It’s often said that a Stanley Cup winner needs its goalie to steal a few games in the playoffs.  Well Marc Andre Fleury has just done that in the fifth game of the 2008 Stanley Cup finals.  He wasn’t perfect but he faced over 50 shots and made quite possibly the best save I’ve ever seen on a 2 on 1.

I’ve seen some saves where the goalie bats the puck out of mid air with his paddle (clearly pure luck).  I’ve seen miraculous glove saves from point blank (luck again).  I’ve never, ever seen a goalie stretch out in the splits on a 2 on 1 to make a skate save to save the game and the entire series.

It was at a point in the game when I was really starting to think that Sidney Crosby and the boys just wouldn’t solve Chris Osgood.  Osgood stopped Crosby on a breakaway which, had he scored, would have made every highlight reel for years to come – his move was just that good.  But at the very last second Osgood flicked out his toe and really changed the momentum of the game.  Fleury easily could have given up and no one would have blamed him for the loss.

Before this game I really didn’t have a favourite for the Conn Smythe trophy but if Fleury is able to lead his Pens to even one more victory I would say that the trophy is all but his.  The mighty offence has been only strong.  The stingy defence has been porous.  The Penguins really have no business being down only one game to a Red Wings team that looks as solid from head to foot as any team I’ve ever seen.

Can I talk about Malkin for a minute?  I know that Don Cherry talked about Malkin being in a fog but I really want to ask him, “what are you thinking?”  All of the backhand and blind passes to no one, or worse?  It’s really quite ridiculous.  It’s to the point where, if I were coach I would sit him.  He hasn’t provided any offence and is causing at least one major turnover every shift.  That’s a liability.  And before you say that he assisted on the game tying goal I would recommend viewing the tape again.  He actually was in the process of giving the puck away!  He was very lucky that the Wings were unable to clear and the Pens kept the puck in deep.  It would have been just one more example of Malkin passing to a ghost.  You almost have to wonder if he’s doing it on purpose…

[images courtesy of playoffbeard.com - a big thanks]

My old skates are dead.  At my last skate my right foot was nearly on fire.  I couldn’t skate backwards and, as a goalie, that can really hamper your game.  Some forwards I know haven’t skated backwards since Bush was president (H.W. that is) but for a goalie, being able to come out and then back into the net is essential.

So I made the mental commitment to get ‘new’ skates before my next game, although I wasn’t completely stuck on new-new.  Quality is very important to me but so is my wallet.  I gave up the dream of playing in the NHL when I bought my last set of pads.  It was the first new equipment I’d ever had that wasn’t Pro quality.  Coincidentally, it was also the first equipment I’d had to pay for out of my own pocket!  I have to say, though, after playing with lowly Senior level goal pads I decided that there is a lot of truth to the saying, “you get what you pay for.”  My next set of gloves were back at the Pro level.

With quality in mind but relatively few ducats in my pocket I set out to find the Best Darn Pair of Used Goal Skates in Ontario (now a Broadway musical starring Jason Alexander and Liza Minnelli).  As it turns out, people tend to get rid of their goal skates only after all of the stuffing has been pummeled out of them, kind of like mine.  I looked at the prices of new skates and felt like I could afford to search a little longer.

With a family trip planned for sunny Hamilton, ON coming up I resolved to venture into the goalie’s den of financial horrors that is Kenesky’s Sports, on Barton.  I call it that because I can’t seem to leave the store without dropping a mortgage payment at the front counter.  I figured that They of the Goalie Loft would certainly have a vast array of size 6 used, good quality goal skates.  Well, maybe – I never even looked.

While drooling over the 2007 models of You-can’t-afford-me’s and the equally impressive 2006 I’m-used-but-still-out-of-your-league’s (I’m particular to Vaughn right now), I was approached by Joel, the current owner.  He has the typical “I know everything go ahead and ask me” attitude that you would expect from a sports store owner and, quite frankly, I prefer that to the “I’ll tell you anything to make a sale” attitude you get at the big box sports stores.  I asked for some advice on some of my current equipment, which he freely gave, and then moved on to my true purpose, The Skates.

After a quick discussion on why cheap was not what I was really after – I don’t remember saying the word “cheap” but Joel was definitely driving this convo – he brought out what would be my next Last Skates I’ll Ever Buy.  They had The Smell.  They had The Look.  They even had The Sticker.  I could feel my face getting flush and I started to get excited about putting them on.  I thought, “this must be what it’s like for a woman in a shoe store!”  It was like forbidden fruit – I knew I couldn’t afford them but it wouldn’t hurt to just try them on, would it?  Joel also brought out a dingy pair of used skates that were a little too big (I’ll never know whether or not he actually had any that were my size).  He told me to put one of each on at the same time.  Big mistake.

Alone the used skate on my left foot probably would have felt just fine.  The used Graf was still a top of the line skate and it would have provided me all the protection I needed and likely last me until I needed blades for my walker.  The problem was that the foot in the shiny Rbk Pump felt like it was swimming in a pool of goose down feathers, and laced up with threads from Ken Dryden’s last game worn jersey.  And talk about light!  A balloon filled with clouds would have likely been heavier than the skate on my right felt.

It was clear that he had me hooked.  My only saving grace was that the new skates really were too expensive for me.  I gave the sheepish, “I’ve got to talk to my wife” routine and that was when Joel pulled out the big guns.  Knowing that I’ve made Kenesky’s my first stop in the past and that good customer service breeds future returns Joel whispered, “I can probably do better on the price.”

It goes without saying that shopping with your son or daughter can be trying at times.  Ella, my recently turned four year old, had been a complete angel.  Only near the end of shopping trip did she get antsy and a little impatient.  When mom asked why Ella had her pockets full of jelly beans I said it was because she was such a good girl at the store.  That’s when Ella said, “Isi got new skates, mommy!”  Now I’ve got a pocket full of jelly beans (and new skates, and a new outfit for mommy, somehow).