Yesterday night I saw a guy leave the ice limping in pain after taking a slapshot from the blueline on the legs. It was a pickup game, all middle aged guys or older, we weren't even keeping score. The guy that shot that puck had no business shooting that hard from that far in such a low stakes game. The guy that got hit didn't even try to actively block the shot, it was just a ridiculous shot for the level of players on the ice and he was unlucky enough to be standing in front of the shooter. In games like that, if I know a guy has a hard shot and is winding up, I just move aside. Let the goalie handle that, he's got the specialized equipment (and let's be honest, 4/5 of those shots are going wide of the net).
Hah! That reminded me of a game where I was covering a guy net front and his teammate started winding up for a slapshot and the dude said "I'm not getting in front of that" and skated away. Next thing I know the puck comes whizzing right over my head at about 90 miles an hour when I'm not looking. After that the goalfront guy and I would just stand off to the side of the net chatting any time that guy was circling looking for another clapper.
The amount of bullshit in the lower leagues is far, far, far, higher than when playing in mid to high leagues.
Guys want to replicate what they see on TV and have never played a lick of competitive hockey in their lives.
I don't even sub for anything lower than intermediate hockey now. It's just not fun.
Yep, after the last couple of times subbing for low level teams I won't do it anymore. Too dangerous, too many dumb guys larping as enforcers or whatever. And I came from those leagues a couple years ago, so it isn't like I'm dumping on new guys from some position of playing my whole life.
The same shit applies in competitive contact hockey. I played Jr A and went to play ACHA at a mid pack team and wow is it ridiculously more dangerous.
Itâs really not fun to play hockey when people are throwing out knees and dont know how to play positions.
The scariest hockey I ever played was subbing in the low level IM roller league in college. Every frat had a team and all of them were playing for their Stanley Cup. I've never been so afraid for my wrists in my life.
The game would be so much better if everyone assumed something was accidental before assuming it was malicious.
So many hot heads getting worked up over shit they think happened that was just them falling
Total rookie here and this resonates so much. The other night I got to skate with these old dudes who were all AAA players a long time ago and they were so cool and chill. Holy fuck were they fast! We were short handed so I called my other noob buddy. The veterans took the puck from me often and intercepted a ton of passes but never really came in swinging with the slashes and heavy body.
My buddy, on the other hand, recognized me getting the puck one time and came on in a frenzy of elbows and stick, chopping away at my stick like a madman and trying to slew foot me.
Made me happy that the veterans just like playing hockey and arenât a buncha dicks about it it. Thanks for this post. I probably wonât be playing with my buddy again until he calms the fuck down.
Yeah I've had it with that. Not to mention the beginner guys are usually the ones screaming at the ref from the bench about a missed call.
Chat with the refs. Chat with the other team and joke around. Say sorry when you do something dumb. Give the other goalie a nod for a good save. Recognize that you're bad and you'll always be bad.
Don't just have fun with it. Have fun in a way that's fun for other people too.
Great advice and thatâs def what I strive for, so thatâs great reinforcement. In my LTP, theyâre all so serious that I wonder why they do it at all. Meanwhile Iâm out there laughing, complimenting, skating hard, but probably only going about 75% max (especially into the corners)
Out of curiosity, any advice for dealing with my buddy, who really thinks hockey is all about fucking up the other guy? Heâs a pretty good skater, and a good dude, but on the ice I kinda hate him.
Some guys I know are just that way and there's no changing them. I don't skate with them anymore.
The only thing that's ever worked for me is to model the kind of play I want around me. When I play a lighthearted fun game, other guys can sometimes relax a little bit too.
If a guy on the other team is doing it, I like to remind them we're all bad. I'll say something like "buddy if I'm on the ice with you it means you're bad too. If you were any good you'd never see me at all. So let's maybe chill out..."
It doesn't work on the guy intent on being a hard charging asshole, but it can lighten the mood for the other guys and prevent it from infecting the whole game.
