Ryan Malone Camp Blog

[jrice9]

Day 1:

Today we had a good skate for our first day of camp. I thought everything was pretty organized and went smoothly. We split up into two teams and banged through all the testing and blood work. Karri Ramo and I got done with our testing quickly so we kicked a soccer ball around for awhile, something I usually try and do before games with the team to try and kill some time and get ready for the day.


As far as the skate went, I felt good out on the ice. It felt nice to get going full-speed and to put the puck in the back of the net. The coaching staff got their point across on the kind of team they want us to be. They emphasized speed and got us skating as fast as we could. They also made sure we were doing the little things right like having all of our shots hit the net.


Even though I’m still getting to know everyone on the team, the one thing I’ve noticed we all have in common is our passion for the game, so it’s been pretty easy to get along with everyone. It definitely helps to know some familiar faces on the team like Gary (Roberts) and Adam (Hall), who I played with in Pittsburgh last season, but it’s a fresh start for everyone. We’re all even right now so we just have to go out there and earn a spot on the team.


We’ll be hitting the weight-room tomorrow and scrimmaging some more. I’ll check back in after we’re done!

This is the first entry and I will update this thread with more entries by him quite soon after he posts them. From this entry I find the fact that while making a huge salary he still isnt sure if he will make the team.http://lightning.nhl.com/team/app/?s...ticleid=382155

[brandonwarne52]

His wife is hot.

Just an FYI.

[jrice9]

Originally Posted by brandonwarne52

His wife is hot.

Just an FYI.

care to post some links of her

[brandonwarne52]

http://img29.picoodle.com/img/img29/...4m_aabadad.jpg
http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/1574/abbycy1.jpg

[jrice9]

Day 2:

We spent most of Day 2 going over systems, practicing what the coaching staff wants us to do on the defensive end and learning more about what our roles are going to be on the ice. The split-squad on-ice session was similar to yesterdays in that we spent most of it going through various drills, along with a little bit of conditioning skating. It was a good tempo practice and we wanted to keep it simple for the most part. The quality of the ice is not quite where we’d like it to be yet because it was just put in recently, so we just wanted to get a good workout in and slap the puck around a bit.


Personally, I felt pretty good out there today. I was able to score a couple of goals on Mike Smith, so I’m pretty proud of that. I was also really impressed with the play of Steven Stamkos today. I don’t know how he does it with the ice not up to par, but he looked good out there for only his second day of camp.


We were also able to get a good gym workout in after we got off the ice today. So far, everything’s been very organized and well-structured, and that makes things a lot easier.


I feel like everyone is starting to come together as a team now that we’re on the ice. I think we all feel more comfortable now and everyone is working hard together to get ready for the season, but we’re having fun at the same time.


I’m looking forward to the scrimmage tomorrow, and we’ll be able to take what we learned today and use it in a game-like situation before the upcoming preseason games. Overall, it was a good day and I’ll give it an A-, only because of the condition of the ice. I’ll be back for an update after the scrimmage tomorrow.

How bad was this ice. He mentioned it like 3 times lol. Good to hear that he is enjoying himself and also great to hear that he really thinks stamkos looks that good this early.

[jrice9]

Originally Posted by brandonwarne52

http://img29.picoodle.com/img/img29/...4m_aabadad.jpg
http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/1574/abbycy1.jpg

she's pretty hot and he is a lucky guy. But how the **** did those pictures hit the internet

[brandonwarne52]

No clue. I have met her in person a couple times. Total *****.

[jrice9]

seriously how so?

[brandonwarne52]

Ehhh....just a prissy *****.

[jrice9]

day 4

wasn’t able to update you on camp yesterday because I had to jet after practice. Sorry about that! As for today, we’re now in Day 4 of training camp and a lot of guys have really stepped it up and have shown how bad they want it. We’ve been scrimmaging the past two days and the guys have done a really good job battling, but it’s kind of hard when you’re playing against your own teammates because you want to make sure you’re playing hard and strong, but you don’t want to hurt anybody out there.


During the scrimmages the guys are showing a lot of heart. Guys like Jason Ward are going down and blocking shots and Zenon Konopka has really been a presence so far, creating a lot of chances offensively. From his stats in the AHL, you can see that he can put the puck in the back of the net. He’s showing a lot of heart out there and is leading the way, but there are a lot of other guys who I’m sure have impressed a lot of people.


I’ve been lined up with Vrbata and Stamkos the past two days and we’re working on our chemistry. It’s obviously tough because Vrbata played out in the West last season and it’s Stammer’s first pro camp so we’re taking it slow, trying to make simple plays and just communicating out there.


Barry (Melrose) knows what he wants out of us. He’s explained what roles he wants guys to play and as a player, you like to have a straightforward coach who lets you know what he expects. After that, it’s your job to go out there and get it done.


Half of the guys are on their way to Pittsburgh for our first pre-season game tomorrow, but I’m staying back. I’ll check back with you again on Sunday

. Interesting line combination of stamkos, radim and ryan which could be successful. Also its a pitty we cant see malone in uniform tomorrow. anyway I will keep you guys posted. http://lightning.nhl.com/team/app/?s...ticleid=382567

[jrice9]

Day 5-

So we’re in Day 5 of training camp. Today in practice we focused more on special teams. We worked on some power play and penalty killing drills. Coach emphasized getting the puck on net and creating traffic in front.


There was a pretty good tempo in practice and it was nice to have a bunch of fans here today. The fans added a little extra element and made it fun for us out there. It’s a good thing to be able to entertain the fans and we appreciate their support and are excited to get the season going.


I was definitely impressed with the way the guys battled against Pittsburgh yesterday. They were scored on right off the bat and that sometimes can be intimidating, but they showed a lot of character. They were able to turn the tide and they battled hard for the victory and that’s all Barry wants. To go into a tough environment, on the road, and win the game was great for everybody.


As for this week, tomorrow we have the game against Pitt. We’ll find out who’s playing and who’s not, and hopefully I’ll get a chance to play and have some fun. Then we’ll get ready for Prague shortly after.


I’m going to jump in the cold tub for a bit then head upstairs and sign some autographs for the fans so that’ll be fun. I’ll be back tomorrow with another update!