Adult checking leagues?

[jmiami 4]

Curious if there are adult rec leagues that allow full-contact. I play in NYC and there is none of that here. Too much liability for the rinks I would imagine. Are there rec leagues in US/Canada (and rest of world for that matter) that allow checking? If so, would love to hear about them.

The checking-game is so different from no-checking. I sure miss it. I would hope that somewhere, there is a league where consenting adults who sign waivers can play hockey the way it is supposed to be played. Not that I'll be quitting my job to go move there and play, but a guy can fantasize no?

[forbs02 20]

They have a checking league in here in the Twin Cities (mn). It's pretty high level. I have a friend who plays and he is the only one on his team who didn't play DI college hockey.

[RecLeagueHero 0]

There used to be one in Tacoma, WA out of Puget Sound Hockey (though I think the rink is called the Tacoma Hockey Club now). I don't know if it's still in operation, but it catered mostly to players with advanced hockey experience. I think I would seriously question the wisdom of letting people that never played competitive hockey and learned how to check/get checked start hitting.

[Ahriman 1]

See thats just the problem there is a serious lack of checking opportunities for those who know what the hell they're doing but couldn't make it in juniors/D1. I miss taking a good bang.

[fieldofdreams 0]

See thats just the problem there is a serious lack of checking opportunities for those who know what the hell they're doing but couldn't make it in juniors/D1. I miss taking a good bang.

With all the problems you seem to be having in the leagues you are currently in, maybe it's a good thing that there aren't checking leagues around your area.

[Ahriman 1]

I could take this one of two ways, either you're saying the environment around me for a checking league isn't good, I've said before I don't mind the people I play with or against, it's attitude that it's always the younger guy starting it, or that he always 'deserves it'.

If this is directed at my playing, instead of the people's around me, I'm not gonna respond to your flame bait past this:

I have a problem with older guys taking a hard nose discriminatory attitude towards anyone under 26 years old. I have never caused an injury, or intended to hurt anyone, nor have I felt a lack of compassion for someone who does get hurt. The way you and others here talk about young players, it seems you enjoy seeing them get hurt, that it will "teach them a lesson" or at very least that they are somehow worth less because they "don't know about" mortgages or have kids. God forbid you maybe thought twice before thumping anyone at all instead of just the league graybeards.

Now if you would please stop trying to make uncalled for personal flamebait posts, I'd like to get on with the thread. Have some respect for other posters if you can. I'd be happy to discuss any problems you have with me in a PM if you like.

[RecLeagueHero 0]

See thats just the problem there is a serious lack of checking opportunities for those who know what the hell they're doing but couldn't make it in juniors/D1. I miss taking a good bang.

I could see it quickly devolving into a lot of guys that have no idea what they're doing getting seriously hurt trying to play tough guy. I'm all for letting people do what they want, so maybe you ought to try getting a group together and renting some ice for some full contact games. Of course, another downside is that if the rink knew what was going on and the league was organized properly the liability insurance that would need to be carried would make it very expensive to play.

[CaptainFantastik 0]

Hmmmm, not sure if my local "A" league is a checking league or not. I know there was a full check league in Ontario, CA years ago.....not sure if it's still around. I doubt i'd play in it anyway, though. I grew up playing football so I don't mind contact at all, but now as a 35 year old I just don't need to deal with the attitude and drama that would come with a full check league. In football, contact is expected on every play so people don't get all bent out of shape about it constantly. In hockey it seems that many of the guys playing adult hockey take it as a personal affront and attack on their manhood every time they take a little body, we've all seen "that guy" many times.

[HattrickSwayze 3]

There used to be one in Tacoma, WA out of Puget Sound Hockey (though I think the rink is called the Tacoma Hockey Club now). I don't know if it's still in operation, but it catered mostly to players with advanced hockey experience. I think I would seriously question the wisdom of letting people that never played competitive hockey and learned how to check/get checked start hitting.

There's one that I've heard about on Monday nights now (north of Seattle I think). I don't know what rink they play at, and I don't even think it's a league. It's just guys that get together and play. I've heard the hockey's really, really good though.

[rmnyi 0]

3 players from my rec team played in a full check tourney this past weekend. All 3 are in their mid 20's. Of the 3, only 1 is able to play tonight in our league game. I guess playing full check is fun until you get hurt. If you were to suffer a serious injury that takes some time to rehab and could impact your job/school not to mention miss a few games, is it worth it? I don't think so which is why there isn't much demand for checking leagues.

[Chadd 916]

3 players from my rec team played in a full check tourney this past weekend. All 3 are in their mid 20's. Of the 3, only 1 is able to play tonight in our league game. I guess playing full check is fun until you get hurt. If you were to suffer a serious injury that takes some time to rehab and could impact your job/school not to mention miss a few games, is it worth it? I don't think so which is why there isn't much demand for checking leagues.

You only need one or two complete assholes to ruin any checking league and every league seems to have at least that many.

[Law Goalie 147]

The problem is when guys who *think* they know how to hit start playing.

Our league has two checking divisions. One of them is a four-team league for guys who are straight out of AAA or Juniors and coming to University. It's effectively a small league unto itself: tryouts, coaching, training, practices, full reffing for games, etc. It tries its damnedest to run exactly like a high-end minor hockey league. For that reason, and that reason alone, it's not bad hockey, apart from a few unavoidable wankers and delinquents. The other division is less regulated, and it's garbage hockey. The football team runs a team in that division, and they do so simply to run people. There are basically two kinds of games played: ones where everyone is afraid to take a hit and running scared, and ones where everyone's trying to throw hits and only hitting knees with knees and heads with elbows. Any of the decent teams in the non-contact divisions would tear it up. Any time our team thinks about bumping up, we watch ten minutes of a game and realise it isn't worth it.

[Sed27 0]

There is usually enough hitting in non-checking leagues that I can't imagine playing full contact again. There are simply too many guys out there that neither know how to give or receive a proper bodycheck.

[johnson_13 0]

There is a -semi-contact senior league here in montreal (well the south shore of montreal)

Pretty good competition and pretty entertaining from what I hear.

[fieldofdreams 0]

I could take this one of two ways, either you're saying the environment around me for a checking league isn't good, I've said before I don't mind the people I play with or against, it's attitude that it's always the younger guy starting it, or that he always 'deserves it'.

If this is directed at my playing, instead of the people's around me, I'm not gonna respond to your flame bait. Now if you would please stop trying to make uncalled for personal flamebait posts, I'd like to get on with the thread. Have some respect for other posters if you can.

No baiting. It was a legitimate concern, and there was no disrespect shown towards other posters.

The way you and others here talk about young players, it seems you enjoy seeing them get hurt, that it will "teach them a lesson" or at very least that they are somehow worth less because they "don't know about" mortgages or have kids. God forbid you maybe thought twice before thumping anyone at all instead of just the league graybeards.

That sound like an assumption you know how old I am, or what style of hockey I play.

Those who wish to appear wise among fools, among the wise seem foolish.-Quintillian