The RinkFor the not so ready for prime-time players, coaches, referees, and the people that have to live with them. Discuss experiences in local leagues, coaching tips, equipment, and training.
Tonight I'll be attending my first Adult Hockey Clinic. I've been to many puck and shoots before, and have been working on my skills for months now, but I can't wait to actually have some instruction.
I spoke with the instructor and the head of the Hockey Department at my complex, and they said they'll also be evaluating me on my skill. I'm excited to have someone actually, objectively, tell me how much work I've got left to do before I'm ready for league play.
I feel like this is some kind of hockey AA. Haha. Well, here is my story, as humble as it is.
I played street hockey as a kid as early as I can remember. I lived in a culdisac so there wasn't a lot of traffic to interrupt the games. Grew up in St Louis, and I loved watching the Blues. I begged my parents to let me play hockey. They were sympathetic, but couldn't afford the money or time to let me play hockey, so I played baseball (like my brothers) instead. I then moved overseas to Poland (which is surprisingly not a hockey country as all even though its right by Czech Republic and Russia is very close as well) and still was unable to play hockey. I moved to MN, (a dream for any hockey fan) but somehow never found time or money to invest in playing hockey. I joined the Marines and got stationed in SoCal.
Fast forward to today, and here I am, still thirsty for hockey. I just bought all my equipment (minus skates) at Play it Again Sports, when I was visiting back home in MN. The closest rink to me is about 40 min away, so I have been playing roller (by myself) on a small sport court rink I found that was closer. I'm planning on going to stick time at least every other week or so to get a feel for what its like to play on ice. Maybe next year I could join some kind of beginners league. Who knows?
I feel like this is some kind of hockey AA. Haha. Well, here is my story, as humble as it is.
I played street hockey as a kid as early as I can remember. I lived in a culdisac so there wasn't a lot of traffic to interrupt the games. Grew up in St Louis, and I loved watching the Blues. I begged my parents to let me play hockey. They were sympathetic, but couldn't afford the money or time to let me play hockey, so I played baseball (like my brothers) instead. I then moved overseas to Poland (which is surprisingly not a hockey country as all even though its right by Czech Republic and Russia is very close as well) and still was unable to play hockey. I moved to MN, (a dream for any hockey fan) but somehow never found time or money to invest in playing hockey. I joined the Marines and got stationed in SoCal.
Fast forward to today, and here I am, still thirsty for hockey. I just bought all my equipment (minus skates) at Play it Again Sports, when I was visiting back home in MN. The closest rink to me is about 40 min away, so I have been playing roller (by myself) on a small sport court rink I found that was closer. I'm planning on going to stick time at least every other week or so to get a feel for what its like to play on ice. Maybe next year I could join some kind of beginners league. Who knows?
dont be afraid to find pick up roller hockey. i jumped ahead a lot quicker on shooting, and puck handling. youll get used to being in skates and doing things at speed (as you play more games). the pucks are lighter, which in someways helps because your technique, especially outdoors will need to be just a tad bit tighter on shooting due to wind resistance. check meetup.com or google the rink you play at, and you may be surprised to find there are some games that get played there. especially if its sport court. generally youll get a lot of 4v4 3v3 half court hockey so lots of offensive zone time, etc.
Skated out for the first time in maybe 7 years today (went to a pickup hockey session). I wasn't half bad. The mount points on my cage had rusted beyond being usable so I just played without it, and it's such a sharp contrast in vision (of course I've been playing goalie, where I'm practically staring at the puck through prison bars). I think I'll continue to play out without a mask or shield. I'm not suicidal and dropping to block shots like when I was younger.
Might consider switching handedness (will make a thread to discuss that topic). Also, skating on forward skates with the rocker blades felt really weird compared to flat goal skates. Felt fine once I got used to it though. Unfortunately I had to leave a little early because my skates (which I hadn't worn in years) gave me a really bad blister and I'm now missing a patch of skin on my heel about an inch in diameter. Any ideas what could have caused that? Do I just need to break my skates back in after not using them for so long?
With only a few games left in my first summer season i was wondering if i was ever going to score. Racked up a few assists but still no goals.
That is til tonight, banged home 2 rebounds to score my first and second goals.
