the hands. The one thing that we found a bit uncomfortable to begin with was the grip coating. It felt ‘stickier’ than other sticks that we’ve tested in the past, but this again is a matter of preference. Warrior says that this grip is to improve accuracy and control.

 

One of the other things we noticed when we first held the stick is that the contour of the shaft is also new and at first felt a little different to ‘conventional’ hockey sticks. The best way to describe the shaft and the contour is a mash between the old elliptical design on the Easton S19 and CCM’s Octo-Gun sticks. However, it isn’t as radical as those two.

Warrior says that this is to help with stick handling and shooting (we’ll get to that later). The Alpha QX is a low kick point stick and differs from the QRL in that the kick point is slightly higher. The aim has been to make shot release even quicker on the Alpha QX.

The stick that we tested was an 85 flex with W05 (Granlund) blade pattern, which has a 5 lie and a 9/16 heel curve. Normally we would prefer a 75 flex but the 85 flex stick gave us a good enough impression on what the stick is capable of.

 

We only tested the stick on dry land for shooting, but it did impress us quite a bit. One of the first things we look at in any stick is the feel for the puck how well the blade feeds back to the shaft/hands. On the Alpha QX the feel is what you would expect from a top of the range puck. You can stick handle comfortably knowing that the puck is on the blade and not having to spend too much time looking down to the puck.

 

Shooting is where the stick reveals its worth. You can comfortably release slap-shots and wristers and get the feeling that there is more ‘oomph’ behind the shot. We’ve experienced this with the likes of TRUE X-C 9 sticks. The stick is easy to load and especially using it for one timers (using a Hockey Shot Passing kit PRO) you can really unleash some heavy shots with the stick. Wrist shots feel like they come off the stick with ease and you can really tell the improvements made for quickening the release. In shooting, there wasn’t much of a wobble on the puck and it comes off clean from the blade.

 

There is a durable feel to the shaft. Thanks to an all new construction method, the stick is now stronger, which translates into your shooting confidence. You can easily lean into one-timers with the stick without the fear of the stick breaking. For example with the Sher-Wood Rekker EK-15, the stick feels just so light your natural instinct is to hold back a touch. Not so with the Warrior, you can lean into shots with your hearts content.

 

The big downside for the Alpha QX? The price. The stick is set to retail at $300/£200/€240, so it is not the cheapest top-of-the-range stick on the market. Then again, you do get a lot of performance for the money.

 

Conclusion:

Where our time with the stick wasn’t that long, it did provide us with a good idea of what the stick is capable of. The Warrior Alpha QX is a real shooter’s stick and we would love to do an indepth review of one on the ice to really put it through its paces, but just from dry-land shooting experience the stick is impressive piece of engineering.

 

The only things that we found bugged us slightly were the grip and the new shape of the stick, which with more time I’m sure would not be a massive problem. However, as said, at the moment, the only downside that we can see is the price tag of the stick. Yes you do get a high performance stick for that money, but it is a lot of money to invest in a product that is most at risk of breaking in the game of hockey.

 

What has hockey given me?

This is a question that I’ve pondered on and off for a long time. Maybe part of it is that during conversations with family and non-hockey playing friends I often get asked why do I still play, despite my rather lengthy list of injuries and the commitment hockey takes.

 

As a player, I’ve lived by the ethos that I will do anything that the team asks of me and commit myself 100% to the season. Before having kids it was easy to make that commitment and now, where I still make it, I always factor in the desires of the family. As long as they are happy for me to carry on playing and putting that level of commitment in, then I’ll always sign. Additionally I ask myself if I have the spark and the desire to put in that level of commitment. If I can’t give 100% of myself, physically and emotionally, then there’s no point me wasting my coaches time, my teammates time and my time. Yes, during the season there are times when you want to say “fuck it” and give up, but there’s always been a desire to give two fingers to those thoughts and battle on.

 

Hockey is a sport that takes a lot. An awful lot. Not only is there the games and trainings during the season, but there’s also the conditioning work that takes place during the summer, during the season and any functions that the team has for fans and so on (OK I don’t attend many nights out, because I’m old and ugly and need all the beauty sleep I can get). Hockey takes up your weekends from September to April. The season literally consumes you and your free time and mind.

 

But what has hockey actually given back to me?

 

I’ll try and look at this from beyond just winning and friendships, though the first thing hockey has given me are the friendships, but it has given deeper meaning to it as well.

