When Xavier first started his goalie training we had some group sessions that he would attend. Normally my preference is to 1:1 training as it caters to him and not to the lowest common denominator. These sessions were free as the association had paid for them and he would go and socialize with other kids and get some training in. It is how we treat camps and things now. He goes to socialize a bit with some other kids as his private training sessions are superior. When he first started the kids would have 6 kids on the ice, 3 goalies at each end doing drills. One goalie would be in net getting instructions and the other two goalies off to the side. What generally happened would be the goalies would pass the puck to each other while they waited their turn. This is where Xavier was amusing. He would play pass with the other kids reluctantly. He would stand closer to the net, off to the side to not disrupt the instructions but he would watch and listen to what was being said. He saw the sessions as opportunities to get better and wanted to understand what was being taught. the kids would pass him the puck and he would pass it back. If the pass was poor and he had to move, he refused to and would not go retrieve the puck. He would just leave it, so if the puck did not reach him it could be 4 feet away, he would leave it. The other kid would skate down and gently push the puck to Xavier who would then pass the puck back. He did not care whether he passed it with the other kid or not.
Last night we had an exhibition game and the original intent was not to split the game, but they ended up splitting the game. The other goalie asked Xavier to review the goals and they were discussing ranking the goals that were let in. Whether they were good goals and which one was the worst. Xavier’s evaluation and the other kid were not aligned, so he asked me what I had thought and I explained how I would rank them and my rationale behind the rankings. Xavier agreed with my assessment and wanted to show video proof to the other goalie on why his assessment was wrong. It amuses me because the other goalie had tried to argue certain things and Xavier flat out told him that he was wrong. Xavier never blames someone else for a goal. The goal that he let in deflected off his defenseman and went was redirected in. Xavier will state the facts as is and does not assign blame to anyone. His job is to stop the puck and if the puck goes in that is on him. It was amusing because the rational that the other goalie gave is something that Xavier would not blame on the defense but on himself. If the goalie is screened, the general consensus amongst other goalies and their parents are that it is not their fault because they could not see the puck. Xavier said that he should have done a better job of finding and tracking the puck. Reviewing the goal, the goalie was out of position to where the shot was. This is something that Xavier would review and identify for next time, if he was screened in this position, how should he have positioned himself so that he could track the puck. Yesterday I had mentioned that I was hoping that the kids picked up on some things that we are trying to teach them. In regards to hockey he has, take accountability for what is within your control and if you think something is out of your control, figure out how to shift the narrative so you are not relying on chance. This is why Xavier watches the videos so he understands what he should do better to see around players. If you can only make a save in perfect conditions and rely on your team, you are not good, your team is. Parents and his team thought he played well, but the car ride home we discussed what he did wrong to understand how he should handle it better in the future. It amuses me that once we play a team once he knows the tendencies of their top players, and which hand they shoot so he can better stop them. He normally does not get beaten twice with the same situation. If you want the brutal truth you can ask Xavier, he will not sugar coat it. He will hold you to the same standard that he judges himself to. Anything less lowers the bar, the standard is consistent, “Be Better” – Xavier Mach.
I am still having some issues with keeping food down on occasion. It seems that I need to be careful after I eat to not talk too much. I think that when I have meetings or talk that it impairs my ability to keep food down. If I do not talk too much then it is a bit easier. Of course, I tried to push myself a bit more today with half a bite extra and it seemed to be a bit too much. Hopefully that is a lesson learned. This morning I also received notification of another appointment for myself, this time on Wednesday, so I have an appointment on Monday and then on Wednesday, which kind of sucks to have 1 hr appointments on different days. Hopefully they will schedule some more so it is not as spread out. We did get confirmation from Sudbury that they use non-metal ports so that will be good for when I start treatment down south, even though it has yet to be confirmed. Right now we are trying to plan as much as we can under our control. It is an extra $100 to rent a hotel with an extra room, but what it will allow is for Mel and myself to work while we are both down there. We both tend to have a lot of meetings and trying to do that in a shared space is difficult. If we are in separate rooms we will at least be able to do that. We are going to tell the kids that I am going for work and that I have an appointment as well. The both of us traveled so much for work that it will not seem out of the ordinary. We will also bring some treats back for them.
Q