To Live and die in LA......without hockey

[nicktsigos 12]

I just moved here for work from Philadelphia and the scene is way different. In Philly i played on 2 mens teams, and basically had my pick of rinks to play open at whenever I wanted. In Los Angeles its a harder.....I've found 2 rinks near hollywood where I'm living and the open hockeys fill up so quickly its insane, the stick times are super lame. Anyone live near the area that has any insight where I can get some more skating in? please help.

[hockeyguy1 1]

they have pick up hockey and stick time at the toyota sports center in El Segundo, near LAX(this facility is where the kings practice and the lakers do too) and there is Culver city ice rink but it isn't the greatest place to skate. And there is PickWick gardens in Burbank but haven't played there since I was a kid. where are you skating now?

[nicktsigos 12]

I'm not skating anywhere now, I signed up for pick up at culver city this past sunday just to drive there in the AM and be told that its too full and that I couldn't play. Spoke with a guy at Valley Ice Center today, and he seemed cool. I might head there in the AM for a stick time. Really looking to try and play on a team sooner then later if possible.

[Thepandamancan 0]

Valley Ice (Kings own it, sorta) has lots of drop ins and sticktimes. Not sure about their leagues/quality of play.

Pickwick in Burbank isn't the greatest rink, but it's the closest to me. There is pickup on Wednesday nights, but it gets full real quick. If you get there around 8:15 you should be able to snag a spot.

Your best bet in the coming weeks might be Pasadena. There's a brand new rink (a year old now) in the heart of Old Town Pasadena and the new season starts in March I think. They have lots of pickups too, usually the Thursday night one at 10:30 is fairly empty and open. If you wanna play in a league, they have a draft/evaluation night where everyone plays in a pick up and the team captains show up and scout for talent. Parking sucks there (it's either a paid garage or street) but it's probably the best rink after TSC in the LA area.

I always thought hockey in LA was this nonexistent thing, but it's a pretty big operation once you're part of the group.

[mcawesome 1]

What's up Nicky? It's Woj, glad to hear you're out in LA, even though it's a crazy place. While I was in LA, I played at Culver City for a few months. The old man there is kind of a flake, but the hockey isn't terrible. The ice, however, is horrible, but I was there in the Summer. Maybe it's better in cooler months. I have a buddy out there who plays at Pasadena, he says it's the place to be. If/when I get a chance to get out there, you better believe I'm bringing my gear now that I know a few people in LA.

[x-axis 44]

For stick time go to Panorama City at Valley Ice. Remember to bring your own pucks.

League Play go to Toyota.

Pasadena is fairly decent but depending on your skill level, it's a may be. I think it's the nicest rink in the LA area.

Other quality spots to check out for pick up and stick time are Glacial Gardens and Valencia Ice Station. Both are a drive, but quality is really good.

[SirJW 207]

Early morning sessions are all usually less crowded.

The Hockey Culture in LA is small but tight. Once you join a team things should change for you. Go to a Kings game and just chat it up in lines and your seats. It's a different culture than other places but just a passionate. You will find for the traditional markets at least a third of the place is for the opposing team but when other teams play a third of them are back rooting for the Kings.

Also check out

http://letsgokings.com/forum.php

This is the core of the hockey culture in LA.

[flaming_june 2]

Drive out to disney ice for some drop in maybe? One thing though I found players in LA who actually played were generally much better players than ones up north. Good luck finding a team to play too.

[nicktsigos 12]

Woj, Holy shit man. are you back east in jersey?

everyone, thank you for restoring my faith in the scene out here. I'm stoked to hear that hockey lives and breathes out here. I'm kinda excited about getting in with a core group of people and then really living the sport. hoping to see some of you guys on the ice. again.....thank you

[mcawesome 1]

Woj, Holy shit man. are you back east in jersey?

everyone, thank you for restoring my faith in the scene out here. I'm stoked to hear that hockey lives and breathes out here. I'm kinda excited about getting in with a core group of people and then really living the sport. hoping to see some of you guys on the ice. again.....thank you

Yea man, still in Jersey. I haven't played in 9 months due to wrist surgery, I'm going back tomorrow morning for the first time. Hope you find your rink out there bud!

[Sort of Irish 1]

Played in Los Angeles for a while in a handful of different leagues.

Pickwick: Teams can be really cliquey especially at the higher levels which can make it a little tougher to actually join one. I definitely had the most fun in the league at Pickwick, it's beer league hockey in it's truest form-- close knit, guys hangout before and after the games, relatively good quality of hockey. I will say that Pickwick isn't necessarily the nicest LA rink but that was never an issue for me since I've played in a lot of dumps between Chicago and Toronto. I never had a problem with the hockey director but there were a handful of players that felt she was hard to work with. Last note on Pickwick is that the games seem to be a little chippier than anywhere else in LA.

