At what age does a player start slowing down?

[tonguesOUT4life 17]

To the older guys on this forum..at what age did you relize you were slowing down and couldn't keep up with the younger kids on the ice ? Is it all just a mental thing where you just don't feel hungry anymore therfore your game hits a decline or is it your body that is saying no? If you look at jagr he's in his 40s but he can still play and make an impact in the nhl wich gives me an idea it's all a mental thing. Since he has no family or kids to worry about he can spend more time in the gym to maintain his game..i know older guys have to work twice as hard. Some people think it doesn't matter what u do when u reach a certain age your body starts slowing down I'm still young in the 20s but it's depressing me just thinking about getting old and slowing down..is there a certain age u reach when u decline or is it all just a mental thing ?

[MN old and slow 92]

In my mid 50s. I would say never. Have fun , you have many years left to play. Many of the 50 plus tourneys are played at a high level with a high level of fun. Skills diminish a bit but rink awareness and craftiness grows.

[Caihlen 67]

Never. I'm 54. I probably hurt more than you but I'm not going to let on. Work hard, learn, have fun.

[Chadd 916]

We have a guy on our team that is closing in on 70 and is one of the best skaters I have seen. he has a great, smooth stride.

[chk hrd 164]

I will be turning 50 next month and play on a team with my 21 year old son. I am old enough to me most of my team mates father. Playing helps keeps me young. I have gotten slower over the years, my eye sight may not be what it was, my hands may be slowly turning to stone and I don't play as physical as I used. On the other hand I am a lot calmer on the ice and don't take it as seriously. I still compete as hard as anyone and give it everything I can when I play. Hockey has always been more than a game to our family. As long as I can still play, give something back to the game and still have fun I'll be out there. I sometimes hurt the next day, it takes me longer to heal and it's hard playing in tournaments because of wear and tear I've put on my body but I'm not stopping. You are at an age wear you may feel invincible. One of the benefits of getting older is you are able to put things in perspective.

[wils5150 4]

I played a lot of hockey up till I was 23 then took 25 years off. When I started back up in May I was 30 pounds more than my younger days and did alright. The past month I lost 12 pounds ( 15 more to go) and picked up a lot of speed and endurance. I also went from playing once a week to being on the ice 3 or 4 times a week. I think if you keep at it and get out as much as you can your skill and speed will deminish at a slower rate.

[Capt.Hook 23]

I think the key is to keep learning and getting smarter. You have to change your game. You can no longer just try to beat guys with speed and power moves because the speed and power is not there when you reach for it. The term "crafty veteran" describes it best. As your speed goes you learn deception better, protecting the puck better, and become a much better passer and you read the ice much better. If you don't adjust, you will just be very frustrated.

For me it was a little after 35 that I noticed how much speed I'd lost, how much more my back hurt, and most of all how much longer recovery took. Jagr can keep doing it because he trains a lot and also had an other worldly skill set to begin with. I remember what they said Chelios had to do to keep going into his 40's. It was a ridiculous amount of training and that was just to keep up, not get better.

If you can accept the fact that you will have to change your game, you will still have a lot of fun. Keep learning and keep working on things and it stays just as fun and sometimes is more fun because you take winning a little less seriously and enjoy the game more. I can't rush end to end as much any more but I've gotten a lot smarter and am still effective.

[start_today 770]

I've seen guys who played college slow down to a drastic degree because they get fat and lazy and don't have a training regiment to follow. Make good decisions off of the ice, and it will help on the ice.

[chk hrd 164]

Lets face it, getting old is a bitch, it what you make of it that counts. I may be getting older but I refuse to act like it.

[HotBacon 0]

It all depends on how much you continue working at it. In my experience you lose a step after you start playing competitively. Once I graduated college, and was no longer on the ice 4-5x/week, I could tell I wasn't the same player as I was. It's most obvious in your hands at first, passes and shots and stickhandling aren't what they used to be. Then around 30 I realized I had to really push to keep up with the younger guys, but could still do it when I wanted to. Now I'm at 37 and there are a handful of kids (i.e. - 20ish) that I know I can't catch if they have a step on me, and my shooting is embarrassing compared to what it used to be. At the same time though, I'm only one the ice 4x/month at the most, and rarely skate in the summer. If I'd keep playing regularly, I'm sure I could have retained some of that skill.

One thing you do have as you get older is experience, and hopefully hockey knowledge. I'm able to put myself in better positions and read the play much quicker than most of the high school/college kids nowadays. So that helps to make up for the lost step.

[chk hrd 164]

There is a lot of truth to the old saying "youth and strength are no match for age and treachery'. If you can't out muscle them, out think them!

