Hockey goalies tend to be amongst the most popular athletes in all of sports, partly because of the strange equipment they wear. No piece of goalie equipment is more revered than the mask, which nowadays is more often than not a piece of personalized art work that only adds to our love of goalies. For many it is the face of hockey, quite literally the saving face.

With about 150 images of goalie masks through the ages, this book is sure to be a hit. It would make an awesome coffee table book, encouraging discussion as guests flip through the photographic evidence of the evolution of the goalie mask, conjuring up old memories of years gone by.

There are some amazing early pics of primitive masks that never even made it to the NHL. Clint Benedict's and Jacques Plante's early masks head of the chronological evolution of the mask. Then there was the pretzel masks, the Fibrosport masks, the bird cage masks, and who can forget the "Jason" masks. Nowadays almost every goalie uses a combo mask featuring the specially fitted fiberglass helmet with the cage for vision and breathing. The most famous and most colourful masks are all on display in great, close up form.

But this book is far more than just a coffee table photo book. I was pleasantly surprised to see such a thorough text of the history of the hockey mask. Extensive research honors the key innovators, creators and painters over the years, including Bill Burchmore, Ernie Higgins, Greg Harrison, and Dave Dryden. Over a dozen key contributors are fully featured.

The book documents some of the dreadful injuries goalies suffered in the old days. The great Terry Sawchuk received as many as 600 stitches in his face thanks to hockey. He even had his right eyeball sliced by a stick. Legend has it doctors removed the eyeball, inserted three stitches and returned it to his eye socket. No wonder Sawchuk was such a wreck!

The authors go on to detail the goaltenders' fight for the right to use the mask. Though it may be unbelievable nowadays, wearing a mask in an actual game was a very controversial idea, very much disliked by the hockey establishment, hockey purists and even many goalies. Acceptance of the use of a mask was a long time coming. Fortunately for goalies everywhere Jacques Plante proved to be the perfect pioneer.

The authors then examine the craze of personalizing masks and adorning them with art work. Gerry Cheevers may have inadvertently started it all when jiffy markered stitches onto his plain white mask every time the puck hit him, but soon after virtually every goalie not wearing the bird cage mask was quick to embrace the expression of art.

My only beef with this book, and perhaps this is nitpicking, is that there is not a lot of imagery of current goalies and their masks. The current era seems almost under-represented in comparison to other generations featured in the book. Perhaps this is an unfair criticism, though, as too many of today's oft-moving goalies could date the book prematurely.

I also would have liked to have seen more goalies talking about their masks and chosen art work in first person. Gerry Cheevers does that in the book's foreword, and it is a real treat. The authors do do a good job of explaining the significance behind many of the masks featured in their text.

All in all, this is a very good book that does not disappoint. It will be a big hit with hockey fans of all eras. Everyone loves goalie masks, and everyone will appreciate this book.

Originally published September 11, 2008 on HockeyBookReviews.com

This past weekend I was at a business conference where I was surrounded by people who are “light years” ahead of me in terms of their success.

It reminded me of my first game at college. I was so nervous to begin with that I could barely tie-up my skates. Then I go out for my first shift and I see Cammi Granato, who had just come back from leading the US team to the gold medal in Nagano Olympics, lined up across from me. There I was - a virtual nobody - standing across from one of the most successful female hockey players of all time.

When you are surrounded by greatness, either on or off the ice, you have to make a choice:

--> You can be intimidated OR you can be inspired.

There are always going to be games when you have to play against players and teams that are bigger, stronger, faster and better than you are.

But their success didn’t happen overnight.

They didn’t just start out at the top.

It took them a ton of hard work to get there.

Their success gives us something to shoot for and helps us to believe that we can achieve greatness too.

So when you are surrounded by greatness, instead of being paralyzed with intimidation, be inspired to take action. Start taking your hockey performance to the next level day in and day out and soon you will be the one that other players are intimidated by.

Make the choice to be great.