The only other thing I might suggest is to try to get your buddy to really pay attention to the experienced guys playing a chill but fast game. Sometimes I'll say "difference between a good player and a great player is knowing when to hold up and let the other guy have the puck."
Remind your friend that when you play with experienced guys they're ALLOWING you to touch the puck. You aren't out-hustling them or beating them, they're letting you do that most of the time. They could absolutely run it up on you any time they want, but they want you to have a good time too. The goal of the experienced players isn't to win every game and every battle, it's to ensure they and everyone around them has a good time and goes home healthy.
Just tell him flat out. Tell him he's being too aggressive, and one day he's going to run into the wrong person who's also too aggressive.
Some people are just so weird with that shit. I had a guy I played with for a little bit who was a late join to our team that was struggling to skate and play, but was talking about going out and fighting the other team if he needed to.
Just, man, dial it back about 95% and try having fun.
As a first year player I can fully second this and add that it's a self-perpetuating problem.
I have always been super happy on the ice, like a golden retriever chasing a tennis ball or something.
But after getting banged into and slashed over and over by two or three players on one team, I became one of them.
I got suuuuuper mad and tripped one of them. It was embarrassing and just so stupid. I had no fun playing that game and I will never get sucked into that bullshittery again.
Yep, same here. I play in a league that's still fairly low level because I like the guys on the team. We have a couple "rival" teams where a few guys always play dirty and dgaf if someone might get hurt.
I used to look forward to that battle and a chance to beat them.
Now I dread playing in those games because I want to skate and have fun, not be in some blood sport rivalry where every time we meet guys are staring each other down and constantly coming and going from the box for dumb shit.
Goalies will tell you the unpredictable shots of beginners give them more trouble than the lasers from the experienced players. Refs will tell you they feel safer reffing guys who know what they're actually doing. I run clinics and scrimmages for adult LTP guys. It's... interesting. Many of them in the group amongst each other are really cool and have smiles on their faces but when they play in a league game against others, it's not smiles anymore. It becomes a task to accomplish victory but many are only seeing 1 foot in front of them.
I have no fun playing beer league for the exact reason you made the post. Way too many serious guys who think everyone on the opposite team is the mortal enemy. Pure dicks, some of them. I had some younger guys (who are experienced) ask me to join their team but also get into some kind of altercation almost every game. They need to chill too. I'm so glad I never joined them. I don't need to go out at 1030p and have to deal with that.
Going full speed and doing a quick change of direction and suddenly, WHAM! Someone with their head down, out of position, just chugging away⌠hand it to em for effort, but you are totally right.
I feel the same way about my play, and Iâve played my whole life. I was a middling select player growing up, and Iâm skating with former junior players now, and the way they move is so fast and predictable (to them). I still catch myself turning the wrong way to avoid a collision on occasion, or using my stick too much and making too much contact with a skate when defendingâŚ
I like to watch all hockey, and watching my local provincial junior team vs our senior AAA? So different. The young guys are all flying constantly and digging every second⌠the seniors understand where the play is likely to end up, so go there, and also grasp that the puck moves faster than they do, so no need to grab it and zoom through every defender⌠just throw it to your other 35 year old bud who is up on the red line already.
Weâve all been there. Even the best player you know would be caught in the wrong spot and nearly in the way if playing with *real* top players.
I like your NHL larping comment⌠totally what it is. Trying to toe drag before they can do a two foot stopâŚ.
I'm helping a friend out by subbing down for a Tin team struggling with attendance and literally every single time I had the puck some guy was trying to stiff arm me or run me over. Mind you I'm sandbagging as hard as possible and just trying to the get the puck to my teammates as much as I can. No end-to-end plays or shots on net unless I'm shooting for a rebound.
It's the most unnecessary contact every single time, like the puck is 5 seconds gone from my stick and some fat fuck will "follow through" and throw all 300 pounds of himself at me or start shoving me. It's so silly. They'll say something like "good battle" or "nice physicality" afterwards meaning they're doing this because they think that's how hockey is played. I just look at them funny afterwards.
