Springfield Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 I hope it's OK, but I'd like to create a thread strictly for people on this board who play the sport of hockey. The NHL/Caps threads are great but it's hard to carry on a conversation about the sport itself while others are trying to talk players, teams, games, goals, etc. I know that there are at least a handful of regular posters on this board who play at some level. Perhaps more than I even realize. I'd like to open this up for discussion of people who play hockey, used to play hockey, are interested in playing hockey, and whatever else. Adult amateur is a growing sport in this country and especially in this area with the resurgence of the Washington Capitals. Now that we got the purpose of the thread out of the way, I suppose I'll start. I've been playing now for two years now. Started skating when I was a kid but never had the money (or parents with money) to play. After I asked my wife to marry me, I decided that I'd spend some money on myself and bought gear and started skating at open skates once or twice a week. Soon enough I was signed up to start playing in a Novice league in Fairfax, VA. I've played a total of 4 seasons and are now at a D level which is just a step above Novice. When I started playing, I wanted to play wing. I played that well enough but I now play defense mostly. I'm an above average skater for my level but my puck skills are sub par. I also have one of the better slap shots on my team but I don't get to use it nearly enough. I like playing defense a bit better, mainly because you can see the play up ice a little better. However, getting scored on when you are on the ice sucks. Playing wing, you don't feel nearly as bad when the other team squeaks one by your goalie. I suppose that's enough out of me for now. I could talk hockey all day long. Now to the other fellow hockey players on this board... How long have you played? What position? Shoot left or right (are you right or left handed)? What level do you play at? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What's your favorite equipment company? How did your season/playoffs go? What kind of advice can you offer for new folks to the sport or guys who are interested in playing? What kind of questions do you have about the sport? Just general hockey talk... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsmarydu Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 :laugh:I watch, don't play, and I absolutely would check Peter Forsberg for ticks.:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PokerPacker Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Well you already know I play, being that I convinced you to get into it Height: 5'5" Weight: 140 Shoots: Right Position: F My strength is as a defensively responsible forward. I have decent stick handling but could stand to be a better skater. I'm a pretty good skater for my current competition level, but when I was playing College hockey I could skate just well enough to get by (I also played with awful skates for most of my collegiate career; they bent in at the ankles so there was no way I could use the outside edges). At that level I took on the role of a grinder; despite my size, I'd try to finish my checks whenever possible, post up in front of the net when we had offensive possession (rare, as I was not a possession player nor were my usual linemates), and I was always responsible coming back on defense. Very few goals were scored while I was on the ice for either club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoreese Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I played roller hockey in the 90's when it was first getting big in this area. Finally when I turned 30 I decided to join an adult mens ice hockey league. I joined Hockey North America which was cool because we had like 10 practices and then games with all new players like myself. I loved it and wished I had been playing since I was a kid, but I did develop some bad habits from roller hockey skating wise. I play defense mostly because they put the best skaters on defense we first started playing HNA. But now I really like the challenge of stopping the other teams best players from scoring. I think I had a leg up on a lot of guys skating wise since I played roller hockey and I was one of the fastest skaters. But now that I am 41 it is hard to keep up with some of the guys in their 20's. I have a pretty good slap shot from the point, but I really need to work on my wrist shot. I am pretty good at passing but I need to work on my dekes. I now play in C2 level in Hockey North America, we play most of our games at Rockville and Cabin John rinks. Actually we just had a playoff game last night. This is our best team we have ever had, we were the #1 seed and we beat the #2 Team last night. I am pumped because this means we now get to goto Toronto and play in a huge tournament against league winners all over the country. I can't wait to play in the ice up in Canada because the ice around here isn't that great. If anyone wants to start playing I would recommend looking up HNA online and see if they have a league near you. They do a pretty good job with people just starting out and matching up skill level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipwhich Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I have played hockey for probably 25 years. Played as a kid, in high school, stopped playing when I went to college, played in Hockey North America as an adult, now play at Piney Orchard. I have skated in most of the rinks in the Maryland/DC/Va area. Defenseman. I have a killer slap shot. I once knocked out a goalie with a slap shot to the head. My stick handling is my weakest part of my game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hockeysc23 Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 My kind of thread Played hockey off and on since I was about 8. Did roller hockey for the longest time up until high school when I switched to ice hockey. I played goalie for the longest time and even played in college for JMU (club roller) but effed up my knee senior year. After college I played roller for a bit at Dulles Sportsplex but I find roller players to be primadonnas ... all flash, little team work so I went back to ice and love it. Currently playing in 2-3 leagues at a time up here either Mount Vernon, Kettler, Fairfax or Prince William. I can play every position but prefer center. My strengths are skating speed and I play a strong 2 way game. My weaknesses are finishing especially in the upper B leagues etc. not enough time to think out my moves or find open net. For equipment I loved NikeBauer ... I miss them a ton as they had the best gear. Stick of choice is a Mike Green pro-stock either Easton or Bauer. It's pretty much a stock p92 curve but he puts a nice coating on the blade and the flex is just right at about 90. What I'd love to learn (especially if anyone else here knows or wouldn't mind teaching for beer) is how to sharpen skates. I want to get my own sharpener and do it myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springfield Posted April 22, 2012 Author Share Posted April 22, 2012 We started our season yesterday. Lost 4-1 to a team that just moved up from the novice league into the D league this season. I played defense and was on the ice for one goal against so I played fairly well, however I didn't do much to help contribute to the offense. In all fairness, we were missing 3 of our better players but it still sucks that we lost. Any advice on helping a D man contribute to offense? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.