We were all expecting something a lot more radical – like Speedo suits on ice. But when the NHL finally revealed the new Reebok EDGE Uniform System, it almost didn’t warrant a double take.

The new digs featured a stretch mesh that provides for ventilation, a better range of motion, and water repellency. The fabric was supposed to last longer than the traditional jerseys. An anatomical fit is supposed to integrate better with padding and protectors, thus allow better range of motion and more overall protection.

That doesn’t seem too radical. So why were traditionalists screaming foul? Maybe some fans didn’t like them because they wouldn’t hide their own body imperfections. Some players didn’t like them because it was something new. However, Penguins ace center Sid Crosby had a point, when he spoke at an All Star presser in 2007. Innovation and technology has changed sticks, skates, and everything else. Why not jerseys? So when will the pants be next?

Of course, the NHL jersey is a mandated item, while skate blades, helmets, and shoulder pads are a personal choice. So how do players choose their equipment, anyway?

Some look like they do it blindfolded, such as former Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames RW Tony Amonte. His shoulder pads had the stability of a jock strap and looked pretty ugly. He had only been using them for at least eight years, apparently. Former Detroit D-man Chris Chelios had supposedly been wearing his since he was 15. Some guys will wear the same helmet for years and just change the padding.

“Some guys, they just put the skates on and go play the game,” commented Montreal D-man Roman Hamrlik. “Usually they are hard on the ankles so you break in a few practices. My old ones, I don’t think they make them any more. I had to try a new company for skates and it’s hard because the skates I had for 15 years. (sticks) It’s the same thing. After the season, you can try out different companies. Guys, they are comfortable, they stick with it.”

Islanders’ goalie Dwayne Roloson goes by feel when it comes to pads. “When I’m on the ice, make sure it feels good. There’s an area there where you give up on lightness and they’re stiff and hard to break in. Or if you give up on breakdown, then you change your pads every other week.”

Grant Fuhr used to get a brand new pair of pads and wear them that day. Some will go through a set or two a year, some will go through four or five sets a year. It’s the same with other equipment and other positions.

Of the more technologically-advanced equipment, certainly fit, comfort, feel, and support play into deciding what to wear. Modern equipment tends to absorb less moisture and dry easier.

“It’s tough. You’re physically fine. You’re physically healthy. It’s more of a mind thing when you don’t know when you’re going to be in. You make a mistake on the ice, you think, is this going to be my last shift in the game? You’re there, but sometimes there’s guys nipping at your heels or you’re not sure what the coaches think of you. It’s something you have to get over. As you mature as a player as you get older, I found myself, you got to put that aside. If you play the best game you can play, you should never look back and say, I tried my best, that’s it. For myself, I got over that hump. I had a role on the team. I knew what my role was. I knew I was going to be there every day. There’s still always that edge, no matter who you are. There’s always that edge that there’s younger guys and these guys are getting better and better all the time. It’s great for a team because you need that competition. You don’t get complacent at all.”

How do you pack?

“They don’t tell you (how long). They just say, you’re going up. Go get your stuff. Go get your equipment and get going. Be at this place at this time. You’ve got to pack for a week. Then you get dry cleaning, laundry, buy clothes. You get up there, you don’t want to have to worry about it. You just get up and want to play as best you can. It may be more than a couple of days, but it’s not like you’re going to be there for the rest of the year. You don’t want to come in with your six bags and hockey bags packed and say, where am I going to be living? You just be there, go under the radar, and play your best.”

When you get sent down, do you lose a step?

“You get a taste of what it’s like in the NHL. You want to get back so bad. Some guys take it two ways. I got demoted – and they get crushed. It takes them a while to figure out, you know what? This is where I want to be. I have to play good in the minors to get there, so don’t go down and mope. It’s so emotional because you don’t know why. A lot of times you don’t know why you get sent down. It could be that some guy came back that was hurt. You could have had a hattrick that night and they sent you down the next day. It all depends on what’s going on. You start reading into those things and that really messes up your game. The hardest thing in the world is the mind part…of anything, life, sports, everything. The quicker you can get around that, the quicker you can play your game better.”

Lemaire played all of his youth in Montreal.

In two seasons with the Montreal Junior Canadiens (then part of the Ontario Hockey League) from 1964-65 and 1965-66, Jacques Lemaire honed his craft and learned that it took more than skill to further a career.

Major junior hockey has been a main breeding ground for up and coming National Hockey League players. It’s where young men learn to excel through perseverance, discipline, work ethic, and sometimes pure adrenaline. There is a strong emphasis on education in today’s junior hockey ranks. But back in the early 1960s, that wasn’t always the case.

“It was different in our days,” admits Lemaire. “It was not as well organized as today, the school and hockey. It seemed kind of hard to do both because of traveling. We were a Canadian team from Quebec playing in Ontario so all the teams we played against were in Ontario. There was quite a bit of travel.”

At the time, players almost had to make a decision between playing hockey and going to school. Those that made the decision to play, if they wanted to go to school, they had to find time during the summer. For the rest, they took advantage of making a little bit of money and worked, like Lemaire.

