what made you start hockey?

[LoneStar77 25]

I enjoyed playing inline hockey, which I started because I became a big fan of the Stars & some friends in college played inline. I stuck with it for 5-6 years & then took a break of a handful of years until 2 co-workers, who had played ice, wanted to play again. Ice hockey was something I had wanted to try since starting inline, but the prospect of an hour & a half drive one way, by myself when I was too nervous to see how bad I'd be always kept me away. When I had 2 co-workers who became friends talking to me about it, I thought 'what do I have to lose?' & I fell instantly in love with it & don't want to go back to inline anytime soon.

[hunterphfr 12]

Was born in Canada.

It's what we do.

[DField56 0]

I grew up playing street hockey and even watching but friends and to get into better shape got me started playing in leagues. doesn't feel like cardio, feels like a whole lot of fun.

[Vinny_R 1]

I think that this picture explain everything!

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff488/Vinny_83/IMG_0001_NEW.jpg

the shirt is written 99 for Gretzky, my uncle's favorite player and he gave me this suit.

[Rink Rat 0]

When I was 6 or 7 years old I started to take notice to the guys moving around really fast on the white surface on TV, so one day I said "dad, I want to play hockey" and before I knew it I was on the ice for the first time.

[Bimmer 0]

Played street hockey when I was a kid. We couldn't afford for me to play in any of the organized leagues, but my Dad would make an ice rink in our back yard every year and would buy me used skates so I could at least play with my friends.

Got into it again because a bunch of my neighbors play in the Senior Open League and I thought it would be a great way to get some exercise (as opposed to going to the gym every night which I cannot stand). Now that I can afford it, I got into an Adult development clinic and am planning to play in the SOL in the Fall. One of my boys (who is 8 now) is interested, so I am getting him involved and am realizing why my parents couldn't afford it when I was a kid..it's expensive!!!

[delpiero27 0]

i've been in Canada many times, since i was 3, and during one winter my cousin took me to play pond hockey in place near his house. i was 6 (or 5, i can't remember exactly). i didn't remember if it was so cold or not, in my memory there's just the face of my uncle screaming because our jeans were frozen, and my legs were red :) but it ended that we went play nealy every day. i was lucky that my cousin is two year older than me, so i could use he's old skates and sticks. For two straight winter holidays, that was our way of spend the day :) I'm not canadian, but i love canada, and i'm glad that my uncles moved there instead of any other place around the world. Canada is for sure my second home. Anyway, after that, due to the fact that where i live there wasn't any ice rink, i started play street hockey, and continued for many years until for the university games in 2003 they built up a brand new ice rink. It's not so close (almost one hour drive to go and same to go back home), but being there for watching the games i met with other italian guys and started thinking about play together. Then we went in contact with some american guys (the Air Force Base is very close to my home), and the team started to grow. I'm playing ice again since 2003, and there's no intention to stop. I'm already 38, but until my body will follow me, i'll keep going!!! Funny part of it is that my 2y daughter everytime i have to go out for work says: no, hocki. So at her eyes i'm a hockey player. Do i have to tell her really that i'm an architect???

I'll thank my cousin for all my life for let me follow him that day to the frozen pond, with the skates on my shoulder and a stick in my hand. but he's always facing me that i'ma a penguins fan and not a leafs one. It ended up buying at air canada center during an intermission a personalized leafs jersey with my name & number to be used during practices. Thanks Peter!!!

[boldfacecole 0]

Well, my dad tells me that when i was little an he would be looking for something to watch if he would flip to a hockey game i would hit him and say, "hockey now!" or something along those lines..he said that he would always be really confused because he never watched hockey so he doesn't know how i got into it but anyways. Thats how i started watching hockey then as the years passed i tried to play but could never afford it. So, i started playing football which is really what my dad wanted me to play just because we live in the south and he thought it was crazy that i wanted to play hockey. Though every time i went to my grandparents house my grandmother would get the caps off of old peanut butter cans and wrap them up in electrical tape and give me this old old street hockey stick and i would go out on the back porch for hours just playing with that stick and "puck". Back then my favorite player was Chris Osgood even though he was a goalie he was always my favorite player, and Detroit has always been my favorite team. now im 15 and after 11 years of football it just got boring and i wasn't having fun anymore and we can finally afford to play hockey so, last spring i played in a 4x4 spring league and that was my first real hockey experience, and now this year i will be on a house team yes nothing special but at least im playing now and living my dream to just play this wonderful game of hockey! Really no better sport in the world!