~Coach Kim

Originally published September 22, 2008 on Total Female Hockey

It's around this time of year that the rollerblades get put away and the bare floors of local arena get covered in what will become this season's best playground: the ice rink.

In my hometown of Vancouver, Britannia, Kerrisdale, Kitsilano, Riley Park, Sunset and the West End Community Centre are in full swing with their lessons, public skates, and drop in hockey games. Many are home to leagues, and some can even be rented out for school outings and private events. But what is it that gives a particular rink its appeal?

Ice
Is ice just ice? According to the Science of Hockey, "slow ice" and "fast ice" can be explained. "Fast ice is harder and colder with a smoother surface, while slow ice is warm and soft and may have a rough surface."

Facilities
Off the ice, what makes a rink special? It could be the historic significance, or the brand new facilities for players and guests. Locker rooms, rental area, and stands are all a part of a successful hockey rink. In the locker rooms you gear up and get advice from you coach. In the rental area your friends can lace up for an afternoon of fun on the ice, and the stands are for family and supporters of your team, without which you might not make it to practice on time, or get up enough courage to go on that breakaway.

Added touches
For some, it's all about the thrill of the game combined with the food. Food you may only eat on game days and only when handed to you over the counter of the concession stand. I did a quick poll this afternoon on Twitter and some of the top arena foods are peanuts, popcorn, chili fries, frosted malts, pizza, and of course, the hot dog. I had one person respond with 'poutine', which makes me definitely want to go to a game in their hometown.

Whatever the housing for the rink or what's served up inside, it's what takes place on the ice that matters most; playing fair, being safe, and being proud to represent your community and team.

Player loses nose, finds it in Zamboni.

In the 7th round of the 1986 NHL Entry Draft, the Edmonton Oilers selected a Slovakian by the name of Ivan Matulik. He dreamed of playing in the National Hockey League, but despite spending parts of six seasons with the Oilers farm teams, he never did make it to the big leagues.

Unfortunately for Matulik, the only thing noteworthy he did in North America was lose his nose.

You see, while playing for the Halifax Citadels in the 1991-92 season, Matulik had the tip of his nose sliced off by a skate. Players searched for the nose, but they could not find it. Matulik went to the hospital, probably suffering from the shock as much as the pain.

Fortunately for Matulik the nose was found after the game in the icy slush deposited by the Zamboni! Since the nose was so well preserved, doctors were able to re-attach the nose to Matulik's face.

The gruesome injury did not scare off the young Slovakian. He loved the game very much and returned to the ice and enjoyed a long career. He returned to Europe and went on to become one of the top players in Great Britain of all places, starring in both England and Wales.

Thousands of hockey players say that they want to get a scholarship and play in the Olympics. But there is only so much room at the top of the hockey world. So how are you going to separate yourself from the rest of the pack and be a true hockey success story?

The first step to becoming a hockey success story is to set your hockey goals. Start by writing your personal mission statement for this season. Figure out exactly what it is that you want to achieve over the next few days, weeks and months. The key is to be as detailed and specific as possible - just saying, “I want to play my best”, isn’t going to cut it. You’ve got to know EXACTLY what you want if you are going to take your game to a whole new level.

But the “goal setting” is the easy part.
It’s the “goal getting” that’s the real challenge.

Anyone can write out a great mission statement. But not every hockey player can make their dreams a reality.

The truth is that “goal setting” is all talk, while “goal getting” is all about TAKING ACTION. You have to take action each and every day if you want to be the best. So are you just talking about being the best or are you actually making it happen?

Are you warming-up before every ice session? Are you taking the time to work on your mental game? Are you eating the right kinds of food to fuel your best performance? Are you putting in the time to work on your game away from the rink?

Some hockey players want it to happen and some wish it would happen. It’s the great ones that MAKE it happen by doing all of these “little” things on a consistent basis.

The more action you take towards your goals, the better player you will be. There’s no time like the present - so what are you waiting for?

What did you do today to take a step in the direction of your dreams?

Coach Kim

Originally published October 26th, 2008 on Total Female Hockey.