 

There’s nothing quite like sharing the comradery of a team and the fan-base that the team has. During the years I’ve played, I’ve made friends with people I probably wouldn’t have hung-out with and have discovered great personalities through the game. This in turn has opened me to be more accepting of people and has allowed me to in greater or lesser extent let go of some prejudices that I may have subconsciously held.

 

Hockey has also given me a family. Literally. I met my wife on a team night out when I was playing for the Southampton University team. Since meeting her and ultimately marrying her, we have had two wonderful children and she and the kids have added more meaning to life. But in addition, hockey has given me another family in the community that has been built around the team I play for.

 

Hockey has given me work ethic. The game in itself is honest. If you don’t put the work in, you will find the result on the scoreboard and you’ll feel quite shitty about it and yourself. The same applies to work outside of the rink. The game has taught me a lot about how to approach challenges and how to tolerate stress and disappointment. It has taught me that you keep going until you reach the ultimate goal.

 

It has given me resilience and perseverance: I’ve had a fair few injuries and I’ve persevered through them, always wanting to come back better and stronger. At times it has been difficult, sure, but at the end of the day I’ve learnt to rise above the pain and fight my way back into game shape. Hockey has also given me a higher than average pain threshold. Being able to play a game with a severe disc prolapse, playing a whole season with a fully torn labrum and ruptured bicep tendon takes some guts but you push through it, because you want to help the team win.

 

Additionally the game has taught me about health: About 4 years ago I realised that if I didn’t change the way I trained, the way I ate – and more importantly what I ate – I would not last a year. Since then I have discovered a healthier lifestyle and have managed to cut out many habits I had in the past. Because of hockey, I am now more conscious about the dietary choices I make on a daily basis and the way I listen to my body and maintain it – even if at times it seems like I disregard the body’s warning. I’m not an elite athlete, but I would like to think that I approach training and diet from a more athletic point of view.

 

 

 

Yes, hockey does take and demand a lot of you, but if you look beyond, it does give back an awful lot as well. I consider myself fortunate to be able to play and keep learning more.

Living off of hockey pt1: Cross Check Clothing

Cross Check Clothing has been producing Hockey inspired lifestyle apparel since 2012. Here’s a pic of me at the gym in one of their sleeveless tops

In a new series of posts, we will explore how people make a living out of hockey, not as players, but through various different ways. The saying goes that “hockey gives you a lot”, but how does that extend to those that are not players or work for a team. The aim of the series is to explore the impact hockey has had on people on a personal level and how it has helped them shape a business and a career on the edges of the game.

 

The first look at how Hockey has enabled a business is to look at Cross Check Clothing, a UK based hockey inspired lifestyle apparel brand, set up in 2012. Since inception, Cross Check has garnered a steady following and a loyal fan base from the UK hockey scene as well as abroad.

 

But how did the brand’s owner and creator Pete Weeks get into hockey and what made him start his own apparel company? A company that “does it for the kicks”, as Pete himself puts it, but at the same time churns out quality apparel and contributes to the visibility of hockey on the streets.

 

“I had an early introduction to hockey through family and I picked it up again when my step-son was five years old. He had developed an obsession with the NHL video games and we decided to take him to a game to see what he made of the sport in real life.”

 

Those who have followed Cross Check Clothing from its early days, will know that from those early days of taking his step son to games, it has become a regular occurrence to Pete and his family.

Please visit our sponsors for awesome hockey related swag.

So if hockey served as a way to spend time with family, where did the inspiration for hockey apparel come from? As Pete explains, he saw a niche in the market “I was shopping for hockey wear for my step-son and found that other than a few uninspiring North American brands, or NHL team wear, there was little in terms of what acknowledged hockey in the UK. After the initial idea I sat on it for a few months and decided to take the plunge.”

 

It might be safe to say that setting up a company to serve a niche in a niche sport is a risk, but was it a daunting experience? “I knew a fair bit about setting up businesses and how to go about getting stock and growing the name, it was a case of putting it all in place,” Pete explains. “I wasn’t nervous about the start-up, I was excited about the launch and cracking the whip on the design team and suppliers to get the stock in.”

 

“The first time I really started to panic was after a few weeks. We’d only had an order for about £3 and I started to wonder if we’d sell anything,” Pete explains. “Thankfully, we made some good friends early on who are still big parts of the brand and helped push us forward”.

 

 

But where does the inspiration come from. Pete says that Cross Check Clothing has similar aspirations as Vans and Quicksilver, brands that used to be rooted in skateboarding and surfing respectively, but have in the course of time appealed to a much, much wider audience. Is Cross Check looking to get to a similar level as these brands? “The merchandise we put out is lifestyle wear, so we aim for designs that we see anyone wearing,” Pete explains.

