what would you do ?

[felix2505 0]

the team i play for right now is playing at a pretty high and competitive level. they have a great rink and are a nice group of guys.

before this season i came back from a long injury that forced me out of hockey for over a year. over the course of last season i noticed that ever since coming back i´m just not that invested in the sport as i used to be. i still love playing, but the whole competitive aspect just didn´t seem to interest me anymore.

my conflict is this: should i go back to my old team (beer league, not a great facility, small roster, so practise gets cancelled quite often, would mean playing around once a week) where i´m really good friends with most of the guys ?

should i stick with my current team, where i get to practise 2 times a week but who play a competetive level that just doesn´t interest me that much anymore ?

what would you guys do in my situation ?

[ktang 34]

I think once the ultra- or high-competitive spirit is gone, it's better to play non-competitive games. Otherwise it would be just frustrating for you to "get up" for the practices and games.

[troy 12]

Play with your friends, and if you get the itch for better hockey try to go back. It gets less and less fun once you start feeling burnt-out.

[Chadd 916]

If you Don't have your head or heart into the game, you can get hurt playing at a more competitive level. It's also not really fair to the guys at that level who do have that kind of commitment.

[chk hrd 164]

There comes a time in everyones game when a decision is made to play the game for fun. Sometimes it's not making it to the next level, sometimes it's aging out and sometimes its not that important anymore. Sounds to me like your decisions has already been made and you don't want to accept it totally.

If you don't have the drive to play at a competative level then it's time to play for fun. Everyone who has played competatively has to do this at some time, Nick Lidstrom just had to make the same decision.

Play the game because you love the game. It doesn't matter what level as long as you are having fun.

[Vinny_R 1]

I had to do the same choice this year. I chose the older team with my buddy and far less competition for a lot more fun.

[evh5150 0]

I'd like to play in your friendly non-competitive beer league. I play in the lowest division at my rink, and there are too many guys who take it waaayyy too seriously for me, including guys on my own team. One guy acts like every game is the Stanley Cup finals, thinks he's Wayne F'ing Gretzky, gives everyone a hard time for screwing up, then does the very stuff he berated someone for doing.

Not to mention every team has a ringer or two who played at the college level who belong in a higher division, along with guys like me who are just getting back into it after 10 years or so, and older guys who are new to the game altogether. The other night, one of the ringers open-ice checked the smallest, oldest guy on our team practically out of his skates because he had his head down (non-check league). He got a penalty but still.... Come on!

[MC6694 2]

Here is a question why do you feel you are not into anymore? Is the injury making you play to cautiously which in turn might make you feel like you don't want to play competitively anymore? If that is the case I say play with the friends in the beer league and if you ever feel the fire see if you can move back up.

[The MAD Line 2]

I had to do the same choice this year. I chose the older team with my buddy and far less competition for a lot more fun.

I did the same thing. Quit playing intramural league here at university and found a small beer league off campus. Have a much better time now and it's a nice balance between being competitive and just having fun.