Going Home

A team is gets made up by a coach, gm, tryouts... all of the above... and merely the fact that we have similar goals and need each other to survive on the ice brings us together. Once that goal is gone, and everyone's leaving, it's a weird feeling, like a part of our tie is gone. We still have the memories, good ones this year... and we may or may not keep in touch, but the point is we were a family that Tilburg's a family and I was let in for 1 year... and it was great... but how much of it was real and how much is... I don't know... something else..
Think about it... how many of our friends are friends of convenience...because they're there, because they're close, because we see them... does that make it real? is it fate? Did God have some sort of plan in mind? Or could we get along with anyone from anyplace just as well, and we just so happened to end up in the one we're in? This may end up into a post where I throw out an answer... but as of right now it's a post about looking for a good question.

140 in the Slow Lane

... You don't really fall asleep on the Autobahn... what you do is... you cover the spedometer with you hand and then you have your passenger try to guess how fast you're going. And then your passenger gets really ridiculous and annoyed and says you're stupid and that she doesn't want to play anymore... and then you tell her that she doesn't know how to have fun... and then she says whatever... and then you say WHATEVER whatever..
So why Germany? My buddy plays for Beitigheim and is in playoffs and I haven't seen him in forever and he promised us a free meal... and I never pass up free meals... Beitigheim, which everyone knows is sponsored by Porsche, but to my great chagrin after I got there does not give it's players Porsches to drive... they used to... but it came out that a player got up to 305 KPH on the primest stretch of road in Germany (a 5 km downhill straightaway in between Stuttgart and Frankfurt) and now they don't anymore.
First day we got there they were fighting for their playoff lives down 3-0 in a series against Landschut. We wore red, similar to how Tiger wears red on Sundays and it works because psychologists say that the color red makes a person think of winning... Or at least I say that I heard it somewhere. Needless to say they won... you figure it out.

2nd day was ????.

3rd day was a huge dilemma between going to his road game and waiting around for 6 hours doing nothing while they get ready for the game, or going with the girls to the spa and possibly getting sucked unwittingly into tremendous amounts of girl talk. Spa won out on the off-chance I could get a massage and the intriguing possibility that it could be a Roman style spa. The spa was actually pretty amazing... waterfall... statues... aroma room... steam room... different temperatures of water ranging from scalding hot all the way to ice cold... and lots of different styles of jets designed to massage any part of your body that needs massaging. I literally stayed 20 minutes solid on the neck massage waterfall dealy... And yes, there was a Roman style part... and yes... I had to... all the time in a towel... but I had to. And no... no pictures... for some unknown reason they don't allow cameras into the spa... And sidenote... everyone here says how Europeans are so much skinnier and in better shape than Americans... and I just don't think that's the case...

So other cool parts about the trip?
1) Worms... as in the Diet of Worms... as in either a really bad joke an old person might tell a kid (or I might have told Danelle) about the rare eating habits of preists playing on the pun... but more importantly as in the place where Martin Luther refused to go against his conscience and renounce his 95 Thesis.

2) The Reine River... as in I have no idea why it's important but Dave always talked about it and I think said that he lived near it

3) Exit (In German) is Ausfahrt. I would tell you that the first time I saw this sign was just after we passed through Cologne... and I have to tell you saying that we took an Ausfahrt after passing through Cologne is funny... crudely funny... but funny. Is this word for exit most likely the origin of its close resembling English counterpart?

4) These windmills are huge.. The huge tree that doesn't even go 1/8th of the way up this sucker hopefully gives somewhat of an impression. You could probably charge a whole amish village with one of these things. Don Quixote definitely would have met his match with these suckers. Interesting sidenote: "fighting windmills" has become an expression to describe the behavior of people who, often stubbornly refusing to acknowledge reality, pour their hearts into campaigns that have nothing to do with their actual interests or are dead-end roads on their path to redemption. Used in a sentence... I was fighting windmills all senior year trying to write a thesis that in the end said more of what my prof told me to write than what I actually wanted to write...

