stupid question about stick and puck time...
 

What is it?
Is it like a class or is it like a public skate but you can practice stickhandling too? all of the descriptions on websites of the rinks close to me were sort of ambiguous and I was never really able to figure this out...

It's literally just an indoor rink with a couple nets and you can do whatever you want. Most of the time they want you in a helmet at least. You're not supposed to play actual games, but drills, shooting, skating, etc is fine.

Thanks! That's what I figured but I thought I'd go ahead and make myself look like a super-noob anyway.

Just go and have fun! Make sure to stay away from the net if someone's shooting on it. :)

Call in and make sure they have stick and puck on the day you're going. Sometimes it gets cancelled when the rinks get booked or there's maintenance.

When you go, make sure you bring a couple of pucks with you. I already lost a couple pucks at S/P by lobbing a few pucks over the glass. They get picked up pretty quickly by other people and get claimed as their own.

Lastly, full gear minus shoulder pads is recommended for beginners. That way you can practice all out without having to worry about falling or getting nailed by a random puck.

At my rink they run private hockey lessons during stick and puck sessions. If you see a coach with a student, assume that the third of the ice they are in is off limits

I can't stand coaches who do this. Everyone paid the same amount to use the ice, you don't have a right to monopolize 1/3 of it and a net because you decided to give a lesson during a public skate. If you want the ice to yourself so bad, schedule the lesson during a dead time for that sheet of ice. /rant

Seriously, at least just share the ice, I'll most likely stay out of your way anyway

If you think that's bad you'd puke if you see the rinks in Asia.

First of all, there's no s/p in Asia. There's only public skate. Whenever there's a hockey lesson, they cone up about 1/4 to 1/3 of the rink. Whenever there's a figure skating lesson... Well, let's just say both the figure skaters and the coaches care little for other people's welfare when they're doing triple axels. This one time I nearly got nailed by this girl in public skate because she was skating backwards against the flow, not looking, with her skate pointed at people's faces.

I frigging HATE the coaches at my rink that take up an entire zone during Sticks & Pucks... it's ridiculous that our rink actually lets them do it. Actually, there are a couple of coaches (one goalie coach in specific) that don't even pay the rink in order to do this. They just pay their 10 dollars s&p fee and take up half the damn ice. SO annoying. I sometimes just want to skate through their lesson and start shooting on their net and see what they say..

Yep can't stand it. Worst is when both ends are taken up by coaches and kids and then there's a dozen adults trying to use the middle of the ice. Basically can't do anything at all.

On the flip side, often there's only 2-3 people at SnP. That's fantastic.