pick up hockey (shinny) pet peeves

[MN old and slow 92]

guys that "coach" i am well past 50 don't need the coaching or may need it but hey not gonna change my game at this point

[bnr032 11]

whilst i totally agree beginners should be there at drop ins to get better...

At a rink i currently play drop in a few weeks ago they let a couple of guys on the ice who were beginners to skating. I said it then and ill put it on here. these guys were simply dangerous.. trying to balance swinging sticks around head heights...

the rink manager at the time said 'well we have been short of numbers so cant say no'

[wrangler 157]

guys that "coach" i am well past 50 don't need the coaching or may need it but hey not gonna change my game at this point

For me, it depends on the guys and what they've got to say. I've had that happen only a few times, and don't mind talking about better coordination between teammates to make plays work. And I'm 59.

[osicks 6]

I'm sure that I can be guilty of this myself from time to time, but holy crap this one guy I play with is HEAVY with the stick work! I don't mind when someone lifts my stick to stop me from getting a pass or maybe leans on it a bit to tie me up or whatever, but the hacking and slashing can be a bit much.

[hunt3rsean 44]

Heavy stick work during pick-up infuriates me. There is no reason for it. I will usually use an older/more used stick for pick-up because I never know who is going to show up. Usually it's just one or two guys and if they don't show I'll use a nicer stick. But yeah....hate it. I rarely stick lift or lean on other guys sticks just because the score doesn't matter in pick-up.

The only time I don't mind coaching in pick-up is when some guys from higher leagues will show up. We have a couple guys who play ECHL and they'll show up during the summer season to skate. One guy was super nice and was giving out pointers for positioning or where to go in certain situations. Just more like "Hey, in that situation if you went there or looked there you'd have more opportunities". Was really cool and helped. But the guy who coaches from the bench and doesn't listen to his own advice is annoying for sure.

[MN old and slow 92]

Agree on the coaching from top end guys. Coaching from folks than cannot skate , shoot, and have now clue is no good.

[LearDriver 1]

I think it was mentioned earlier on, but guys drinking from my water bottles. I always bring two and they're both labeled with my name: one Gatorade, the other water. Guy grabs one, takes a swig, "Ah man! That's not water!!!" I said, "No shit, asshole!!" Lol, luckily we get along great and he knows I'm joking with him, but still. Kinda makes me want to bring a dummy bottle and teabag the mouth of it real good and just sit back and laugh.

[osicks 6]

Even worse than the water bottle thing:

The cherry picking kid with a crappy attitude and thinks he's hot poop using my microfibre cloth ON HIS FACE.

I use it for my visor and it is not intended for anyone else, although once I reluctantly let my best-friend use it to clean his visor.

[Capt.Hook 23]

I don't mind sharing my bottle. What I don't care for is when somebody drains it and then doesn't fill it up. Each bottle use says something to encourage people to do so.

It's just annoying that grown men can show up for pick up and expect me to provide their water for them. It takes a couple of minutes to fill a bottle up. If you are going to use my water, just fill it up when empty. The last thing I want to do when I come off tired from a shift is go and fill my bottle up that you drank. It's petty I know but it's not that I won't share, just help a brother out.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I agree with huntrsean. I can't stand the heavy stick work and slashing at pickup. I like to hit and the funny thing is that all the stickwork guys seem to coward up when I mention that if they want to play me that way, I'm going to run them. That's even worse to me. If you want to be a tough guy, then lets be tough. You slash me, I'm going to blast you - it's all good. No, stickwork guys just want to give it out and I can't stand them.

[Crossen463 8]

I agree with most of the stuff on here already.

We have guys that hook up their ipod to the speaker system and play music really loud to the point that you can't communicate. I honestly don't mind the music usually, as long as it's at a level that everyone can still talk. Last skate I heard "Hey Jude" for 12 minutes on repeat. Great song, just not for blasting at the rink during shinny.

I'm guilty of cherry picking, but usually when its really late in the session and we're all gliding anyway.

Earlier someone mentioned that there are skate times specifically for children and they're fathers/mothers. Usually my rink will let me on during those times if I pay for it, and I just skate around leisurely and I kind of like passing around with the really young kids and showing them some things. Sometimes idiots will show up and try to start legit pickup games when there are like 5 year-olds on the ice. That stuff really gets me.