What a great feeling. Didn't stop smiling all game. Feels great to have a few finally!
Those are Thigh Boards. They should be over top of your pants so that they do not interfere with your pads ability to rotate.
To be honest, Get rid of them and get Thigh Wraps or Knee pads. Less of a hassle and much more protective.
Welcome to the wonderful world of goaltending.
Thanks Coop. Do you have any tips for getting into the butterfly? My pads have 3 thigh/knee risers, but it is really hard for me to get my skate blades parallel to the ice.
Unfortunately I had to leave a little early because my skates (which I hadn't worn in years) gave me a really bad blister and I'm now missing a patch of skin on my heel about an inch in diameter. Any ideas what could have caused that? Do I just need to break my skates back in after not using them for so long?
Or break your foot back in!
Before I left for vacation I noticed that I have a nice callus on the side of my big toe. It sort of went away over the month of no skating.
I went on the ice yesterday for the first time and that toe was really hurting. I vaguely remember it hurting the first few times I used the skates, but that was back in early March and so I forgot about it until now. I don't think it took look to build it up, so I'm hoping my skates stop hurting by the end of the week!
Managed to get hold of some NOS 2007 Reebok 5Ks Pump skates today for the huge sum of £65 to replace my CCM 92s. I jumped straight off the train when I got back to Nottingham, went around to the National Ice Centre, got them sharpened in the shop and had a rec skate.
Lighter, stiffer, more comfortable, I feel more in control and they fit my mangled right foot better. I'm also very impressed by the pump system for keeping my heel in place.
So, new pair of skates for what will only be my second scrimmage on Friday and eleventh time in total I've been skating (going to the public skate tomorrow will be my tenth time on the ice).
Last edited by howeaboutthat: 07-02-2012 at 11:40 AM.
With only a few games left in my first summer season i was wondering if i was ever going to score. Racked up a few assists but still no goals.
That is til tonight, banged home 2 rebounds to score my first and second goals.
What a great feeling. Didn't stop smiling all game. Feels great to have a few finally!
Played 40 games last season, and honestly my stat line was comparable to a Henrik Sedin or Joe Thornton lol (2 Goals, and 48 Assists). I know I'm more of a playmaker but it was ridiculous. Those two goals came at the last week of my season, I was stoked when I finally potted in those two goals.
Played 40 games last season, and honestly my stat line was comparable to a Henrik Sedin or Joe Thornton lol (2 Goals, and 48 Assists). I know I'm more of a playmaker but it was ridiculous. Those two goals came at the last week of my season, I was stoked when I finally potted in those two goals.
It's a great feeling. If i had any doubts whether i wanted to continue this experiment as a beginner hockey player, they vanished as soon as i scored.
Started my 2nd "Learn to skate program" last week.
I went from having never skated, ever. To being able to do forward crossovers, hockey stop, and skate backwards. Im bragging because it really feels good to stick with something even though it's hard and frustrating.
In learning backwards crossovers and transitions now. Anyone have any tips on either?
Going to my first stick time tomorrow. I can hardly believe it. Im not going with any buddies or anything, so I have no idea what to expect. It will be a day of firsts, thats for sure. Wish me luck!
Going to my first stick time tomorrow. I can hardly believe it. Im not going with any buddies or anything, so I have no idea what to expect. It will be a day of firsts, thats for sure. Wish me luck!
I start my Adult hockey for Beginners class on the 14th and am trying to figure out if i should go to a stick time first, or wait until after my first class. I'm nervous about both, and don't know what to expect haha
Anyone have any opinions on which i should do first?
Going to my first stick time tomorrow. I can hardly believe it. Im not going with any buddies or anything, so I have no idea what to expect. It will be a day of firsts, thats for sure. Wish me luck!
Good luck mate! Best advice I can give is the corny "Just have fun" line. Starting Ice Hockey is definitely the most rewarding thing I have done, not only do I feel fitter and more motivated to go down the gym but I've also met some awesome people and had so many good times and I'm still relatively new to this! (And I still suck! lol)
I start my Adult hockey for Beginners class on the 14th and am trying to figure out if i should go to a stick time first, or wait until after my first class. I'm nervous about both, and don't know what to expect haha
Anyone have any opinions on which i should do first?
