Hope you had a great weekend. Paul and I were up to Blue Mountain for the weekend. For those of you who are not from Ontario – or for those of you who are playing hockey every single weekend in the winter without time for things like skiing (which is pretty much all of you), Blue Mountain is a ski resort in southern Ontario.
You may be saying, “I didn’t know there are mountains in southern Ontario.” Truth is, there aren’t. But we do have a pretty big hill (escarpment actually) with a great little ski resort. From the top of the hill you look over Georgian Bay – it is beautiful.
About a year ago Paul & I fulfilled one of our life goals, to purchase a vacation property at Blue Mountain. It has been on my vision board for a few years and when the real estate market was right we found a great ski in/ski out condo that we could add value to over time. So part investment, part fun place to go hang out.
This weekend was a bit of work and play – mostly work as our mission was to remove a plate glass mirror from the bathroom and put in two individual mirrors over the double sinks. It was one of those jobs that went just as planned. Removed the mirror, patched the wall, one coat of prime, two coats of paint and bam pop those mirrors up there. It looks beauty!
Anyway, enough about our renovations, let’s talk Christmas! Last year I started off my Christmas gift list with a photo of me from Christmas in 1974. This year I dug into the archives and found a good photo that shows where my skiing career started. The year is 1973 and the location is my Grandma’s backyard. We must have been up there for Christmas and we headed out on our skis to attack the ‘hill’ – loving the attire. I actually used to wear that same hat around in the summer – not kidding!
10 Gift Ideas for Hockey Goalies…
- Now that you have seen what a fashion-plate I am, I thought you might want some advice on how to dress the goalie on your list – I found this belt and thought it was pretty cool. It is a belt made with skate laces – very cool.
- Wrist bands make a great stocking stuffer. Get the wide terry cloth ones, they will keep the sweat from running down into your glove and giving you a soggy hand.
- Why not make a little repair kit with spare laces, mask buckles, toe straps, boot straps, etc.
- My friend Kevin Neeld just released his new Ultimate Hockey Training manual that is definitely worth checking out. If you want to learn more about how to train properly for hockey.
- I told you to get these last year, so hopefully you did, but just in case…go out to your local sports store like Sport Chek or Dick’s Sporting Goods and get a set of resistance bands. Usually you can find ones that come with a set of handles and a few different grades of resistance that you can snap into place. If you do not have access to a gym or you are tight on space at home, at school or on the road, these can make all the difference. Combine them with the Rapid Response Goalie Training program – with its quick goalie specific workouts and you will see your GAA dwindle as you head into play-offs.
- A few sessions with a goaltending coach can help you play more strategically and efficiently. By learning to play smart, goalies can conserve their energy to be just as effective in the 52nd minute as they are during the first minute. Just getting those 2 or 3 strategies to work on can make a huge difference in your results on the ice.
- A collectible for the goalie on your list. Do they love the way Ken Dryden played the game? Look to see if you can find them a Dryden card or signed puck. Just make sure you go with a reputable retailer, there can be counterfeit items out there.
- Sessions with a strength and conditioning coach who specializes in training hockey players. Like working with a goaltending coach, hiring a trainer for a few sessions can help you figure out what you need to focus on the most to improve your play and reduce your risk of injury. This is a great first step for your long-term development. I think this is best used with players who are 14 years of age and older. If you do not have access to a competent trainer in your area then you could always check out the Ultimate Goalie Training 2.0 system which is a step by step blueprint that follows a pro-style training progress over 3+ months.
- Tickets to a game. Sometimes there is nothing more motivating than seeing a goalie live. Seeing him or her play the way you would like to play someday. Seeing their focus, their skill and their fitness. Seeing how all the ingredients come together to make poetry in motion. Often the most expensive tickets are at centre ice, but if you get ones down closer to the net you might save a few dollars, but also get a better look at what the netminder is doing throughout the game.
- Stickhandling ball – bust this out in your basement and get working on your puck control and passing. To me puck handling should almost be as much of a no-brainer as free throws in basketball. Even though the goalie may not handle the puck in open ice as much as the skaters, when you see a goalie who is good at handling the puck it gives his or her team a huge advantage – become the best puck handling goalie you know with this $10 item that you can get at most sport stores and any hockey retailer.
Hope that helps you finish off your shopping for the hard-to-buy-for goalie on your list. See you Thursday.
Cheers,
Maria