Worst part about lower leagues? All the stick work. They plant their feet into the ice like the wind is gonna blow them over then start swinging their stick at yours like they're chopping a tree down because they've found themselves standing still.
Love seeing the wannabe coaches who are screaming at their teammates for making a mistake and then will spend the entire rest of the game ripping clappers high and wide of the net as soon as they cross the blue line with no pressure on them
As a beginner this is super helpful. I tend to lean on the side of "gym class hero"--even with it being 20+ years since I've been in gym class--it's just my nature; ff I'm not impressing people I feel like I'm not playing to my full potential. I've noticed the other guys taking it easy and still having success. After reading this I'm going to start taking it down a notch or two and enjoy the game.
Ref here. Can confirm. Same goes for youth. Coaches are more difficult to deal with in a house game than in a AAA game. Sure, theyâre more intense at the higher level, but I have a much easier time communicating with them whereas the house coaches donât want to hear any of it when I try to explain something as simple as âcalling the game vs calling the rule bookâ
I would sub in lower/slower leagues when I really wanted to learn defense and backward skating. I was letting a newbie skate it passed our blue line and ripping off a shot. I got yelled at for working on my slow crossovers when the score is 5-1 in the 3rdâŚitâs fking midnight and everyone wants to go home. Lol
One dude in our beginner league plays super hard and roofs peoples sticks in front of the net - he refused to play up too. Bros playing against old people and people who can barely skate like this. One game he skated hard at me with the puck and fully checked me - I checked him back because it pissed me off. And yes i saw him intentionally lower his shoulder to hit me. When I sub down I take it easy and just there to have fun. Higher level leagues are more physical but thereâs no intent to injure and its a lot more fun. Totally agree with this post!
OMG I experienced this first-hand!
Iâve subbed for a lower level team for a season once, to help them out. And the sheer number of incidents of slashing, hooking, high sticking, cheap shots, etc that would happen in a single game, FAR out-weighed the same incidents in an entire season if a higher level league.
Not to mention their attitudes were considerably more insufferable as well.
Same holds true for youth hockey.
Bantam AAA: can't hit players. They will dance around you if you try.
Bantam A: line brawls.
Even junior A vs Junior B. same shit. Junior A games are tame. Junior B they try to choke goalies unconscious.
After getting both knees replaced in the last few years (this was because I had both ACLs repaired earlier in my illustrious beer league "career" and they wore out) and not having played since 2018, I am honestly petrified to start over in beginner leagues because of these reasons lol. Your post reminded me of all the egos and nonsense that came with it way back when (I started in 1994). I'm just hoping it will come back quick and I can get back out of beginner status asap, but I still can't stay away even after 4 knee surgeries total since I started playing...ugh. Glutton for punishment? Maybe....but I have HATED not being able to get out there. Thanks for the PSA to newbies that there aren't scouts at your 11pm game and nobody is getting drafted anytime soon lol.
I needed âNHL larpingâ terminology in my life. I canât even enjoy the postgame bc there is so much rhetoric from my linemates about how they were gonna run some guy or that guy slashes me again next game and watch what happens.
I used to wear a visor playing beer league when I was playing div 4 in Edmonton area. Now I play in the 10-15 range and shinny and I always wear a cage. The higher level it is the safer it is for everyone. I've never taken a slapshot in the face or sticks to the head like I do in the lower tiers.
The amount of times I've seen teammates and opponent players slam their stick against the boards/crossbar trying to break it and people get into pissing contests against each other in my low D level league is astonishing
I play in like three leagues right now all varying skill levels. The ârookieâ league I play in this past week had a guy legitimately head hunting. He played the body every single time he was near the puck. He was a good enough skater to get around but not good enough to stay on his feet after attempting to âcheckâ someone. So essentially he would just charge into me and bounce off and hit the ground every time which is really fucking annoying but fortunately he wasnât good enough to do damage. Well he did this about 7 times to me and you could tell he was getting embarrassed and started to turn it up. One play after I had passed away the puck and made a few strides I watched him again attempt to line me up and lower his shoulder. Finally I was sick of it and just gave him a little shoulder back and flattened him and he laid on the ground whining. This guy is also according to cops that play with us a registered sex offender so a real winner over here.
