Beer league hockey

DeadSkunk (Warren) said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Go get yourself a modern lightweight stick. You'll really notice the difference.

Pfft it's pretty hard to lay on the lumber with a lightweight stick.

RonnieFnD said:

hybridmomentspass said:

I just got a new pair of skates in spring, some expensive Vapors...all my skates up to that point didnt equal what these were (in terms of price). Then I was done two months later for 20 months.

I'll try to play this summer when Im not working

But work + grad school + family = not a lot of time for hockey

Good skates are where it's at.  I bought a pair of CCM AS-V pros and they were literally a game changer.  It's just like good work boots.

They are work boots for me. Literally, they're a tax write off. It is amazing how good skates are nowadays. If you get some SMU's, you can really get a superb deal. My current pair, CCM Xtra Pro from 2017 (purchased new in 2019?) are going to be retired in about a year with about 4-5 years on them. 
 

The blades too, when I was growing up I needed to get my skates sharpened every 5-10 hours of ice time. Now? I just got my skates sharpened in January 2024 for the first time since October 2022, which was about 500-600 hours of ice time. 

I will probably start to play again once my wife gets a full time job again. I definitely miss playing, but I see sooo much hockey and am in the rink so much right now that I get my fill. 

Rons said:

DeadSkunk (Warren) said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Go get yourself a modern lightweight stick. You'll really notice the difference.

Pfft it's pretty hard to lay on the lumber with a lightweight stick.

That old wooden stick scored the only goal our team put up last night :)

I played in Ford league for about a decade.  Even won a couple of championship mugs- which was cool.  Then a guy wanted to fight me because I tripped on the ice, taking out one of their players.  I walked away after that.  This was a guy who I had played with, and knew me well enough that I never try to hurt anyone.

From what I hear, Ford now has two leagues.

Played in a few college hockey board posters games, but that stopped.  That was a lot of fun.

I could never bring myself to get a modern CF stick- way too much money for my skill level. 

On the sticks...

Composite sticks nowadays make sense… if you know how to take a snapshot and utilize the flex.

The reason for this is that the carbon fiber sticks will rebound and maintain its flexibility for much, much longer than wood. At my parents house I have some 5030's that have a HUGE bend in the shaft (PHRASING). Slap shots are still pretty much the same, but wrist shots and snapshots really have lost their zing. With a composite stick, you'll theoretically get more "full strength shots" out of it.

But the above requires that you know how to use the flex of the stick and how to take a wrist/snap/backhand. And you probably want lower flex than you’re using.

In high school I used the Sher Wood 5030. Only kid on my team still using a wood stick, and that was 2004-2008. Sometime around then they moved production from Canada to China and/or Ukraine, and the stick was NOT the same. Just terrible. I bought up the last of the Canada made models I could find with the right curve. I started using composite more, especially 2 piece with a wood blade - I could never get used to the fragile feel of a composite blade. I still broke them, even using 100 flex - I was a defenseman with a pretty damn good slap shot - but less than with wood sticks.

Nowadays, I use the Northland Pro, made by Christian Bros (a Canadian firm bought the name).  They feel like the 5030 used to feel back in the day. Looks like The Great One endorses them now.

I should probably get a composite 65-70 flex though as I take a lot less slap shots than I used to when I do play. 

But at the end of the day, you just can’t deny… you’ll score more with a woody ;)

Current sticks: 

I played Division 1 college hockey for 2 years before the school found out that I wasn't nearly as talented as they initially thought I was, haha.  Bounced around some Club and rec-pro beer leagues and thought I was hot crap for a long time, which I assure you, I was not.  Now, I'm fully retired from hockey with two barely functioning hips (I was/am a goalie)... 

...BUT!  Things really do come full circle.  I was watching the Bruins one night last spring and my 4 year old daughter showed some interest.  We'd been pond skating a couple times, but nothing otherwise.  So I gently asked if she'd be interested in learning to skate and play hockey, to which she enthusiastically said yes.  We got her signed up into a hockey skills/intro to hockey program this fall, ironically the same one I played in as a Mite... In three short weeks, she went from the milk crate and blade dragging to solo skating to skating with a stick and puck.  Now she's learning body control and puck handling skills and it's all she talks about. 

I have to be honest, being back in a barn again made me feel ALLLLLL of the feelings.  It was really actually quite emotional, and was made more special being there with my daughter.  After her first practice, I knew I was screwed all over again.  So I got USA Hockey Coach certified, did my background check, and am now a "coach" for them.  It's been really REALLY REALLY enjoyable teaching young boys and girls the skills of the game.  I missed it way more than I'd even known... 

Here I am with my Dad and Uncle, probably 8 years ago. Likely one of the last times my uncle was able to skate before the cancer overtook him. 
 

The outdoor rink that I ref beer league at is below. My dad played away games here when he was a kid. The ref back then tossed my grandpa at least once - this must have been when Dad was older, because I know Grandpa coached when dad was younger.

