Old Goalie Boy (Old and slow to be exact. That's why the other team likes me!)

2010-05-23T22:39:00.000-06:00

Me, Sept 2006 (Spokane Old Timers Tournament).

I'm an old Ice Hockey Goalie !

2010-05-23T21:14:00.000-06:00

I'm an old ice hockey goalie.
I never played organized hockey, just some intramural in college. Then 20 years later my nephew tells me "I can't play Saturday night Uncle T. can you play for me? I'm sure my skates and gear will fit you." It all fit, I played and I enjoyed it.
As a computer programmer, hockey is my only exercise during the winter months, so It's more than a hobby, it's also healthy.

The Monty

2009-04-12T19:08:00.002-06:00

The seasoned ended with the second annual Monty Tournament. It’s a tournament that is designed for fun, in memory of ‘Monty’ who we lost in a tragic construction accident two years ago. It was made up of 10 teams. Each team had players of all skill levels. Here are some of the rules, if I remember them correctly. Each team had to have two ‘C’ level men, two women and two players over 50. Only two ‘A’ level players can be on the ice at one time, so they had pink tape on their helmets so the refs could identify them. All penalties were penalty shots and the puck was ‘live’ if no goal was scored. The other players had to line up on their knees at the far blue line and could only get up and give chase after the shooter touched the puck at center. If a team got a 2 goal lead their goalie had to play without a stick. The refs had a pink puck which they could drop occasionally. It was worth 2 points, when it went in the net. Needless to say a lot of games were tied at the end of regulation. All of ours were. On one we had a penalty shot as the game ended. The other two were shoot outs. The shoot outs had special rules also. The first thee shooters had to be a ‘C’ player, a women and a guy over 50. If it was still tied after that, 3 more would shoot, only this time it would be the goalie and two ‘A’ players. One of ours went to 6 shooters. I did not score and here is the video. It was made on a cell phone and you need QuickTime to view it. The other goalie didn’t score either. The only goal in that shootout was by one of our ‘A’ players. That gave us 3 wins and put us in the ‘championship’ game against another team that had 3 wins. Unfortunately we were outplayed, out shot and lost by two goals. A fun time was had by all.

Tribute to Hal

2009-04-12T18:23:00.001-06:00

This is me with my buddy Hal. This picture was taken after the league championship game. He beat me, but he faced only 17 shots compared to my 43. Hal and I have played together for 8 years. That first season he was a forward, but he converted himself to a goalie the next season. With a little coaching and Hal’s completive spirit he adapted to the position quite well. It’s been a fun time but this was last because he is moving to Colorado this summer.
Little did I know when I met Hal in 2001 that we would become great friends. I met him at church (he is my pastor) and his first words to me were “You are bald enough to be part of this church”. We’ve shared ice time, laughs and tears together. Hal has helped me more in my spiritual journey than I have helped him in his ‘goalie’ journey.
For everyone who knows him, Hal is a great guy who loves Jesus, his family, his church and hockey, in that order. Hal will be missed both on the ice and off the ice. Hal if you read this, I want you to know that you are loved and that God has new friends for you to meet in Colorado – ‘Keep your stick on the ice.”

Butterfly at 59

2009-03-28T16:55:00.004-06:00

I can still make the butterfly save at 59. Jeanne got this video at our last playoff game. We lost but I stopped twice as many shots as the other goalie had. It was that kind of a game. I got a good workout.

Highlights from Fall League

2009-01-23T22:14:00.007-07:00

I ended up with the best GAA 1.66, but we lost 1 to 0 in the first playoff round. The highlight was winning in a shootout in the last regular season game to finish in first place. Here is a picture sequence from the shootout.

Spokane Sept 2008

2008-09-24T18:38:00.001-06:00

Here's my team from the Spokane Old Timers (as if you couldn't guess) tournament. We played 3 games. We had a lot of fun. It was my first time on the ice in 5 months. I played well.

The Glove

2008-09-19T21:07:00.001-06:00

“The Glove”
That’s what they call me at work, it’s a long story, but that’s what blogs are for.
First, some background. It started with my supervisor. He is big sports fan. He played with the Cornhuskers when they were winning National championships. Now he’s back in his home state. He’s very sharp intellectually but he is also a fun guy who likes playing practical jokes on people.
His brother-in-law plays hockey in the same league I play in. Last year I gloved a shot that the brother-in-law thought was a sure goal. After my supervisor heard about this incident, be started calling me ‘The Glove’, because it fits with what I do. I’m a Software Quality Assurance Analyst (a. k. a. ‘tester’). SQA people have the responsibility of “protecting production”. This is very similar to “protecting the net”, thus I got branded ‘The Glove’ or just ‘Glove’.

