adult newbie players options....

[hockeyphan 1]

Hey all... let me begin by saying I guess im not your "average " newbie ... Ive played a ton of roller hockey..... and street hockey and have tried to learn skating a handful of times when I was younger. Hockey has ran in my blood through my entire family... both my father and his brother played ... and my father played in a collegiate level... as well coached HS hockey here in MA. I now live in RI ... and fast foward... am 28 years old. I began skating mid december... so about a month now and definately have the fever!

The point of my post is to discuss how a newbie gets into the transition to play hockey.... ive been skating a bunch of public skates (almost 7 days a week) ..... and sometimes get to go on early/stay on the ice late and drop a puck and stick handle a bit with a stick... however I dont get the chance to even just shoot around much.... My options are go play pickup hockey.... i was talking to a guy and he thought I was ready and was picking it up "very quick" .... but my gut says join a "D League" or "instructional league " instead of dealing with a mix level of players in pickup ..... I just want it to be as fun as possible so I get into this sport even further ..... Im really enjoying myself skating and I basically have outfitted myself with everything but shoulderpads which im in the process of getting something ....

so whats your advice?????

[Chadd 916]

jump in with both feet and don't hold back.

[hockeyphan 1]

i guess playing with better players gets you better..........

[Axxion89 32]

i guess playing with better players gets you better..........

Simply put, yes it does, but its harder at first

[technophile 0]

A D or instructional league is a really good idea; pickup games can be tough to judge the skill level from day to day, and while "playing with better players makes you better", that's only with players who don't smoke you so fast you can't learn from it.

You might also check for adult "learn to play" classes, I took those when I was getting into ice and they helped tremendously (having an instructor around who can give you helpful information on what you're doing wrong/skating instruction/etc is great).

[Vulcan7905 88]

See if you have a beginner league at all. How ever it's hard to gauge without playing first. I started at the beginner and then moved up to the + (mostly a beer league) because I wanted a challenge and to improve. It's like Chadd say how ever, jump in with both feet and don't hold back!

[Philly Fly-hairs 0]

jump in with both feet and don't hold back.

best advice to give you right there.... also just to add, ive played hockey competitively for years and now im 24 and i just play in beer leagues for fun, most of the leagues im in have a mix like you said of beginners and very experienced players... doing a D league is a definite good idea, but dont be afraid to challenge yourself as well, if your doing good there go up a league the following season... and most importantly HAVE FUN ITS HOCKEY! best of luck

[BlueJacketBadger 0]

Start out with stick and puck or playing in a D league. You dont want to be a new player and jump in with people who played juniors or D-1 college hockey. A couple years ago I played open hockey in Wisconsin as a new player and I ended up playing against kinds in their late teens who went to hockey camps in Minnesota every summer and played some pretty high level junior hockey and I got torched all the time.

Granted, it forced me to get tough really quick and its gotten me to the point where Im not intimidated to play against anyone but it was a tough road at first.

[wrangler 157]

Go play some pickup for starters, and form your own opinion. The advantage is that there's no commitment to continue. I expect that you'll run into some guys there who play, or have played, in some local leagues. They can give you an idea of the level of play in those leagues, and you can evaluate their information in the context of your observations of their play at pickup.

[hampshirepuck 2]

I would say pick up can get dicey depending on the rink, i would go to the rink and just watch a stick and puck session for a bit, some guys are loyal to a certain rink as you might know since you seem to come from a hockey family. I know some rinks get faster than others, when i played up in canada i was playing with alot of ex-junior, college and some minor pro guys, then when I moved back down to the states( portland, me) i found that one rink was full of ex college guys while the other was full of average joes like myself. the bottom line is this... dont spend the 5-10 bucks when your going to touch the puck for maybe a minute. it takes alot of trial and error but once you find the right group of guys its hard to break from them

[pzilla3 0]

Go play some pickup for starters, and form your own opinion. The advantage is that there's no commitment to continue. I expect that you'll run into some guys there who play, or have played, in some local leagues. They can give you an idea of the level of play in those leagues, and you can evaluate their information in the context of your observations of their play at pickup.

Agreed. A group of my buddies and I started a regular pickup game at our local rink and wound up finding guys we really enjoyed playing with. We're entering a team in one of our local roller leagues this spring.

One night we lucked out and showed up while one of the local teams was practicing. Nothing like a little exhibition game to let you know where you stand.

