Pond hockey came early to Boston this year. Not the sport itself - it’s still too warm for that - but the documentary Pond Hockey was screened at Boston University this week. The event was held at the Agganis Arena, serving as both a screening of the film and a tribute to Jack Falla, the celebrated hockey journalist and professor at BU.
The event was well coordinated in every way, and I don’t just write that because of the open bar. Hockey fans, players, men, women, boys and girls all came out to the screening and sat, transfixed on the screen as every level of hockey player talked about the game we all love. The two greatest active coaches in men’s college hockey even managed to make it to the festivities. Friends and rivals Jack Parker of Boston University and Jerry York of Boston College were on hand to watch the movie and show their support for the Jack Falla Memorial Fund.
But the real stars of the night were those players featured in the film. Pond Hockey is a film made for those who love the game, by guys who love the game. It is about the love of the game in its purest form. It is about hockey the way it was supposed to be played, the way it was originally played.
The film follows the journey of two teams at the US Pond Hockey Championships. But that simply serves as an extension of examining the game. Whether competitive games or whether games where none know the exact score, it is irrelevant. The documentary reminds us all that the game isn’t about suicides or two-on-three drills. It’s not about whether you are playing sober or drunk or have a bonfire going or have a warming hut or only have the sun to provide some warmth or none at all. It’s about playing ice hockey.
In an era of elite camps, travel teams, over practicing, and year round training, the player begins to forget that it should be fun. The irony is that those players are playing or practicing too much to appreciate what they are doing. Being on the pond signifies that freedom that few take the time to recognize anymore. A pond doesn’t cost $125 an hour. You don’t have to schedule time. You don’t have to go because you think your coach is going to pissed if you don’t show. You go because you would rather do nothing else.
Pond hockey is about the love of the game because anyone skating out there loves the game. He or she loves it so much it doesn’t matter how cold it is. Most of them thrive on it. They inhale the taste of winter and exhale the exhilaration of the moment in pure vapor form.
Pond hockey is not just about pond hockey. It’s about pure hockey. It is about the game, not the sport. Pond, river, backyard, parking lot or anywhere else frozen water can become a rink serves the sprit of the game and those crazy enough to play it. The film reminds us what it means to be out there on a fresh sheet. It shows us that any player - from the Great One himself to the guy who was the last cut on the high school team – can lace up a pair of skates, step onto the ice and be taken away to a special place where he can exist until his mother or wife calls him in for dinner.
At some point this season the question will need to be addressed. Based on pondering and musings throughout the Nation’s Capital I am under the impression that the question has already been raised. What are the Washington Capitals going to do about their goalie situation? I think most hockey fans understand that I’m not talking about Brent Johnson.
I write this as a former goalie and a lifelong Olaf Kolzig fan. Olie did more for the Caps than all the Murray’s put together, but even I could admit that his reflexes were diminishing and his reaction time has been slowing the past few years. He was, however, and still is, twice the goalie that Jose Theodore is. And at this same point last season, the Caps had a better starting goalie between the pipes.
The saving difference (no pun intended) this season has been the impressive play of Brent Johnson. He only seems to get better each year, drawing praise from coach Boudreau who believes Johnson to be “…better than he was when he was 25 and he’s better than when he was 29.” That sounds like improvement. Just have a look at his stats with the Caps.
At 31, Johnson is off to the best start of his tenure with the Caps and seems to be making the most of his opportunities. After acquiring Cristobal Huet at the trade deadline, Johnson was the odd man out, demoted to third string, and his future with the organization appeared uncertain.
But all that improvement does nothing for the Theodore situation. At this point it can be called a “situation”. With a 3.44 GAA, a .877 SV%, and a $4.5^ salary you are indeed in a double-quotation mark “situation”. And without some luck, some Russians and an overachieving backup your team is in a “situation” as well.
It doesn’t take a goalie coach to tell you that his angles are off and his confidence is lower than his save percentage. I have nothing against him and I don’t know anyone that does. But after over a decade with Olie as the starting goalie, the fans in Washington expect to have one of the best keepers in the game. And, as of this writing, their highest paid goalie isn’t the best on the team, let alone the league.
Brent Johnson is set to make only $812,500^ this year. With the salary cap being a concern for the Caps this year, it has to do be disappointing when the goalie on the bench makes 5.5 times the goalie on the ice. And if you don’t think he is serious about staying the number one goalie look at his media photo. Now that says “serious”.
Can Jose turn it around? Yes he can, but thus far in the season his numbers are dismal and his approval rating would be on par with the guy down the road from the Verizon Center. And if he doesn’t turn things around, I don’t see any reason why the Caps wouldn’t look to trade him. Sure salary cap room is tight, but if he doesn’t improve I wouldn’t even want him as a backup. In Theodore’s defense, the season is young, and he’s not that old. He should have plenty of pad saves left in him. Hopefully, for his sake and the caps, those saves don’t have to come in the minors
========================
^ hockeybuzz.com *current season, through 11/12/08
