RED LINE CLUB MEMBER PROGRAM 2008-2009

2008-2009 Season Cabin John Sessions & Ft DuPont
(Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr)

Red Line Hockey will be holding plenty of regular sessions throughout the 2008-2009 season. In order to give a bit of a price break and allow for some ice purchase planning, RLH has developed the following price packages.

As usual, all clinics will be have 40 minutes of off-ice exercises followed by time to dress and a 1 hour session with no more than 4 goaltenders and handpicked shooters.

Season Pack and Developmental Pack Plan holders will also receive a top quality Red Line Hockey logo practice sweater and will have first notice of session availability.

Here’s how it will work:
• Pack Plan Purchasers will be given notice a week before any given month of dates and times of sessions for that month.
• Reservations for those slots will be given out on a first come first serve basis.
• Sessions will be half ice at Ft DuPont or at Cabin John Studio Rink
• Pack plan purchasers can use their session whenever they want through April 2009.
• Pack plans do not apply to “Mini-camps”

Drop-ins are of course still welcome at the $65 per session rate but will be notified of session dates and times after Pack Plan holders and will not receive the Logo jersey.

Regular Season Pack (16 sessions)
$800
$1040 (Regular)
Save -- $250, 23 % savings

Developmental Season Pack (8)
$450
$520 (Regular)
Save --$70, 13% savings

Tune-up Season Pack (4) (no jersey)
$230
$250 (Regular)
Save -- $20, 8% savings

RED LINE HOCKEY SHOOTER-INSTRUCTOR PROFILE

Sarah Easterwood, D, University of Maryland

(middle)

Sarah Easterwood is not the typical University of Maryland Hockey player – but may be a sign of things to come to the Capital Area.

Sara played H.S. soccer and hockey in Richfield, MN before heading off to play Division I soccer in Alabama for her first year of college. She moved on before her second year looking for a change of scenery and found herself at University of Maryland with a stick back in her hands rather than cleats on her feet.

Sarah has captained and been president of the Terps ACHA team for 3 years now and has been a DVCHC All-Star 3 times.

Sarah works regularly as an RLH shooter-instructor at RLH clinics. She is an asset since she brings a booming shot, a keen understanding of how to play with a goaltender behind her and a sensitivity to “the need to build goaltenders up” piece by piece at clinics.

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT

20 x 40 rink is only $350. Worth it even if you only get a few weeks skating. You can reuse the boards for inline or possibly with synthetic ice if you are willing to make the investment as well.

RED LINE GOALIE SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM 2008-2009

Red Line Hockey is a leader in goaltender development in the Capital and Mid-Atlantic Region. As more and more goaltenders seek ongoing goaltending instruction, training and analysis, Red Line Hockey services are demanded more each season.

As such, RLH is beginning the steps of adding a small, tight group of staff. RLH hockey has developed a turn-key practice system to train goalers each time we are on the ice. To bring benefits of this system to more goaltenders at a younger age, RLH is searching for a few young men and women who seek to not only improve their game, but develop future goaltenders in our area and gain teaching and leadership skills as well.

In addition, because hockey at the club level is private, and at the scholastic levels in our area is not supported financially by the academic institutions they represent, RLH had developed a valuable program for goaltenders looking to offset the regular costs of dues for High School or ACHA hockey.

The RLH Goaltender Sponsorship Program seeks to underwrite the dues for exceptional goaltenders in exchange for time working with younger RLH goaltenders and marketing of the RLH name.

RLH will be accepting applications for a limited number sponsorships. Sponsorships will be announced by August 15, 2008. Please email red-line-hockey@hotmail.com with a subject heading “RLH Goaltender Sponsorship” to request the Form.

RLH will:
1. Pay dues to your Club in a timely manner;
2. Work with your coach, club or league to have RLH patch on uniforms;
3. Work with you to schedule coaching hours around your schedule;
4. Provide you with coaching apparel;
5. Provide you with coaching training.

