soopahviv.net/blog

I'm sorry, but what happened is exactly why an Avs player had a broken neck. Cry because you hurt someone, not because you are missing a game.

It honestly makes me embarrassed to be a Denverite.

Yeah, but you can cook a damned good meal, so that makes up for shitty sheetymates.

oh my! it sounds like such a horrible game! I'm glad to hear that she's mostly okay.

Yeah, me too.

Yeah, I'm mostly okay -- hi April! Thanks twice for the spaghetti, Dan :-)

Basically I've got a deep and sizeable bruise in my back somewhere just below my shoulder blade to the left of the spine, a spot which seems to be involved in an amazing number of body motions. Three Advil four times a day is the current dose, and that seems to keep the pain down enough so I can function.

As it is, though, hopefully it'll just mean a bit of time and a couple of No's on Evites. One thing made me grin though: my first No will be this Friday's Red game -- turns out Mary will be our goalie. You *know* after this past weekend she'd be more than happy to boot me out the door if I show up with my gear. ;-)

I'm also trying not to think about how this is probably one of the _best_ outcomes possible from such an incident. I can't even wrap my brain around what it would be like if that game marked my permanent transition from player to spectator. As much as I enjoy Red's conversational skills, I'd much rather be trying to prove to any other #__s out there that a good hockey player is not defined by how much you can get away with while trying to score, but by whether you were an active contributor towards both teams shaking hands after the game, agreeing that it was played fairly and well, and that everybody enjoyed the challenge. We are not the NHL.

You know, Heather, every time I've seen you since that hit I'm so happy that you're walking around mostly okay that I want to run up and give you a huge bear hug, except that that would probably hurt, so I'll save it for when the bruise heals. :)

I will be the other goalie for this Friday's Red game, so I will breathe a sigh of relief that my feeble mind may actually stand a chance of seeing the puck as it approaches my net. That said, I'd trade several gamefuls of mind trick goals for that nasty hit to never have happened any day.

Yes! I get better and you hug me all you want. Deal. :-)

As much as I enjoy Red's conversational skills

Hardly!! It's Thunder that has the conversational skills during a game! She gets totally worked up.

a good hockey player is not defined by how much you can get away with while trying to score, but by whether you were an active contributor towards both teams shaking hands after the game

WELL PUT! I almost jumped the glass (as groupie and part-time Burninator Medic) to take out #__ en route to getting you on a stretcher. I am very very very thankful you are okay.

BTW...if anyone has the video clip of the hit, I would gladly edit it down and post it up for posterity and on the sly chance that NW#__ comes across it and she's just how much of a goon she really is.

Please post the video! Ah...do you want to edit it down so that none of the illegal cheap shots imposed by the San Jose team onto the Northern Lights team will be seen? It's easy to defend your own teammates or the team that your spouse or gf plays on. They're all angels, right? WRONG! I had the bruises for proof.

Your "angels" would never use nasty language on the ice or hack and slash opposing players just for the fun of it, eh? Post up the video but be brave instead of scared and post up the entire game - in sections if you have to. Come on, do it!!!

Actually, I do play against my Burninator teammates in various leagues back in California, and no, they don't use nasty language or hack at their opponents ... unless provoked.

I'll check on getting a clip of that video.

Ladies~

I am one the organizers for the Northern Lights and am very new to this whole "blog" stuff. In any case, I felt it important to say that I would like to initially say that it was a very unfortunate and isolated incident. In addition, our team is put together from a pool of over 60 women of various skill levels from the Denver area, and each team that we take to a tournament is unique and made up of a different group of gals. Depending upon their availability, the women that travel with us to both in-state and out-of-state tournaments vary each time.

First of all, no one wants to see anyone get hurt; we all play the game because we love the sport, the sisterhood of women who play ice hockey, and for the opportunity to play a sport that many of us were denied as young girls. Yes, we have played each other at least 3 times, and I was there for every one of those games over the last two years (twice in Vegas, once in Colorado) - So far, I believe San Jose has won two games, and we tied one. This tells me that both teams are equally skilled and talented.