Lately I've started skating with a group of guys that have a set time on fridays or saturdays to skate. It's all based on an email list and the first 26 people to email each week usually get to play. They got it worked out with the rink that if everybody pays ten bucks they'll set aside time for us. Really good system and if you don't have that already, just talk to some guys in your leagues or something. It's basically a game of shinny minus douchebags. We either play late Friday night or early Saturday morning.

[LearDriver 1]

I don't mind sharing my bottle. What I don't care for is when somebody drains it and then doesn't fill it up. Each bottle use says something to encourage people to do so.

It's just annoying that grown men can show up for pick up and expect me to provide their water for them. It takes a couple of minutes to fill a bottle up. If you are going to use my water, just fill it up when empty. The last thing I want to do when I come off tired from a shift is go and fill my bottle up that you drank. It's petty I know but it's not that I won't share, just help a brother out.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I agree with huntrsean. I can't stand the heavy stick work and slashing at pickup. I like to hit and the funny thing is that all the stickwork guys seem to coward up when I mention that if they want to play me that way, I'm going to run them. That's even worse to me. If you want to be a tough guy, then lets be tough. You slash me, I'm going to blast you - it's all good. No, stickwork guys just want to give it out and I can't stand them.

I suppose I left out a detail: I don't mind sharing either, and have when guys have asked me. This particular bottle that I had that day was only a screw-off lid (no quick-snap pop-end thingamajig), so you know there's nasty backwash goobers in there. Bleh! lol

[Iceraider53 1]

The guy that brings his teenage kids to adult drop in, one of whom is 13 years old. It's not that the kid is a bad player or anything, but he weighs 90 pounds if he's lucky. If he got tangled up with a 200 pound adult he's going to get demolished and it'll be a huge liability issue for the rink.

[Chadd 916]

The guy that brings his teenage kids to adult drop in, one of whom is 13 years old. It's not that the kid is a bad player or anything, but he weighs 90 pounds if he's lucky. If he got tangled up with a 200 pound adult he's going to get demolished and it'll be a huge liability issue for the rink.

It's even worse when the kid never passes. Do you not play any defense and let everything get bogged down while junior skates end to end every time he touches it, or risk dad going crazy when you make a poke check and junior bounces off you?

[McDugan 89]

this is why i drink coconut water, one sip and it wont happen again.

HAHAHAHAHA. Yes. I actually mix 1/2 coconut water, 1/4 gatorade, and 1/4 water. Nasty as hell but it does the trick.

[zebra_steve 11]

I am at a rink 5 days a week for probably 10 months out of the year between reffing, coaching and occasional playing... a puck bucket and bottle rack live in the trunk of my car so no big deal... bring a 6 bottle rack along and everyone's happy. Once they're empty some one else can fill them go thirsty....

[SBRH1 1]

I'm a goalie usually and it drives me nuts when hotshot middle aged guys think they're open hockey all-stars and take slap shots 10 feet away from me. I also can't stand when the same guys decide they need to check everybody, c'mon its open hockey. And when they also need to embarrass guys that clearly just started playing. Might be fun for them but it sucks for everyone else.

[pittu 15]

I'm a goalie usually and it drives me nuts when hotshot middle aged guys think they're open hockey all-stars and take slap shots 10 feet away from me. I also can't stand when the same guys decide they need to check everybody, c'mon its open hockey. And when they also need to embarrass guys that clearly just started playing. Might be fun for them but it sucks for everyone else.

LOL, the clapper from the slot guy. We have a couple of those guys where I play. Even with some not-so-subtle hints, they never seem to get that people dont like it.

[Wallzy41 9]

Ray, couldn't agree more. Along with the 5 year olds on the ice... as a converted goalie it's probably my biggest peeve. I took a puck in the throat, wearing a protector, but not a dangler, from an all star at the dot because I was trying to protect a 5 year old from taking it in the noggin. It should be noted that at that time, I was pulling a Tim Thomas, and wearing a player bucket and a goalie cage.

[Iron Mike 1]

Guys who wear shoulder pads so they can drill the rest of us into the boards... Also guys taking high nasty slappers into a crowded crease.

[nittanypucker 1]

The water bottle thing bothers me for two reasons: one never refilling as said above and two, grown men who put their mouths on bottles! I did the dummy water bottle filled with vinegar water. Guess what? It worked very well.