RLH Sponsored Goalies will:
1. Have been accepted based upon application, recommendations and team willingness to participate in “The Program”;
2. Wear the 3” x 4” Red Line Hockey patch on home and away game uniform;
3. Work a number of clinic or camp hours at a $20 / hr. rate. Number of hours required depends upon team dues. (Team Dues / $20 = # of Red Line Work Hours);
4. Attend a paid instructional session with “The Director”, Bob DeGemmis;
5. After working with The Director, may be assigned to lead sessions with more junior goaltenders.

N. VA, DC, MD SUMMER STICK SHOOT LISTINGS

The heat is here…what better time to go to the rink?! Below is a list of Stick ‘n Shoots aka Stick Time aka Stick ‘n Pucks..It’s all the same. In any case goalie always skate free so it is an excellent chance to hone the skills practiced in Red Line Hockey Clinics.

Recommendations when going to Stick Times:

1. Bring a friend or two that shoot at your level;
2. Warm up and stretch beforehand;
3. Have your shooters give you warm “up shots”. No close range blasting off the bat;
4. Try to go to sessions you know will be quiet;
5. Replicate drills we have practiced in clinics;
6. If it is busy and there are a number of goaltenders of there are weak shooters, practice footwork, stick handling and shooting rather than stopping weaker shooters.

Have fun!


Cabin John
http://www.mc-mncppc.org/parks/enterprise/ice/cabin_john/documents/JUNE2008sticknpuck_000.pdf

http://www.mc-mncppc.org/parks/enterprise/ice/cabin_john/index.shtm


Kettler
http://www.kettlercapitalsiceplex.com/ - click on "Daily Schedules" on the left


Wheaton
http://www.mcparkandplanning.org/Parks/enterprise/ice/wheaton/documents/SticknPuckSUMMER08.pdf

http://www.mc-mncppc.org/parks/enterprise/ice/wheaton/index.shtm


Rockville

http://www.rockvilleicearena.com/pickup/

http://www.rockvilleicearena.com/



Alexandria

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/rec/calendars/mvice.pdf

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/rec/mvrec.htm#mvcalendars


Reston & Prince William Skatequests

http://www.skatequest.com/


Ashburn

http://www.frontline-solutions.com/ashburnstatic/pages/pages/ash_pick_stick.htm

http://www.ashburnice.com/

FT DuPont

http://www.fdia.org/

http://www.fdia.org/Hockey.asp

EQUIPMENT DISSECTION: CATCHING GLOVE

The trend up until about 2005 was “bigger is better” when it comes to equipment.

My new saying would be “bigger is better” with caveat…that it be handled and be used effectively.

When gear gets so big that it is cumbersome it’s not worth the size even if the rules permits the size.

I can’t tell readers how many kids who are still growing that have the biggest possible glove but can’t perform with it, can’t catch a baseball with it because it’s so big and has a pocket so deep that there is no feel when catching or stickhandling.

I, a full grown adult had a glove that was so big that It could be scaled back to be more comfortable.

The glove is a TPS that has the double pocket but it was so deep that it was a difficult catch when pucks were heading in.

The Response: I cut out about 1’’ – 1.5’’ of the top portion of the glove that connects the index finger to the thumb and then overlapped the 2 pocket-backs. I used shoe lace and used a drill to punch the holes.

I have used the glove twice and thus far I am very happy. I am not sure whether I used tough enough stringing material, but the construction itself is good and I feel much more comfortable catching the puck.

Feel free to show me equipment if you are looking to make alterations.

POST SURGERY PHOTOS ---

More Questions and comments --

QUESTION: All you did though was make the pocket shallower and smaller, right? How would that make it easier to catch, or does it just make it easier to control? Thanks -B

RLH ANSWER:

A few things -

First, it allowed the glove to fully close the fingers down to the thumb.

Second, before the pocket was soo deep when you actually caught the puck you would not actually feel the snap back right away because the puck would hit the pocket lower than your hand if that makes sense. I like it to feel more like the puck is between my thumb and index finger.

The oversized glove made for more area to block the puck, but made for much less control ctahcing and then holding the puck once it's in the pocket.