We can all agree that the referring was not good at all throughout the FRFO tournament in Denver. Many situations got out of hand, not only in our game, but in other higher level games as well. I can say that I filled in for a team that lost their goalie to a torn MCL when a player skated into her; another goalie was taken out on a stretcher as well. When these kind of things are happening it means a couple things, but one thing for sure - the referrees should have had a better handle on the games. For instance, our game with you, our one referree could not have been more than 12 years old - if that doesn't scream "under-estimating the talent and competition of women's hockey", I don't know what does.

We all understand the feeling of a fellow player getting hurt, a teammate that takes one of those "should have been a penalty but wasn't called" hit, and seeing a player go down for whatever reason. We are not here to play hockey to hurt somone; we are here to play hockey because we love the game - just like every other women in every other state that puts on the gear. In the heat of a game, things happen and in this case, none of us deny that the hit did not happen. The ref did make the call this time for a 5-minute penalty for our player. During this time, you did score 2 goals to tie the game. I can not speak for our player directly, but I do know her well enough to know that she felt bad for hitting her into the boards and is sorry for what happened. She was kicked out of the final game, and did pay her price. We are happy to hear that the injured player on your team is doing better, and apologize overall for this extremely unfortunate event.

I would appreciate it if you remove any reference to number __ on your website or whereever these conversations are being seen; many other women will be wearing this jersey and don't need to fear any retribution by someone reading your comments about that particular game on that particular day. It's a day either of them (nor any of us there that day) will forget.

It's time to move on ladies...to the next practice, next game, next tournament....and put this very isolated incident behind us and look ahead to a better and safer times ahead for every woman hockey player out there.

Well put, D Wall. I appreciate the time and thought that went into your comment. I understand your concerns about retribution by jersey number, and have removed all references to that number from the comments related to this game.

Viv,
I acknowledge that you do not witness foul language or slashes/hits when you play against your burninator teammates in the California leagues. However - I was the victim of foul language and slashes/hacks by that team in the FRFO, just because I was lifting their sticks and going for the puck via legal plays. They especially enjoyed shoving their blades into the unprotected areas. What about the foul language and hand signs from your teammates after the "incident"? What about the poor sportsmanship during the handshake? None of this matters though and it will never matter. No one on the ice and on the bench will always hear and see everything correctly that goes on during games. What looks intentional could have been accidental and what looks accidental could have been intentional. The interpretations are always different - depending on who interprets - a fan, a family member, a teammate, an opposing teammate. That's the problem with hockey - players think they and their team can do no wrong. If our player hit one of your players too hard and she went down and had an injury - well...I don't understand all the drama. Our player took the long penalty and then was banned from the next day's game. End of story. It would be good to see the video of the entire game and that incident. People who were watching from the stands and from Jackson's had interpretations totally different than what your teammates and fans are saying. This is very typical. We could probably all learn from the video. Most of us do stupid things on the ice sometimes and if we're sufficiently embarrassed by these things by actually see a replay of them, then maybe we won't do them anymore.

I was upset about the comments on this blog and another blog I found that was created by one of your fans, because both contain comments that insult not only other Northern Lights players but Denver hockey as well. You read D Wall's post and she is a very sincere person.

Hockey is a contact sport and all sorts of things happen because of that. I've seen some terrible, nasty hits from out of state and California women's teams. I can hardly walk around today because I was beat up by a team from Alaska last weekend, for example. One of their players boarded one of our players and she was out of it and down for several minutes. I have to see my doctor about my own injuries. However, I'm not going to start some blog and start insulting the Alaska team and hockey in Alaska in general because of the physical play of hockey, or the referees at one particular tournament, etc.

Have a good summer and enjoy hockey.

