what made you start hockey?

[Auditory 0]

Just as the title states. What got you started playing hockey? For me, my brothers had played and got me started as a mite. Curious to see how you all started.

[maxamillion 3]

saw him dominate a game on ESPN and it inspired me to pick up the stick my brother gave me and play some street hockey.

[Jason Harris 31]

Bobby Orr.

From everything I've read, hockey exploded in the Boston area once he started playing, and I was smitten as soon as my Dad would let me watch games with him, which was around the late 60's. Too bad all that viewing didn't translate into talent, however.....

[automorph 0]

being Canadian

[fatwabbit 93]

Chicks... when I first started out, there were teams all over the place, and some teams had really hot groupies.

[SouthpawTRK 1]

I decided to play hockey to honor my brother's passing and to honor his memory (he passed away while playing hockey).

[Vulcan7905 88]

My familes history! My grandfather played, my father played, my brother played and I hope my son will play. Also, aways number 2. I honestly missed the ten years of not playing it. Wasn't sure what shyed me away but I know something kicked me in the head to start loving it and playing it again.

[DarkStar50 679]

My older brother was playing with his high school buddies on the pond. It looked like fun and I wanted to try it. I started when I was about 12 outside on the ponds. I remember buying Northland Custom Pro woodies, Lie 5, Hyde Blueliner skates, an old CCM bucket like Red Berenson wore on the Blues. Hockey is a sport for life.

[MyBoxersSayJoe 133]

Started rollerblading and playing street hockey at 7. At 10, the '94 eastern semi-final playoff series between the Rangers and Devils. I started taking learn-to-skate lessons at the local ice rink right after that. Haven't stopped since.

[GoBucky 0]

Ive always been a fan of hockey and I decided why not take the leap from being a spectator/fan to being a player? Granted, I will never advance past open/adult rec hockey leagues but Im happy just be out there on the ice playing.

[puckhoggy 0]

Backyard river would overflow and freeze during the winter when I was younger. Great times!

[cemetery 14]

I was 6 or 7 when Gretz came to the Kings, and there was a buzz at my school going around about hockey, got interested right away...however, didn't start playing until about 1993 after watching Bure leave a couple defenders in the dust and score on a breakaway, decided then and there I wanted to do the same thing and made my parents sign me up for a league.

[samson35 0]

I actually hated hockey growing up. Don't really know why to be honest. Went to a friends house in 2004 and watched the first round of the stanley cup playoffs between the canucks and the flames. To be honest, I was hesitant about going because I didn't want to watch hockey, but I figured its with friends so I went. Miikka Kiprusoff really got my attention, despite being from Vancouver and being surrounded by Canucks fans. In between periods, we played street hockey and I wanted to immitate Kiprusoff. Next thing you know, I'm making saves and loving every second of it. Started finally playing organized hockey in 2006 after a couple years of convincing my parents and compiling gear and I've never looked back.

[Law Goalie 147]

I got into the mythology from my dad's storytelling, backed up by piles of books and a vast hockey card collection. Albert Forrest from the Dawson City team that got mauled by Frank Mcgee and the Silver Seven made a huge impression, as did the stories of Vezina, Morenz and Richard, though I was never a Habs' fan - more of a respectful grudger. That was what stuck with me: the story of the game, whether it was on the scale of a lifetime, a season, or a shift. That's probably why I became a goalie: it's easier to follow the play (in both senses) when you're sitting back from it. To this day, I find it more fun to read the play than to make the play, though I have started to dabble a little as an active skater because of the fun I've had coaching and shooting.

[TeamBlue96 3]

Watching the Legion of Doom.

[Spence4101 0]

Canadian and whole family's Canadian... comes with the territory, been playing 13 years now.

[Hradsky 1]

Being Slovak and living in Canada.

My dad played, all his brothers played...one of them played in the semi-pro leagues over there. All the times my dad would watch the game on TV I guess got to me. I've been playing almost as long as I can remember.

[interpathway 9]

Surprised this hasn't been touched on yet, but mini-hockey (knee hockey) got me to street hockey which got me to ice hockey. What a long strange trip it has been.

Capitals 1998 Cup Run sure helped too.

[goblues38 0]

The 1980 Miracle on ice. I was 8 years old then, and we were at my grandma's. At that time, where she lived, no one even knew what a hockey stick was. I remember going down in her basement with yardsticks we taped blades on to and playing hockey.

It took me another 6 years of street / basement / pond hockey and going to pub;ic ice skating sessions every Friday and Saturday before I could convince my parents this is what I wanted to do. So in 1986, instead of trying out for freshman high school soccer, i tried out for ice hockey, + joined the local house team. Been playing ever since. 25+ years now.

[sickwilly 37]

Going to Maine Mariners AHL games in the late 70's and street hockey.

[JTully317 11]

Grew up around it. Father played as well as majority of my uncles. Uncles also ran a camp so I started there and kept going with it.

[beth 0]

I knew nothing about hockey until my son started playing a little over a year ago. Then in August, the women's league held a "Give Hockey A Try" day, and I thought it'd be fun to try it once, just to say I did it.

10 months later, I'm on my second team, an assistant coach for beginners, and on the ice 3-5 times a week. lol So glad I tried it, I can't imagine NOT playing hockey now. Wish I'd started as a kid.

[chippa13 1844]

My older brothers played so I started skating and playing at a young age, I think I was skating at 3. Unfortunately, starting early doesn't always make you into a hockey legend. However, if you combined my oldest brother's size with my middle brother's hands and my effort and half decent skating ability, we could have made a passable hockey player.

[DoublinUp 0]

my best friend growing up was from buffalo and moved to idaho. we started in the house with sticks and boxes taped to our legs as pads!!!

[Scoobersti 0]

There was a kid that lived on my street when I was growing up that played hockey. My brother was in the same grade as him and we started playing street hockey with him and few others from our neighborhood. Eventually my brother and I got really into it and started wanting to play ice.

Oh and watching Pavel Bure when he started with the Canucks also got me more interested as well.