Hockey. My favourite game.

This is a story about a a game that takes place on a pad or pond of ice. With sticks as an extension of one’s hands and mind. A puck which is a hard rubber disk, that takes a year or so, to even learn how to lift it. You fall on your face learning crossovers as a kid a hundred times before you can even do a figure eight. You generally play with others who share the same fire. You get hurt, you get back up, It’s a slow process to learn to be great at skating, and the game itself, as most wonderful things in life are. Like all those things. Hockey is just epic. It’s so unique, so fast, so pure, so gutsy, is it any wonder why it’s the best game on earth?

Hockey is our religion here in the best country in the world. So what does that say about us Canadians to you out there in the rest of the planet? Long ago a sense of community became more normal and modern in our country at the local arenas, than at the local churches. It’s where we grow up. Where we learn life lessons, like carrying your own equipment even when it weighs more then you do as a kid, because that’s what hockey players do. Now the kids have bags with wheels on them, lucky little dudes. Moreover, the hockey arena is a meeting place for kids to learn they can master their skills with practice, work hard for team goals, toughen up with a normal dose of healthy physical competition, and go play the most fun game on Earth with their friends. Parents watch together, talk to each other about parenting, and learn they all are dealing with similiar young family stuff. Including 6am practices at Westwood arena! And these modern cathedrals for community building called arenas are the classrooms for all the unwritten but important, wonderful lessons about what it means to be good Canadian. Hockey grows Canada’s communities, and helps raise its kids.

The on and off the ice activities, and people there, not the arena itself, put everyone on a power play in life. It’s seeing kids walk into the arena in all their hockey equipment except their skates because dad wanted ten more minutes of sleep, but he’s still driving him to practice. It’s seeing two teams that just destroyed each other for sixty minutes taking longer to shake hands then two teams that played a light hearted game because the battle was so good, you respect your opponents even more. Learning that after the final whistle most Canadians go right back to being humble and generally pretty polite, respecting the other team’s effort and sacrifice for their team, even at the expense of their own.

Sometime it’s little things you learn in hockey or from your coach, who learned them from his coach decades ago, that can help guide a person in all types of situations later on in life. Like not celebrating goals once your team is already winning by a few, being a noble winner basically. Not diving to get a penalty, because the integrity of the game is a responsibility to us Canadians, rather than a loophole in the rules to be taken advantage of. Getting beat up by a bigger guy, and learning you don’t really want to be fighting bigger guys that much, but if he messes with your buddy, and your there, lets go ya big monster, because you’re not afraid.

It’s about learning the ways of the road from veterans, and teaching rookies those same ways when you’re a veteran, so when one hockey player runs into any other in life, after a few sentences your pretty much on the same page, because you played the same game, and learned the same ways, even if your 60 years apart in age. How do you make a good Canadian beauty? Throw him or her in team sports, and if it’s accessible to you, you can’t go wrong with hockey. Its Canada’s training ground for helping create successful people on and off the ice, with good attitudes, a brain that can work wonders in seconds, hard work, a tough chin, and a respect for the game. Because hockey does more for us who played it, at any level, then we even know.

Why is it so important to us? It’s a fast game, for smart people. It’s a tough game for tough people. It’s stage for puck magicians. All displayed on the fastest surface in sports. The sacrifice of blocking shots and sticking up for teammates is mixed in with the visual music that can be a perfect passing play or deke. It’s about a dressing room of family, of brothers, or sisters, who will lay it on the line for you, and you for them. It’s about mastering skills that seem to come naturally to us northerners on a surface that’s very unnatural, unless you strap skates on.

Skates, what an invention. With two good strides you can travel 40 yards in a few seconds and glide around the net, wind in your face. Flying almost. That’s why we say that guy can “fly” out there. Because when you’re going full tilt on skates trying to get a breakaway, going faster than you even thought you could, because your team is relying on you, you feel like you’re in the air. What a feeling.

Everyone is moving so fast every second. Every second a new situation exists on the ice. The player not open one second ago is open for a breakaway the next. 10 players all travelling at high speeds, going random directions, the spacing on the ice is never the same. Every second a brand new 10 variables exist as far as what play to make for whoever has the puck. As fast, tough, and physical as hockey is, it’s a beautiful combination of a thinking man’s game, and a brotherhood like that of an army division, fighting for one another through thick and thin, bruise and broken bone.

On the ice it’s fast, so fast. You barely have time to think, but yet you have no idea how much you actually do think in that small amount of time.