Viv,
We do have to move on from this but if you are able to send me a copy of the video - please email me and I'll send you a mailing address privately. I won't be checking this blog anymore as I'm realizing that it could all get out of hand quickly. I wanted to throw in my 2 cents as a player from the other team after reading all of the comments on this blog and the statements over at the other blog.
Take care!

I think, although I can speak only for myself here, that the incident was a big deal because to our bench, it looked intentional. That said, you make a good point about interpreting an accidental hit as intentional and vice versa.

I don't maintain this blog to insult anyone, on or off the ice. It's just my little place to be silly, and share my thoughts and goings-on with my friends. It's also my backup memory bank, which is why I write about every game I play. Sometimes, especially if I write while I'm still fired up from a game, what I say may not be pleasing to everyone. I guess the same goes for comments made by readers.

What's been written may not be pleasing, and the ensuing dialog may be difficult, but, at least for me, a bit of difficulty is worth it to hear about something from a different perspective. So, despite the difficulty, thank you for sharing your views, and if you feel personally insulted by something I've said, I apologize. That was not the intent.

If I get a hold of the video I'll shoot you a note. Cheers.

D AH...

You can hear me on the video's taken throughout the tournament berating BOTH sides for nasty play. I watch rec-hockey to be supportive to both teams and all the players, because rec-hockey IS FOR FUN. I cheer for both goalies and for any great shot. I hate seeing anyone get angry or get hurt and would rather see good clean play. The Vegas Tournament was a great example of fair play and wonderful sportsmanship.

I, too, hate watching the Burninators get chippy (and not get called for it) as much as I hate watching other teams get chippy. I'll even let Burninators know if I saw them getting a little out of control, for I do not condone that type of play. Perhaps in the Denver tourney, it was the tourney Refs who let it get out of control by not calling the penalties early on in the 1st period. Hockey may be a rough sport, but the attitudes and the actions aren't a necessary component to the game---in San Jose the higher level divisions are far cleaner than the lower level divisions.

It is a sad truth that teams always allow 1 or 2 players on their team that need to chill to some degree. However, I've seen some nasty hockey in the San Jose area (at all levels, even some an occasiona fight) but never anything like the flagrant slashing I saw run rampant throughout the Denver tourney (I watched other games, too). These were not "love taps" that I witnessed, nor were they directed at sticks---there were numerous all-out two-handed slashes to the back of the legs!

BTW: I'm the "groupie" that left comments regarding Denver hockey at the tournament, and I'll stand by what I saw with my own eyes. (You do make a good point, so I'll make sure to remove references to the player's number from my site.)

The truth is, the boarding that occurred took the Burninator out of play for 3+weeks (she's just returned), and when the tournament director saw the video he felt it was enough to pull the player from the tournament.

If the hit was not intentional, then it was definitely avoidable by the offending player. The girl was far too superb a skater to use the "I couldn't stop" excuse. Furthermore, the "I couldn't stop" excuse is never a valid reason to board/check somebody with that amount of speed. That same NV player comitted several blatant fouls during the game (including 2 instances of full on "caveman" slashing with intent to injure). To be fair & honest, one of those instances was definitely provoked by a Burninator (and the 12 year-old ref missed the provoking crosscheck call), but retaliation should not be the name of the game.

As for unsportmanlike behavior: While the burninator was still down on the ice, the offending NL player stood in the penalty box and tried to get the crowd riled up by pumping her fist. This action alone speaks volumes about her sportsmanship and concern for the player she injured. Additionally, I listened to comments from the NL player exiting the changing room and she had no clue that what she did could have broken the neck of the Burninator player. She appeared to have no concern or remorse, and that is what I found most disturbing.

My 2 cents: Regardless of what team you belong to or where your team is from, everyone out there reading this needs to remember that this is RECREATIONAL adult-league hockey. Anger, attitude and foul play just simply don't belong when you're playing for fun.