Anyone else start playing as an adult?

[Reaper 0]

The reason I ask if anyone else started playing hockey as an adult is because that is the case with me.

I'm 30 years old and am only playing in a really organized league for the first time this year.

I didn't put on skates until I was 28 and have pretty much been on my own when it comes to learning techniques for skating, puckhandling and shooting.

My hands are pretty good as I played a bit of ball hockey when I was in college and have been an avid hockey fan for many years.

I'm not exactly what you'd call a 'natural skater' and it is the most difficult part of the game for me. I am frequently discouraged because I'm the slowest guy on my team but I'm trying.

I have to admit that it can be hard to love something that frustrates you and you're not very good at but I love hockey. I just wish that I had started decades earlier when it was easier to recover from total physical exertion and getting banged up.

I'm babbling. Sorry, just needed to get that off my chest. ;)

[Crazy Otto 0]

Good luck to you! Work hard at it and you'll see your skating and skill level catch up to some of your teammates and opponents. There are some good adult skill clinics out there and they will really help you build your skills and confidence. It will definitely help you enjoy the game more, that's what it's all about!

[jay 1]

I started playing when I was 26. I had been a huge hockey fan for years but there wasn't much hockey going on in Pensacola, FL until around 96-97 when the ECHL team came to town. After a very serious broken leg and dislocated ankle while going for glory at the skate park, I decided to take up hockey. I found that inline skates imobilized the ankle enough that I could rehab without as much pain as walking even caused at the time. It took me about 2 solid years of playing before I started to notice I was outskating guys that intially were much better. Also, like yourself I had pretty good hands because I had always kept a hockey stick and ball around and would fiddle with them in my room or the garage sometime when I was bored.

[Hooah4 12]

I'M 34 and just got back to the starting about two years ago. Before that I was trying to start but between working 3-11, full time school, getting maried, etc.... I just couldn't find the time. Keep working at it. Don't ever quit. It"s the love of the game that keeps you coming back

[Chadd 916]

I grew up in a town that didn't have any ice. When I moved, I finally got a chance to play hockey. For the first couple of years, I had problems because I could see the right play but didn't have the skills to make it happen. I'm 30 now and still improving. Getting on the ice as much as possible is the key.

[Smith 0]

I played for a year at 18. Then started again when I was 28, I am 32 now

[freq019 0]

The reason I ask if anyone else started playing hockey as an adult is because that is the case with me.

I'm 30 years old and am only playing in a really organized league for the first time this year.

I didn't put on skates until I was 28 and have pretty much been on my own when it comes to learning techniques for skating, puckhandling and shooting.

My hands are pretty good as I played a bit of ball hockey when I was in college and have been an avid hockey fan for many years.

I'm not exactly what you'd call a 'natural skater' and it is the most difficult part of the game for me. I am frequently discouraged because I'm the slowest guy on my team but I'm trying.

I have to admit that it can be hard to love something that frustrates you and you're not very good at but I love hockey. I just wish that I had started decades earlier when it was easier to recover from total physical exertion and getting banged up.

I'm babbling. Sorry, just needed to get that off my chest. ;)

Almost word for word for me. I started at 28 and have been playing for about 1.5years now. I'm not as slow as I was but still more of a north south kind of guy :D I did take about a year of skating lessons though and that helped a ton. If you have access to lessons I highly recommend it.

[WingsVK97 0]

I started at 22. I happened to have enough money to get a set of gear, and in a moment of great vision, I got everything I needed and started playing pick up. I had played a little bit of street hockey in college (just attacking the tennis courts at night in the winter with some friends), but nothing on real ice.

I was working mornings at the time so I would go stake at the local rink once I was done with work. No one was out there so I could practice on my skates without having a bunch of people to crash into. I was pretty nice.

Now I play in a no-check adult league and the rest in history.

[beaucoup_fish 0]

Well, I started playing when I was five or six, but was never able to get into organized hockey until the last couple of years because equipment was cost prohibitive when I was young. I've always had skates, gloves and a stick, but could never get a full set of gear. So in a sense, I am relatively new in organized hockey, but have played pick-up and loved the game my entire life. Hooah is right.

I think that's the case with a lot of people, many families just can't afford to outfit their kids in new gear year after year (on top of league registration costs and camps etc...). It's understandable, which is why many of my friends have also only taken up organized hockey recently - since we can all buy our own gear now. It's never too late to learn, and don't worry about the skill set. A lot of guys around your age are just getting into the sport now, and you should never feel lacking in company.