“I played hockey in the winter, and I was working for Coca Cola on the delivery as soon as the season finished. At training camp, I stopped. I worked for Coca Cola, then after I worked for Labatt Brewery, then Molson a bit.

“Hockey-wise, I found it was a little hard at times. We had no money at home. I think in those days they were giving us $18 or $16 a week. I remember when Scotty Bowman was our coach; he made us work at times in the winter at the arena. We’d clean the old Forum. We used to sweep the stairs and wash the stairs. They were paying us 50 cents an hour for that. We had to work hard for what we got. A lot of guys appreciated it at the time when they got a good job.”

Lemaire admits there is a lot more teaching in today’s junior ranks than there was in his days. He says the coaches didn’t have the know-how that they do now.

“We went on the ice and did what we had to do. If you’re not good enough, you’re not playing. That’s it. You’ll learn from better players. You’ll learn from watching the NHL. You’ll learn from other guys that were good on the team.”

Lemaire played a total of 104 games for the Junior Canadiens, posting 66 goals, 99 assists, and 165 points. He only clocked in penalty minutes (69) in his second season.

There is one fact of hockey that transcends every generation of player, particularly in junior: the myriad of stories. Although, considering this is an age where young testosterone-filled adolescent males are establishing their manhood, sometimes one can pry a “printable” story.

“I remember when Scotty Bowman was our coach,” says Lemaire about a road trip, “he put our curfew at 10:30. He said, ‘I don’t want any TV on past 10:30.’ He went to get a key to get into all the rooms. So he would open the door quick and go over to touch the TV, because if you were watching TV, it would be warm. A guy put a cold towel on the TV so the TV stayed cold, and he put the chain on so Scotty couldn’t get in. When he tried to get in, he’d say, ‘Open the door quick!’ So he took the towel off before Scotty could check the TV, and it was okay.”

He tells another story about the team meal. “When we had our team dinner on the road, we had one dollar. We had to get lunch with that. If it cost $1.05, you had to bring the bill plus five cents and give it back to the manager.”

Lemaire played the game of hockey because it was fun. He thoroughly enjoyed the game. But he could never have predicted how much fun his NHL career would prove to be.

After 69 games during the 1966-67 season with the Houston Apollos (19 goals, 30 assists, 49 points, 19 penalty minutes and six playoff games: 0-1-1, 0 PIM), the NHL beckoned and he never looked back.

His rookie 1967-68 season culminated with his first Stanley Cup.

The Montreal Canadiens were rich in NHL history long before the young center suited up his number 25 jersey. Its first Stanley Cup win was March 30, 1916 following a 2-1 victory over the Portland Rosebuds in five games.

The second Cup came in 1924. Howie Morenz scored at 4:55 in the first period to cement a 3-0 win over the Calgary Tigers. In 1930 (third Cup), Morenz scored the game winner at 15:43 in the second period to defeat the Boston Bruins 4-3. In the 1931 Cup final (fourth Cup), the Habs won 2-0 over Chicago; won (fifth) 5-4 against Chicago in 1944 (Lemaire’s future head coach Toe Blake scored the game winner at 9:12 in the first overtime); won (sixth) 6-3 versus the Bruins in 1946 (Blake scored the game winner at 11:06 of the third); won 1-0 (seventh) against Boston in 1953; (eighth) 3-1 against Detroit in 1956; (ninth) 5-1 versus Boston in 1957; (10^th) 5-3 against Boston in 1958; (11^th) 5-3 against Toronto in 1959; (12^th) 4-0 over Toronto in 1960; (13^th) 4-0 over Chicago in 1965; and won its 14th Cup with a 3-2 win over Detroit in 1966.

The home of the Habs, The Forum, was built in 1924 and accommodated 10,000 and opened its doors November 29, although an ice problem delayed it becoming the team’s permanent home until November 18, 1926. It was renovated up to 13,551 seats in 1949 and to 16,003 seats in 1968. It proudly and prominently displayed the team’s 14 Stanley Cup banners.

So for any player coming to Montreal, the weight of previous Stanley Cups permeated the room. Fans expected more, so did the organization, and the media. There was no place to hide if you didn’t perform.

Lemaire realized right away, from his first day in rookie camp, that Montreal did not approach hockey the same as other organizations. There was more scrutiny and more demands. Fortunately for Lemaire, his stick found the back of the net a respectable 22 times that season. In 69 games, he also recorded 20 assists for 42 points and 16 penalty minutes. His team had finished the season in first place in the East Division with 94 points.

But it was Lemaire’s playoff record that left a more lasting impression.

En route to the final, the Habs eliminated Chicago and Minnesota. It faced the St. Louis Blues in the Cup final (which finished third in the West Division with 70 points). The Blues were stacked with a roster of former and soon to be Habs, such as Red Berenson, Doug Harvey, Bill McCreary, Dickie Moore, Noel Picard, Barclay Plager, Jacques Plante, Jimmy Roberts, and Jean-Guy Talbot, plus coach Scotty Bowman and scout Cliff Fletcher.

Game one of the Stanley Cup final was played on May 5, 1968. The score was tied at 2-2 and the teams had just returned to the ice for the first overtime period. Lemaire felt his coach Toe Blake tap him on the shoulder. He was next on the ice.

