pick up hockey (shinny) pet peeves

[Grinder 2]

I bet you think everyone deserves a trophy too. Seriously, I'm not going to apologize every time I bump someone. If I run a guy over or clip someone up high with my stick, then yes, I'll ask if they're okay and/or say sorry. But if you think you'd be getting an apology for knocking you over driving the net you're sadly mistaken. Last time I checked hockey was for men (and tough girls), not pussies afraid of hurtng someone's feelings or bruising an ego or two.

If I'm in a game of shinny where someone's playing full contact like that, it's time to leave. Like most guys I know, I have a job to go to the next day. It's not that I can't handle the contact; it's a choice to avoid it and the people who don't know the time and place for it.

Funny thing this post brings up: I play pickup with a crowd that includes one person with a temper that is off the charts. He dishes out physical play that isn't called for, and should he get any back, he's in the other players face screaming for a fight in seconds. If anyone calls him out on a cross check away from the play that levels the other player, one of his favourite lines is "Hockey is for men, you f*ing pussy! Check yourself and get back to me if you've got a pair." Suffice to say, he's the joke of the game on the benches:

"Hey, dude, can you check me please? I can't do it myself."

"Oh! You've got a pussy. He didn't say what to do in that case. Should we ask?"

"No, let's surprise him..."

[bostonjuniorblackhawks 1]

I'm not sure what would be so hard about going around a person instead of going through them like chippa suggested................

[hyprlte 0]

Personally if I am faced with "should I go through this guy" I usually just pass the puck off. In my pick up games we always apologize if there is contact - that's including the Pros that skate too. They know everyone is out for fun and to have a good time plus they have all season to go hard vs other teams. The only time we go hard on each other is if there is a 1 on 1 with the more skilled players. This allows them to play hard on each other and not to worry about anyone else getting in the way.

Also, I hate defencemen who always tee it up from the blue line with a crowd in front of the net and end up head hunting. You shouldn't have to risk having your teeth knocked out everytime this guy winds up. Ive seen it happen 3 times this summer.

[dsjunior1388 81]

I bet you think everyone deserves a trophy too. Seriously, I'm not going to apologize every time I bump someone. If I run a guy over or clip someone up high with my stick, then yes, I'll ask if they're okay and/or say sorry. But if you think you'd be getting an apology for knocking you over driving the net you're sadly mistaken. Last time I checked hockey was for men (and tough girls), not pussies afraid of hurtng someone's feelings or bruising an ego or two.

It's not an issue of toughness. Its an issue of whether the other guy can do his job the next morning with a concussion, a broken arm, etc. My cousin was working as a cashier at age 16. He broke his arm in a hockey game. He was not scheduled for work until the cast came off. 6 weeks of lost pay. Obviously thats no big deal to a high school kid, but to the 35 year old who has to miss more than a month from his job loading packages at UPS...well it's safe to say you're going to put him in a big hole because you had to rush the net like Cam Neely for all the adoring fans.

[BarDownGinos 3]

I'm not going to retract anything I said. But most of you have blown what I said way out of proportion. I don't show up at pick up and try to put on a show and I certainly don't go out running a goalie, or trying to play full contact when most people, myself included aren't wearing shoulder pads. Like I said, if i get a guy with my stick or I run somebody over be it not looking where I was going, getting crossed up with where someone else was going, whatever. Yes, I'm going to apologize and check to see if they're ok. But as far as bumps along the wall, playing in traffic, whatever. I wouldn't apologize for every little thing and I certainly wouldn't expect anyone to apologize to me for something that's a part of playing the game. But what's acceptable to one group in one place may not be so in another. For the most part I skate in higher level pick ups/private skates/leagues and a rougher game is simply the norm. Product of my environment is the modern day excuse I'll use I suppose.

[iceNsteel 0]

It's not an issue of toughness. Its an issue of whether the other guy can do his job the next morning with a concussion, a broken arm, etc. My cousin was working as a cashier at age 16. He broke his arm in a hockey game. He was not scheduled for work until the cast came off. 6 weeks of lost pay. Obviously thats no big deal to a high school kid, but to the 35 year old who has to miss more than a month from his job loading packages at UPS...well it's safe to say you're going to put him in a big hole because you had to rush the net like Cam Neely for all the adoring fans.