[Reaper 0]

Almost word for word for me. I started at 28 and have been playing for about 1.5years now. I'm not as slow as I was but still more of a north south kind of guy :D I did take about a year of skating lessons though and that helped a ton. If you have access to lessons I highly recommend it.

I am strongly considering some one to one individual training with an instructor when the season is through.

I just don't have the time to do both while the season is on. :(

[beaucoup_fish 0]

Private lessons can be very worthwhile no matter what time of year. You'll always be playing the following year, so those lessons will be put to use no matter what! Do powerskating classes first though...best thing any hockey player can do for him/herself.

[Reaper 0]

I was working mornings at the time so I would go stake at the local rink once I was done with work. No one was out there so I could practice on my skates without having a bunch of people to crash into. It was pretty nice.

Man, I wish I had that kind of access to open ice.

I work most days until 6 pm so it's really tough to get two extra skates in per week let alone two where I have the ice to myself.

[Netminder32 32]

I started playing net when I was 24 and just started playing out last summer. I was 39! Just goes to show...it's never too late to learn a whole new perspective on the game. :D

Oh...and my wife started playing when she was 25. She's 29 now. That was actually our first date. Met at Tim Hortons for coffee an hour before ice time. Played hockey together... and the rest as they say is history. A true Canadian love story... B)

[Shorthanded67 0]

Nice story Netminder. I need to find a hot woman who plays hockey!

I started playing at age 16, which isn't adult, but still late in life compared to a lot of these kids. I started playing roller hockey after school and on holidays. I was without a doubt, THE worst player out there. I couldn't skate, my ankles bent, my shots were barely shots. Mucho frustration.

The summer after my junior year (at age 17), I skated at the rink ALONE for hours in the morning before the sun got hot and for a few hours in the evening playing pick-up after sundown. Basically I just did laps and shot tons of pucks. After I graduated high school I received a tryout for the local RHI (Roller Hockey International) team. I didn't make it, but it was very self-gratifying to know that I was able to get to this level in a short span of time through hard-work and practice. I'm definitely not a "natural" athlete like some guys who can pick up any sport and excel in it immediately.

I'm 27 now and play 5-6 nights a week in leagues and occasionally play in tournaments. (Obviously single... :P ) I believe that I'm a better player now than when I was 18. A bit slower, but I see the plays develop better now. I still feel myself improving tiny parts of my game: maybe bending the knees a bit more, moving my lower hand down a bit, switching stick lies, etc.... I have bad habits, but you can still teach me new tricks. Overall I just love to lace up the skates and play the game and will continue to do so as long as physically possible.

Good luck to the original poster of this topic. Just get as much skating time in as your schedule allows and keep enjoying the game (either by playing, watching, or courtesy of MSH...reading)...that keeps you coming back for more.

[Eazy_b97 1]

My father started at 22, I got a much better headstart, but realize how frustrating it can be. If you have the funds I'd definately suggest getting some private lessons. I'd just try and get out in a skating motion as much as possible. Maybe consider rollerblading to/from work to get some of the motion and muscles down a bit more than you do. I'm thinking of starting to do this to my school (about 10 kms away) so I may have to wait till after winter, but I think this'd make the game a bit more enjoyable. Things are always more fun when your capable of doing the things you want.

[stevoc 0]

I just started a year and a half ago. I never knew how to skate prior to then. I started by joining what my local rink calls hockey 101...which teaches the fundamentals of hockey and skating. My first day, I was out on the rink prior to the class starting and watched everyone else skate around and knew I was out of my league. As the coach called everyone together to start the class, I went up to him and said I was bowing out because this was beyond me. He said this class was designed for someone exactly like myself. 10 weeks of sticking through it, I took the class again. During those two seasons, I spent every day practicing skating on my lunch breaks. I am now in my 4th season of our rec league and my 2nd in the low competitive league.

I think skating came somewhat naturally to me, but I spend as much time as possible practicing my skating. Oh, by the way, I just turned 36 in august.

I wish I had started much sooner...but I'll take what I can get. I am enjoying the heck out of myself playing, and my 5 year old daughter wants to play too. :D

[wristshot19 0]

I have played since I was a youngin' but I coach an adult beginner team here in Tampa. Most of the guys are in their late 20s or 30s but there are also guys much older and even quite a few ladies that are just beginning to play in this league. Here in s Tampa the adult hockey leagues have blown up with the interest that the Stanley Cup brought.

Good luck and keep you feet underneath you. If you stance looks like this / \ then you need some more work on your ankles.

