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.
Well, I'm 22 now, and have been playing hockey since November, been skating since July. I've been playing open hockey at least twice a week until June hit with a few private lessons sprinkled through out. I really feel like about to hit that "next" level in my play. I'm not saying greatness or anything like that, I mean just taking a major improvement on my on-ice performance. Shot,skating, etc. Honestly, I can't wait. So, I keep trying to get on the ice as much as humanly possible. I want to become to good enough so I can play in the "C" league. I know it sounds sad and I've been told I'm good enough but I want to be a BIG contributor since it would be my first league,I'd like to be at a PPG pace. Anyway, anybody got any other close to breaking out/potential stories or opinions/advice for me?
I started at 22 or 23 (26 now). I'll let you know a few of my experiance.
#1 - Playing hockey generally hurts my skating technique, but helps everything else. In fact, before a big game I like to go to an open skate or two just to polish up on my edge work, stopping, pivots etc.
#2 - I work very hard on my skating, and have gotten to the point that I'm the 2nd or 3rd option on my team's penalty kill.
I love to see such enthusiasm for the game. I started in my second year at university in Scotland, when I was 20 after a few brief practices in Hong Kong just to get the basics of skating. My prob was that as soon as I was able to skate okish, I just wanted to shoot shoot shoot the puck. So now my skating now def needs some work, but everyone just tells me to shoot the damn thing from the point (play defense). In fact, my slapshot was the only decent thing in my arsenal. After many more training sessions and games, for some reason my positioning just developed in to its own and I was able to stick check far more effectively. That was it for me, like a big leap in timing and positioning, being able to stick check the decent players blazing down the wing. Most rewarding was the time we were playing in the finals against Sheffield and I was able to break up the play of their best guy a few times, even though i wasn't the best skater.
One thing I gotta say though, work on the skating! By far and away the most important asset any player has. I'm doing that now but I should have been doing it 5 years ago!
I want to become to good enough so I can play in the "C" league. I know it sounds sad and I've been told I'm good enough but I want to be a BIG contributor since it would be my first league,I'd like to be at a PPG pace. Anyway, anybody got any other close to breaking out/potential stories or opinions/advice for me?
Don't be down on yourself because it's a 'C' league. Who cares what level you play at. It's better you start at a level where you can improve along with everybody else that's out there. Besides, a lot of players in those leagues don't take it too seriously, so it's a win-win situation for someone who is starting out.
Just keep going on the ice and honing your skills, and little by little you'll notice the things you weren't able to once do.
Well, I'm 22 now, and have been playing hockey since November, been skating since July. I've been playing open hockey at least twice a week until June hit with a few private lessons sprinkled through out. I really feel like about to hit that "next" level in my play. I'm not saying greatness or anything like that, I mean just taking a major improvement on my on-ice performance. Shot,skating, etc. Honestly, I can't wait. So, I keep trying to get on the ice as much as humanly possible. I want to become to good enough so I can play in the "C" league. I know it sounds sad and I've been told I'm good enough but I want to be a BIG contributor since it would be my first league,I'd like to be at a PPG pace. Anyway, anybody got any other close to breaking out/potential stories or opinions/advice for me?
It doesn't sound sad at all.
Just go into it with the right attitude. Instead of going in with the mind set of being a big contributer, go in telling yourself you'll do anything to help the team win. I call it knowing your role.
Short story for you. I was in a championship game in OT. When we got down to 3 on 3, we rotated forwards so everyone got a shift. When my shift came up I gave it to the teams leading scorer. He went out and scored the game winner on what should have been my shift. I could have gone out, but I wanted to win and sending him out greatly improved our chances. He made sure the rest of the guys knew what I did and after scoring the goal he went to the time keeper and told them that #32 scored, giving me credit for the game winner.
No matter what level you play at there will always be people better then you. Learn that and except it. It's not a bad thing, it's just the way it is. Don't get too high or too low. Just go out and work hard. If the points are coming, play tighter D.