Can you skate? If so, maybe stick time first would be a good idea so you can just mess around and get used to skating in the gear with a stick. If you can't skate, go to the beginners class first so you can get an idea of what you need to practice.
I terrified before my first beginners class - there's only one class so it was just me and like 15 ten year olds haha. I was so intimidated that I nearly didn't go back - that would have been a huge mistake
I start my Adult hockey for Beginners class on the 14th and am trying to figure out if i should go to a stick time first, or wait until after my first class. I'm nervous about both, and don't know what to expect haha
Anyone have any opinions on which i should do first?
I would go to the beginners class first, just so you can see what you need to do. I already knew how to skate, but I had never tried hockey. Going to the class gives you a chance to see what drills the coach has you do, then you'll have an idea of what to work on during stick time.
Of course, if you don't want to wait that long you could go just to mess around and get an idea of your balance, etc. and how it feels to skate with the gear and a stick. People are pretty friendly and I've found that lots of them will help a n00b out, especially if they are obviously brand new to the sport!
I played last night with my first sort of pick-up game. I say "sort of" because while it's not an established league type game, it isn't just drop-in either - you sign up ahead of time, there are actual lines set up, etc. Each shift does 2 minutes, then the puck is dumped and the lines change. It's a 90-minute game, no refs or puck drops, so you really get a lot of ice time.
I had a great time but got my first real experience to cement my choice of wearing a cage. First shift on the ice, I took a slap shot right to the face. It bounced off the cage and was maybe 1 inch away from going in the net. Bummer, I would have liked to get that goal! But if I hadn't been wearing the cage, I almost certainly would have lost a tooth or two, or perhaps my nose would have been in rather poor shape.
Good luck mate! Best advice I can give is the corny "Just have fun" line. Starting Ice Hockey is definitely the most rewarding thing I have done, not only do I feel fitter and more motivated to go down the gym but I've also met some awesome people and had so many good times and I'm still relatively new to this! (And I still suck! lol)
I did have a really good time, mostly just stick handling and shooting on net. Didnt even fall down! Though I did embarrass myself once when everyone was shooting on a goalie that was there. When I got up the guts to try, it came my turn, and I completely lost the puck right after I crossed the blue line. Oh well... im a n00b.
Can you skate? If so, maybe stick time first would be a good idea so you can just mess around and get used to skating in the gear with a stick. If you can't skate, go to the beginners class first so you can get an idea of what you need to practice.
I terrified before my first beginners class - there's only one class so it was just me and like 15 ten year olds haha. I was so intimidated that I nearly didn't go back - that would have been a huge mistake
I like to think I can skate. I'm still not completely comfortable doing backwards crossovers though, but transitions, forwards crossovers and stopping all come pretty naturally at this point. I've been taking skating lessons (in full gear) for about two months now.
Thankfully the class is an adult class, so i've heard it ranges from 18 yr olds who have been figure skating their whole lives and are trying to switch to hockey, all the way to 70 yr olds who have never skated. I'm pretty interested to see where I am in terms of "readiness".
Thanks Coop. Do you have any tips for getting into the butterfly? My pads have 3 thigh/knee risers, but it is really hard for me to get my skate blades parallel to the ice.
Butterfly pads are generally worn loose. Make sure there is some slack with not only the toe ties, but the straps as well. After that, it's just stretching and practice.
I did have a really good time, mostly just stick handling and shooting on net. Didnt even fall down! Though I did embarrass myself once when everyone was shooting on a goalie that was there. When I got up the guts to try, it came my turn, and I completely lost the puck right after I crossed the blue line. Oh well... im a n00b.
Haha you'll do much worse than that in your time playing, trust me!
A few weeks ago I was playing a game for my 2nd team (Lower standard but more fun) and got clean through on a breakaway, I fancied my chances as their goalie wasn't really particularly good and had troubles getting down to Butterfly but despite being well clear of the D and under no immediate pressure I managed to lose an edge as I crossed the blueline and sent myself flying, I skidded probably about 20/25 feet across the ice and looked up to see the puck just trickling across the ice and right on to the goalies stick