[bradd94 5]

"Yeah bro I'll hit you up tommorow with plans for pick up"

1 day later, 30 mins before pickup (drive alone is 30 minutes)

"I better be seeing you tonight man!"

[pittu 15]

Summer pickup can be an interesting event. The game and style is entirely changed, the pace is entirely different, the average age is down by about 15 years.

Summer is the time all the kids from juniors and college are home and need to stay in game shape. So our Monday night "intermediate" skate turns into a hard charging, end to end, long pass, bump and grind, endurance fest.

I'm not really complaining, the change of pace is nice. I go from one of the faster/better skaters to struggling to hang with the "kids". Although it's tough to hang with the sheer youth and the level of skill these kids have, it is fun to watch from the bench and even funner to participate in on the ice. I find that most of these 18-24 year olds have some respect for us over 40 guys that are still playing semi-competitively, and thats pretty cool. Although their choice in locker room music sucks, and I have to laugh at some of the topics being discussed......

[bradd94 5]

Summer pickup can be an interesting event. The game and style is entirely changed, the pace is entirely different, the average age is down by about 15 years.

Summer is the time all the kids from juniors and college are home and need to stay in game shape. So our Monday night "intermediate" skate turns into a hard charging, end to end, long pass, bump and grind, endurance fest.

I'm not really complaining, the change of pace is nice. I go from one of the faster/better skaters to struggling to hang with the "kids". Although it's tough to hang with the sheer youth and the level of skill these kids have, it is fun to watch from the bench and even funner to participate in on the ice. I find that most of these 18-24 year olds have some respect for us over 40 guys that are still playing semi-competitively, and thats pretty cool. Although their choice in locker room music sucks, and I have to laugh at some of the topics being discussed......

Yeah, me and my buds play hockey alot more obviously in the Summer and late Spring. The problem with college is part-time jobs are an absolute killer though. Mostly you'll see the kids that don't work or are too young to work during the Summer when school is out. I hardly get any days off to play.

When I do, I don't tolerate some kid tripping me into the boards. I've had so many people trip me with skates in pick up which always results in a fall into the boards.

[nexusrage21 1]

Had a bit of a skirmish the other night because I decided to start shadowing the superstar on the other side who was going out of his way to embarrass bad/new players. Celebrated a goal after dangling one of the guys who could barely skate and it made me mad so I just made sure he didn't get any chances, A few "my pucks" "gotcha's " and similar taunts later and he started getting a bit chippy with me before finally leaving the rink a half hour early.

It's not that I want guys who are good to not try, or not try moves and have fun, but when they are constantly going after the same guy because they know they can't skate and then act like a jerk when they put a goal in it just gets me going. Our regular group is pretty good as far as having a loose fun game that follows the general unwritten guidelines of pick up hockey. If someone is playing too physical or taking slapshots into traffic we do a pretty good job of taking them aside and talking to them and most people react well to it. Happens a lot with kids playing on travel teams who come down, where they will be a little too aggressive in the beginning but then will calm down. This guy the other night basically told me he was sorry he was too good for me to handle and kept doing the same stuff, so I felt like I had to make it tough for him.

[strosedefence34 175]

Had a bit of a skirmish the other night because I decided to start shadowing the superstar on the other side who was going out of his way to embarrass bad/new players. Celebrated a goal after dangling one of the guys who could barely skate and it made me mad so I just made sure he didn't get any chances, A few "my pucks" "gotcha's " and similar taunts later and he started getting a bit chippy with me before finally leaving the rink a half hour early.

It's not that I want guys who are good to not try, or not try moves and have fun, but when they are constantly going after the same guy because they know they can't skate and then act like a jerk when they put a goal in it just gets me going. Our regular group is pretty good as far as having a loose fun game that follows the general unwritten guidelines of pick up hockey. If someone is playing too physical or taking slapshots into traffic we do a pretty good job of taking them aside and talking to them and most people react well to it. Happens a lot with kids playing on travel teams who come down, where they will be a little too aggressive in the beginning but then will calm down. This guy the other night basically told me he was sorry he was too good for me to handle and kept doing the same stuff, so I felt like I had to make it tough for him.

i tend to do the same thing where if I notice someone is showing off I will purposely shadow them just so they get less chances. On the flip side of that if I have the puck sometimes I find myself trying to skate into the players who are more skilled because what is the point of going one on one with someone who just started to play. I would rather try my moves on someone who has been playing for a while and is skilled.