Love/hate your team

[machinistgoalie]

I chose to put this in the Doctor board, because it seemed most suited, so mods please move if it's not placed correctly.

Does anyone here have a love/hate relationship with thier team? Now, they're all my boys, and we're lucky we can field the same group of guys for our league and tourney team, and have a pretty large roster of guys we can poole from. On that though, we have a pretty wide range of level and talent.

I love, I really do, each and every one of them. They rely on me, as we are short on speed and scoring (most days) to keep them in it, and not give up a cheap one. I don't subscribe to a theory of surrender and am pretty tough on myself, so they know they'll get as best as I can give game in and game out.

But I gotta be honest, them boys are frustrating sometimes. I cringe when one particular D-man makes games, and unfortunatly for me, he makes alot of them. And damn he's a good guy, and off the ice, it's all laugh and smiles, but during the game he just kills me. Constant stupid plays, standard basic stuff even squirts know: don't pass in front of the net with threat coverage, does it a few times a game, to varying degrees of disaster. And as a team- they are hit and miss. Some days all cylinders are firing, other days, we're not even remotely playing hockey, it's lazy skating and shinny at best.

I usually keep a cool head, I try not to single anyone out in a game, they know when they mess up. I direct traffic, yell out options, cheerlead, all the non-physical stuff a goalies are to do out there for them. But last night. Oh last night.

Had a shutty with under 5 mintues to go. I lost it on a break-away. Some important things to note here: we were ON THE POWERPLAY!, and this was my 3rd breakaway of the game, 2nd one by the same kid. I blew up. I didn't yell at anyone in particular, and prolly even was yelling at myself, but I was very frustrated by this. It was the over-commiting, and then the lack of skating ability on the previously mentioned D-man that let this kid go. And he pitches fits when we send someone else out during times of need.

Look, I get it. I'm whining. I have a standing policy on as little of that as possible in my life. But, these guys! Holy balls! How can I love them so much, but then become so frustrated and mad I wanna spit nails?!! And then there's another douche on the team (we're actually good friends but he picks the wrong moments to **** with me) that wants to rib me about losing the shutty and being my fault. Well, sorta, but don't forget they had to beat the rest of them (and did it with less guys) to get to me.

All that said: I will never play for another team or league. I get other guys trying to entice me to play in a higher league (we play in a mid-level league), and I could or would (I do fill-ins from time to time), but prefer to play with my friends and have a good time. I love these bastards, but man!

You guys have any expierences or stories about this kind of love/hate relationship with your team? I can't be alone in this feeling or expierincing this?

[Clyde]

Embrace the suck.

Some of the most fun I've ever had was playing on the worst team in a really, really good league. Two or three wins in a several year period. Lots of shots. GREAT guys.

I got my ego stroked at a few tourneys a year, and just let it go and enjoyed playing knowing that if I let in more than one, we were probably done. That said, they played solid, they just were not as good as the other teams in the league. The D played inside-out and didn't tip stuff in over my shoulder when it was going to hit me on the logo. We just couldn't score to save our lives.

You know what a good-goal and a bad-goal is, right? I've found life as a goalie is much better when you forget about what everyone else is doing and just try to not let any bad goals in. I can feel great after giving up 4-5 goals if they were all really good goals.

Embrace the suck.

[Goalienerd]

Throughout my playing career, I have always found that on my teams there is always someone who is THAT one. The one who is never where they should be, the one who is slower but moreover the one you really want to blame.

I am going to echo Clyde, "embrace the suck". You just have to focus on your play. I have policy that for the time between the goal is scored until the faceoff, I am allowed to blame myself for the goal and think about what happened. After that point, eh; maybe keep in mind during practice or open hockey to work on that.


This is rec hockey, not the olympics. Don't take it seriously, just have fun.

[xmikex]

i know exactly how you feel, my team is the same way. i love teh guys all of them are really nice and are good guys. they love playing hockey and none of them play dirty or ever try to hurt anyone.

but if i am not doing hand stands in the crease everygame we are going to lose. i feel like there is so much more pressure on me to play well each game. more then the usualy pressure of being a goalie. there are a couple guys who just always seem to make mistakes and cost goals but they are such nice guys i cant get mad at them. one guy on my team has put in more goals on me then i can remeber, he even punched in a puck mid air one time with three mins left to destroy my shutout....i was less then thrilled.

i find though that i just focus on myself and try to play the best becasue i feel like its all on my back so it makes me play even harder knowing that its all up to me.

upside first season we were dead last, last season we finished third to last and this season with a hopefull win tomorrow we will make the playoffs for the first time. woot woot

[brittash]

"I have policy that for the time between the goal is scored until the faceoff, I am allowed to blame myself for the goal, think about what happened."


Great advice, I have trouble putting goals behind me....As for love hate.......my last two teams average 1.9 goals for a game........brutal!......I let in 2 goals the game is over........and with a gaa over 4, we don't win much

[SaveByRichter35]

Oh man I can't wait to read an comment on this topic but I have to be up in 5 hours and gotta get to bed.

[bsox0407]

I Know the pain. I play on a Rookie team that plays in a D league. The team is beginners and they even have a coach. LOL IN MEN'S LEAGUE. I love playing for them even though we Suck. I love the guys and some of the coolest guys are the worst. We always hit the bar after. But hey WE actually won a game. I literally had to stand on my head. I faced 49 shots and stopped 48 but we had 5 shots and scored on three of the shots.

My other men's league team is also D and usually our second O line is what causes problems. All they really do is Ice the puck. Or Try to. lol. They always have the puck in our zone when they are on the ice. But Hey great group of guys. MY Defense is solid in this league for the most part unless we are down a guy or two.