Culver City: Relatively easy to get on teams, jersey's provided, the ice sucks, and you can't drink beer in the locker rooms. People tend to show up, play there games, and then takeoff. I thought the admin side of the league was fairly well run. Jerseys and socks are provided and games are always on the same night i.e. advanced is always Monday night, intermediate is Tuesday, etc, which worked out well for me.

El Segundo: Skated the weekly stick times down there a lot but I was only in the men's league for one season during the fall. It's one of the nicer rinks in LA and is relatively convenient if you live South of the 101. I played in the Elite league and it was probably the most competitive men's league hockey I've played in terms of the caliber of other players. Games are always on the same night which is always great and the league is really well managed-- stats, updates schedules, etc, are all available on-line. The group of guys are good too, everything gets left out on the ice, and the leagues impose fines and/ or suspensions which highly discourages a lot of the BS.

Valencia: Played a few games up there as a sub but never joined the league. The arena is nice and I heard good things about the men's league but it was just too far to justify signing up.

[MC6694 2]

What's up Nicky? It's Woj, glad to hear you're out in LA, even though it's a crazy place. While I was in LA, I played at Culver City for a few months. The old man there is kind of a flake, but the hockey isn't terrible. The ice, however, is horrible, but I was there in the Summer. Maybe it's better in cooler months. I have a buddy out there who plays at Pasadena, he says it's the place to be. If/when I get a chance to get out there, you better believe I'm bringing my gear now that I know a few people in LA.

Culver is terrible I hate that place haha. Pasadena is alright but their open skate session wreak some havoc on the ice. There is also Paramount Iceland but I only skated there once a few years ago so I don't remember conditions.

[Sort of Irish 1]

Culver is terrible I hate that place haha. Pasadena is alright but their open skate session wreak some havoc on the ice. There is also Paramount Iceland but I only skated there once a few years ago so I don't remember conditions.

Oh, one thing I forgot about Culver is the boards are jacked up and create some really weird bounces. So yes, Culver kind of sucks but then again it's super convenient if you live in the Santa Monica area.

[Boz 0]

Pick up thursday nights in Pasadena is good and ive heard tues and friday nights are too. Sunday nights I run a pickup at culver, we rent the ice and do our own thing. ice was real bad before they fixed it and even when it was bad it was no worse than a pond except there was no grass or twigs sticking out of it. sometimes the pickups get hosed with a butt ton of novices both at my skate and at Pasadena stick time does def suck out here because no one has any sense... If you wanna come skate sunday nights with us we start at 1045 and play obnoxious music.

[SmokinApricot 22]

Tried posting this on LetsGoKings forums, but haven't received a response yet so I thought I'd try here as well. I played on a team as a free agent add on in a women's ice hockey tournament in Las Vegas and had a blast so I am looking for a women's ice hockey league and tournament team to play on. I currently play in a co-ed league in Oxnard, CA on Thursday nights and am looking to pick up another night of hockey. There are no women's leagues/teams locally so I am looking in the LA area. Please post here or PM me if you have any information or contacts.

[donkers 31]

If you don't mind driving to Torrance/South Bay the Skating Edge Sunday morning pick up is pretty nice. You get the first sheet of ice that has been sitting over night too.

I grew up playing for the Jr Kings so the TSC has always felt like home to me but lately every time I go there I hate the crowds and big facility. I love small rinks like Culver City no matter how ghetto it is or how terrible the ice is. Well, the ice does bother me a bit but in 30 minutes you hardly notice.

And if you think hockey in LA is bad San Diego is 100x worse in my opinion.

[hockeyguy1 1]

If you don't mind driving to Torrance/South Bay the Skating Edge Sunday morning pick up is pretty nice. You get the first sheet of ice that has been sitting over night too.

I grew up playing for the Jr Kings so the TSC has always felt like home to me but lately every time I go there I hate the crowds and big facility. I love small rinks like Culver City no matter how ghetto it is or how terrible the ice is. Well, the ice does bother me a bit but in 30 minutes you hardly notice.

And if you think hockey in LA is bad San Diego is 100x worse in my opinion.

im from los angeles and live in sd now and i gotta disagree with you on saying its worse down here. You have the kroc center which has pretty good ice, the boards are newer and good lights. you have pick up on weds and fridays along with stick time. Then you have mira mesa ice arena which has pick up mon-weds nights. I havent been to escondido yet but i hear that is nice and the only rink down here that i hear is crappy is the ice town at UTC. The culver city ice rink is super beat, the ice is weak in the corners and very choppy. For god sakes when i was there a couple months ago they didnt even have designated player benches, they were just open benches that you had to hop over higher than normal boards and the dressing rooms are upstairs which is a bi*ch to walk down when you have skates on. TSC is super big but what do you expect that has 3 ice rinks, house the kings and the los angeles lakers, Its a big sports complex but id rather have quality.