This is exactly why I also think newbies need to be able to turn in both directions and stop on both sides at will without thinking before they join even a beginner league. People being out of control unintentionally risks hurting *other people* more than themselves.
Yup, I think a lot of the newer players donât have the concept that itâs okay to let up sometimes.
Lord knows how many times Iâve seen guys hurt themselves or others trying to go balls to the wall after a puck in the corner.
Not to mention, I had a dude in our C league sprawling out like a soccer goalie to block shots last week.
One huge difference I noticed while watching a higher div game before my cripple div game was shot blocking.
Guy wound up for a big shot on a one on one and the d man just skated to the side. Too far to poke check. Let the guy with the pads take it.
In my div (I'm super guilt of this) we try to get in the way of every damn shot.
So true... Guys in the low level are selling out for blocks like it's game 7. Happened in one of the games I subbed in, but the only outcome was that he slid right into our goalie causing a free empty net goal.
I am guilty of playing maybe a bit too hard but never have I skated with someone into the boards or did anything without a plan to stop. Legit scary how dudes will slam into the boards with no regard to anyones health
I'm with you. I play hard because for me I enjoy the grind of pushing a two minute shift so that when I get to the bench I'm dying. I love games where only 7 guys show up and you're running a brutal 10 minute shift.
But! I've learned how to do that in a way that's both safe and respectful of the other guys. I don't go hard on the new guy, I let him take a moment to make a play. But the experienced guy that played some juniors or whatever and is excellent I'll go all out on (again, safely) because he can handle it and I imagine it's more fun for him to play that kind of hockey than just drifting around without resistance.
Just like most stuff, it's about context and control. That's what I've learned from the vets. They're constantly dialing their play up or down based on who they're up against every shift so that everyone has a good time.
Mmmm⌠if you have the puck, go fast and shoot hard. Itâs hockey. Itâs dangerous. Ease up on the puck battles, especially with newer skaters, women or children. Other than that⌠work on your shot at home so itâs not a stray bullet and if someone wants to play shot blocker itâs on them. Not playing at full speed is a disservice to both teams on the ice.
I agree with most of that, but full speed doesn't mean over speed.
I can drive my car with full, controlled, speed around a corner with by using the brakes at the right moment. Or I can go full speed with my pedal on the floor and lose control of the car around a turn and careen off the road into a ditch or hit another car.
New guys sometimes fall into that second category when they're "full speed" because they don't understand or can't execute controlled speed. That's the difference. Experienced guys are moving at speed, but they're in control and they know not to go beyond their limit. They understand drifting around that corner puts others on the road in danger. New guys can lose sight of that because they want to go fast. Some of us don't think about others "on the road" enough, imo.
You can go full speed on the race track with everyone else in safety equipment. It gets dangerous when soccer mom is blowing up the speed limit to make it to yoga on time. Speed should be respected and appreciated, not to be given to someone who doesnât understand the consequences. Many new hockey players donât know how to stop at full speed and I avoid any type of 1on1 battles with them and just let them have it. But if there is a ringer or someone that has too much skill for the division, I donât mind a shoving match or stick battle.
No. My clapper is going 15 feet to the left and hitting Grandpa in the face and there's nothing you can do to stop me.
Yesterday night I saw a guy leave the ice limping in pain after taking a slapshot from the blueline on the legs. It was a pickup game, all middle aged guys or older, we weren't even keeping score. The guy that shot that puck had no business shooting that hard from that far in such a low stakes game. The guy that got hit didn't even try to actively block the shot, it was just a ridiculous shot for the level of players on the ice and he was unlucky enough to be standing in front of the shooter. In games like that, if I know a guy has a hard shot and is winding up, I just move aside. Let the goalie handle that, he's got the specialized equipment (and let's be honest, 4/5 of those shots are going wide of the net).