 

But what attracts people to the game? For Pete, the story is familiar to many who come to hockey games. “I think it’s the atmosphere at games, especially after a series of big hits, or a fight,” he explains. “I love the way momentum can shift in a game so quickly when players step up and it means you always have something to cheer for, even if the score of the game isn’t going your way.”

 

Additionally, the physicality and the demands of the game get a lot of respect from Pete. “When you see players throwing themselves in front of pucks and getting smashed into the boards night in, night out, it takes a lot and I have a huge amount of respect for that,”

 

A sampling of the Cross Check Clothing shirt collection

From working with Cross Check Clothing for the past two seasons, one of the things that appealed to the undersigned was the way the brand operates. It is very down to earth and personable. Everything the company does has a personal touch to it, whether it is the signed card with every delivery or their presence in social media. That is also true in the interactions. You know you are dealing with real people who really care deeply about what they do and the community within the game.

 

“Thankfully we’ve always been supported on everything we’ve done, which has allowed us to work on better products and much wider range. Every penny we make is re-invested back into the company to keep regular and better products coming out.” Pete explains the philosophy of the company.

 

But what of the future? Five years in to the journey of the brand, a fair share of ups and downs, but it is still going strong. What is the future for the company? “Be the headline sponsor of the NHL,” Pete says, laughingly. “To be honest we want to continue to grow with the friends we’ve made. Maybe in the future we will look to take the brand a bit further a field and meet some new exciting people in the process.”

 

 

So, that’s a story of a growing lifestyle brand that has its roots in the game of hockey in a nutshell. The journey Cross Check Clothing has been on has been quite extraordinary in the sense that they have continued to evolve and improve in what is a niche market, reaching people beyond hockey. The genuine attitude of the company towards their products is paramount to its success and the people in the UK hockey community certainly have embraced the brand. 

 

Their story is bound to continue for years to come.  

 Visit the Cross Check Clothing store at: https://shop.crosscheckclothing.co.uk/ 

Championship; two-years to date

Today is two years ago since we won the double (league and playoff) titles. What started off as a torrid season and not having won a single game to December, we had a great second half of the year, where we won 11 straight games on our way to the double.

 

It is difficult to put into words what the title felt like at the time when it happened. It had been a personal goal to win it for a number of years, and in the moment when the final buzzer went, the feeling was simply indescribable. However, as strange as it may sound saying it now, in the mixture of jubilation, there was a feeling of emptiness. Having set upon a path to step up from rec-hockey to play in a league again, the single aim was that I want to win a championship. After achieving it, it was weird feeling to have and it took a few weeks to process.

 

What made the title special was that I got to share it with a great bunch of guys. There were several team-mates that I had shared a journey with, from being the punching bags of the league and losing all but one game, to going to win the title. It was a special moment to be able to share. However, what made the title even more special was that we achieved it without a home rink to play out of. We came close the season before finishing 3^rd in the league with only two points separating us from the title.

 

I remember the first leg more clearly, but the second one is a bit hazy, mainly because the events of the game were overridden by the realisation that we had finally done it. I remember there was something like 7 seconds left on the clock when there was a face off in our zone, but once the puck was cleared I was hugging Adi on the bench and after that… it was helmet, gloves and stick in the air and get into mobbing Dibble in the net.

 

Not everyone gets to experience it in hockey, or sports, but it was special. Sure it wasn’t the Stanley Cup or anything, but for me, it was a big deal. And I believe it was a big deal to the fans of the team as well.

 

Last season, we weren’t able to defend the title and didn’t make the play-offs and this season just gone, we made it to the semi-finals. Looking back on photos from that day, just re-affirms to me that I still want to win and it is still the reason why I suit up.

Assembling a human: Putting together fragments from a brain injury

t has been almost seven years since I suffered my worst concussion to date. As many have read on the blog about the recovery and the initial trauma of the injury, I thought it would be interesting to do a piece on how life has moved on and find out, whether I was able to assemble a person from the fragments that were left as a result of the blow.

To recap briefly if you haven’t followed this blog long. I suffered a brain injury (which I refer to here as concussion) whilst playing hockey about seven years ago. I can’t remember much from the day it happened or the months following, but what the doctors told me is that I had a bleed in my brain and I was being monitored very closely by medical professionals. Being an idiot that I am, I ignored the doctors’ advice and caused myself more harm, returning to play after a week off (which was WAAAAY too soon). My symptoms were severe. I had to spend days in a darkened room due to intense photophobia, my head was pounding like I’d been on a week long bender, I was iritable, I could not remember what I’d done two minutes prior and I was laughing hysterically one minute, only to break down in tears the next. I felt I lost myself.