Winter Season Ends

2008-03-29T15:28:00.004-06:00

These are my season stats.

The winter season is over. Our team ended up in third place. We played the second place team in the first playoff round and lost 5 to 1. The other team was younger and faster and played well. My teammates said I played great and the score could have been much worse.

Winter League begins

2008-02-26T20:07:00.004-07:00

My team this season is the Fish (Don't ask, it's a long story).We've played 5 regular season games so far. We are 3 and 2 Our last game was the most exciting, as we defeated the undefeated Snipers in OT.

Here are my mid season stats.

Game one - 1/17/2008 against the Prophets. We won 4 to 2. I stopped 14 of 16 shots.
Game two - 1/24/2008 against the Timberwolves. We won 5 to 3. I stopped 12 of 15 shots.
Game three - 2/7/2008 against the Mad Hatters. We lost 6 to 3. I stopped 22 of 27 shots. Their last goal was into an empty net.
Game four - 2/14/2008 against Snipers. We lost 5 to 2. I stopped 18 of 23 shots.
Game five - 2/21/2008 against the Snipers again. We won 3 to 2 in OT. I stopped 15 of 17 shots.

My Goals Against Average is 3.4 and my Save Percentage is .827.
No, those numbers are not as good a Roberto Luongo's, but the last time I checked, his salary is a little higher than mine.

Spokane Jamboree 2007

2007-09-16T12:18:00.000-06:00

This is my team from the 2007 Spokane Hockey Jamboree. We were not the best team at the tournament. We lost both of our games but we had fun. The third game had to be cancelled due to a problem with the ice making equipment. I call that the mercy factor.

A Tribute to My Mother

2007-05-08T23:34:00.000-06:00

Mom ("Gram")
1918 - 2007
The most unselfish person I’ve ever known

My mother was the most unselfish person I’ve ever known, and I’m not just saying that because I’m her son.
She oozed a Christ-like unselfishness that is rare today. Let me explain.
She had no HD TV, entertainment center or mp3 player. The only TV we ever had was an old used one that Bill gave Ed (my twin) and me when we were kids. We rigged up a make shift antenna and the picture was so good that we knew where the puck was by which direction the players were going). It lasted for a few years but was never replaced. The only stereo she ever had was the antique one with an 8 track tape deck, which she got from a lady who was getting rid of it.
Entertainment was not her life; she was too busy doing stuff for other people. Here are a few examples:
• Knitting socks, mittens and (as I learned in an email from a missionary friend) even teddy bears.
• Making pies, cakes, breads etc. for bake sales.
• Giving money to her kids and grandkids to help with school and other worthwhile projects.
• Making quilts. I cannot recall or begin to count them all, but I know that each grand child got a personal one made with love and care by ‘Gram’.

Need I say more? No. but I have two more stories.
• Growing up we had plenty of baseballs and baseball gloves but no footballs. Dad was not a fan of football, but all the kids at school were playing football so we wanted one. Mom was going to town to buy school supplies that Ed and I needed, so we asked her to get a football also. Ed and I made a bet with ourselves that she’d forget the football, but when she got home she had the bright new football. …but no school supplies.
• Supper time. It was common in our home to have seven mouths around the table. You do the math: four boys, one girl, Mom and Dad. There was usually desert but pie only cuts into six pieces. (Why not eight? Don’t go there. In our family an eighth of a pie is not a serving. It’s an insult.) Mom would be the one to go without, and she said this more than once: “I’ll have bread and jam; it tastes just as good as apple pie to me.”

My mother was the most unselfish person I’ve ever known.

Graham looks like Grampa

2007-02-08T00:08:00.000-07:00

Of all the grandkids, Graham looks the most like his Grandpa.

Maybe he'll be a young goalie boy someday soon.
Right now bumper cars are more fun.

Theron's 5th Birthday

2007-01-17T23:42:00.000-07:00

Theron is now 5.
Notice the penguin birthday cake. He and his mother have Penguin hockey jerseys also.
His birthday present??? A trip to an AHL hockey. Mom and Dad are bringing him up right! Can hockey gear be far behind?

Gifts from Grampa

2006-12-25T13:11:00.000-07:00

Theron's getting ready for hockey. Grandpa (Old Goalie Boy) and Grandma give him some gear for Christmas. It looks like we need some more stuff yet. Like skates and gloves.

Cami is 4

2006-12-02T23:52:00.000-07:00

The energetic vivacious Cami is now 4.
She has had her first scholarship offer (don’t ask).

I’m not sure how many carbon credits it would take to offset the energy she burns up in a day.

Rebekah with a smile on

2006-11-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Rebekah is all smiles and happiness (at least at this moment).