[hampshirepuck 2]

http://www.greaterbostonicehockey.com/

this is a pretty good site if you live close to boston

[LeMagnifique66 0]

First, welcome. (From one newbie to the site to another, I reckon.)

Second, excellent thread (especially for the level of participation thus far). I would hope that this helps many people that are new to the game.

Third, everyone is obviously different. There are likely people reading this thread who think one month isn't enough time in. But, skating nearly seven days a week in that month is actually a good chunk of ice time so far. For what it's worth, I had been away from the game for nearly 20 years (only having played as a goalie in organized hockey before at that). About one year ago I decided to just take up skating again which led into buying some player equipment and skating out for the first time in my life. I started (after about 2 months of just skating again 2 to 3 times a week) with "stick time" (A.K.A. "Stick and puck". A.K.A. "Stick and shoot". A.K.A. Put on at least a helmet and gloves, grab a puck and stick, and go out on the ice to generally stickhandle and rip shots for an hour or so.) The "friendships" I made there were instrumental. It may not be the same everywhere, but most folks I found there play in local leagues as well as the occasional pickup game. So, as we got to know each other, transitioning into pickup games seemed the next logical step (to me). That's still where I'm at right now at about one year. (Thanks to a back injury, sidelined at this time.)

Now, folks here are right... pickup seems to never be the same twice. We have a regular weekly slot and from week to week I may feel like Gretzky compared to many out there or like I should be the water boy. BOTH are learning experiences! (It's all in how you take it.) The best thing about it, to me, is that not much really seems to matter. It's just pickup! There are no team records. There are no playoff berths on the line. There really is no "winning team". (We usually don't even keep score and switch goalies half way through the game.) So, even the guys who play in local leagues (or higher) don't really care (or often remember) if you get torched or score 5 goals.

I am hoping to take a couple "remedial" classes this spring/summer on power skating and positional hockey that I may join a league team next fall/winter. But, this is just my path. As mentioned, everyone is different.

[hampshirepuck 2]

I think you got some good points, but from my experience with pick-up I find the newer players have a much better time playing during "lunch-time" hours instead of friday or saturday night sessions, unless its a special beginner pick-up/ For the most part the majority of my shinny experiences have been quite positive and alot of guys you meet could be your new friends. I have definitely met some of my good friends out of the shinny scene

[hockeyphan 1]

Just wanna say thanks to everyones replies... I didn't expect so much advice! I think ive decided a combo of both... im going to start playing pickup this week.... I got the equipment battle sorted out (getting decent stuff on the cheap used) ... so now its time to use my gear ! I've got into contact with somebody through a league called the hockey academy in the boston area and they are going to let me Sub in for a few games for 10-15$ a game and see how i like the D / Instructional league ..... but to mix in with that im going to dive in head first and play some experienced players and pickup and just hope for some newbies like me too. As of right now I'm still doing the public skates too .... getting all the ice time i can get!

PS. lets go bruins! sick game with philthadelphia!

Thanks everyone and hope this thread can help the newbs get their feet wet

[iceNsteel 0]

I'd recommend trying to find a drop in game with a good mix of skill levels if you can. Playing with guys that are way above your level won't help, you'll be a non-factor in the skate and might be more of safety liability than anything else. But if you get a group that has a mix of skill level you'll get to be pushed by guy that are better without being overwhelmed, and the better players in a mixed skill environment are going to be more used to skating with new guys. The thing I've noticed about rec D league hockey from years of reffing is there may be parity in the D league, but without coaching or learning from better players it can really stunt a player's development.

[Joshison 1]

Where are you in Ma? There's a good league with all levels here http://www.stinkysocks.net/

[Philly Fly-hairs 0]

Just wanna say thanks to everyones replies... I didn't expect so much advice! I think ive decided a combo of both... im going to start playing pickup this week.... I got the equipment battle sorted out (getting decent stuff on the cheap used) ... so now its time to use my gear ! I've got into contact with somebody through a league called the hockey academy in the boston area and they are going to let me Sub in for a few games for 10-15$ a game and see how i like the D / Instructional league ..... but to mix in with that im going to dive in head first and play some experienced players and pickup and just hope for some newbies like me too. As of right now I'm still doing the public skates too .... getting all the ice time i can get!

PS. lets go bruins! sick game with philthadelphia!

Thanks everyone and hope this thread can help the newbs get their feet wet

definately an amazing game against your bruins.. i was there its a shame we lost but bryz is awful... not all us philadelphians are bad though just like you beantowners...