Game 7 - Slump Busters - and Talent

Did you watch game 6 last night? If not, look [here - click on that spinning play button circle]. If so, you saw a heck of a game by the Penguins, Marc-Andre Fleury, and the Wings! Being biased of course, I'd also say that the referees, Bill McCreary and Marc Joannette were great (personally, I like them more than the other tandem - although the other tandem does include an American and Paul Devorski, who is Mr. Big Nuts #2, behind McCreary).

Back to last night's game...The Pens win 2-1 and both of their goals were scored by whom??? Nobody named Crosby or Malkin (I'm not a big fan of Malkin, by the way, read the above link or the Game 5 notes). Who scored? Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy - two 3rd liners. Sweet!

I love lunch bucket guys!

Generally, I really can't stand prima-donnas. Allow the opportunity to explain the difference between a prima-donna and an all-star guy -- Wayne Gretzky was NOT a prima-donna, Mario Lemiux was NOT a prima-donna, and Joe Thornton is NOT a primma-donna. They are all incredibly talented guys who work their butts off. On the flip side, Marian Gaborik is a primma-donna -- not a whole lot of guts in that game...

Why do I love lunch bucket guys so much? Because I am one of them. I have never been overly talented...at anything. I have had to bring a whole lot of piss and vinegar to EVERYTHING I've done. That's why I enjoyed this article so much:

Justin Bourne, former U-Alaska Anchorage star

"I went through stretches of great success in college and pro hockey, tying together point streaks of double digit games on multiple occasions. As you may have guessed, I also went through stretches of great misery, tying together streaks of wall-punching and pulling my hair out at the root for double-digit games…on multiple occasions.

The standard song and dance about slump breaking is, in my opinion, what prolongs them.

“Keep it simple. Shoot from everywhere.”

Garbage.

Nothing twists the knife in your already-stabbed confidence like a goalie casually gloving down your shot from left field that you only took because technically, that spot by the boards at the blueline fell under the category of “everywhere.”

The only known antidote for the slump sickness, of course, is to work so hard Rod Brind’Amour looks lazy.

It takes a couple games of driving the net, hovering around the crease and generally playing violently before a shot from the point redirects off the bridge of your nose and goes in for you to get back to normal."

See the whole blog [here].

I've had the distinct pleaure of working out with some lunch bucket guys at Velocity Hockey Center, doing some gut-busting work on the skating treadmill.

I have had the VERY DISTINCT PLEASURE of working with some guys on some of the BEST and MOST EFFECTIVE and MOST REFEREE-SPECIFIC off-ice workouts out there.

All is sweet when the lunch bucket guy gets his...

p.s. Want any of the lunch bucket action? Contact me: info@ultimateofficials.com

Say, "I've got my lunch bucket"