The recovery from the concussion took almost a year and a half, mainly because I refused to rest, so I suffered from headaches, dizziness and low mood/irritability for a long time. These symptoms are usually quite persistent in the early phase of concussions and should subside if you follow the appropriate recovery protocols.

In the early phases of the injury, my handwriting changed dramatically and my decision making was impaired. I also did things like try and dry myself after having a shower, whilst still standing underneath the shower. There were also difficulties associated with concentration and anything that required a prolonged period of attention, were difficult to deal with as I got a blistering headache from it.

However, now nearly seven years later, have I and my family managed to assemble a person of the mess that was left from the concussion? Neurologically, speaking I am fine. All my reactions and nervous system work as they should. Also, scans of my brain show no sign of permanent damage. That’s all well and good, however…

Despite getting a “clinical” all clear, I am still left dealing with concentration problems, usually in day to day life and at work. I am good at starting on a task, but then my mind wanders and I’m left thinking, what the hell it was that I was doing. Usually, I have to park the activity for a bit and come back to it once I catch the thread of my thought.

Additionally, some may have noticed in conversations with me that my eyes wander when I’m speaking to them. This again is associated with the concentration problem. Where I am listening to whoever I’m speaking to and paying attention, it is a monumental challenge to maintain eye contact. So, if you are speaking to me, and I’m not looking at you, please don’t be offended.

It is weird as when it comes to game day and the minutes leading up to when we take to the ice, that’s where I find I’m most focussed. Though having said that, it too has been an area where I’ve struggled. I’ve since been seeing a sports psychologist and have been using various techniques from hypnotherapy to NLP to help me achieve a better level of focus before games. I have to do the same in professional life when it is time to give a presentation, for example.

Prior to the concussion I had a pretty good memory. I would be able to recite circulation figures of publications, who the editor of a magazine was, which player played with what number and what sticks they used etc. Today… No chance. I struggle to remember names of people I’ve done business with for a long time and also I get easily confused on how many reps or sets I’ve done at the gym, despite having a workout log in front of me.

I am also maybe a touch more irritable than I was seven years ago. I seem to let little things get to me and eat away at me for days on end. However, I’m not a 100% convinced that my irritability is due to the brain injury, as my close friends and family have often described me as the most wound-up laidback person they know prior to the injury.  

The other aspect which has become more prominent in the wake of the concussion are my depressive cycles. I had been battling depression before the injury, but it seems like it has exasperated the problem, in that my depressive ‘episodes’ are more frequent and tend to be a quick decline, rather than something that happens gradually. Another issue which I remember vividly from the symptoms was that I looked myself in the mirror one day, must’ve been 2-3 months after the initial injury and I broke down in tears. I remember telling my wife that I don’t like the person that is staring back at me in the mirror and that I wanted to change. It was almost like the line in the Springsteen song Dancing in the dark: “I wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face”. Body image was never really a big deal to me, but that was a defining moment in my life and I still have the same feeling everytime I see myself in the mirror. And that is despite losing loads of weight and putting on more muscle. With depression, I’ve reached a good place and have become better at identifying when I’m starting to ‘lose it’ and can seek to rectify it. I am likely to eat pills for this for the rest of my life. With the body image thing… who knows.

Coordination is something that has been affected. It may be brash to say that it’s all coordination. I am completely fine and in control when I’m playing, working out, driving etc. I’m absolutely fine, but tell me to do start jumps, I’m boned. I get there eventually, but I have to run through everything in my mind as to how it all comes together.

Those are in the main the areas where I still struggle a bit or that I know that have changed. What of the answer to the question: Am I still the same person as I was before the concussion? The answer is no. And to be truthfully honest, no one would be after 7 years. I feel I’ve grown and evolved as a person since then so it is impossible to say whether or not I am the same as I was back then. To what extent the concussion affected that process, I don’t know. but it definitely had an impact.

However, what I do know is that I am incredibly lucky in that my injury was not as bad as some of the ones I’ve seen while I was recovering. In comparison, I felt like a fraud next to people who are having to re-learn to walk, eat, write etc. The drive these people have is astonishing and I have nothing but the highest levels of admiration and respect for people who are going through that level of arduous recovery. 

 

However, whether or not me and those around me have managed to assemble a person of the fragments that were left: I think we’ve done alright. It hasn’t been easy, particularly in the early weeks and months post injury, but I’m a relatively respectable citizen.