And so it begins, Distinct Kicking Motion...

I really liked my original Blog title of Simply Hockey because really, hockey is a very simple game.  I think it's the early influences that helped me to understand how simple hockey is to play and how easy it is to over complicate.  Then I thought about all I've learned from hockey. Hockey can be like a self help book unto itself.  But in the end, hockey is about the friends I've made, the friends I've kept, and the friends I haven't made yet.

I maintain that hockey is like no other sport.  There are many reason, but for me it's the friendships made in the game.  I have friends and family that play(ed), coached, managed, and broadcasted at all levels of amatuer and professional hockey.  I also have dear friends from hockey that can barely skate, who think Wayne Gretzky played for three years at Ohio University, and friends put $1200 goalie pads on the wrong legs. 

I have a group of dear friends that I met as an adult.  We came from different parts of hockey.  One grew up in the light contact, cake eating hockey surburbia of Farmington Hill, MI.  One is a Wisconsin boy who didn't consider playing until we took infield practice during a lunch break one day.  Another is a three-balled OSU addict who has come to love hockey even though it probably doesn't love him back. 

Did this guy just find out his boyhood hero was gay? Ohhh, the CBJ lost another draft lottery.

It is with these core group of guys where weekends on frozen private lakes create childhood memories for a bunch of 30-somethings during annual boys only hockey weekends.  It was during these weekends where phrases like "Some people would consider it rude..." and "PEEEEEEENNNALTYYYYY!"  and "They Use the Metic System" are born.  You don't play games of Horse, but rather, "Gina" "Sarah" or "Rachel."  It's weekends like this were we cram around a smart phone in remote parts of God's country to oogle at a buddy's sister in her bikini on facebook.  It's weekends like these where you wonder why 8500 square foot houses only have four bedrooms.  It's weekends like these where "Distinct Kicking Motion" will live forever. 

I have witnessed three of the greatest hockey stories never told.  They are truely, 'you had to be there moments' that if witnessed by the media would be Pulitzer prize winning material.  I image the headlines of these stories would read like this 1. "Why is Mikael Renberg shaving his balls?"  2. "Ohio State suspends two after brawl with NSYNC."  and 3. "Pond Hockey gaffe sets all-time internet 'hits' record."  It's this pond hockey gaffe, simply known as 'distinct kicking motion' to the four of us that has inspired the title of my feeble hockey blog.  I'm not going to get too much into the 'who what when how and why' of this story, but rest assured, if the camera had been rolling, @osujoe would be world famous. World Famous. It was one of those moments where I was laughing so hard, I seriously almost passed out.

Sure, "Distinct Kicking Motion" is a catchy name for a hockey blog.  It sounds gritty and sarcastic.  But truly, it's one of the funniest and most memorable moments of my life that would never have happened without hockey, without the good friends I've made from hockey.  This is why I chose it as the permanent name to this blog.

And while "Distinct Humping Motion" still makes us giggle, "Distinct Kicking Motion" still makes me laugh for about 45 seconds every time I think about it.  Then I think of the goal falling over, and I pee my pants.  Again.