This is THE FRETMINDER's (BOBBY MICHAELIDES) first game back in net since a big rib injury in September!I remember the first time I saw Bobby in net. I was walking into the ice complex to get suited up for one of my games when my glance was uncontrollably drawn to a colossal mess of long black "rocker" hair flowing wildly out of the backside of a goalie mask.
I said to myself "Who is this dramatic looking character in net for the Paddles?"
I played against him a few times and never got one in on him.....he's good!!!
I remember we connected on FB and I discovered that Bobby was actually a guitar player! He's been playing since he was 15 years old. He actually studied music at Berklee College of Music which is a prestgious school. He played the music scene in Philly for a while and was with "Spoiled Brat" signed with Arista Records! YES folks, there are talented folks out on the ice with you! He played with "Buff Daddy" which led him to the share stages with the likes of Brett Michaels, Ratt, Dokken, George Lynch and yes folks... Quiet Riot! His firey string playing can be heard on all kinds of recordings all over the world!
There HE is! Thats the ROCKER BLOCKER!! I love making nicknames for him! It's so easy!
Finding out about Bobby's musical gifts and training was literally music to my ears. I'm thinking I'm strange for being a professional opera singer and playing hockey. And I'm thinking surely there aren't any other professional musicians on the ice at any given time. Boy was I wrong! And I am thrilled about it! And there are others too!!
Bobby is one of those ever so cool characters that seems to make friends with everyone. If there is such thing as an enemy of Bobby.... I question the character of the enemy. That's how cool he is. And his wife Lisa is the freeking BOMB! She plays on the Blazing Paddles with Bobby. Honestly, I don't have many female friends as I've mentioned in previous posts.... Just an occupational hazard and that I grew up with dudes as my friends..... But Lisa would be one of those gals I'd bond with. She's that cool. So together it's like Bobby says "I run a dojo of coolness." They are ÜBER cool. Ok, I think you get the point. COOL.
Here they are! TEAM COOL
Bobby didn't start playing hockey until he was 30. He started out playing roller hockey when his buddies would rent out a roller rink once a month and asked Bobby to be in net. After a year on the roller floor he got talked into playing on the frozen surface! He never went back, winning a Gold in the Can Am Tourney in Montreal and several Beer League Championships! 16 Years later here he is having the time of his life in Texas with his NYTEX family, working for General Motors and basically loving it.
His injury came in Sept of 2012 when he fell into a repair pit at General Motors. He fell 8 feet down on his side directly onto a steel rail and broke 3 ribs in the process. The pain was beyond intense and he could hardly breathe or sleep without emphasized agony. He sat around in the healing process because thats about all you can do with injuries like this... packed on some weight from sitting around for 5 months and knew it was going to be a long and difficult journey to sports again. Did I mention Bobby LOVES playing sports??????
He healed.... then he dropped 30 lbs and got back out there! He took a lot of shots in this game and I was frankly impressed. He told me he had ZERO pain!
Bobby was lean and mean coming back after the injury! I actually assumed he would be slower, having not been in net for that many months. I have tried goalie gear before in an hour lesson. It was ridiculously hard and extremely taxing. Bobby came back like he had never left! In fact Better!
Aside from his seeming new handicap of being so much lighter that he had to adjust his thrusting power from side to side to not OVER do it, he was awesome! I laugh at calling it a handicap because the next pic shows Bobby letting in a goal for that very reason! He was so much lighter that he had not adjusted how much LESS thrusting power he would need to push his body from side to side and he overthrusted! He moved like lightning but was way off net hahahaha! He was smiling at me when he turned around to tell me about it through the glass. I guess this is a GOOD problem to have!!!! Bobby looked GREAT out there! Here is that moment I just told you about!!!
Bobby told me that I needed to clean the lens on my camera because there is a black speck inside the net that did not look right. :))))))
I ran into Bobby in the parking lot before the game and he was happy to mug for the camera. Thank God because some just don't like doing this! Bobby's a performer though... I had a feeling.
Here he is getting ready for the game!
This is a HAPPY DUDE folks. I have not seen him much without this look on his face.
He even let this adorable kid shoot on him after the game! I mean... CLASS ACT!
Bobby, don't ever lose this kind of BLISS! Others should take example from you!
SO I decided to try and up my own coolness by doing some "comparison shots" using pics that I have of myself next to Bobby's cool pics. Here goes nothing:
Bobby Works the shades and hat, slight attitude lip pucker lolol
What do ya know??? So does the DIVA!!!! hahahaha
Here is Bobby's Band!
Here is the DIVA's Band!
HERE is a FRAYED, MISUNDERSTOOD, DARK and MYSTERIOUS MUSICIAN PIC of BOBBY
HERE IS DIVA's VERSION OF THE SAME
HERE IS BOBBY ROCKIN OUT!
HERE IS DIVA ROCKIN OUT!!!!
This is all I had in response to that one.... It's my If I were a ROCKER CHICK look.
BOBBY plays with his band called BLACKOUT
Visit their website at WWW.BLACKOUTROCKS.COM
HE also plays with the BLAZING PADDLES Hockey Team at NYTEX SPORTS CENTRE
If you see this guy around, don't be thrown off by the wild hair.....it translates into TOTAL AWESOMENESS as a person... as an artist... as a hockey player and I can confirm... AS A DEAR FRIEND.
PLUS ! HE says my Opera performances are EPIC! So I like him even more.... Opera is an aquired taste! HEHEHEHEHEHEEH
WE HAVE PLANS TO PERFORM TOGETHER! YEP! WERE GONNA DUET!!!
I WILL POST WHEN THAT COMES ABOUT!
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