GIRLS COLLEGE & PREP CAMPS UPCOMING

2008 Collegiate Development Camp in Princeton, NJ this summer is an intense high profile camp intended for players aspiring to play NCAA hockey. This year the camp will be run by 10 NCAA coaches and is an excellent opportunity for players to open up or continue contacts with schools.

The camp is designed to both educate the player about the college hockey recruiting process and initiate contacts between players and coaches, who are on the ice, behind the bench, speaking in seminars, boarding and eating meals with the campers the entire week of camp. Coaches better understand a player’s work ethic, playing abilities and character through this format.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT -
http://www.princetonsportscenter.com/programs/girls_college08.html

For younger players (birth year 95-93) there is also a Prep School Development Camp in conjunction with the Collegiate Development Camp. This camp follows a similar structure, and is run by 8 New England Prep School coaches. Attending prep school to further a player’s hockey and educational goals is an excellent path to playing college hockey.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT -
http://www.princetonsportscenter.com/programs/girls_prep08.html

MAIN LINE HOCKEY GEAR FOR SALE

THE OFFICIAL GEAR OF THE VILLANOVA ALUMNI POND HOCKEY TEAM
http://www.cafepress.com/vuhockeyalum
Proceeds to benefit the 2009 VU Pond Hockey Team in the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships

• 3-1 in 2008 in USPHC (http://www.uspondhockey.com/)
• Runner-up in St.Paul, MN Visitation 3 v 3 Tourney

FROM BOSTON GLOBE...

Summit meeting for school hockey
By Craig Larson, Globe Staff June 6, 2008

The Massachusetts State Hockey Coaches Association will drop the puck on the 2008-09 season with a marquee event.

Determined to market its game and attract teams from rinks across the state, the MSHCA will host the 2008 High School Hockey Summit, an enterprising and educational daylong affair, Dec. 7 at New England Sports Center, the five-rink facility in Marlborough. The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association's executive board approved the inaugural summit yesterday.

"We can get under one roof boys' and girls' teams from Central, Eastern, and Western Massachusetts in a hockey environment," said Waltham boys' coach John Maguire, president-elect of the MSHCA. "The two key components: educate and promote."

With a goal of attracting at least 60 teams, the state coaches are introducing the summit as an alternative to their annual coaches' clinic, where numbers have been dwindling.

The MSHCA has already received positive feedback from 75 coaches from across the state interested in participating.

The summit, which will be held the day after the high school football Super Bowls at Gillette Stadium, also is receiving support from fasthockey.com, the Bruins, and other sponsors.

Each participating squad will play at least one minigame (two 12-minute periods), which will offer players exposure to both prep and college coaches. The summit will also feature at least one voice from the National Hockey League speaking from center ice in the 2,000-seat Rink 1, NCAA Clearinghouse information, and panel discussions on sportsmanship, leadership, game conduct, and the state of the high school game.

"The way things have been done in the past, coaches and leagues have been on their own to get things going - competing with showcase tournaments at the junior level, the youth hockey level," said Maguire. "By showcasing our kids, and the MIAA being on board, educating our student-athletes, it's a pretty neat thing." NESC general manager Wes Tuttle, whose venue hosted the World Sledge Hockey Championships in April, said, "We're excited that we were selected to host the summit. We're looking forward to it. Nothing like this has been done before in this state."

Athletic directors and coaches interested in having their programs participate are asked to contact Maguire at maguirej@comcast.net

Craig Larson can be reached at clarson@globe.com

STANLEY CUP RECAP: OSGOOD COMPLETES THE DEAL, MARC-ANDRE FLEURY SHOWS HE'S ELITE

DETROIT FREE PRESS
WINGS WIN STANLEY CUP GAME 6: 3-2

Osgood as it gets: Once-backup goalie delivered when it mattered most
BY MICHAEL ROSENBERG • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • June 5, 2008

PITTSBURGH -- He scared you, didn't he? When Chris Osgood allowed that goal with 87 seconds left, cutting the Red Wings' lead to 3-2, he had to scare you.