Your about to get the puck in the corner. Pause. In one millisecond of hockey, the amount of situational analysis, simultaneous and instantaneous brain and muscle coordination, game awareness, and dissection of all possible options by one player, is more than most people do in one day, or even their whole lives. It is a true wonder. A very real example of what a simple game can do to advance one’s level of brain functionality.

That may be one of the most underrated virtues one can pick up from team sports, specifically hockey, and other non-stop team activities with one ball or puck. It’s so incredible when you think about it, with so much information to think of and process. And then choose the best option for that particular moment. All in one moment, just to get you to the next moment, that’s the most advantageous for your team. This proves how truly beautiful and deep our game hockey is. All while travelling on a frictionless surface on razor sharp metal blades in a sport where you can get really hurt with one bad second.

And you sort through all this information, without even knowing you’re doing it, it’s like you have a hockey microprocessor in your brain, and it does all the thinking, and just tells your body what to do next. It’s thoughtless, it’s free flowing, but your hockey processor is working full power, every shift

Here’s what can go through a hockey players mind, all in one second, heading to the corner towards a dumped in puck. So many things to think about in one millisecond, but the analysis are done. There’s the defenseman, what angle is he coming in on? How close is he? Which one is it? Is he any good? Does he have a long reach? Should I look? If I don’t look I can make a more aggressive first cut with the puck, and probably cause some separation. If I look I’ll know where the defense is, where my outlet pass is, and if there’s any lane to my winger coming to the back door but I may lose the speed and advantage I have going to get this puck and keep moving. Is my winger going to stay backdoor by the net or go behind the net for a different outlet pass? Who is it? Oh it’s duey, he’ll stay back door expecting me to make a play on this defense for space and know he’s there, and can go behind net if necessary.. Is there a lane to get it to him, probably risky, I’ll reassess that after getting the puck and turning quick? Yes I like that idea, I don’t have time to look, what are my options if I get in trouble or if the defenseman who I think is chasing me gets on me, where can I go with the puck? Duey will go behind net if I’m in trouble, and along the boards to the point is open if I can sauce it over the winger who is covering the point, but he’s cheating too much towards the corner. But wait their penalty is almost over, and if my pass is too hard back to the point, I may send the other team on a breakaway, ok note to self, be careful with pass back to point or just avoid it and reassess in next second. I can also keep my speed and maybe work my around to a semi poor but still effective shooting angle if centre doesn’t squish me in the middle of ice, but if he does, James or other forward will be open in a
classic mini 2 on 1.

Hockey can often become like a football option offense that RG3 runs. Where you go at a defender who’s covering your teammate and make him make a decision, and simply react to their action, and one of you will be by him or her with the puck.

I make an aggressive left turn towards the corner get the puck without looking, feel that I have a step or two on the defenseman, and look to the net there’s the lane, there’s James, but there’s also space and other options, and now I have a brand new millisecond to make a new decision. And do all of that over again. Somehow.

But hockey has helped put my brain at a level where I know I can operate at that level. Where I’m making analyzing hockey decisions on the ice, that are rapid, ever changing, and so multi-faceted, and these millisecond analysis and decisions affect your health, whether you take a hit in the corner or not, was often based on a choice made after thinking of all possible options, and deciding a hit is a fine trade for whatever the intended result was for your play with the puck.

Hockey players and lots of other team sport athletes, aren’t even aware how advanced their brain functionality has become. Regular life is for the most part way less challenging, slower, with fewer decisions to make, more time to make them, and nobody really relying on you with the same level of intensity. There isn’t a conscious physical responsibility for your teammates. At the office for instance, your co-workers aren’t going to drop the gloves with people for you in the elevator on the way to lunch if they step on your shoe.

Life is in slow motion for hockey players when they are not on the ice. Hockey is so fast, so pure, there’s no set plays like football. It’s more spontaneous. There’s not enough room to pass back to the keeper every time you mess up a rush like soccer, so it’s more pressure and less room for error. The lucky bounce is often the third assist on many goals, but it usually is followed by the absolute poetry of the real assists on the play.

A football play from scrimmage involves a perfectly designed throw, route, catch and blocking to set up a score from a set point that started from stop in play. It’s very pretty indeed. But in hockey a perfect pass, is often spawned from some sort of random event on the ice. A loose puck, in a random spot on the ice, with no play call yelled, no pre shift conversation even between defense and forward, who are not in any way sure they are on the ice together In any sort of regular combinations of forwards and defense, made something totally spontaneous happen and it was like they’re sticks spoke a silent language on the ice, and performed the pass for them. A Tic tac toe passing play in hockey is always freestyled, made for the moment from nothing. It’s just beautiful. It’s millisecond decision making by 3 different minds reading and seeing and reacting the same way without talking, thinking together to write a play for the very present with no words spoken, and no time to think about it. It’s magic.