Hockey is a physical game, and it's dangerous. If you're in such a tight position then maybe you just shouldn't be playing hockey. There are plenty of ways to get exercise that don't carry the risks that playing hockey does.

[JoeyJ0506 191]

Hockey is a physical game, and it's dangerous. If you're in such a tight position then maybe you just shouldn't be playing hockey. There are plenty of ways to get exercise that don't carry the risks that playing hockey does.

You are missing the point.

[jumtao 0]

Hockey is a physical game, and it's dangerous. If you're in such a tight position then maybe you just shouldn't be playing hockey. There are plenty of ways to get exercise that don't carry the risks that playing hockey does.

Shinny is a place for players of all levels to go and have fun, not get their heads taken off. That's what league play is for.

[Tailboard Jockey 25]

People who do not know the word sorry. It seems that no one at pick up seems to know that word. When you have a bunch of people who don't know each other play a fast paced physical sport sorry should be in everyones vocabulary. I think I say it 10 to 20 times a game.

When you bump into someone just say sorry. That way they know you didn't mean it. If you trip or hook or slash someone, say sorry. Again, then they know that you didn't mean it. Or at least that you acknowledge that you did it and you realize in an actual game you would most likely be spending the next 2 minutes in the box. Stuff happens but you get the impression that a lot of guys like to take advanatge of the fact that there are no refs. If you at least say sorry than hopefully you wont be labeled as one of those guys. The cheap/dirty player.

Having to say it ten to twenty times at pickup just seems a little excessive to me. I'll say it, if I knock somebody down, or slash somebody, because that's not what I'm trying to do. If I heard the same guy say "Sorry!" as many times as you say it, I wouldn't believe you. You can say you're sorry only so many times, and actually mean it.

[iceNsteel 0]

1. I don't believe beer league is any more of a place for anyone to take heads off.

2. What I meant is you could be skating, loose an edge, and break a leg going into the board with no one within 10 feet of you. You could get seriously hurt by a completely accidental play without anyone being a douche. There are inherent risks in playing a physical and dangerous game that exist well beyond the conduct of any other player. If getting hurt is going to cause you such huge problems in life then it's simply a matter of prudence to consider whether hockey is something you should be doing.

[Law Goalie 147]

That kind of accidental injury can happen in any sport. Hard-court racquet sports can cause unbelievable damage, for example. Hockey is not especially dangerous by those standards. What it does is up the ante in velocity, so that thoughtlessness on and off the ice can cause very serious injuries.

Not too long ago I saw a goalie take a puck in the eye - through his cage. It was a perfect storm: he was facing shots way above his level, the kid really laid into a one-timer, the puck was a little chipped on the edge, it caught him dead square in the middle of one of the eye openings in his cat-eye cage, which was a thin enough gauge of carbon steel to flex that little bit required to let the puck come in and hit his eye with enough force to cut his eyelid and have the whole eye swollen shut in about 60 seconds, and the face around it blowing up in about two minutes.

Now, was that a preventable injury? Absolutely.

In terms of what happened on the ice, the blame is pretty even. They shouldn't have been playing with a chipped puck, but it's hard to stop play and inspect it every two minutes. The shooter could have been a little more respectful with his shot placement, but the goalie was small, and he did butterfly, and was playing pretty far back in his angle: the shot would have been within a couple inches of the crossbar in either direction; the goalie also failed to have his hands active enough for his glove to protect his face, having glued his arms to his sides in a passive butterfly.

Other problems began before the goalie even got on the ice. Going as far back in time as is meaningful, he cheaped out on his mask. It was a classic case of a $300 mask with $2000 pads and gloves - not priorities anyone would call properly in order. He also chose a cat-eye cage, with its larger and demonstrably more dangerous openings, instead of a certified straight-bar cage, and did so in spite of the fact that the wire used to make the cage was clearly lower-grade and smaller gauge than some, and did not replace the cage with a better one later. Finally, he put himself in a bad situation against a better shooter than he could handle.