5) Embarrassing moments - Anyone aware of 'The Secret' knows that you bring an idea up and suddenly it starts popping up in all these places where you least expect it. I don't know if your brain is more wired to look for it or if it really has something to do with the way the universe is set up... all I know is that we started talking about embarrassing moments in our lives over dinner and then everything started to hit the fan...
Embarrassing dinner happenings included (1) a Death Spider crawling past the face of unsuspecting girl in our party... aftermath included 4 chairs tipped back on the floor... Girl running down the restaurant hiding behind the bar... Donny and me ready to brawl like a couple of spider monkeys crouched in attack position... and Danelle nonchalantly telling us how it didn't scare her at all because they used to have a pet Tarantula when she was younger (2) a flaming B-52 friendly fire straw incident which will stay untyped on account of past history with me and eating and fire and of blackmail possibilities and (3) a broken chair that almost sent me sprawling onto the table behind us...

Non-embarrassing food incidents included the most amazing White Hot Chocolate I've ever had... My first time having Sushi all winter at an all-you-can-eat Sushi place...

And a culinary maserpiece of breaded honey mustard chicken made by Donny G and yours truly. Below you can see the head chef instructing the sous-chef on creating scrumptiousness.

Lastly me getting my fill of German hospitality. Spaetzle (egg pasta), Frankfurter Sausage (a thin boiled sausage made of pure pork in a sheep gut), lentils, and extremely dark beer... the definition of Succulence

The golden boot is given out to the soccer player that scores the most goals in whatever tournament is being played and all the top European divisions. If it didn't weigh 15 lbs and I didn't strongly oppose alcoholism I would probably have brough this back for a gift to somebody.

This grocery store was 3 walmart-sized floors high of any kind of food you could possibly imagine... and they still didn't have Mini-Wheats...

This is the closest I got to touring an old-school castle... one of my only regrets of the year...

And because the year is over I have to leave you with this... it was amazing to watch a hockey game that my heart and soul wasn't involved in every second of every period... where I could actually watch without holding my breath the whole time... where I could just sit back and enjoy myself. The best way I know how to describe it is Saving Private Ryan when they're walking along the ridge at night and it's quiet all around them, but in the background you see artillery fire going off all over the ground... or watching a thunderstorm from a distance... OR in Gladiator when he's on the brink of death and you get a small glimpse into a peaceful warm wind in trees in Elysium.

More Pictures

http://www.lahayefotografie.nl/component/option,com_portfolio/Itemid,32/

Party Don't Stop till 6 in the Mornin...

And even with cola and red bull I'm lights out at 4 the last 2 nights... but I heard it was fun. They mobbed our bus again as we came back to the rink. They cheered about a thousand songs in between players speeches. I always wanted to do some sort of crazy design with my beard after playoffs are over before I completely shaved. Ideas consist of checkerboard, handlebars, ram's horns... in the end I tried to go for lightning bolts with a skinny European 'stache... looked more like staircases with a mustachio but at least the whole beard design thing is out of my system... Danelle didn't appreciate it that much as she actively tried to avoid being seen withme all night. And now I'm up at 4PM and wish I had something great to say about the year and the finals but can't think of anything...
Vince Lombardi probably has some good quotes about this kinda stuff... about lying on the field exhausted and victorious being some greatest achievement of any man. I don't appreciate Vince all that much, and maybe I'm the only one, but he did ruin a couple hundred linemen's careers/lives on the run game that no one ever even heard of. The career span of these linemen were maybe 1-2 years and they went on to live the rest of their lives with no education and head, shoulder, or knee problems that hindered everything they did. I just don't think it's fair for Vince to portray some ideal of the super athlete and talk about the excellence of sports while at the same time completely overlooking the dark side of football. No one is ever hurt. Hurt is in the mind...?"... Sure Vince... And he then went on to give everyone else the wrong impression of why we play sports... " "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing...?"... Whatever you say Vince... say what you want I still think Heerveen has lots to be proud of... And Geleen believed exactly this the series before and put winning a championship as so important they were willing to try to hurt us in order to get it. My Dad told me the same thing happened in Senior hockey in Saskatchewan as players unable to win fairly started a line-brawl in order to win through intimidation. You see it again in the QMJHL with Patrick Roy's team starting a line-brawl to "set the tone" for the rest of the series. And I'm sure we'll see it in the NHL playoffs as well. But what can you do? It pays off, it's entertaining for the fans, so it's a viable strategy...
But down with the seriousness... up with the fun.