[donkers 31]

im from los angeles and live in sd now and i gotta disagree with you on saying its worse down here. You have the kroc center which has pretty good ice, the boards are newer and good lights. you have pick up on weds and fridays along with stick time. Then you have mira mesa ice arena which has pick up mon-weds nights. I havent been to escondido yet but i hear that is nice and the only rink down here that i hear is crappy is the ice town at UTC. The culver city ice rink is super beat, the ice is weak in the corners and very choppy. For god sakes when i was there a couple months ago they didnt even have designated player benches, they were just open benches that you had to hop over higher than normal boards and the dressing rooms are upstairs which is a bi*ch to walk down when you have skates on. TSC is super big but what do you expect that has 3 ice rinks, house the kings and the los angeles lakers, Its a big sports complex but id rather have quality.

The Kroc is nice. I played there when I played for State for a couple years but it's impossible to get on their pick up list unless you show up an hour early. Stick time is terrible because it's right after the Saints combined practice so all 200 kids or something get on the ice again.

The Culver ice and facility is on par with UTC but at least with Culver you don't have to deal with the fact that you're playing in a food court. You may not get legit players benches at Culver but at least you can see the ice. The UTC benches have these godawful pillars right inside the benches that block your view. I don't know why they won't move the benches to the other side. The UTC ice is also 4 on 4 size.

Escondido has mid day pick up which is okay it's the only one I can make it.

Mira Mesa pick up is from 10:30 to midnight and has douchebags as regulars which is why people are dropping like flies and Craig has to do a 2 for 1 deal to get people to come out.

Anyways, when I said hockey in San Diego is terrible I wasn't talking about the facilities. I was talking about the level of players and how the beer leagues are ran.

[SirJW 207]

Tried posting this on LetsGoKings forums, but haven't received a response yet so I thought I'd try here as well. I played on a team as a free agent add on in a women's ice hockey tournament in Las Vegas and had a blast so I am looking for a women's ice hockey league and tournament team to play on. I currently play in a co-ed league in Oxnard, CA on Thursday nights and am looking to pick up another night of hockey. There are no women's leagues/teams locally so I am looking in the LA area. Please post here or PM me if you have any information or contacts.

Toyota Center has a Friday Night Women's division. It's Novice thru Intermediate all in one division. New season will be starting this month I believe.

http://www.toyotasportscenter.com/

Panorama City has a Sunday Women's division. Higher level. Not sure about season details.

http://www.lakingsvalleyicecenter.com/

My wife plays tournaments and can always use players to join her teams.

[SmokinApricot 22]

Toyota Center has a Friday Night Women's division. It's Novice thru Intermediate all in one division. New season will be starting this month I believe.

http://www.toyotasportscenter.com/

Panorama City has a Sunday Women's division. Higher level. Not sure about season details.

http://www.lakingsvalleyicecenter.com/

My wife plays tournaments and can always use players to join her teams.

Thanks for the info. I'm going to try and sign up for the new season at Panorama City that starts next month I think. Definitely PM me if your wife is ever short I am more than willing to travel for tournaments.

[hockeyguy1 1]

Anyways, when I said hockey in San Diego is terrible I wasn't talking about the facilities. I was talking about the level of players and how the beer leagues are ran.

Fair enough, you should've stated that originally. From that perspective, I can understand where you are coming from.

[beedee 227]

Man, Culver City sure brings back some memories. I remember watching the Kings practice there back in 89-90, and I also remember seeing the 'Skate with the Kings' event going on before our game one night (Bantam division). We were all waiting on the stairs for the event to end, so we could walk over to our bench and McSorely walked by, I handed him my stick and he signed it right there on the spot for me, an old wooden Sherwood 5030 Coffey curve.

[SirJW 207]

My Team is looking for a few players this summer.

We play Sunday Nights in the Bronze Division at TSC in El Segundo.

The team is a run and gun type. We don't have the best break out and don't always cycle that well but we have a good time and there is little to no sniping or arguing. The skill level is Lower Intermediate, everyone can skate and knows how to play. Some have great hands others don't. I think we have all played since youth hockey, most of us took some time off and now play adult. We play to have fun and want to win but it's not live or die. The league and games overall are very competitive just to get an idea of the type of play.

Season

Starts April 21st

.

Game times range from 7:30 - 10:45 PM.

16 regular season games.

Top 4 teams qualify for playoffs.

Cost is around $25 per game as sub.

Full season is

$495.

[Mr. Hockey 1]

It's the same way up here in Santa Rosa. I moved here from Michigan where ice rinks were a dime-a-dozen and pick-up's rarely ever filled up. Here in California, rinks are rare and the pick-ups fill up almost instantly. I got lucky and happen to have an ice arena 10 minutes from my house. I've met tons of cool people since I started skating here.

[sticky667 0]

Ontario Center Ice has a great surface and the place is professionally run. It's very clean and well kept. Usually playing pick up in the 30+ on Tuesday. It has a good mix of skill and intermediate guys.