Any good pick-up games in the Toronto area?

[bcboy 0]

Not sure if this is the appropriate forum to post this - Mod please move if so.

I relocated to Toronto a month ago and haven't been on the ice since. I work Mon-Fri till 7pm so would prefer later in the day or anytime on the weekend. I live in the Sheppard/Yonge area and don't really know this city yet so don't want to venture out too far.

I looked on Craigslist and didn't find much so not sure where to turn. Hopefully someone can here can hook me up!

Thanks for any help!

[AIREAYE 248]

http://www.hockeytoronto.com/index.cfm?cat=192

Enjoy :) Make sure to call ahead or email to get your place. These guys run a legit organization.

[Law Goalie 147]

Bruce always makes sure he's got two goalies at every skate.

The easiest major arena for you is probably Chesswood, which is due West of you along Sheppard. There are a ton of pickup games there, some of which are published on HockeyToronto and some of which you can discover just by taking a drive over.

If you can give a rough idea of your background in the game I can probably be a little more specific about which skates might work for you.

[bcboy 0]

Awesome thanks guys!

Law Goalie - I've played hockey all of my life and managed to play a few games in Jr B. when I was younger. I played in the Canlan league in Vancouver Div 2 so it was a pretty good pace. Not sure what else to add to this.

Thanks again for any help

[Law Goalie 147]

Definitely check out the 7-8pm Tuesdays and the 10:45 to midnight Friday skates at Chesswood; the latter used to be really, really intense, though I haven't been in a while. If you're in good shape, you can leave the barf bags at home. I also recommend the 3-4pm (usually) Saturday skate at the Varsity; it's not close to you, but easily accessible by the subway (St. George Station) if you intend on having a few pops afterward. The quality of player is a little lower at the low end, but they get some really talented guys out.

There are also a few respectable skates out of the CanLan rink at Victoria Park, though the rink itself is absolutely horrible, and practically hidden inside what appears to be a carpark with a revolving door of Asian-themed restaurants out front. You will be convinced you're about to go for a meal and not a skate until you see the pro shop.

[bcboy 0]

Sounds awesome! Are all of these skates through HockeyToronto? I tried calling them today but no response.

[Law Goalie 147]

Yep, Bruce gets players and goalies more all of those occasionally. He's generally more responsive to texts and emails. Basically, if a skate needs someone, they send him the info and he lists it; after that, you can deal with whoever actually runs the skate as far as paying, getting on a sub list, or whatever. Think of him as a short-order ice pimp.