September 18, 2007

Training camp: observations.

I love the whole hockey season, from start to finish, but if I had to, absolutely HAD to pick, I would pick training camp as my most favorite part. The reasons why are varied, and they bounce from it being the first live hockey after a long hiatus, to being so full of potential and hope for the season ahead that it's just bursting at the seams with all the possibilities, to just pure joy that one of my most favorite things to watch is back and here for my taking.

That said, one of the most difficult parts of training camp this year is that I am not as free to go as often as I was last year. And because the world, she revolves around ME ME ME, we must all pause a minute and mourn this fact.

It goes without saying that because I couldn't go to camp during the week, I seized the first possible time I could, and was out of bed and in Boston on Saturday earlier than I am usually up for work during the week.

In my sleepy state, all I remember is being neither underwhelmed nor overwhelmed by Manny Fernandez. I'll be bitter about the trade of Kalus until who-knows-when (I'm still mad about who we DIDN'T retain going into the lockout. I can hold a grudge like it's no one's business), but I am more positive about him on the roster than I was earlier. I am also "eh" on the acquisition of Petteri Nokelainen. He seems to be more of a physical presence than Ben was, but at camp, everyone tries to be a physical presence.

Sunday, I was in Boston early enough to catch the rookies' pregame skate, and at that hour of the morning, all I could concentrate on was how ugly the new practice socks are. What? I spent a lot of time this summer brushing up on the enlightening, brain-busting reading that is "Vogue." The socks are dang ugly. There wasn't someone at Reebok who was smart in the ways of the engineering that went into the socks who was also maybe a LITTLE fashion-conscious?

After the rookies left the ice, Jess and I giggled our way through Group A's practice, the scrimmage, and Group B's practice. We were punchy from little sleep and too much weekending fun. Once Group B was all set with their drills, we called it an afternoon. I don't really have many observations from Sunday's camp session because I was too busy trying to get my new friend Ben a puck and checking out pictures of his hockey career. He's a goalie, and he's better on skates than I am (not that it takes much).

Pictures from Saturday are here, and pictures from Sunday are here.

by Heather | 7:19 PM | 0
filed under: 07-08 season