Danelle's in the front row... yay superfan!

Kinda looks the same as the Beker I know, but believe me it's different...


Great hockey tradition... the end of series handshake.

And the 'Stache

Here's some videos...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YLb2kFSigIQ
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PTt31Y64Zn8&feature=related

Winning Championships... That's What We Do

27 seconds left in the game and Heerveen scores on a 3rd rebound shot... D-man walking in untouched puts it top shelf over our goalie... ties the game up 2-2... It happened so fast out of nowhere... one second we were in the neutral zone safe and sound the next Heerveen is celebrating... In an instant from the highest of highs (with half a minute to the end of the season and a championship) to the lowest of lows looking at overtime and possibly a game 5... so fast... can't even believe... ... ...if only... ...and it's at their rink so the whole place makes us feel it by going wild... you can barely hear yourself think let alone the words from our coach telling us not to worry... you can see it in the other player's eyes... 27 seconds away... just 27 seconds... a couple tears streamed down Danelle's face...
3 minutes into overtime Bob Teunissen chips the puck past 2 D-men and Mike Lalonde takes it in on a breakaway. I can't even breathe the whole time from blueline till shot. Mike fakes high glove, shoots low blocker... the mesh moves, the red light goes on, Mike's hands go up (it's a hat trick in the game and his 50th goal of the year), and our whole bench goes insane... our whole fan section goes insane... Gloves flying, helmets flying, firecrackers and flares going off, rushing off chasing after Mike... but Mike doesn't even care as he goes European soccer style for a second throwing guys off him and dodging others trying to get to Paulo... talk about a way to win a championship... you just couldn't plan it any better.
And that makes 3. The Ron Berteling Cup. The Beker. And now the Landstitel. A long road by any standards. So many ups and downs along the way. I could only call it a dream season if I hadn't lived through the whole thing.

http://www.tnnmedia.nl/index.php?option=com_rsgallery2&Itemid=41&catid=32
http://www.trappers.nl/200708/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=469&Itemid=71

100 Miles for McDonalds...

Our map of Europe shows one big highway that goes all the way down to Maastricht, and then another big highway that goes straight from Maastricht to Cologne (FYI. In Europe it's Koln and has nothing at all to do with fragrances). So you think no problem... just take one highway and more than likely there'll be signs on the exits pointing us to the next big highway. And you think Danelle as navigator... no problem... "Brendan, at Maastricht all we have to do is cross this big river here and we'll be in Cologne..." "Ummm... Danelle, I think that's the German border." "Oh... well why is it in blue? That's stupid..." "... I don't know..."
First big problem is similar to Regina and Calgary, there is no major highway that goes AROUND each city and not through it. Instead every little town or city, that doesn't even exist on our crappy map with blue borders for countries, has us slowing down to 50, making 3 different turns and going through 2 other roundabouts, just to get back on the highway towards destination Cologne.
And second big problem was leaving at 2 to get there. Because a couple detours later and we're stuck in the middle of rush hour traffic (which seems to begin at 3:30 in Europe). So we decide to pull over for supper and wait out the traffic... we see a Mcdonalds.. no onions please.. sorry but you'll have to wait till we make a whole new burger.. uhhh, that was the plan all along Mcdonald's lady.. eat.. the map of the city shows that there's a castle not too far away.. bring the frisbee and maybe we'll throw it.. walk.. looks more like a house surrounded by a moat than anything else.. it's too windy for the frisbee.. lose motivation.. drive to Heerlen.. not even on our map.. no I'm not getting another map.. more traffic.. Heerlen you are a nemesis.. think of all the things we need to get done back home.. Danelle gets bored and starts singing Disney tunes at the top of her lungs... and suddenly we're home making Sweet and Sour Meatballs and rice and watching America's Toughest Prisons and Life and Times of Pablo Escobar and Medillin...