My ugly mug that same night:

Gonna get on a soapbox for a second too: 

If you sign your checks for hockey on the front, wear a facemask. 
 

I've picked up pieces of teeth from the ice before. I've seen bloody lips, broken jaws, and broken noses.

What caused those injuries? Puck off the cross bar, teammates missed stick lift, players own stick, high stick from opponent, contact with the ice/boards, and a helmet from someone about 1 foot shorter.

I can remember 3 instances that were penalties, but only 1 that was intentional.

Just wear the facemask. Please.

/soapbox, y'all are adults and can go do what you want, I'm just annoyed because a 3rd year adult player put us behind 15 minutes a week ago because he decided to go without a facemask and face planted on the ice right as the Zamboni was about to get on. 

In reply to mtn :

To go with that, when I was a first year sprite, my brother was a 2nd year Pewee, helping my dad co-coach my team.  He was doing a face off for two kids on my team, and one of them accidentally speared him in the mouth.   Broke both front teeth for them to both get major repair.  After that, he always wore a mask.   This was in the mid '70s when kids were transitioning to being required to wear masks and whatnot.

30 years later, I was playing in a pick up game with a college hockey board- and there was a fun breakaway thing.  One guy tried something fun, but the ice was really rough (we had been on it for a few hours), and when he dove, his jersey stuck.  Smacked his face right into the ice.  He was among the top 5 players in that group, too.

Wear a mask.

mtn said:

Gonna get on a soapbox for a second too: 

If you sign your checks for hockey on the front, wear a facemask. 
 

I've picked up pieces of teeth from the ice before. I've seen bloody lips, broken jaws, and broken noses.

What caused those injuries? Puck off the cross bar, teammates missed stick lift, players own stick, high stick from opponent, contact with the ice/boards, and a helmet from someone about 1 foot shorter.

I can remember 3 instances that were penalties, but only 1 that was intentional.

Just wear the facemask. Please.

 

/soapbox, y'all are adults and can go do what you want, I'm just annoyed because a 3rd year adult player put us behind 15 minutes a week ago because he decided to go without a facemask and face planted on the ice right as the Zamboni was about to get on. 

I lost two teefs last year with a cage on.  I'm a D man and I swung around and got in the way of a one timer being one timed by someone with A very strong shot.  I can't imagine what the damage would have been without it

mtn said:

RonnieFnD said:

mtn said:

In reply to RonnieFnD :

Hey Ronnie, wanna know why they call Chicago the Windy City?

Please enlighten me.

Because the Red Wings suck and the Blues blow. Chicago gets stuck in the middle 

Lol. That's actually pretty good. 

In reply to mtn :

FYI, the 5030s are made in Canada again. Production got moved back :)  I've got a pre-Ukraine and a couple of brand new ones, all Canadian made with the Coffey curve. For $35, I can afford to replace them a few times.

The pink stick that Janel is holding in our photo is a Flarrow. A small family owned stick maker in rural Ontario, they're gone now. She got it because she liked the pink and wanted a stick as a souvenier of trips to Canada. She uses a composite now mostly because she doesn't want to hurt her pink one. 

I took a stick to the face mask in a pick up game a few months ago. Hard enough to rock my head back, it would have done serious damage to my jaw. I'll keep my cage, thanks. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Yeah, I've heard good things about their recent-ish Canada sticks. I hate the Coffey curve though. Bouchard or Havlat was my choice. Now I just get whatever the straightest curve I can find. 

I started working for an R&D division of a Canadian fiber company in 87. We developed and built some of the early carbon fiber hockey and lacrosse sticks and used the local teams, Toronto Rock, and Maple leafs for testing. It was an interesting learning curve about the importance of flex, not only for shooting, but when one of the Rock players crosschecked somebody really hard and broke his wrist we had to go back to the drawing board.

My Son was about 12 at the time, a pretty good hockey player, playing center, and when he showed up for a game with one of the Nike carbon sticks we built, it was funny watching the reaction of the other 12 year old kids. I think I still have some of those sticks kicking around

It's crazy how light you can go in flex with composite sticks. I have a sherwood twig that's 100 flex and you can use it to jack up a car but this one is 75 flex and allows me to wrist as hard as a clapper with the wood stick. 

Anyone shopping for sticks, I've found Pure Hockey to be the best balance of price and performance. 

When shopping for my kids I'll filter by left/right and flex, then on their site they have a sort option for "best deal" and then check for the desired curve. This method lets me find last years model for 1/2 of what it was originally, ie $150 for a $300 stick. 

You can do the same in their site for other gear as well. 

I played hockey from age 8 until last year, where I decided to hang it up at the age of 48.  I have a torn meniscus in both knees, and it really doesn't bother me doing anything except playing hockey.  The sports med surgeon (friend of mine) was like: I can fix them and torture you with a >1yr recovery that may or may not even work, or you can just quit playing hockey and get on with your life.  Since you put it that way...