Never mind that the goal was off a carom, tough to stop. Never mind that it came on a power play after Jiri Hudler's hooking penalty. Never mind that logically, you had to like Osgood's chances with 87 seconds left.

Osgood scared you.

And when the Penguins had that last, ridiculous chance, with their net empty and the clock down to its final few seconds, and Marian Hossa honed in on Osgood ... well, Osgood had to give you one last scare then.

"They always have to go right to the bitter end," Osgood said. "I haven't seen Hudler yet, but I'm going to smack him when I see him. A two-goal lead, a hooking (penalty), we lose a stick ... everything that's not supposed to happen happened."

This is what you have to understand about Osgood: He was never scared. He is as calm and sure as the sunrise. Even afterward, when he had won the Stanley Cup for the second time as a starter, he had to convince reporters he was excited.

Maybe this was perfect for Osgood: Even his greatest postseason, a career-validating, critic-quieting Stanley Cup run, ended with a moment of relief before the fit of joy.

That is just how Osgood operates. He had a chance to win the Stanley Cup at home; instead, he gave up that goal with 35 seconds left. So he had to win it on the road. He had a chance at a 3-1 Cup-clinching win. Instead he let in a late goal.

Osgood was the best goalie in these NHL playoffs, statistically, but was never really the talk of the postseason. He had Conn Smythe numbers but did not win the Conn Smythe Trophy, which went (deservedly) to Henrik Zetterberg.

"We could have had two MVPs," Pavel Datsyuk said, "but only one MVP."

Story of Osgood's life.

Osgood has never been about perfection. He has never been the hero. He enables his teammates to be heroes.

But take a moment to salute Ozzie. Nobody can call him a Cup-winning fluke anymore. Take a moment to recognize that he was almost always the solution this spring -- and never really the problem.

Maybe the Wings needed him only to be very good instead of great. But what's wrong with being very good? That's not so easy. Ask Dominik Hasek.

And maybe the best you could say about Osgood in the deciding game was that he didn't fold.

But maybe that's a bigger compliment than we think.

"Whether it's a bad goal or bad break, whatever it may be, he's always been able to bounce back," longtime teammate Kirk Maltby said Wednesday morning. "As an athlete, that's the greatest strength that anybody could have: Being able to move on from whatever good or bad happens."

The Wings entered Game 6 knowing their goalie would not shake in his skates. They knew Osgood would not play Game 6 with Game 5 on his mind. That had to help the team move on.

The Wings are human, too. After Game 1 of the Cup finals, 39-year-old forward Dallas Drake admitted, "My heart was in my throat the beginning of the game."

Osgood's heart never seems to be in his throat. Until Monday night, the most famous goal Osgood ever allowed came in Game 5 of the 1998 Western Conference finals. Jamie Langenbrunner of Dallas sent a 90-foot shot over Osgood's stick in overtime. Langenbrunner was barely even trying to score. Yet he did.

What, Chris worry? He skipped the Wings' optional practice the next day. Instead, he stayed in the dressing room with a pair of scissors and paper, and put together a collage called "The evolution of Kris Draper."

It detailed Draper's physical development from potbellied coach potato in 1989 to muscular Wing in 1997, with cutouts of Draper's head pasted on various bodies. The last picture featured Draper with a big gut before training camp opened that fall.

The day after that, Osgood pitched a shutout to finish the series.

Osgood has always been the class cutup. Even at 35, he still looks like he could be a college senior, and he sure acts like he could be a college senior.

Osgood is the big man on campus now. And that's perfect, too.

Contact MICHAEL ROSENBERG at 313-222-6052 or mrosenberg@freepress.com.

Penguins' Fleury isn't wilting from mission

By A.J. Perez, USA TODAY
DETROIT — Marc-Andre Fleury wore more than just a cap turned backward as the Pittsburgh Penguins goalie leaned back in his locker hours before Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Monday.
The goalie also had a wide smile on, an expression that seemed an affront to the daunting task the Pittsburgh Penguins had ahead of them.

"I'm pretty relaxed right now," said the netminder known simply as "Flower," the English translation of the French word from which his last name is derived, to his teammates. "It may get a little tense at the beginning of the game. I think we're still confident. You never know what might happen."