[WingsVK97 0]

I was working mornings at the time so I would go stake at the local rink once I was done with work.  No one was out there so I could practice on my skates without having a bunch of people to crash into.  It was pretty nice.

Man, I wish I had that kind of access to open ice.

I work most days until 6 pm so it's really tough to get two extra skates in per week let alone two where I have the ice to myself.

It was pretty good and the ice time was much cheaper. $3 to skate! They were just looking to break even by being open. Though it was a little off cause I found I was much bolder when I had all my gear on then when it was just me, skates, and no pads. I wasn't as willing to fall. I got the fundamentals down though. Important things like...STOPPING! But yeah all the open space was good. I got crossing over, stops, and the most important skill of skating backwards down to where I could use them in a game and not loose it.

I'm competetive but still not stunning by any means. I just really enjoy playing and think it was the best thing I've ever done with my spare time. And I might be going back to working mornings for a while so I'll be taking up my old habit again.

[MDE3 0]

I started at age 3 and stopped playing competitively at age 21....didn't touch skates again till I was 46....then it was inlines because we had no ice arena locally..It helped to have skated ice previously, but there was still a lot of difference..took me a few months of session skating to get back into it...I ran some clinics for inline for a few years and then at 50 I started coaching and playing ice again...until my knees gave out from arthritis. (sorry..have I exceeded the age limits for this board? :P )

[Reaper 0]

Last night I mangled my knee while gunning down the left side towards the net. I reached out to receive a pass so I could one time backhand the puck at the net (I got the puck on net) but I fell and twisted my left leg while I folded it up.

My leg looked like this:

_/|

with my heel meeting my hip.

I'm pretty freaked out right now as a few guys on the team said they had a feeling it could be an ACL tear. I'm in a shitload of pain and I can't really weightbear all that well on it.

My fiance and I are going to the medical centre to have my knee assessed this afternoon.

I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping that my hockey career isn't over before it even really gets rolling.

[Fire0nIce228 1]

I'm not as...uhm...wise as some of the members on this board, i'm only 17, but I just started playing about 2.5 years ago. When I first started I too had only ever played ball hockey before and was very discouraged cause I skated like crap, and took a check like crap and everything else. I would just go to free skates every friday night at the rink and that combined with practices and games I am as good on ice as I am on roller blades. I found that just going to as much free skates and stuff as possible and practicing without my gear on helped me alot. Especially since halfway through my first year I moved and only got in half a season and free skates was all I could do. Dont get discouraged and keep playing because you love the game. This is my third season, second full, and I captain a Midget A major team. Before long you will be closing the gap. Being on the ice as much as possible is key.

[Perry94 0]

well I'm not as "long in the tooth" as most of you all here. I'm 17, and started by watching kids play when I was 12. I can't ice skate worth crap, but I'd say that I'd fairly decent at rollerblading (doing that a lot does that to you). Now I'm looking for some roller leagues and stuff like that. Hopefully my trek (hahahaha :lol: ) will be as "cool" as some of yours. :D

[Dave 1]

I'll make this short: never been on skates until age 20, started playing roller in parking lots at 20, started playing ice at 24, worked hard, read a lot about technique and tried to put it to good use, now at 27 I'm getting along. I am among the better guys on my team right now, put still have set myself a bunch of goals.

[MDE3 0]

[quote=

My leg looked like this: _/|

I'm pretty freaked out right now as a few guys on the team said they had a feeling it could be an ACL tear. I'm in a shitload of pain and I can't really weightbear all that well on it.

I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping that my hockey career isn't over before it even really gets rolling.

Been there..done that on my right knee twice....(hate that sound when your cartelege and ligament does it's best imitation of a slightly undercooked drumstick being torn away from the caecass)..and played lot's after..key is keep exercising it once you can,,,,build up the muscles around the damage.....Once I got past the trauma part, I played a lot of golf, walking and carrying, before I started more vigorous stuff...They wanted to operate (in the days before orthroscopic surgery) and I decided not to..too many friends with knees that popped out after surgery..seems like they were better off without it in many cases back then.....I think the surgery back then often caused more damage than the injuries.

[elle 0]

At age 22, I've just got interested in the sport. Coming from the SW of England, there's not a lot of ice/roller hockey options, so I just learned to blade and played field hockey. Only recently, since moving to Scotland, have I combined the two. I am working on my skating and although it's testing my patience, I've discovered I'm not as bad as I thought I would be at moving with a stick and puck! I'm really enjoying it, and I would love to join a team, but my job keeps me working all the hours there are. I can't help feeling I got started too late, but who knows, if the opportunity arises, I will take it and see where it leads!