[dukeh23]

Originally Posted by Clyde

Embrace the suck.

Some of the most fun I've ever had was playing on the worst team in a really, really good league. Two or three wins in a several year period. Lots of shots. GREAT guys.

I got my ego stroked at a few tourneys a year, and just let it go and enjoyed playing knowing that if I let in more than one, we were probably done. That said, they played solid, they just were not as good as the other teams in the league. The D played inside-out and didn't tip stuff in over my shoulder when it was going to hit me on the logo. We just couldn't score to save our lives.

You know what a good-goal and a bad-goal is, right? I've found life as a goalie is much better when you forget about what everyone else is doing and just try to not let any bad goals in. I can feel great after giving up 4-5 goals if they were all really good goals.

Embrace the suck.

Clyde you nailed everything:

1) Embrace the Suck....

2) You got scotch?

[burdenofproof]

True in some ways this is just bitching, but who else besides other goalies understand. Everyone can say, "its just beer league," but dammit we take it seriously, why else play than to do your best. How do you half *** playing goal?

In my league every goalie has a gaa above 5. Defense is almost always where the weakest players get put.

Its amazing and hard to explain to your co-workers how you can let in 8 goals and still have played a great game, enough to where the other team makes a point of coming over after the game to tell you how good you were.

I have pretty much always been on weak teams and I know this has a lot to do with me getting good. Lots of shots means trial by fire, and then when you do play for a decent team you look like a stud.

But yes, feel free to vent. We need a place to do so. Your goalie brothers understand.

[Clyde]

Originally Posted by burdenofproof

How do you half *** playing goal?

That's the key: you can't.

So you need to find the mental place that allows you to be super-competitive without going over the edge mentally.

For me, it is the "good-goal, bad-goal" thing. Forgetting about what anyone else is doing and only focusing on whether or not I am playing well is what does it. It allows me to be super-focused and competitive without getting all mentally messed-up by everyone around me.

It is sometimes odd to be a little down on your game in the locker-room when you won, but had crappy rebound-control, and that lack of rebound-control created every chance that let to all your "awesome" saves that made your team think you were playing well.

But, you don't want your team to think you're "normal" anyhow, do you?

[toddamus]

I'm highly competitive. I can have blanked the other team and still have things I'm unhappy with. Two games ago we won 7-3. One goal I let it was off my teammates a$$, another was through a screen high that went off my glove cuff, and the third was batted in out of the air. I seemingly did alright but I was pissed at myself. The one that was batted out of the air was in the air because I screwed up the rebound. Instead of directing it nicely in the corner I popped it up with my stick, giving that play the opportunity. The goal through the screen went in because I didn't locate the puck and track it.

I had a shotout the other day, it was a playoff game so I should've been happy. I was content but not happy. There were still a few things that I did that I was annoyed with.

When it comes to skating with a bad team you have to have a sense of humor and be light hearted about it. When I play I don't care if we get smoked so long as my guys are trying. If my guys are trying then I'm cool. If they're lazy and letting me play defense by myself my attitude changes. One of the things that drives me crazy is during a blowout the guys give up, but the goalie, if he has any pride doesn't. A goalie can't glide, can't give up. If you let in a goal because you were being half hearted everyone sees it and thinks you suck. I'm far too competitive for that crap.

[BCeagle08]

My current team is that way. The less people that show up the better because the better players tend to show up more often than the poor players.

It's beer league. It's supposed to be fun. Just look at it as an opportunity to work on you desperation saves...

[estogoalie]

On almost every team I've played on there's always one d-man who just manages to make bad plays, and usually at the worst times. I just make a mental note to myself that whenever this guy has the puck, I consider it like he's a member of the other team and prepare for a shot

Mess-ups by team-mates can be frustrating, but on the flip-side, I'm not free of mess-ups myself, so I don't go throwing stones in glass houses (or whatever the saying is). I don't "embrace" the suck, but I try to ignore it and focus on my own game. I can't control what my d-man does, but I can control how I react to a shot.

[helty]

Love my team, but they sure know how to frustrate the hell outta me. We have D-men that wish they were forwards and rather than protect a lead late in the game, try to go for the kill, pinch up and get beat. I used to take it a little too seriously, as I'm very competitive by nature. It didnt take long for me to realize that nothing myself or my team do is going to end up on ESPN Instant Classics, ever. I've let in my share of soft goals. It's a beer league, and I'm just fortunate to play the game and have fun. Of course I want to win, but win, lose or draw life's going to go on. Hockey doesn't pay the bills, it just provides an awesome escape from reality for a few hours a week. Not worth getting too worked up over if you're not getting paid to do it.

[Freeze33]

This forum is awesome. This sort of "complaining" is something only goalies understand. I feel the exact same way. I love my team, but a lot of times I can tell them that we are getting scored on the exact same way...which we have the past 5 or so games I am stopping the 1st shot and controlling the rebounds the best I can, but we are getting smoked on 2nd and 3rd opportunities. I get screened a lot by my own dudes to which is really annoying. I actually had one D man who used to play D, but was moved to forward cause he sucked. Was playing back filling in one game. Play came down 2 on 1 and they ended up scoring with an easy pass to the middle one timer because he pinched to the puck carrier. He skated up to me after and said...." you wanted me to take the shooter right?"....Face palm!

But hey I love my whole team and as it has been stated, most of us don't get paid for this, but it is so tough to shake the competitive nature of why we play this game to "just have fun" I love to have fun, but man I love to win and make some killer saves. I love keeping my stats low too, so its a tough balance.