Mixed in with that magic, is a war. A war between two teams and your teammates have never been more important for your success and survival. The closeness hockey players have together is because of the sacrifice. Because of the war out there on the ice, and being physically able to protect and attack those that are hurting and attacking you, among a set of rules, that for the most part get followed. Any you can fully fight people with haymakers to the face and you get to sit in a box for five minutes, and you get free water, instead of go to jail for assault with a weapon, it’s called cross checking, extra two minutes if you draw blood, LOL. What a glorious rule! Imagine in an office some other company makes a better proposal for a client then one of your good friends, so you go cross check their main speaker in the face, and your boss is pumped because someone finally decided to “wake it up”. And then you elbow his buddy coming to the first guy’s aid.

That’s a real awesome thing to be able to defend people you care about with non-illegal, non-lethal physical force. That’s your brothers out there like lots of other team activities. But in hockey, they need you, and not just for goals and assists, and you need them.

For lots of people who played intense hockey, you know you seem to be able to do your regular day jobs on auto pilot and people are still probobly impressed. Those days you bring your gameface, not even you know what your actually capable of off the ice. Not to mention, the halfhearted friendship you have with your co-workers, in your mind of your co-worker, is more loyalty then the company people have ever shown. These are just your teammates, and like them or hate them, you stick up for them in the boardroom, the corner, or Vegas on the company trip that wasn’t authorized. Because that’s what teammates do. Maybe no elbows or crosschecks to competing presenters, but your team knows you would do it. I’m not saying all hockey players are rocket scientists, but in general the benefits from the game, are endless, and those who were already smart got smarter, those not so smart, can at least finish sentences now and order pizza.

Were hockey players, even after we’ve hung the skates up. The game, playing the game together, and everything else involved in being on a hockey team, pays off every day. As an analyzing, skating, passing, fighting, hitting, scoring, disciplined, passionate, player,and teammate, you get used to operating at a higher level than people who didn’t play. It seems were sometimes ahead, able to problem solve a little faster because, for players, a second is often long enough. So come catch up. Get on the ice and see what decision you’ll make the second you get the puck. Maybe you’ll “fly” out there. And don’t worry whatever you do, were your team, and we got your back,

Sincerely,

All of us here in Canada… who have ever had the pleasure of playing our game.

-Geoff Hulet

There’s new rules for those listening, new laws to live by, new paths, new avenues, new ways that people can go though this life that are different then the norm. You don’t have to sort yourself into a job category like our parents generation did. You don’t have to find a “realistic dream” and pursue that. The world is incredible today, where more then ever, anything is possible. There’s opportunities everywhere to try anything. There is no ceiling.

There’s what you want to do, and then there’s doing it everyday. Everybody has a talent, a force, something sometimes small, sometimes big that they just know that they were meant to do sometimes obvious. Jenna Jameson was born to do what she does and Lebron was born with a basketball in his hand. But everyone has something, something that makes them feel at ease when they are doing it. Where things seem to be in slow motion or on “easy mode” for you and not for those around you, or so it seems. Furthermore how good you seem to able to be at this “calling” or whatever you want to call it, makes you happy and other people too. Because people like extraordinary in anything.

It is a pride that takes over inside you in knowing your “force”, your specialness, your trick, your genes, your superhero, your gifts. You do it by muscle memory, you don’t even know your own untapped potential in this talent, you could be the next gretzky, you might not be, but you don’t know your not, you can imagine, and that’s worth finding out and dreamin, you just don’t know, you challenge yourself, you work at it, you try to master it, your work ethic surprises you, its still fun its a passion, you’ve found it, its love, you don’t think, your in a zone, whether it’s sports, arts, business, or anything and everything in between we’ve all felt that. That time when you realized you had a calling it seemed.

You know its your calling when you are spending your time Not doing it, there’s this little unease, this slight chip on your shoulder like your mad at yourself because you should be chasing that big dream. Were not cats, no nine lives to play with, we only get one. And its not to be wasted, so don’t, and don’t let anyone help you waste it. GO, and go hard. Have a hunger for more out of your existance here on earth. Answer your calling. Chase it. No matter how big, in fact make it bigger, and don’t stop.

The journey that would unfold under this conviction, to fly instead of drive, in life would reward you in a wonderfully adventurous ride that will be a win before you even get the chance to succeed as high as you can on this quest. This life is your only chance. There is no ceiling. Help the world become as incredible as you can dream it.