Lemaire had been following the play from the bench, so he was able to jump into the flow of the game right away. He took a pass at the St. Louis blueline, let his shot go, and then saw the goal light go on behind Blues goalie Glenn Hall. The next thing he knew, his teammates were congratulating him. The goal was unassisted at 1:41. It was also his second overtime goal of the playoffs and a record for NHL rookies. The Habs went on to defeat the Blues in four games, with each of those games won by a goal, plus two were decided in overtime.

In 13 games, Lemaire’s playoff record stood at 7-6-13, and six penalty minutes.

One would think a rookie year like that would be hard to top. Fortunately for Lemaire, it was only the beginning.

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Think for a moment – not about how much money you want to make but what you’d consider your dream job. Is it the same dream you had as a kid? Are you doing it now? If your answer is no, why not? Sometimes we let others dictate what’s best for us.

Theoren Fleury is a perfect example of someone not letting others talk him out of his dream of making it to the National Hockey League. At 5’6” and 180 pounds, Fleury wasn’t drafted in his first year of eligibility. The next year, Calgary Flames’ scout Ian McKenzie had to almost beg the club to consider him. Fleury wasn’t picked until the eighth round and went 166^th overall in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. Before he ended his career, he was listed as one of the top 50 players in the NHL by The Hockey News and had been paid with multi-million dollar contracts.

Sometimes you have to open your own doors. Even when you’re focused on the dream, the path may twist and turn or change complete direction. The key is not to give up.

A gifted young football player had the opportunity to play for a Canadian Football League team. Unfortunately, he came to training camp overweight and hadn’t worked out all winter. He put in very little effort and as a result, was cut from the team. He was never offered another opportunity. What would have happened if he really wanted to play?

If someone tries to talk you out of your dream, don’t let them. Be disciplined. When you see the results of someone else’s success, know that the end result didn’t come without sacrifice. Thus no truer words were ever spoken than by broadcaster and former National Football League coach John Madden. “Easy Street goes through the dump.”

Theoren Fleury nearly didn't get drafted into the NHL

The clubhouse attendant is perhaps the hardest working job in baseball. He’s at the ballpark from at least 7:00 AM until 3:00 AM. The visiting clubbie’s job is particularly unique.

After receiving the team’s itinerary, the clubbie goes to the airport to pick them up. Upon arrival, he assigns each player a locker, unpacks their bags, goes shopping to prepare for their meals. That’s only the beginning. He cleans their shoes, straightens their locker, does and hangs their laundry, cleans the sinks, shower stalls, and urinals. He’s on call if the parent club calls a player up or sends them down, then packs the player’s personals and takes it to the hotel.

Greg Grimaldo is the Visitors’ Clubhouse Attendant for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. “You feed them, give them sandwiches, chips, juice, fruit, vegetables, whatever they want before batting practice.” When the players come in from batting practice, Grimaldo starts washing clothes, cleans up the clubhouse, and prepares for the post-game meal. A typical day includes 100 pounds of laundry. Grimaldo always carries a spare. “I have two washers plus a third I keep hidden in case one breaks down.”

For a couple hours throughout the game, he cooks for 30 players and four umpires on a barbecued grill. “When they come in, you get out of their way and let them eat and hope you have enough food. The worst thing in the world is to hear a player say, ‘I didn’t get anything to eat.’

Grimaldo will have shopped for the four game series prior to the team’s arrival. He might serve tacos or burritos the first day, chicken breasts and thighs with mashed potatoes, gravy, and biscuits the next. If it’s a double-header, he’ll fix a morning meal, which may include French toast, pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausage; in between games: hamburgers or hot dogs; then spaghetti for the post-game meal.

Each player pays the clubbie individually on the last day of the series. At the start of the season, teams will ask around to see what they plan to collect. Grimaldo says it’s $14 a day. “That buys your pop, shaving cream, soap, shampoo, and food. The clubs don’t give you anything for the visiting teams. Not a thing. If you cut it right, you can minimize the expenses down to $120 a day. You have to use everything – owe people favors – whatever you can do to save money is what you have to do.”

Some teams do pay better. The clubbie may charge $55 for four days. The player pays either $60/$65 or $55.

“I can remember years ago, putting out some baseballs for players to autograph. Everybody autographed them but one. I walked up to the player and said, ‘How come you don’t sign the baseballs?’ He said, ‘You no pay, I no sign.’ I say, ‘You no sign, you no eat.’ He signed. There are more good guys in the clubhouse than bad, but it only takes one rotten apple to ruin the whole four-day sequence.”

Being a clubhouse attendant is one of those jobs you learn from experience. Grimaldo’s best advice is to let the new guys learn on their own. “The hardest thing about this job is learning what not to do and do. You can’t take care of every individual player. One will say they want chewing tobacco, go get it for me. Another wants hamburger. As soon as you make a trip for one person, somebody else wants something else. I just tell them we make one trip only. Otherwise, they’ll have to wait for the next day. The new guy will have to learn on his own. You can tell him, but he won’t believe you. When he makes a mistake, it will cost him. When you spend money and the player don’t pay you back, that’s the hard way.”