[MThockeydad 469]

I think the key is to keep learning and getting smarter. You have to change your game. You can no longer just try to beat guys with speed and power moves because the speed and power is not there when you reach for it. The term "crafty veteran" describes it best. As your speed goes you learn deception better, protecting the puck better, and become a much better passer and you read the ice much better. If you don't adjust, you will just be very frustrated.

For me it was a little after 35 that I noticed how much speed I'd lost, how much more my back hurt, and most of all how much longer recovery took. Jagr can keep doing it because he trains a lot and also had an other worldly skill set to begin with. I remember what they said Chelios had to do to keep going into his 40's. It was a ridiculous amount of training and that was just to keep up, not get better.

If you can accept the fact that you will have to change your game, you will still have a lot of fun. Keep learning and keep working on things and it stays just as fun and sometimes is more fun because you take winning a little less seriously and enjoy the game more. I can't rush end to end as much any more but I've gotten a lot smarter and am still effective.

^^^^

My body doesn't recover near as quickly as it did when I was 25, but my brain works a lot faster.

I'm a relative newcomer to hockey, but it's going to keep me young better than anything else.

I'll be 40 in a month and a day. I look forward to getting even craftier with age.

[Neo5370 132]

You're never too old to throw a half-rink breakout pass or be the "give" in a give-and-go. No one in the world can move faster than the puck; a goal makes one person happy, but an assist makes two people happy. These two phrases are what I remember most from when I was a kid, and as I've aged passing has now replaced skating as my best asset. This is what allows me to play with people who are more fit and not look too out of place.

[Chadd 916]

One thing you do have as you get older is experience, and hopefully hockey knowledge. I'm able to put myself in better positions and read the play much quicker than most of the high school/college kids nowadays. So that helps to make up for the lost step.

I've been saying for years that "being a step ahead mentally makes up for being a step behind physically" and I'm fortunate enough to be more than a step ahead of some guys mentally.

[MyBoxersSayJoe 133]

At 31 I've noticed I don't recover as quickly. Either from exertion or injury. Whether I'm a slower skater or not, I'm not sure.

[chippa13 1844]

You're never too old to throw a half-rink breakout pass or be the "give" in a give-and-go. No one in the world can move faster than the puck; a goal makes one person happy, but an assist makes two people happy. These two phrases are what I remember most from when I was a kid, and as I've aged passing has now replaced skating as my best asset. This is what allows me to play with people who are more fit and not look too out of place.

You do realize that the same guy in a "give and go" gives then goes.

[MyBoxersSayJoe 133]

I think from the context we understood he's fine with being the "and".

[DarkStar50 679]

You don't stop skating because you get old. You get old because you stop skating.

[Munsons 2]

I play pickup with some pretty decent players where the average age is probably around 30-35. The best player out there is in his 50s. He's such a smooth skater with deceptive speed (couple of strides and he's gone). Fun to watch and a blast to play with because he's so hockey smart.

[DarkStar50 679]

Also, don't let size fool you. One of the guys in my over 50 group is about 5'9", 260. He has been playing over 40 years. Great hands, great positioning, sees the entire ice to pass, and tough to get around with his simple pokecheck. All this on 2 replacement hips too. Simply put, a real pain in the ass to play against.

[Junor 2]

I started to slow down at 22. Age is just a number. You can be in better shape and gain speed and endurance

[Nealoc187 10]

i just turned 35 and i don't really feel like i've lost a step in top speed, but acceleration i think may be suffering a bit. perhaps because i've got 15-20lbs more to accelerate now than i did when i was 5-10 years younger lol.

[wils5150 4]

one thing i noticed in my d league is many players have little hockey knowledge. I feel I play better with better players because they are where i think they should be positioned. strange i know! guess in my mind it proves positioning is just as important as physical abilities.

[Jason Harris 31]

I was probably my fastest around 40. But that was because I wanted to improve my stride, so even though I had played throughout my life (with pockets off), I took a skating course and became more efficient. I'm sure if I had taken the course at 25, it would have been faster than 40, but not by much.

I find that if I work out regularly -- and intelligently -- the drop off has been maybe 10%. For the most part, whether I use machines or weights, I've been a circuit trainer who goes to full exhaustion, then I'll go on the cardio machines and try to keep a challenging pace. I believe that has helped me avoid injuries as well as minimize the needed recovery time.

[kingofnooyork 30]

I turn 40 this year. I dont feel any slower than i did when i was 19. As long as i skate at least 2 times a week i dont really get sore. The one major thing i noticed at around 35 was how nutrition was having more of an impact on my endurance. At 19 i could eat breakfast and skate all day on 3 hours sleep. Now if im not getting enough rest or eating just the right things day before and day of there is a definite energy drop off. I take some supplements; creatine, d-ribose and coconut water (for electrolytes) , cup of coffee before i play games and i can usually stay fast with the younger guys. Ive tries biosteel but cant really tell if it makes a difference. As long as prepare i feel fine.