Refs 1 Tilburg 0

8 minutes left in the game we have a powerplay, tie game 3-3, and their D-man blatantly shoots the puck over the glass in his own end. Should mean that he has a penalty, we have a 5 on 3 for 50 seconds, and the faceoff in their zone. Instead the ref refuses to make the call, fakes that the puck went off one of our players (even though no one was within 5 feet of the guy), and makes the draw outside of their zone. Just one of a whole lot of missed calls that the refs refused to give us... but weren't afraid to put us on the penalty kill or two men down for pretty much half of the game. It almost feels like the league is trying very hard to have the series go all the way to 5 games... and maybe make the teams some money? I wonder...

Darude - My Game

This is the greatest music video ever made... How did I possibly write a 50-page thesis on this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MaO7gj_hZg

Get Over Yourself

If ignorance is bliss, this lesson would appear to be a deliberate attempt to deprive me of happiness, the pursuit of which is my inalienable right according to the declaration of independence. I therefore assert my patriotic perogative to not know this material. I'll be out in the playground. -calvin and hobbes

MTV has been my only friend for the past few days on account of being relegated to the couch, and secondly, that it is the only channel in English other than BBC news (by the way about 1000 times better than North American news I might add mostly because it's actual news and not 'let's talk about Britney Spears as our top story again today') But, yes, MTV... in particular Super Sweet 16. Which highlights the great tragedy that is growing up and maturing between 14 and... say 30... it's always been a problem, and Whitman can say it a lot better than I can... "Beginners… How all times mischoose the objects of their adulation and reward, And how the same inexorable price must still be paid for the same great purchase."
Price to be paid? Too often and To most everywhere... Cases in point, pretty much anyone not living in a retirement home... but especially college freshmen... wide-eyed, hopeful, scared, naive, seeking, curious, courageous, arrogant, and humble. The world is their box of chocolates... failing a whole lot more than they're succeeding, hurting themselves and others all the time... and then coming back around and doing it all over again. It's like success is simply that one good decision you made in the succession of 10 really bad decisions. But no worries... nothing all that serious is put on the shoulder's of a beginner... (right Barack?) So you can't screw too much up anyways... “Overnight success usually takes 15 years. Be patient.”
And forget faith and hope for a second. It's arrogance and humility that are the only survival tools you have in this life. How many times could you look back at your life and think that you would never have even tried, let alone succeeded, if you knew how hard something was gonna be. Fortune favors the bold... Favors the arrogant one's that act like they somehow have the secret that no-one else knows and that makes them better than everyone else... You can't tiptoe around in this life not knowing if you have what it takes... cause "Them as asks, shan’t have."
And humility... humility in the exact opposite meaning of arrogance... humility that takes over the second that arrogance fails, only to fade out once arrogance starts back up... humility that for some reason you think you're missing out on some great secret. That you haven't experienced all you need to. That you have to complete some inner checklist of what you think it takes to graduate into an adult. And it's not "smart people learn from other's mistakes..."... it's not even about that anymore... it's experience... it's you make the mistake just so you have it as a story. And thus every time the price gets paid again... And do you come to some new place of knowledge that hasn't been found before? Your arrogance says yes... but I doubt it... as Chesterton wrote: "I am the man who with the utmost daring discovered what had been discovered before. I worked with elephantine efforts to discover the obvious… I did try to found a heresy of my own; and when I had put the last touches to it, I discovered that it was orthodoxy."

