How did you start hockey?

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

I moved here from Ireland in April 2000. The company I worked for had season tickets for the MCI center. That was the year that Michael Jordan was back as a Washington Wizard part owner. Everyone wanted tickets to the wiz, no one took the caps tickets. there was an e-mail that went out when they didn't need tickets for corporate events, whoever wanted them couldhave them. (this was in oct of 2000, the start of the season).

I always seemed to reply in time, because myself and my friends just liked going to somewhere where we could drink, hang out, watch some sports.

From day one I was addicted (the seats were very good, section 202).

I got season tickets for the 2001/2002 season, and about a year or so ago started gathering gear. I took some skating lessons, and after the first lesson on rental skates went to the pro-shop and paid $119 for a pair of CCM tack 252's.

I slowly bought bits here and there, mainly from Play it again sports, replay sports and sports pros, which all carried used equipment.

And its only in the past 6 months I have begun treating myself to some new gear.

I still don't play in a league. I did play in the HNA beginner league, but gave it up until this coming winter. I don't mind not being the best or even close to the best, but I didn't want to be so bad that the rest of the team shudder when I was on the ice. Bear in mind the first time I ever saw an ice rink in person, apart from one incident when I was about 12, was when I went to my first caps game.

So I have spent the last year trying to improve my skating, going to public sessions, stick and puck, and have been to a couple of pickup games, but want to get my skating sorted before I do too much more.

Anyway, thats my long and boring assed story of me and hockey.

It has become along with GAA sports, my favorite passtime, watching it, playing it, xboxing it, hockeying it

[jjalb29 0]

I come from a hockey family, its really the only sport everyone in my whole family played. I started skating around 4 and started playing around 7 or 8. I grew up in the rink, watching my dad, uncles, and cousins. It was only a matter of time before i started playing. I was the only one dumb enough to get between the pipes though.

[Hobbes_86 0]

I always wanted to play ice hockey but never had the chance until after a rugby practice a few years ago one of the girls asked if anyone wanted to join her hockey team...Since I had played dekhockey a few years back I volunteered thinking that was what she meant. Then I found out it was ice and I balked at first, but she said they needed people really bad or they would fold...so I went out and been hooked ever since. It’s truly the best sport out there!

[BK 0]

I dont remember my first time skating and it almost feels like I was born knowing how... I was raised on the ice pretty much. Between pond and arena, I spent a lot of time on the ice. I moved to florida and didnt skate for about 5 years, but when I moved to Utah and started playing hockey, it all came back to me.

[Ti-girl 0]

I started playing ringette when I was about 5 and played until I was 8 when we moved. There wasn't any girls teams or ringette to where we moved to so I stuck with playing baseball and fastball.

Then when I was about 10 the starting goalie on the Atom Tier 1 team broke his leg and the other goalie broke his hand, both at the same game.

Well, my dad being the wonderful hockey dad he is, said that his daughter had never played goal before, but was an all star catcher and could skate.

Well I threw the world's biggest fit, but one of my buddies was on the team so I decided to suck it up for the year.

We ended up being the runner up for tier one provincials. I went 20-4-1 with a 2.13 GGA and a Save Percentage over .900.

I ended up playing goalie for the next 6 years. I quit when I was 16 to play fastball/baseball and to compete internationally with kayaking as well.

I started up again last year and play forward. I love the team that I play for, and love playing.

So I guess I have my father to blame...

[#44wannabe 4]

I went to see a semi-pro game (i actually play for them now, but i dont get paid haha) when i was about 8 or 9, my dad took me, and we had missed the first 15 mins or so, anyways when we walked in there a huge puddle of blood on the ice and some guy being stretchered off. I was hooked, but parents wouldnt let me play. I couldnt skate either. When i was 11 i learned to skate so i could play, after nagging my mum for 2 or 3 years she caved in. Im 16 now and in my fourth season.

[fatwabbit 93]

i started playing when i was 18 to meet more chicks... 13 years later, the only chicks I've met thru hockey were other hockey players' girlfriends... dammit!

[ponty 0]

Very easy answer for me that is simple.