Anyway, focus on being a good teammate first. Scoring goals is all fine and good, winning and being part of the team is much more rewarding. I often tell people what I miss the most during the off-season are the times in the room and on the bench.
Well, I'm 22 now, and have been playing hockey since November, been skating since July. I've been playing open hockey at least twice a week until June hit with a few private lessons sprinkled through out. I really feel like about to hit that "next" level in my play. I'm not saying greatness or anything like that, I mean just taking a major improvement on my on-ice performance. Shot,skating, etc. Honestly, I can't wait. So, I keep trying to get on the ice as much as humanly possible. I want to become to good enough so I can play in the "C" league. I know it sounds sad and I've been told I'm good enough but I want to be a BIG contributor since it would be my first league,I'd like to be at a PPG pace. Anyway, anybody got any other close to breaking out/potential stories or opinions/advice for me?
Just have fun....and don't get pissed if you can't meet your PPG pace. I started playing and I knew I could score goals and had a nice shot from my roller/ball hockey, etc. But that's never happened for me for whatever reason. And it didn't help that I wound up on a team with strong forwards. Played wing a couple games and wound up back on defense which I hated. But now, I'm the utility guy filling in every where(and willingly play defense) while being a shutdown defensive sorta guy who actaully is more a playmaker than scorer. You never know how it turns out so just make the best of it.
Well, I'm 22 now, and have been playing hockey since November, been skating since July. I've been playing open hockey at least twice a week until June hit with a few private lessons sprinkled through out. I really feel like about to hit that "next" level in my play. I'm not saying greatness or anything like that, I mean just taking a major improvement on my on-ice performance. Shot,skating, etc. Honestly, I can't wait. So, I keep trying to get on the ice as much as humanly possible. I want to become to good enough so I can play in the "C" league. I know it sounds sad and I've been told I'm good enough but I want to be a BIG contributor since it would be my first league,I'd like to be at a PPG pace. Anyway, anybody got any other close to breaking out/potential stories or opinions/advice for me?
I started late, but not as late as you.
I didn't start skating or playing hockey until I was 13 years old. I was very small for my size (5'1" 100 lbs) but I didn't care. My first year was brutal. I was already playing around 3-4 times a week with my house league and 2 weekly pick up games. But I still sucked. It took me forever to learn how to hockey stop and everything else about my game blew chunks. If I got the puck, I'd dish it immediately.
But I slowly got better. The next year I remained in Peewee despite being 14 years old. But my skill level definately dictated that I remain in the lower group.
That year I played defense. I wasn't a strong skater going forward, nevermind backwards, but we only had 2 dmen and I figured I'd get lots of ice time.
By the end of the year, I was joining rushes, scoring goals and really enjoying the physical aspect of the game.
The next season, at 15, I rejoined the bantam squad and started to find my game. I was by no means one of the best players but I found ways to contribute (as a winger). By the playoffs I scored 5G,5A for 10pts in 9 games. I think I was 4th on the team in scoring. I was pretty proud of myself.
I quit organized hockey after this but continued to play in pickup games and a few tourny's here and there.
Several years pass and I'm around 24 years old. My uncle asks me to join the mens league he's in. The average age is probably 30 with some guys being 21 and some in their 40's. The skill level was probably around midget A hockey.
Before that season started, I worked at a warehouse in the summer where they had large palets of unmade boxes. The dimensions of the palets were almost identical to an NHL net. They had a used hockey stick laying around and I found an old roll of packing tape, which I used as a puck. When things got slow I would shoot on that palette over and over again. It got to the point where I could shoot the roll of tape wherever I wanted to.
When the season started I couldn't believe how much that helped me. I ended up scoring around 30 goals in 30 games and led our team in points.
The next summer I got a different job and therefore no more shooting practice. That next season in hockey I think I only scored 15 goals in 21 games. I could tell a big difference in my shot and accuracy.
. You never know how it turns out so just make the best of it.