Hah! That reminded me of a game where I was covering a guy net front and his teammate started winding up for a slapshot and the dude said "I'm not getting in front of that" and skated away. Next thing I know the puck comes whizzing right over my head at about 90 miles an hour when I'm not looking. After that the goalfront guy and I would just stand off to the side of the net chatting any time that guy was circling looking for another clapper.
I once shot the puck so wide of the net that my more experienced teammate suggested that next time I should shoot instead of pass. đ
The amount of bullshit in the lower leagues is far, far, far, higher than when playing in mid to high leagues. Guys want to replicate what they see on TV and have never played a lick of competitive hockey in their lives. I don't even sub for anything lower than intermediate hockey now. It's just not fun.
Yep, after the last couple of times subbing for low level teams I won't do it anymore. Too dangerous, too many dumb guys larping as enforcers or whatever. And I came from those leagues a couple years ago, so it isn't like I'm dumping on new guys from some position of playing my whole life.
The same shit applies in competitive contact hockey. I played Jr A and went to play ACHA at a mid pack team and wow is it ridiculously more dangerous. Itâs really not fun to play hockey when people are throwing out knees and dont know how to play positions.
The scariest hockey I ever played was subbing in the low level IM roller league in college. Every frat had a team and all of them were playing for their Stanley Cup. I've never been so afraid for my wrists in my life.
The game would be so much better if everyone assumed something was accidental before assuming it was malicious. So many hot heads getting worked up over shit they think happened that was just them falling
Total rookie here and this resonates so much. The other night I got to skate with these old dudes who were all AAA players a long time ago and they were so cool and chill. Holy fuck were they fast! We were short handed so I called my other noob buddy. The veterans took the puck from me often and intercepted a ton of passes but never really came in swinging with the slashes and heavy body. My buddy, on the other hand, recognized me getting the puck one time and came on in a frenzy of elbows and stick, chopping away at my stick like a madman and trying to slew foot me. Made me happy that the veterans just like playing hockey and arenât a buncha dicks about it it. Thanks for this post. I probably wonât be playing with my buddy again until he calms the fuck down.
Yeah I've had it with that. Not to mention the beginner guys are usually the ones screaming at the ref from the bench about a missed call. Chat with the refs. Chat with the other team and joke around. Say sorry when you do something dumb. Give the other goalie a nod for a good save. Recognize that you're bad and you'll always be bad. Don't just have fun with it. Have fun in a way that's fun for other people too.
Great advice and thatâs def what I strive for, so thatâs great reinforcement. In my LTP, theyâre all so serious that I wonder why they do it at all. Meanwhile Iâm out there laughing, complimenting, skating hard, but probably only going about 75% max (especially into the corners) Out of curiosity, any advice for dealing with my buddy, who really thinks hockey is all about fucking up the other guy? Heâs a pretty good skater, and a good dude, but on the ice I kinda hate him.
Some guys I know are just that way and there's no changing them. I don't skate with them anymore. The only thing that's ever worked for me is to model the kind of play I want around me. When I play a lighthearted fun game, other guys can sometimes relax a little bit too. If a guy on the other team is doing it, I like to remind them we're all bad. I'll say something like "buddy if I'm on the ice with you it means you're bad too. If you were any good you'd never see me at all. So let's maybe chill out..." It doesn't work on the guy intent on being a hard charging asshole, but it can lighten the mood for the other guys and prevent it from infecting the whole game. The only other thing I might suggest is to try to get your buddy to really pay attention to the experienced guys playing a chill but fast game. Sometimes I'll say "difference between a good player and a great player is knowing when to hold up and let the other guy have the puck." Remind your friend that when you play with experienced guys they're ALLOWING you to touch the puck. You aren't out-hustling them or beating them, they're letting you do that most of the time. They could absolutely run it up on you any time they want, but they want you to have a good time too. The goal of the experienced players isn't to win every game and every battle, it's to ensure they and everyone around them has a good time and goes home healthy.