1980 Olympics ... I am hooked to this day.

[Duder84 0]

canucks' '94 stanley cup run, thats the year i moved from taiwan to vancvouer, haven't looked back since. There is no other sports for me anymore. hockey=life

[biff44 0]

How did I start? One drunken night at the Fraternity house and someone asking "hey, you gonna be on the hockey team this year?". To which I replied, "Hockey???"

[wickedwrister 0]

Coached my son in basketball and soccer when he was 4. He wanted to play hockey the same year and asked if I would coach him for that too. I had always been a good skater, but never played any real hockey other than a few times friends rented the ice. I figured if I was going to coach I better play too. 5 years later I play three times a week, the boy plays AAA, and I have retired as a coach!

[The Playoff Beard 0]

Gretzky, Mighty Ducks Movie, The Sharks coming to San Jose, and FINALLY getting enough money to buy gear.

I've started at 25 years old since when I was growing up lessons and leagues for hockey were VERY expensive, I stuck to football and baseball since the equipment was provided and leagues were inexpensive. When I finally got a good job with awesome hours I started doing all of the things I couldn't afford, hockey is one of them. It's the hardest thing I have EVER had to learn (Buying Gear is just as difficult as learning to skate...Logitech Ice LHS, has been very unhelpful.) but it's also one of the most fun.

[stevoc 0]

Hockey in general started for me as a teenager playing with a crushed soda can and some home made sticks on the street I lived on. I didn't get into skating until about 5 or so years ago, (was hooked from that moment on)

Around that time my daughter was taking ballet at a school across the street from a roller hockey rink. I had lots of interest to enter, but was somewhat intimidated. Finally got up the nerve and went in. Never looked back after that.

[DarkStar50 679]

I started skating on the pond when I was 12. We watched the Rangers on TV all the time but couldn't afford to play hockey indoors. We finally found a shop that sold hockey equipment. It was like finding Santa's shop at the North Pole. They had everything. The place was O'Shea Athletic Outfitters in Emerson, NJ. I actually went to work there 10 years later and worked there for 23 years. My present job is only my second job, 5+ years. All in the hockey business. Anywho, we finally got our parents to take us to rinks at 2 AM since that was the only time open. We didn't care, it was the Stanley cup Finals for us. Through high school I used to play with "the men" at Friday night hockey. A friend of mine and I got a ride every Friday night with Jay the one-eyed goalie(he had a glass eye) and Wally the painter(an old german guy who loved to skate). Glenn and I sat in the back seat of the car for the ride for years and loved every minute of playing with these guys. In summer of 73 Glenn and I went to Can-Am hockey camp in Guelph. I was nervous playing against "Canadians." Turns out the best player was a kid from Chicago. They skated us so much in one week that by Wednesday I was sick of hockey. But we learned a ton of stuff.

I played pick-up hockey since I was 19 with a few mens league teams thrown in. I always got mauled in mens league back then. Broken wrist, cut open my other wrist on a guy's skate(20 stitches). I really felt like I didn't get any good at hockey until I was 27. Then I couldn't play for 15 months since I herniated a disk. When I came back, defence was my position. I figured I could stay out of trouble easier this way. I have definitely lost more than a few steps over the years but wouldn't trade in the games for anything. The people who play hockey is really a small circle. We all know one another and look out for each other. I look forward to every time I go to the rink.

[kmatt333 0]

....with Jay the one-eyed goalie(he had a glass eye)....

No kidding? How was he able to judge angles and whatnot?

It's pretty impressive, how ever he pulled it off.

[DarkStar50 679]

well, he wasn't the greatest goalie but he had played so long with the handicap that he had angles down really well. Also, on the way to the rink , about a 45 minute ride to Low Tor rink in Haverstraw NY, he would chew tobacco in the car. He was an old baseball guy. At every red light, he would open the door and let out a gob. The other thing I remember was the nights when he and Wally would stop at the Peanut Grill Bar in Orangetown, NY on the way home. We would go in and we could have Cokes while Jay and Wally had beers. We were 16 at the time and had already been drinking but of course, these guys couldn't let us imbibe.