It's simply a matter of preparation. If you go into a shinny game thinking about nobody but yourself, or not thinking at all, you're exposing yourself and everyone else to high-speed, high-impact thoughtlessness. In civil society, I'm afraid, it is your duty, in fact, to be aware of the safety of those around you, whether you're driving a car or driving to the net. If you endanger others, through ignorance or intent, you should and will be responsible for the consequences. If you do everything within reason to prepare yourself and act responsibly, and someone still gets hurt, fair enough: we all accept certain risks by stepping onto the ice or into the car. What we do not accept - in any sense - is anyone else's right to compound those risks recklessly or stupidly or selfishly. I would argue further that, in some fraternal sense, we as hockey players should take greater care for one another on the ice than most people in most comparable situations, simply on the basis of good sportsmanship.

[rachael7 1]

Could not possibly have said it better. Bravo and thank you Law Goalie, for posting this!

[shotty 7]

2. What I meant is you could be skating, loose an edge, and break a leg going into the board with no one within 10 feet of you. You could get seriously hurt by a completely accidental play without anyone being a douche. There are inherent risks in playing a physical and dangerous game that exist well beyond the conduct of any other player. If getting hurt is going to cause you such huge problems in life then it's simply a matter of prudence to consider whether hockey is something you should be doing.

yes these are valid points. there is inherent risk of danger of self inflicted injury... however, as lawgoalie pointed out, when you add a handful more players and the element of competition, that risk increases exponentially. there is danger in getting out of bed every morning anywhere in the world, but ultimately it's the people around you who have the most impact on your safety if you choose to operate outside of your comfort zone

[RadioGaGa 162]

It's simply a matter of preparation. If you go into a shinny game thinking about nobody but yourself, or not thinking at all, you're exposing yourself and everyone else to high-speed, high-impact thoughtlessness. In civil society, I'm afraid, it is your duty, in fact, to be aware of the safety of those around you, whether you're driving a car or driving to the net. If you endanger others, through ignorance or intent, you should and will be responsible for the consequences. If you do everything within reason to prepare yourself and act responsibly, and someone still gets hurt, fair enough: we all accept certain risks by stepping onto the ice or into the car. What we do not accept - in any sense - is anyone else's right to compound those risks recklessly or stupidly or selfishly. I would argue further that, in some fraternal sense, we as hockey players should take greater care for one another on the ice than most people in most comparable situations, simply on the basis of good sportsmanship.

+1. I don't think anyone can have any sort of rebutal to that. In Law terms....that would be a Closing Statement. Now, if only I could hear Atticus Finch deliver it. *L*

[iceNsteel 0]

I'd disagree that the shooter has any responsibility here. The goalie alone chose his equipment, and chose to play in a game that was above his skill level. The shooter did nothing outside of the rules and norms of playing the game of hockey. You choose to stand in front of someone firing a puck at you and you take the risks that entails. Personally, I typically avoid one timers and slap shots in drop-in. But that's a personal code that goes beyond the norms of hockey, were slap shots and one timers are just part of the game. In a civilized society you have a responsibility not to act recklessly or do things which you can reasonable know would cause injury, which is different from being responsible for the safety of others. If you buy cheap gear and get hurt in the normal course of play because it that is your responsibly. It's not my job, nor is it legally reasonable, to expect that a player asses the gear of every other player on the ice and deviate from the norms of hockey to accommodate inadequate protective gear. Rather it is the responsibility of every player to ensure that his/her gear is adequate to meet the demands of the normal course of play in a hockey game.

[Law Goalie 147]

I'd disagree that the shooter has any responsibility here. The goalie alone chose his equipment, and chose to play in a game that was above his skill level. The shooter did nothing outside of the rules and norms of playing the game of hockey. You choose to stand in front of someone firing a puck at you and you take the risks that entails. Personally, I typically avoid one timers and slap shots in drop-in. But that's a personal code that goes beyond the norms of hockey, were slap shots and one timers are just part of the game. In a civilized society you have a responsibility not to act recklessly or do things which you can reasonable know would cause injury, which is different from being responsible for the safety of others. If you buy cheap gear and get hurt in the normal course of play because it that is your responsibly. It's not my job, nor is it legally reasonable, to expect that a player asses the gear of every other player on the ice and deviate from the norms of hockey to accommodate inadequate protective gear. Rather it is the responsibility of every player to ensure that his/her gear is adequate to meet the demands of the normal course of play in a hockey game.