[xrickyb86x 1]

Grew up in the 90's in San Diego. Not exactly the best place for hockey. We had the San Diego Gulls playing out at the Sports Arena and the Barracudas in the RHI. Around the early 90's a local roller skating rink hopped on the southern California Gretzky roller hockey train and started hosting youth leagues. A couple of my friends joined but I was always a little afraid to tell my mom I wanted to try hockey. Before that I had done martial arts, baseball, and soccer. I hated all three. I brought home a flyer and told my mom I wanted to try it. After about six months of skating out I jumped in net and played goal from about age 9 to age 15. I played competitive roller hockey for Koho/Tour Pacific Cup and Six Pac. I quit after everything got a little too serious for me. I just really liked hockey but I didn't like how quickly things changed from fun to serious. I got into music and taught myself how to play guitar. Started a few punk bands and put out some records. I started playing again at 23 but only ice and as a forward. I'm 25 play both roller and ice but still have not gone back to playing in goal.

[ScruffyTheJanitor 1]

I'm from Buffalo and have been a hockey fan for as long as I can remember. Played a little roller and street as a kid but nothing serious until a couple years ago when I saw how much fun my friends were having in their new weekly pick-up games.

One of the guys, a member here who also introduced me to the site, played for years and I guess he got more of the guys into it. I saw them all play for a couple months before I decided to join in. One of the best decisions I've made in recent memory (though my wallet may disagree).

[Scotty 8]

My dad played when he was younger and during high school, so when I was about 12, I decided I wanted a part of it. I still remember trying my first wrist shots and they were basically passes across the floor because I had no idea of how to perform the mechanics of it. I recall thinking that I would NEVER get the hang of it and it developed into something that people now ask me where I learned and how to practice a release like mine.

[tiax 0]

when I was in the 6th or 7th grade I started playing roller hockey because I had friends who were playing and I told my parents I wanted to also. They signed me up a roller hockey league without a fight. Where I grew up we had an outdoor roller hockey rink in walking distance. That gave me the opportunity to play anytime the weather was nice. I would go there and either just skate around or if others were there play pick up games. I kept doing that until I started going to college and I about stopped playing all together at that point. Now I work full time and need something to do after work. So I decided to start playing hockey and a couple of weeks a go I bought ice skates. So now I'll start ice hockey.

[Guffaw26 0]

Just the love of the game after watchin' it on TV.

[BlackIce 1]

In my neighbourhood everyone played. We played street hockey and ice. There was a tennis court near my home which was an ice rink during the Winter. Didn't matter who you were we all played. I am glad that I started playing when I was younger as it's a game that you can play well into your middle years.

[danglefest 0]

I was born in canada, my dad played his whole life up until his knees started giving him problems so he always encouraged me to play. I started in roller hockey then did the child developmental programs at the local ice rink. I've been playing ever since.

[badger_14 601]

My parents don't like hockey, so it was never on the radar when I was a kid, but I had some friends get me into watching it in college, and then from there was just kind of, 'Hey, this looks like a lot of fun, I want to try this.'

[Slapshot9123 0]

My grandpa on my dads side played juniors in canada, he led to my uncle and my dad playing as kids. My uncle played through college, my dad gave it up because with 4 kids all playing sports 2 in hockey my grandparents couldn't afford to keep them both in hockey and my uncle was better so he quit so my uncle could keep playing and he continued playing baseball through college. On my moms side my one uncle actually played, the other 2 brothers and my mom would play in the backyard rink. When I was little my cousin who was 3 years older who is practically my brother played and after watching him when I was 4 I decided I wanted to skate. My parents put me in learn to skate and figure skating lessons till I was 6 then I started playing in the spring season that year. My dad, my uncle on my moms side, and my 2nd cousin started playing in a mens league together that year as well and I never looked back since then.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Moved here from Ireland in 2000. Company had seats at MCI center, now verizon center. It was when Michael Jordan was part owner of the wizards. Then he unretired. Everyone wanted tickets to the basketball games. Used to get emails from upstairs with free tickets to Caps when they were not in use.

Got to about half a season for free, good seats, section 202, after that got season tickets, couldn't afford same section, moved to section 413.

Few years ago got the urge to play, never skated before, apart from once at the jet center in coleraine back home.

It is how i made some of my closest friends in America. Love the game, it's been more than that to me. It's been a way to meet people outside my job too.

Addictive game, great people. And our league plays Friday night's on top of a brewpub. Hard to beat