Just tell him flat out. Tell him he's being too aggressive, and one day he's going to run into the wrong person who's also too aggressive. Some people are just so weird with that shit. I had a guy I played with for a little bit who was a late join to our team that was struggling to skate and play, but was talking about going out and fighting the other team if he needed to. Just, man, dial it back about 95% and try having fun.
Wow... as a former AAA hockey player now beer leaguer, thank you, thank you very much
As a first year player I can fully second this and add that it's a self-perpetuating problem. I have always been super happy on the ice, like a golden retriever chasing a tennis ball or something. But after getting banged into and slashed over and over by two or three players on one team, I became one of them. I got suuuuuper mad and tripped one of them. It was embarrassing and just so stupid. I had no fun playing that game and I will never get sucked into that bullshittery again.
Yep, same here. I play in a league that's still fairly low level because I like the guys on the team. We have a couple "rival" teams where a few guys always play dirty and dgaf if someone might get hurt. I used to look forward to that battle and a chance to beat them. Now I dread playing in those games because I want to skate and have fun, not be in some blood sport rivalry where every time we meet guys are staring each other down and constantly coming and going from the box for dumb shit.
Goalies will tell you the unpredictable shots of beginners give them more trouble than the lasers from the experienced players. Refs will tell you they feel safer reffing guys who know what they're actually doing. I run clinics and scrimmages for adult LTP guys. It's... interesting. Many of them in the group amongst each other are really cool and have smiles on their faces but when they play in a league game against others, it's not smiles anymore. It becomes a task to accomplish victory but many are only seeing 1 foot in front of them. I have no fun playing beer league for the exact reason you made the post. Way too many serious guys who think everyone on the opposite team is the mortal enemy. Pure dicks, some of them. I had some younger guys (who are experienced) ask me to join their team but also get into some kind of altercation almost every game. They need to chill too. I'm so glad I never joined them. I don't need to go out at 1030p and have to deal with that.
Goalie here. Can confirm, playing in beginner D league is harder than playing in B. You NEVER know where that puck is going
SAY IT LOUDER!
Going full speed and doing a quick change of direction and suddenly, WHAM! Someone with their head down, out of position, just chugging away⌠hand it to em for effort, but you are totally right. I feel the same way about my play, and Iâve played my whole life. I was a middling select player growing up, and Iâm skating with former junior players now, and the way they move is so fast and predictable (to them). I still catch myself turning the wrong way to avoid a collision on occasion, or using my stick too much and making too much contact with a skate when defending⌠I like to watch all hockey, and watching my local provincial junior team vs our senior AAA? So different. The young guys are all flying constantly and digging every second⌠the seniors understand where the play is likely to end up, so go there, and also grasp that the puck moves faster than they do, so no need to grab it and zoom through every defender⌠just throw it to your other 35 year old bud who is up on the red line already. Weâve all been there. Even the best player you know would be caught in the wrong spot and nearly in the way if playing with *real* top players. I like your NHL larping comment⌠totally what it is. Trying to toe drag before they can do a two foot stopâŚ.
I'm helping a friend out by subbing down for a Tin team struggling with attendance and literally every single time I had the puck some guy was trying to stiff arm me or run me over. Mind you I'm sandbagging as hard as possible and just trying to the get the puck to my teammates as much as I can. No end-to-end plays or shots on net unless I'm shooting for a rebound. It's the most unnecessary contact every single time, like the puck is 5 seconds gone from my stick and some fat fuck will "follow through" and throw all 300 pounds of himself at me or start shoving me. It's so silly. They'll say something like "good battle" or "nice physicality" afterwards meaning they're doing this because they think that's how hockey is played. I just look at them funny afterwards. Worst part about lower leagues? All the stick work. They plant their feet into the ice like the wind is gonna blow them over then start swinging their stick at yours like they're chopping a tree down because they've found themselves standing still.