Grandpa is not sure what all the excitement is about, but he sure like's her cheery face.

Fall hockey league 2006 begins

2006-11-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

My team is the Prophets this season. We are 3 and 2. I have two shutouts and one win in a shootout. I guess I'm not as skow as I thought I was.

New Van

2006-10-15T16:45:00.000-06:00

Jeanne gets a new van. It's a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan with 14000 miles. We took this picture because the grandkids want to know what color it is. It's not real fancy, but it has the "stow and go" rear seat and all the common features of most new vehicles, like electric locks, keyless entry, three climate zones (driver, passenger and rear).

Promise Keepers Trip

2006-10-05T16:30:00.000-06:00

Spokane Promise Keepers was a great time. Our church took two van loads of men. The weather was great and every time we saw a motorbike, Pastor Hal bemoaned the fact that he wasn’t taking his Honda Gold Wing. We’d be late coming back and he didn’t want to meet up with “furry friends” in the dark.
One of the speakers reminded us that if we left early, the others would see us on the side of the road, so we stayed to the very end before leaving. But we hit on deer on highway 93 anyway. There were three of them “furry friends” crossing in front of me. I took out the middle one. Yes I’m a “Bambi killer”. The van was totaled; it had 205,000 miles on it. It has more damage that this picture shows. The radiator and A/C cooler were destroyed etc. So the good news is; my wife gets a new van (see next blog)!
P. S. You can click on any picture to see a larger view.

Spokane Oldtimers Tournament

2006-10-01T15:43:00.000-06:00

The teams were created by the organizers by selecting ('drafting') from the players who signed up for the tournament. It was a lot of fun. Our team ended up with 2 ties and one loss. As Kermit the Frog said "It's not easy bein' green." Don't we look like we should be playing shuffleboard instead? I hope to do this again next fall.

Grandkids 2006

2006-09-23T16:54:00.000-06:00

From oldest to youngest: Theron, Cami, Rebekah and Graham

2006-01-22T00:59:00.000-07:00

Theron and Rebekah go skating for the first time. Thanks to Grama and Grampa (Old Goalie Boy), for sending them helmets and skates for Christmas. (So their parents can bring them up right!)

2006-01-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

Rebekah (future captain for Team USA) steps on the ice for the first time.

2006-01-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

Theron and his mom (Cindy) at Theron's first skate. Notice that mom is wearing real (hockey) skates. (I brought her up right!)

2006-01-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

Cindy and Nathan have one son, Theron Here he is celebrating his fourth birthday. His sister, Rebekah is ready to help with the cake (that's Larry the Cucumber).

2006-01-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

Theron gets a hockey stick for his birthday. (His parents are bringing him up right!)

2006-01-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

Theron makes the save. Note the "Hasek" or is that the "Old Goalie Boy style"! (His parents are bringing him up right.)

2006-01-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

Rebekah and Theron in the net. "I want to be goalie!." "No I'm the goalie!" (Their parents are bringing them up right!)

2005-12-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Cindy and kids (Theron and Rebekah) stay warm on a winter's evening.

2005-12-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

Jason and Starr's young son, Graham as "Mr. Handsome" in "Graham does New York".

2005-12-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

Cami the Cute ready to do the town.

Cami is Three

2005-12-02T17:19:00.000-07:00

Our son Jason and his wife Starr have one daughter, Cami.
Here she celebrates her third birthday.

2005-11-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

Cindy and Nathan have one daughter, Rebekah. Here she is celebrating her second birthday. I called Cindy my "Sunshine Girl", therefore Rebekah is "Sunshine, the Next Generation" !

2005-08-08T17:42:00.000-06:00

Jason and Starr have a son. [Grandson number 2 for Old Goalie Boy (Ted).] In this picture he is 24 hours old. Born August 8, 2005.

2005-05-23T22:37:00.000-06:00

A Save in that 5-1 game in Spokane in 2003.

2005-05-23T22:36:00.000-06:00

Congatulations after a near shutout. A 5-1 victory for us in Spokane 2003.

2004-08-30T19:55:00.000-06:00

Rebekah - Old Goalie Boy's second Granddaughter. Photo taken August 2004 as Cindy, Nathan, Theron and Rebekah were ready to head back east after their Mondana Visit.

2004-08-29T20:04:00.000-06:00

Cami - Old Goalie Boy's First Grand Daughter. Photo taken July 2004 while Jason, Starr and Cami were visiting from Florida.

2004-08-28T20:10:00.000-06:00

Theron - Old Goalie Boy's First Grandson (also first Grandchild). Photo taken August 2004 while Cindy, Nathan, Theron and Rebekah were visiting from New York.