I think one of my callings is to help people listen to theirs. So I use a microphone. What’s yours?

Follow Geoff on twitter @geoffhulet

Summer 2012 LTD

For me, it was the summer of weddings, corporate gigs and Thursday night TEAMLTD bangers at Spice. This included working with some pretty amazing couples and on the other side, some big name acts and dropping some heavy duty jams.

To kick things off I booked a wedding every Saturday for roughly ten weeks straight…no cottage weekends. In between is where I found time to connect with fans, play music I love and open for artists I love. Examples; Drake at his exclusive KEE to Bala performance, Down With Webster, Classified, JD Era and of course host T-Rexxx at the Coke Move to the Beat tour, Skratch Bastid, Grandtheft, Torro Torro and Keys n Krates at the Kee-Anada Day. Also headlined at the Tight and Bright KEE to Bala Monday night resort night, and rocked the Corona May 24 Lime Drop. Some of the other gigs included One Direction, Jason Aldeane, Heart and Iron Maiden at the Molson Amp Amex Lounge after parties.

TEAMLTD Thursday nights were always high energy and as some of you may know, Spice’s private second level is a intimate environment. Dropping huge tunes, pleasing EDM fans and pumping the fog had people going wild – pumping fists, shirts off, dancing on couches, spilling drinks, shaking the floor type wild.

Now that summer has come and gone its time to head indoors to keep the party rocking. You can find me spinning old school hiphop, 90′s dance favourites and everything in between at Baby Huey’s in Toronto, on Ossington just north of Queen on the west side. Tap on the front window and ask for jimirazz.

Keep in touch via Twitter @jimirazz and please like my Facebook page facebook.com/djjimirazz

For tunes and mixes – head to the following links:

http://www.mixcrate.com/jimirazz
http://soundcloud.com/jimirazz
http://soundcloud.com/jimirazzmixes
http://www.mixcloud.com/jimirazz 

Hi folks,

As most of you know another Red Bull Crashed ice season is quickly approaching! I will be representing Team Canada alongside my older brother Kyle. Our first race of the tour will be in Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada on December 1st.

For those of you who might not know about last season here is a brief recap… 1st race: St.Paul, Minnesota. A tight race and a head first photo finish put me in 3rd place. 2nd race: Valkenburg, The Netherlands. Due to a “behind the scenes” mess up, the ATV that was bringing me back up to the starting gates took off on me without me holding on, so I had to kick myself back into the tailgate to prevent myself from falling off. This ended up breaking my skate blade in half and it fell out at the start of the final race. I ended up in 4th place. 3rd race: Aare, Sweden. This was more of a technical track with a full speed wall ride at our first corner, it was the trickiest track for me as I fell in the finals and ended up in 3rd place. 4th race: Quebec City, CANADA. Final stop of the RBCI tour – Poor weather and soft ice were the factors that resulted in me injuring myself in a qualifying run on the friday. I ended up racing that Friday night anyways and advanced on to the saturday races. I went to the Hospital on the Saturday morning and found out I had popped the blood sack in my right knee, so the doctors drained the fluid out, put a knee brace on me and sent me off. I wasn’t sure how my knee would hold up for the races but I wanted a shot at the world championship. My knee ended up holding in there until the final race where I blew out my knee in the second last corner and ended up in 3rd place and 3rd ranked World Champion behind Kyle 1st and Arttu 2nd.

In preparation for this up coming season I have been training harder than ever before. My knee is fully recovered, I am very focused and determined for the FIVE stops in the 2012/13 Tour, you can be sure to see me skating with hunger for my first ever 1st place win.

I am currently seeking sponsorship opportunities for this season, if you or anyone you might know that could be interested please contact me for info: scott.croxall@gmail.com

Cheers,

P.S- Follow me on my grind to Niagara via Twitter @ScottCroxy & Facebook: facebook.com/ScottCroxall

Hi guys,

Its that time of year when everyone is arriving home for the summer from wherever they have been living for the last eight months. Some are returning from school, hockey, traveling or doing what ever it is that lets them Live Their Dream. Summer is the best time of the year, the weather is hot, beers are flowing, clothing is limited and everyone has the fear of missing out!

Here at TEAMLTD. we are putting together a summer line up of gear for you beauties to rock all summer long. Whether your sitting on the dock, stuck in the city hitting the bars, or raging at a festival we have gear that will be perfect for all occasions. Summer is the time of year we all work hard in the gym and at our place of work, however every chance we get is taken full advantage of and we are sure to play hard! While some of us are sorry for the benders that take place during the summer, it naturally makes it easy for us to rock the Sorry For Partying line.