Uh, how does that disagree with anything I said? You repeated most of my arguments, in fact, almost as though you had in fact read them carefully, which it seems you did not.

Please note the explicitly conditional "could" followed by the exceptional conjunction in the SOLE sentence which considered the possibility that the shooter might be culpable in any way.

[Leb_CRX 0]

heavy slapper into traffic

that irks me, it's pickup...

I took a puck to the outside of the boot last week

and last night, right on the toe cap, but she stung quite a bit

ya, it happens, but obviously, you want to make the net, so exercise a bit of wits, lol

[Fisticuffs 0]

My biggest gripes at shinny:

1) guys who only bring 1 color jersey (c'mon... there are 20 of us, and 18 guys have on black or blue).

2) guys who are good who take the puck from guys who are far less skilled (regardless of whether you're on their team or not). Let the guys who are newer to the game get some time handling the puck. Let them develop their skills a bit. If they get better, we'll have better pickup games in the future, plus you're giving another guy a chance to grow to love the game.

3) Guys who keep track of their stats. It's pickup, we don't even keep score. Half the time we don't even have 2 goalies and you're excited you have 3 goals and 2 assists?

[rachael7 1]

...

3) Guys who keep track of their stats. It's pickup, we don't even keep score. Half the time we don't even have 2 goalies and you're excited you have 3 goals and 2 assists?

Seriously! Last week I was at a shinny and a guy came in late, sat on our bench. We were happy to have another sub. But then he goes "What's the score?" Thinking he was just kidding, I said "Damned if I know, probably like 12-10 by now." And then another guy piped up and actually had what he thought was the score! I mean come on guys... there are benders out there that can barely stay on their feet (including mr scorekeeper), the rest of us are just here for a fun workout, and you're worried about stats?

[Fisticuffs 0]

Seriously! Last week I was at a shinny and a guy came in late, sat on our bench. We were happy to have another sub. But then he goes "What's the score?" Thinking he was just kidding, I said "Damned if I know, probably like 12-10 by now." And then another guy piped up and actually had what he thought was the score! I mean come on guys... there are benders out there that can barely stay on their feet (including mr scorekeeper), the rest of us are just here for a fun workout, and you're worried about stats?

Drives me crazy. I'm happy if I get into a good rhythm with a few guys, move the puck well, and get a good workout. My buddy is a shinny stats king. He drives me bonkers.

[zebra_steve 11]

Seriously! Last week I was at a shinny and a guy came in late, sat on our bench. We were happy to have another sub. But then he goes "What's the score?" Thinking he was just kidding, I said "Damned if I know, probably like 12-10 by now." And then another guy piped up and actually had what he thought was the score! I mean come on guys... there are benders out there that can barely stay on their feet (including mr scorekeeper), the rest of us are just here for a fun workout, and you're worried about stats?

Rachel,

This depends on your group. For years I played every Friday night and Sunday morning with essentially the same guys (the group averaged 20-25 skaters and 3-4 goalies). There were 10 of us that were always on opposite sides and the rest were filled out randomly but the teams usually had the same first line and 3 or 4 defensemen on each side side. We were VERY competitive and kept score - be it 2 -1 or 21-20! Lots of trash talk and razzing - It was about bragging rights that week....

Now if I just head over to the rink and there is a sign up sheet taking the first 20 names and 3 goalies then I am not keeping score - but I'm sure someone there is....

[kenneth 5]

question for the goalies: how do you guys feel about players doing dekes? I'm probably 80/20 shoot/deke unless i have good repor with the guy then i'll go 70/30 deke/shoot to just goof around and try stuff i would never do with people i don't know.

[tareatingrat 4]

At pick-up, it's all about adjusting your play to how everybody else is playing and being flexible.

If you can't do that, or aren't willing to, don't go to that particular game anymore.

[Speedz98 15]

I have a friend who plays goalie and says it annoys the hell out of him when people deke and all they ever do is deke each and every attempt. They usually come in slow and pull of a thousand moves they would never be able to get away with in a game.

He just prefers when it's more of a duel between player and goalie with regular shooting.

[IniNew 51]

Mean Girls was good, ok!

My biggest pet peeve at pick up is of course the long shifts. And it snow balls. One person takes a long shift then the next person out takes a long one... then the next... then the next. Soon enough everyone is skating for 10 minutes.