Some of my best memories from childhood, adolescence, college, and adulthood were related to hockey.  I've realized that it was also the center of my social universe for most of my adult life.  I honestly don't miss the 11pm Monday night games, but I do miss cracking a cold pop with the boys in the parking lot.

Little known fact: Atlanta has the largest organized men's league in the U.S.  Yeah, everyone who lives here is from somewhere else, usually cold places.  I was captain of a team that played in the state finals in HS, and was captain of my D3 college team.  The most competitive hockey I ever played in was Over 35 league in Atlanta.  

No Time said:

Anyone shopping for sticks, I've found Pure Hockey to be the best balance of price and performance. 

When shopping for my kids I'll filter by left/right and flex, then on their site they have a sort option for "best deal" and then check for the desired curve. This method lets me find last years model for 1/2 of what it was originally, ie $150 for a $300 stick. 

You can do the same in their site for other gear as well. 

There is a pure hockey near me and it is definitely the best for sticks.  I raid the sale rack from time to time and you can find $400 sticks for $150.

In reply to RonnieFnD :

We're coming up in the time of year when skates and other gear gets that same type of markdown, if only I could be confident my son wouldn't outgrow it between now and next season. 

The other thing I like about them is if the stick breaks in the 30 day warranty window they will exchange it in the store and no need to contact the manufacturer. That came in handy when my son broke a stick the 2nd day he had it ( on a backhand shot, so definitely mfg defect) at the rink that's less than a mile away from the local PH. 

You guys have Play It Again Sports near you? Growing up, probably 75% of my gear was used. No point in getting new for most things, we'd be growing out of it in a season either way. Helmets, as a general guideline, were purchased new or handed down, skates would be bought new if we couldn't find anything less than ideal on the used racks, and gloves had to not be too stinky.

Nowadays I still cruise sideline swap, but generally just get my gear new. It is for my side-job - I don't want to fart around with it, I wear the stuff for 5-20+ years, and it is a tax write off. But for the kids, or if you're experimenting with different gear, definitely something to consider.

For sticks... 3 for $110 or 6 for $164. Or if you're not enough of a [man/woman/boy/girl/whatever insulting but not offensive moniker works here] to handle the wood, 3 composite for $316. I'd be curious to try those composite ones, I really like their wood sticks. And it is Made In Canada. Looks like some of Peabody's work may have in some way contributed to this - the company looks like it has some early Nike composite sticks in its lineage. 

I've got a 20yo and 14yo, and for a while we would do the hand me down thing, until the older one stopped outgrowing, and the younger one became the tallest in our family. 

I guess I spoil them by going new, but I look at it like insurance, getting the latest materials and protection is cheaper than the copay at the doctor, never mind if any imaging is required.

Outside of one summer, when the 14yo outgrew everything, we've been able to one or two pieces of equipment per year. Even going new, the gear tends to be worn out by the time we replace it, either stitching is failing, fabrics worn through on breezes, knee/elbow pad straps have lost their elasticity, gloves are worn through the palm/exterior, or skates are breaking down in the ankle/tendon guard area.

Now snowboarding, we went to "play it again" or FB marketplace for everyone's board, boots, and binding. Helmets were new with MIPS. 

I wanted to get some E36 M3 goalie gear just to have it and tried play it again.  The one near me just had all brand new stuff (except for skates) that was priced higher than rinkside.

Composite sticks are too pricey to buy based on website ratings alone - at least at my current level of experience. So I've got an idea of what I'll probably like in terms of curve and flex, then take advantage of my visit to Canada to visit a hockey store that has a shooting range and give them a try. The Pure Hockey in Denver shut theirs down, and I don't make it over there very often anyhow. Once I have a better idea what I like, I'll order. Our Play It Again is my source for things like pads, but their stick selection is fairly small. 

Skates and helmet I bought with a visit to Pure Hockey with the help of one of their pros.

Now I just need more ice time. I never realized how lucky I was to grow up with outdoor rinks all around me, trying to get ice time on the one sheet in Grand Junction can be a challenge. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

As far as flex just go light.  I'm 6'1 250lbs so I'm a big boy and I'm using a 75 flex for the first time ever and it's incredible.   Curve I feel like it changes too much so I just adapt to whatever is hot every few years.  Love the Coffey curve but it doesn't seem to exist anymore outside of wood sticks.  Has a Stamkos for a while and loved it but that's a thing of the past it seems. Now I'm using the p29 Crosby because it seems like that's every stick being made.  Not gonna lie...I really like it tho so I can see why it's popular 

I started playing about 12 years ago with a bunch of old guys. But most of them have dropped out now and everyone has been replaced with someone younger. Now I'm almost the only old guy left and the only one who did not play organized hockey as a kid. The only thing going for me is that I'm a lot fitter than most of them, but some nights I hardly touch the puck. This year an ex professional started playing with us and I really starting to think this is probably going to be my last year. I do still average a goal a game though so I'm not completely useless.