Quick n00b questions

[pdwyer 0]

Playing pond hockey before, there's been times some d-bag lifts the puck and rings one off my shin. When I think about not wearing a cup in beer league, I imagine that puck clanging off my shin...but about 100x the pain.

Seems like a no-brainer to cover the boys

[AndTheySayChiCity 0]

i think the thought of not wearing a cup is as stupid as a soccer player questioning if he should wear shin guards or not.. or a baseball player asking if he needs a glove.

it's essential. unless you have balls of steel, which i don't think anyone does lol just wear one. you'll thank yourself the moment you catch a stick between the legs/take a hard check/block a shot/fall down hard.

as far as the cage/visor dilemma.. i say wear a cage (plus a mouthguard). i've been playing hockey since i was 6 and i've always worn one, i don't think i'd trust not wearing one.. a visor even.. that's got its downfalls, you're just protecting your eyes. i never trusted the other team, teams i've played against in the past are super dirty and a visor, just won't do. i got elbowed in the face with a cage on.. most of my face was pretty much okay (besides the impact of the guys shoulder/elbow and the cage smashing against my face.. a semi-black eye).. if i was wearing a shield.. i think my whole face would have been mangled up.

in the end, it's all preference.. but by all means... wear a cup :)

[TheBeatGoesOn 0]

I can't believe wearing a cup is up for discussion. That is just insane.

This is the kind of response I was looking for. I was wondering it it'd be insane or not or if it's just a personal preference thing (like a neck guard). I haven't been able to play yet so from just observing I can't tell if things get intense in the testi region (more than just the hockey pants can protect because I haven't worn a pair). Like I said, just n00b questions that I have off the top of my head.

But thanks for all the opinions. I will get a cage as well as a cup at least by the time I start playing pick up games.

[Hazard14 0]

just wear the damn thing.

and as for cage or no cage-you could get a visor/cage combo, best of both worlds-protection and vision

[Nutella 0]

just wear the damn thing.

and as for cage or no cage-you could get a visor/cage combo, best of both worlds-protection and vision

...but they look so ugly! :( For the ladies of hockey, like myself, what are we to do? You know what they say, "Look good, feel good, play good." (I'm not a lady.)

[cxo 0]

just wear the damn thing.

and as for cage or no cage-you could get a visor/cage combo, best of both worlds-protection and vision

...but they look so ugly! :( For the ladies of hockey, like myself, what are we to do? You know what they say, "Look good, feel good, play good." (I'm not a lady.)

Does the look of something matter that much? Try being a small person who occasionally has to wear oversized equipment when something breaks, or I need something vital and I can't find it in my size. It doesn't make a difference once you start playing.

[burrn 0]

I can't believe wearing a cup is up for discussion. That is just insane.

I haven't been able to play yet so from just observing I can't tell if things get intense in the testi region (more than just the hockey pants can protect because I haven't worn a pair).

Since you might not know...

Hockey pants have absolutely NO protection in the crotch area (since you're supposed to wear a cup.)

[english15x 3]

I find this all very hard to believe. People who don't know where cups are crazy. Invest a little bit of money and buy a good jock/compression short. I use easton compression shorts, threw away the cup they came with and bought a shock doctor cup that is not even noticeable when skating.

For the cage, please wear a cage. I will wear a cage in hockey until the day I die. I can't ever trust anyone with their stick and pucks sometimes just will go anywhere. Save yourself the hassle. Buckle down with the nut guard and the facial protection.

[D aka speck 0]

Every beer league play I've ever talked to knows "that guy"...

you know, the guy who ALWAYS forgot his cup.

Now he's known as one nut (insert name here) or nutless (again, insert name here).

The guy I know, blocked a shot with his blade and it just happened to redirect straight to his teabag...

Your call, your groin...

Someone said they'd rather play without a helmet than without a cup, I'd rather play without skates than play without a cup!

[Vermette20 0]

I have one of those friends who dont wear a cup, mostly because he's to cheap to go out and buy one. I remember at one pickup my other friend and myself kept shooting the puck at his nuts, so he would change his mind ( not hard shots, just enough to let you know its there lol). End of story, he still dont have one. Wear a cup its common sense, if hit hard enough there you can die and thats a fact!

On a side note, I played goal one game and took a slap shot directly on the cup, those goalie cups are like iron didnt feel a thing.

As for the cage/visor etc... Thats all personal preference, I went from wearing nothing, to a half visor. The day I swithced I took a high stick right on the visor, if it wasnt there I would have had a broken nose for sure. My wife told me I had to wear a cage before the wedding, I couldnt get used to it, so I took it off and said she will never know. Took a stick in the mouth that game, busted my face open. Good thing it healed up in time for the wedding :D

[chk hrd 164]

Gordie Howe was asked why he wore a cup but no helmet. His response was "because I can get someone to think for me"...makes sense to me. One good shot in the junk and you could loose alot more than a nut. And if you think they don't help on slapshots take a shot with and without a cup on and see which is worse.

[qmechanic 17]

just wear the damn thing.

and as for cage or no cage-you could get a visor/cage combo, best of both worlds-protection and vision

Yes, go for full facial protection. Nothing will ruin your hockey experience just starting out if you lose teeth or if you're smacked in the face with a stick. If you're forgoing a cage because of the vision problems, find a shield/cage combo like aviatorhockey said. I use the FX-50 and really like it. You can find reviews on the FX-50 here.

FX-50 reviews

[bheidepr 0]

Both are mandatory (IMHO) in a beginners league.

This isnt a knock on you, but you dont know the others on the ice. You should wear full face until you know the level of those you are playing with.

Personally, I dont ever play without full cage because I dont trust everyone else. I block a shot with my stick last week that went off my blade and straight into my face. (I was off to the side and trying to direct it into the netting). I dont know how that happened, but would have been in very bad shape had I not had the cage on.

I do coach with a half shield. I coach mite and squirt. The shield has saved me from taking a stick when a kid fell standing next to me.

[Clark12 0]

When I started playing roller about 5 years ago I never wore a cup, elbow pads or a cage/visor. Eventually over the years I got hit in the said areas and the padding started to mount up.

I never used to wear a jock simply because I found the jock and cup combination to be really irritable. For roller the floating cup holder in the girdle really helped the transition as it just sits in front and isn't set tight to the crown jewels.

On the ice I've been wearing the Itech jock shorts and although I find them a bit better than a traditional jock, they still irritate me but I would never get on the ice without it.