And Fleury, 23, made it happen — often by himself — as the Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in the third overtime. While Petr Sykora scored the game-winner, Fleury was most responsible for pushing the series to a sixth game. He received the No. 1 star after making 55 saves, 24 in overtime.

The goals he allowed came off a teammate's skate, a nearly indefensible deflection by Pavel Datsyuk, and a slap shot by Brian Rafalski through traffic.

Probably Fleury's most spectacular save of the playoffs occurred with 1:21 left in the second period when he did the splits to make a pad save on a point-blank shot by Red Wings forward Mikael Samuelsson. He nearly matched that with another save on a Samuelsson shot, this time with his outstretched glove six minutes into the third period.

Fleury's saves in overtime included stopping Kris Draper with a kick save and gloving a shot by Daniel Cleary in rapid-fire succession midway through the second overtime.

Saves like that were what Penguins fans expected when Pittsburgh made Fleury the No. 1 overall pick in 2003. The New York Islanders' Rick DiPietro, in 2000, was the only other goalie selected first overall.

But his bright yellow pads were as noticeable as his shaky play with the Penguins after he made his debut at 18 in 2003. He didn't have a goals-against average under 3.25 or a save percentage higher than .898 — both mediocre marks for a starting NHL goaltender — until last season.

This season didn't start off too well, either. Fleury was 9-8-1 before a high ankle sprain Dec. 6 put him out of the lineup for 28 games. Still, Fleury never lost support from his teammates or coach Michel Therrien, who re-inserted Fleury once he was activated. Fleury responded with a 10-2-1 record in his first 13 games back.

"If it wasn't for him, there's no way we'd have gotten to the point we're at now," defenseman Ryan Whitney said. "He's carried us through the latter part of the season and the playoffs."

Buffalo News
Stanley Cup notebook
Fleury’s big night brings back memories for Hasek
By John Vogl NEWS SPORTS REPORTER
Updated: 06/05/08 6:39 AM


PITTSBURGH — Marc-Andre Fleury became the toast of the Stanley Cup finals with his 55-save performance in Game Five. The praise reached such a fevered pitch before Game Six on Wednesday that former Montreal coach Jacques Demers compared the Pittsburgh goaltender to Hall of Famer Patrick Roy.

Fleury’s best save came in the second period, when he slid left to get a toe on Mikael Samuelsson’s two-on-one shot. But Fleury didn’t do anything that Dominik Hasek hasn’t done. In fact, he did less.

Hasek had one of the NHL’s best nights in the 1994 playoffs, stopping 70 shots to lead Buffalo to a 1-0, four-overtime victory over New Jersey.

“That’s a long time ago,” Hasek said with a huge grin Wednesday before the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup with a 3-2 win over the Penguins in Game Six. “You know what? From the whole game I remember one save.

“I made it on [Stephane] Richer. It was a very similar save to what he’d done in the second period on Samuelsson. It was a two-on-on one, weak passes, and I spread my legs and it was a very similar save. I made 70 saves, but I remember it 14 years later.”

Hasek wasn’t asked to make any stops during the finals. The Detroit goalie hadn’t played since Game Four of the Red Wings’ opening-round series with Nashville. Chris Osgood started Game Five, and did not the crease after that.

“When I signed with the Detroit Red Wings, it was my ultimate goal. Not only to play hockey but to win the Cup,” Hasek said. “I’m very excited definitely. I wish to be part of the team, not only on the bench but also on the ice, which of course I’m a little bit frustrated with. But like I said, our ultimate goal is to win the Cup, and tonight’s the night I hope.”

Hasek was 2-2 in the postseason, with a 2.91 goals-against average and .888 save percentage. But he was still very good in the regular season, going 27-10-3 with a 2.14 GAA and .902 save percentage. It may convince the 43- year-old to play on.

“I’m going to make final decision after the season,” Hasek said. “But definitely, I know I’m in great shape. I feel like I can play on the highest level.”

PENGUIN'S MAF 4 STAR PERFORMANCE IN GAME 5