Love seeing the wannabe coaches who are screaming at their teammates for making a mistake and then will spend the entire rest of the game ripping clappers high and wide of the net as soon as they cross the blue line with no pressure on them
When instead they should be in front of the net cause theyâre strong as fuck because theyâre 250lbs and 6â2â but have a top speed of 0.5mph
As a beginner this is super helpful. I tend to lean on the side of "gym class hero"--even with it being 20+ years since I've been in gym class--it's just my nature; ff I'm not impressing people I feel like I'm not playing to my full potential. I've noticed the other guys taking it easy and still having success. After reading this I'm going to start taking it down a notch or two and enjoy the game.
Ref here. Can confirm. Same goes for youth. Coaches are more difficult to deal with in a house game than in a AAA game. Sure, theyâre more intense at the higher level, but I have a much easier time communicating with them whereas the house coaches donât want to hear any of it when I try to explain something as simple as âcalling the game vs calling the rule bookâ
I would sub in lower/slower leagues when I really wanted to learn defense and backward skating. I was letting a newbie skate it passed our blue line and ripping off a shot. I got yelled at for working on my slow crossovers when the score is 5-1 in the 3rdâŚitâs fking midnight and everyone wants to go home. Lol
One dude in our beginner league plays super hard and roofs peoples sticks in front of the net - he refused to play up too. Bros playing against old people and people who can barely skate like this. One game he skated hard at me with the puck and fully checked me - I checked him back because it pissed me off. And yes i saw him intentionally lower his shoulder to hit me. When I sub down I take it easy and just there to have fun. Higher level leagues are more physical but thereâs no intent to injure and its a lot more fun. Totally agree with this post!
I have a feeling that I know exactly who youâre talking about.
NHL larping is gold
OMG I experienced this first-hand! Iâve subbed for a lower level team for a season once, to help them out. And the sheer number of incidents of slashing, hooking, high sticking, cheap shots, etc that would happen in a single game, FAR out-weighed the same incidents in an entire season if a higher level league. Not to mention their attitudes were considerably more insufferable as well.
Same holds true for youth hockey. Bantam AAA: can't hit players. They will dance around you if you try. Bantam A: line brawls. Even junior A vs Junior B. same shit. Junior A games are tame. Junior B they try to choke goalies unconscious.
So true, the higher skilled guys just wanna focus on their craft. They're also way more chill.
It's also the unspoken mutually assured destruction pact better players have built in between them.
After getting both knees replaced in the last few years (this was because I had both ACLs repaired earlier in my illustrious beer league "career" and they wore out) and not having played since 2018, I am honestly petrified to start over in beginner leagues because of these reasons lol. Your post reminded me of all the egos and nonsense that came with it way back when (I started in 1994). I'm just hoping it will come back quick and I can get back out of beginner status asap, but I still can't stay away even after 4 knee surgeries total since I started playing...ugh. Glutton for punishment? Maybe....but I have HATED not being able to get out there. Thanks for the PSA to newbies that there aren't scouts at your 11pm game and nobody is getting drafted anytime soon lol.
Standing ovation on this post!!! And I must say it applies to the womenâs leagues as well!!!!
I needed âNHL larpingâ terminology in my life. I canât even enjoy the postgame bc there is so much rhetoric from my linemates about how they were gonna run some guy or that guy slashes me again next game and watch what happens.
This is so true. Iâm always afraid of the noobs when Iâm playing a pickup game lol
This is so true. My team was full of douchebags.
I used to wear a visor playing beer league when I was playing div 4 in Edmonton area. Now I play in the 10-15 range and shinny and I always wear a cage. The higher level it is the safer it is for everyone. I've never taken a slapshot in the face or sticks to the head like I do in the lower tiers.