TEAMLTD. has started to expand throughout the world and the Lifestyle is quickly catching on and growing as we all strive to live our own dreams! Keep chasing your dream and follow your heart. Summer is here so be sure to rock some TEAMLTD. gear!

-TEAMLTD.

Hi Folks,

After a great start in Minnesota with an unlucky finish in the finals, a broken skate blade in The Netherlands finals, and a couple good battles in the Sweden finals I am currently ranked 3^rd as I chase my dream of being the World Champion. I have not had luck on my side this season but am still in good position to make a run at the championship. Going into this weekend’s Final World Championship event of 2012 we will be racing on my home ice in Quebec City, Canada.

Since returning home to Canada from the two Euro races, I have been preparing for the final stop of the tour on my quest for my first ever, first place podium finish, which would give me a shot at being the World Champion.

Thanks for the support and see you in Quebec!

 
Hey guys,

Living in the Netherlands to play hockey for the past 10 years I’ve had some amazing experiences both on and off the ice. Hockey, like all sports has its ups and downs. When your winning your having the time of your life and when your losing you can be at the opposite end of the scale. In the end of the day its hockey, and getting paid to do what you love most is definitely Living The Dream, I’ve had the time of my life. Being a part of a ‘team’ is something special that is sometimes taken for granted in life. People are not all fortunate enough to be on a team so we decided to make TEAMLTD. so everyone in life who is ‘Living The Dream’ can be a part of a team together in whatever you do.

While living and networking in Europe I’ve been fortunate enough to meet many DJ’s, promoters, and other important people in the entertainment world. At TEAMLTD. we look forward to bringing together the European & North American party worlds. We will be connecting DJ’s, promoters & club owners on both sides of the world and making special things happen.

Our favourite DJ from the Netherlands is DJ Punish. I’ve seen this guy play at many clubs and night after night he brings the crowd and the energy to a new level. Last year I saw him steal the show at a summer festival in the Netherlands with 10,000+ people called Heavenly Outdoor. It doesn’t matter the place, this guy puts on a show second to none. We are excited to watch the ride as he continues to grow in the global music scene. Follow him on twitter @DJPunishNL and ‘like’ his Facebook page. Here is a video from  his tour in Morocco:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwBjmyImp8c. Living The Dream. Expect Punish to make his debut in North America in 2012. Get ready..

We look forward to staying involved with the entertainment world on both sides of the world and helping to unite them, we are lucky enough to have networks in the entertainment world in both North America & Europe. Special apparel for events & holidays will also be coming in summer 2012.

Thanks for stopping by, enjoy our website and feel free to leave any feedback. Welcome to the team!

Jamie

Championship leader Kyle Croxall has arrived in Sweden ahead of the third ice cross downhill race of the season in Are, with many of the skaters using this week to get in some extra practice…

Hi,

Since the last race in Valkenburg I have been touring Holland with a few of the Canadian guys. We landed in Sweden on Sunday and are staying in Aare now until the race this weekend.

I’m happy with my performances so far this season, and I hope to keep on winning. I’ve had a bit more time to train on the ice this year so that has probably helped with my results on the track and, after my first place in Minnesota last month, I got given the “follow me if you wanna come second” jersey.

Fabian Mels was my closest challenger in Valkenburg and he’s a good racer. He could be again in Are but it depends on the type of course as anything can happen out there. There’s a group of top skaters who are dominating the races at the moment and I expect it will be the same in Sweden.

People have been training on the practice track here for the past three days. Most of the countries’ top riders have been supported by their countries so they can get in a bit of extra practice. There’s quite a few of us here already but the Finnish guys had to go home for work reasons after Valkenburg so will be arriving later.

My brother and I are just waiting until Friday to do our practice runs. Scott has got some new blades on the way to put in his skates so we’ll both be set.

You can follow me on Twitter for more updates @croxy88

Kyle

Hi Folks,

After a very frustrating season and third place finish in the 2011 Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship I am ready to take on the 2012 competition! I am putting the two disqualifications from 2011 behind me and am ready to race for first place this season.

The past three months I have been living in the Netherlands playing ice hockey. I have also been training with the Dutch Red Bull Crashed Ice team to prepare for the first race of the season in Saint Paul. We’ve done some training methods that are new to me and I feel like it has really helped my strength and conditioning. I’ve been working hard on and off the ice to make sure I’m in my top physical shape and am ready to take on any track put in front of me.