First Blood!

Those Wildcats fell early in the evening as the Storm rolled to a 5-0 exhibition victory. We even beat them 5-3 in the penalty box. Shortbus and a short stint as a forward and only took one penalty in our first game under the new rules. Rookie MG was the first to score on the powerplay. Followed by goals from Rebecca T, Madelaine, Rebecca B and Jasmine. Shutout was shared by Nicki and Alisha. New rules were manageable but 4 of the 5 penalities were for holding. Seems our girls trying out so new dancing partners. Oh and I almost forgot to mention - Josee took 3 falls over an obviously stickly blue line and 4 nice big circles. Nothing like beating Leaside to put a smile on Coach Bruce's face.

Together at last!

Nicole, Sheri and Rebecca finally showed up at the same practice. Coach Bruce took the time to introduce the linemates to each other. They didn't look half bad in the scrimmage.

Has anyone seen the yellow line

It seems that during the course of the first couple of weeks of the pre-season, the yellow line (denotes colour of practice jersey, not suggesting they are cowards) has gone missing. As an interim measure we have filled in with pylons, coaches that skate like pylons, and phantom players. If the situation continues, the coaches will be forced to rename the trio - the invisible line.

A Sad Day for Hockey

It's a sad day for hockey with the announcement that Tie Domi has retired. Not sure how the game can continue with loss of 3 legends in less than one year - Lemieux, Yzerman and now Domi. I know that Coach Bruce was unable to control his emotions and went through almost 2 boxes of Kleenex this afternoon. I also know it would mean a lot to him if the girls would share with Coach Bruce their favourite Tie Domi memory. Coach Bruce can be reached at dhg@rogers.com. I know my favourite moment was when Tie while serving a penalty spotted an overheated Flyer fan at the Spectrum. He decided to share his drink with the poor gentleman (see picture) however some people misinterpreted the gesture and poor Tie was vilified. But Tie will not go away quietly. I see that TSN has hired him so next on his hit list is....the English language. Of course retirement will provide Tie with more time for his new interest - Belinda Stronach. It seems Belinda has a soft spot for right wingers having spent almost some time in the Conservative Party of Canada. CTV reported last week that Domi and Stronach were seen dining together at a trendy Toronto restaurant along with movie star Brad Pitt during the Toronto International Film Festival. Can you imagine Bill Clinton and Peter McKay were dropped for Tie Domi?

In a 75-page divorce application filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Wednesday, Mrs. Domi, the mother of three said she kept hearing "rumours" about her husband spending time with Ms. Stronach. Mrs. Domi said in the document. She asked her husband to leave the family's Toronto home in July, days after her friend saw Mr. Domi in New York City "strolling down Madison Avenue, hand in hand with Belinda Stronach," according to the documents. Mr. Domi, she alleges, told his wife he was at a charity golf tournament in the Maritimes.

Exhibition game against Mississauga

We now have an additional exhibition game against Mississauga. Last season we saw Mississauga more times than any other team. Played them 8 times and had a record of 5-1-3. Isn't that why Nicole switched sides?

September 9 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Goulding Arena
September 11 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Booth Arena
September 17, 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm Weston Lions Arena
September 21 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Booth Arena
September 24 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Roding Arena
September 28 9:15 pm - 10:15 pm Weston Lions Arena - Home game vs. Leaside
October 3 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm Booth Arena - Home game vs. Mississauga
October 4 9:15 pm - 11:00 pm Downsview
October 8 9:00 am - 10:30 am North Toronto - Away game vs. Leaside

Shortbus will have to be on a short leash

It's always exciting to start a fresh new season. You have every reason to be optimistic. After all you are undefeated. No reason to believe you can't go undefeated the whole season. That good feeling won't last too long. Yesterday was our first practice and there was a lot of rust that needs to be worked off. The practice was 90 minutes but after 45 minutes everyone looked like they were skating with snowshoes on. First exhibition game is September 28 with only 3 more practices before that. Before the practice we went over Hockey Canada crackdown on obstruction penalties or as they refer to it as "It's A New Game". All levels of hockey will see referees call games similar to how it was called in the NHL last season. For some people it will be a new game. All eyes were on Paige when I described the crackdown. Paige is also known as the Queen of Hooking, the Duchess of Interference, the Countess of Crosschecking, the Princess of Slashing and the Lady of Tripping. This year, Paige's best friend may be the penalty timekeeper.

Coaches Prepare for New Season

Coach Ron, Coach Willie and Coach Bruce attending a recent coaching clinic to learn innovative motivational techniques.