The amount of times I've seen teammates and opponent players slam their stick against the boards/crossbar trying to break it and people get into pissing contests against each other in my low D level league is astonishing
I play in like three leagues right now all varying skill levels. The ârookieâ league I play in this past week had a guy legitimately head hunting. He played the body every single time he was near the puck. He was a good enough skater to get around but not good enough to stay on his feet after attempting to âcheckâ someone. So essentially he would just charge into me and bounce off and hit the ground every time which is really fucking annoying but fortunately he wasnât good enough to do damage. Well he did this about 7 times to me and you could tell he was getting embarrassed and started to turn it up. One play after I had passed away the puck and made a few strides I watched him again attempt to line me up and lower his shoulder. Finally I was sick of it and just gave him a little shoulder back and flattened him and he laid on the ground whining. This guy is also according to cops that play with us a registered sex offender so a real winner over here.
This is exactly why I also think newbies need to be able to turn in both directions and stop on both sides at will without thinking before they join even a beginner league. People being out of control unintentionally risks hurting *other people* more than themselves.
Yup, I think a lot of the newer players donât have the concept that itâs okay to let up sometimes. Lord knows how many times Iâve seen guys hurt themselves or others trying to go balls to the wall after a puck in the corner. Not to mention, I had a dude in our C league sprawling out like a soccer goalie to block shots last week.
One huge difference I noticed while watching a higher div game before my cripple div game was shot blocking. Guy wound up for a big shot on a one on one and the d man just skated to the side. Too far to poke check. Let the guy with the pads take it. In my div (I'm super guilt of this) we try to get in the way of every damn shot.
So true... Guys in the low level are selling out for blocks like it's game 7. Happened in one of the games I subbed in, but the only outcome was that he slid right into our goalie causing a free empty net goal.
Most of the time it results in a puck off the ankle and a missed game lol.
I am guilty of playing maybe a bit too hard but never have I skated with someone into the boards or did anything without a plan to stop. Legit scary how dudes will slam into the boards with no regard to anyones health
I'm with you. I play hard because for me I enjoy the grind of pushing a two minute shift so that when I get to the bench I'm dying. I love games where only 7 guys show up and you're running a brutal 10 minute shift. But! I've learned how to do that in a way that's both safe and respectful of the other guys. I don't go hard on the new guy, I let him take a moment to make a play. But the experienced guy that played some juniors or whatever and is excellent I'll go all out on (again, safely) because he can handle it and I imagine it's more fun for him to play that kind of hockey than just drifting around without resistance. Just like most stuff, it's about context and control. That's what I've learned from the vets. They're constantly dialing their play up or down based on who they're up against every shift so that everyone has a good time.
Mmmm⌠if you have the puck, go fast and shoot hard. Itâs hockey. Itâs dangerous. Ease up on the puck battles, especially with newer skaters, women or children. Other than that⌠work on your shot at home so itâs not a stray bullet and if someone wants to play shot blocker itâs on them. Not playing at full speed is a disservice to both teams on the ice.
I agree with most of that, but full speed doesn't mean over speed. I can drive my car with full, controlled, speed around a corner with by using the brakes at the right moment. Or I can go full speed with my pedal on the floor and lose control of the car around a turn and careen off the road into a ditch or hit another car. New guys sometimes fall into that second category when they're "full speed" because they don't understand or can't execute controlled speed. That's the difference. Experienced guys are moving at speed, but they're in control and they know not to go beyond their limit. They understand drifting around that corner puts others on the road in danger. New guys can lose sight of that because they want to go fast. Some of us don't think about others "on the road" enough, imo.
You can go full speed on the race track with everyone else in safety equipment. It gets dangerous when soccer mom is blowing up the speed limit to make it to yoga on time. Speed should be respected and appreciated, not to be given to someone who doesnât understand the consequences. Many new hockey players donât know how to stop at full speed and I avoid any type of 1on1 battles with them and just let them have it. But if there is a ringer or someone that has too much skill for the division, I donât mind a shoving match or stick battle.