- Edited by Danelle

First Round

So after the slashes and spears, the cheap shots and fights in warmups... after pucks being shot at our heads or at our feet... after the game ending bench brawl and fights breaking out every game in the stands... after pennies and beer being thrown at us every game, and coaches sending out his players to injure ours... after cat-calls and racist slurs and threats of all sorts... after big hits and big plays... after shot blocks and paying the price in front of the net... and teammates filling roles after injuries... after all that and more the series ends in a handshake and we somehow salvage respect between our two teams. I have to wonder if it would be the same class act if they won instead... I would hope so because even through all the battles hockey players have a way of coming back to meet their opponent looking at them in their eye... but I guess that's one thing we'll never find out. Incredible respect to the whole team for battling through all of it and pulling out a win. My utmost respect. Finals start Wednesday...

Happiness is a Plate of Ribs

With essentially nothing to do until, say 9:45 PM the next night because Wednesday is late practice, going out becomes mandatory on account of staying inside doing nothing all day will drive you insane. Going out ranges anywhere from a workout/sauna/tan at the gym, to meeting up for lunch with the guys, to an all afternoon card game, to an all day NHL Sega 93 tournament. And considering the amount of time spent together on a daily basis the conversation topics go anywhere and everywhere... it's a regular Greek Pantheon going on most days. Today just so happened to be all-you-can-eat ribs and shrimp night in Goirle... and also just so happened to be the second time in as many weeks that we've hit up the place. I'd like to think that we eat some sort of Takeru Kobayashi record number of plates and the owner starts to get all worried about his business, but the fact that he has also already offered us a free all-you-can-eat meal tells me a different story...
And next to the serious time spent hanging out with the guys, no true hockey player can live without getting things for free. Back in Manchester things for free consisted of Red Bulls, hair cuts, and cable TV. Most everywhere things for free consists of housing, bills, and food on the road. But nothing says free quite as much as when your teammates end up paying for your meal... The "credit card game", as an example, is a game where each person puts in their credit card to the waitress, and either the first or last card picked (depending on said agreed upon rules heretoforth) has to pay for the whole meal. The "price is right game", as another example, has every player write out on a piece of paper what they think the price of the entire bill is going to be, and the person closest to the price, without going over, gets their meal paid for by everyone else. NHL players do this over $10,000 meals... I do this moreso with coffee... but you get the idea...

Translator

If anyone... ahem... ever came... ahem cough... to visit me... cough cough... these are the words that I think they would have to know:
Rechts, Links - Right and left... important for directions obviously... consequently from my house to Mcdonalds is two links, a rechts, a links, and two rechts.
Mak ik - Can I have... This is usually followed by a number.. like, "Mak ik drie (three)cheeseburgers, twee (two - pronounsed tway) apple pies, en een grote(and one large) cokes."
Alsjeblieft (Ash-ya-bleef to a younger person OR Alls-ta-bleef to an older person) - This word has two different meanings. It can mean "please", or it can mean "there you go." The slightly amusing part of this is when the person is talking English to you and after they give you something says "please", thinking they're saying "there you go."
Smakelijk (Smack-e-lick) - Literally it means "tasty" but it actually means "enjoy your meal" (Is "smack your lips" a saying about enjoying your food or am I just making that up?) . It's what servers (or Mcdonald's workers) say to you right after they give you your food, right after they say alsjeblieft or "please." Also you should know that Mcdonald's is not open late, but instead closes at 11... which is so unfortunate.
Hoe zeg ik (Hoo zeckhe ick) - How do you say? You wouldn't believe the trouble I had to go through getting an answer to the question "how do you say "how do you say?"
Koken in de keuken - Cooking in the kitchen. I don't know why really... I think it sounds cool and try to use it as much as possible... And also I cook now... My specialties include eggo waffles, ready-made-pizza, and microwave dinners..
Vader - Father
Darth - From babynames.com, means Dark.
Darth Vader is thus Dark Father. So if you knew Dutch you could have skipped the whole first half of the trilogy, and wouldn't even have to search your feelings at all, to know that Darth Vader is probably Luke's father... All about subtlety there George... And you would think that with all of the references to Germany and their stormtroopers in Star Wars it would be the German translation of father, but the German translation of father is Vater... which is way less intimidating than Vader and probably why it wasn't used.