Imagekind Gallery HockeyArt

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Rodd Weiler - The Dog Days of Hockey

This is a watercolor of a rottweiler dog as hockey goalie. The third in a series of watercolours called "The Dog Days of Hockey"

Defend or Die - The Last Defense

Watercolour with pen and ink of a skull goalie

Jack Russell

The second in a series call ed "The Dog Days of Hockey"

Benny "The Bull" Terrier

The first in a new series called "The Dog Days of Hockey"

The Inventor

An inventor in the 50’s who was also a goaltender was a whiz on the ice. He had supreme reflexes and perhaps a little bit of a death wish as a hard frozen puck whized around his unprotected head at 110 miles per hour. It was a fury of rubber, wood, and steel as the determined battle for the puck unfolded in front of him. But facing serious injury and even death the inventor defended his net with equal tenacity. However the many injuries to his face including broken teeth, broken bones and countless stitches told the inventor that there must be a better way. After yet another broken and bloodied face the inventor emerged from the dressing room for the third period........and to the puzzlement of some, delight of others, and amazement to all.......for the first time in the history of hockey.....the goalie mask was born.

The Blacksmith

A hulking Blacksmith in the 50’s who was also a goaltender, was a master of his craft. He would toil by day shaping, bending, and twisting searing hot steel. By night in the nets he would protect the very iron with which he forged. The Blacksmiths team while skilled and experienced, where not fleet of foot. In danger of missing the playoffs, the Blacksmith knew something had to be done. With skill and ingenuity he immediately went to work in his metal shop. Testing metals, hammering, shaping........grinding, smoothing, and sharpening. Finally the Blacksmith emerged presenting each of his team mates with a new pair of skate blades. The very next game his team was flying, turning, spinning, and racing for loose pucks like never before. When the opponents would finally break through for an offensive threat, the Blacksmith was there with lightning quick skate saves and lateral movement. By end of game the Blacksmiths team won with ease, and there he stood skate blades gleaming under the outdoor lights.

The Astronomer

As a boy growing up in a northern rural town, he loved the stars. Playing street hockey he would always be stuck in goal, and often caught off guard while star-gazing at the twinkling skies. Every time the play was at the other end, he would look up and study dimensions, distribution, motion, composition, and energy of celestial bodies. He soon had the belief that they have an influence on the course of natural earthly occurrences such as the very game he was playing in. Much to his teachers surprise the boy suddenly had a keen interest in science class, particularly the study of Astronomy. Applying Sir Isaac Newtons Laws of Motion, the boy soon knew how to react to the velocity and trajectory of the puck with precise efficiency and speed. Now as a rising young star in the nets his teammates never questioned his methods. As the national anthem would play the Astronomer would look up to the ceiling of the arena, imagine the stars, and with a twinkle in his eye...he was ready.

The Artist

In the 80’s there was a man who was an amazing Artist. A flick of the wrist, a flash of the arm, and the Artist would create flowing color, spontaneous splashes, graceful lines, and desperate splashes of pigment. His creative approach was often outside the boundaries of logic, and his freestyle techniques often drew odd looks and scathing reviews from the critics. But undetered by the pessimists, he pursued his craft with focused intensity. Everyone watched in awe as the Artist painted a picture not of perfection, but rather of passion. When the masterpiece was finally complete there he stood, exhausted, drenched in sweat, and without satisfaction... the shutout was complete. spontaneous splashes, graceful lines, and desperate splashes of pigment. His creative approach was often outside the boundaries of logic, and his freestyle techniques often drew odd looks and scathing reviews from the critics. But undetered by the pessimists, he pursued his craft with focused intensity. Everyone watched in awe as the Artist painted a picture not of perfection, but rather of passion. When the masterpiece was finally complete there he stood, exhausted, drenched in sweat, and without satisfaction... the shutout was complete.

The Engineer

Working as an Engineer, he plotted out an array of angles from a common point at the back of the net. This gave him perfect positioning and knowledge of the shooters odds. With skilled hands and an analytical mind the engineer approached his games the same way he approached the projects he would plot. Desperate to make the playoffs, his coach approached him with the challenge of designing a new system for the team. Without hesitation the Engineer went to work planning innnovative new techniques for 1 and 2 man forecheck, breakout, nuetral zone positioning, and others. Quietly passing these on to his coach the teams practices took on a whole new look and to everyones surprise the Engineeers team rose from last in the standings to second place overall. His team went on to win the Championship and his coach won the prestigous “Coach of the Year” gold ring. At the end of the season while cleaning out his locker, the Engineer picked up his skate and tied to the lace was a ring. On it was inscribed ”Coach of the Year”.

The Scientist

A scientist in the 50’s who was also a goaltender was a whiz in the lab. However his goalie skills playing in the minors as a backup were suspect at best . Being a perfectionist, the Scientist took his bench warming fate to heart. Soon the scientists lab studies changed from rats and frogs to pucks and sticks. Late into the night with microscopes, test tubes, slide rulers, and other instruments, the scientist feverishly observed the physical properties of wood, and rubber. Soon his teammates became reluctant participants of his sometimes painful experiments. And now the scientist had something the other goalies never had...knowledge. Now the Scientist saw the opponents charging towards his net not as hockey players but as swirling nuetrons and protrons and he knew exactly how to nuetralize their attacks. His game improved beyond expectations and as word spread other goalies were lining up to be a part of his experiments. And here is where the sweet “science of goaltending” began.

The Scholar

As a student, and as a student of the game, the Scholar wasn’t a very athletic kid. But with the same thick specs he wore to school that he wore under his goalie mask, the tall lanky kid would fling his arms and legs out the same way an octopus would gather in an unsuspecting catch. Always with a stack of books Goaltending became one of his favorite subjects of study. Researching styles, analyzing technique, applying theories and philosohies, and even coming up with some of his own, the kid soon was on top of his game. Defying the laws of physics this gangly kid rose through the ranks to become one of the nations top goaltenders. Now on the national team he studied his opponents strengths, weaknesses, and tendancies to the very detail. Facing a shootout in the final game of the World Championships the Scholar, with supreme knowledge in hand predicted his opponents every move. Stopping all but one shot the Scholars team went on to victory and he became a national hero.

The Magician

The Magician - A young man who was a goaltender for his local town loved the game of hockey. But with another loss under his belt the goalie with head down and hulking equipment bag slung over his back, he sauntered out. Walking by a garbage can he noticed an old goalie mask sitting inside. Picking it up he looked at the airbrushed artwork of a wizard, it looked pretty rough but taking it home he cleaned it up and tried it on. Instantly he felt a tingling rush of power. Wearing the mask in his next game his vision was clear and he could see the smallest dot from far away. Suddenly everything seemed to slow down and he felt like a magician in the nets. Now with supreme reflexes, out of nowhere he would produce the puck in his hand. Opponents would attack en mass, swirling around the Magicians net with tenacity and will.........but the wizard of the ice was always there. With slight of hand, or a flick of a leg pad the Magician reppeled the rubber disc time after time. Repeatedly at the door of defeat the Magician would escape the onslaughts and frustrate the opponents until his team could counter with a goal of their own and another 1-0 shutout victory.