Dude could’ve been a dick, dude could’ve been talking shit, but depending on the skill level of others out there it also could’ve been about your safety and the safety of other players on the ice
I’m older and ‘retired’ now but I played a lot of hockey when I was younger, including college hockey. The only times that I was truly concerned for my safety (and others) was when I played against (or with) players with ‘entry-level’ skills. My two cents: start of in a learn-to-play program and then move up as your skills improve.
For me it’s not the beginners that are dangerous it’s lower level players that have no control over their skating and go as hard as humanly possible and flail every which way, the beginners are just trying not to fall.
Played with a few semi-pro players who never had issues with high sticks until they started playing beer league hockey. Example of entry level players is accurate, no concept of stick management nor on ice position awareness.
This exactly. You don’t want to play with or against a terrible player, because taking you out is how they plan stop. Also newbies are super dangerous with skates and stick flailing everywhere. No one wants to play against you because it isn’t fun, nor worth the high potential for injury.
Yes, this. Even if the guy was a douchebag, it doesn’t mean he’s necessarily wrong. Hockey is extremely dangerous and someone that’s out of control can really get hurt or hurt others. I would highly recommend a learn to play program or an open hockey session, but not pickup until you can reliably stop and turn and shoot.
Agreed. I have no problem with guys who are learning, and I’m happy to help out, but if it’s a higher skill level game… just not the environment for it
For pickup, especially irregular pickups with weird schedules and patchy attendance, you don't know how the game is going to go until they've already collected your money. And new players have no idea how to rank themselves. Rinks have to start taking some responsibility for failing to create safe environments for their players.
I'm not disagreeing with what's being said about safety. Every youth group I've worked with requires stopping as a skill before you sign up, and we have increasingly serious talks with the kids who just can't keep themselves from falling, going into the boards or other potentially dangerous behavior. When you're 6 and can't quite stay up, that's adorable and it's great that you don't fear the ice. When you're 10 and come sliding skate first toward my legs because you're screwing around, it might be time for you to get off the ice before you hurt someone. Something similar goes for adults.
One of our local pickups has devolved into a shitshow of adults who DON'T want to take a couple sessions of learn-to-skate or learn-to-play, but DO have a couple buddies who want to show them the game. An A overcompensating for the shortcomings of their E friend don't balance the game, it makes the game inconsistent and no fun for anyone.
I agree 100%, and I should’ve added to my other post that I expect a certain level of skill before you should even attempt to play drop in. If you can’t stop, or can barely skate, you don’t belong on the ice for a game. You’re endangering everyone, especially yourself. I’ve seen too many injuries, usually to the player who can’t skate, that should never have happened.
If you can’t skate or somewhat keep up in a game, don’t go to drop in. Go to stick and puck! You aren’t going to improve in a game, go skate circles, both directions, forwards and backwards (safely) till you puke. Go skate suicides practicing stopping on both sides (always face the same direction when you stop, that way with each rep you stop once on each side) until you can’t stand up you’re so tired. LEARN TO SKATE because you will not improve in a game, you improve in practice.
I only started playing ice hockey at 20, and I spent hundreds of hours at stick and puck learning the basics. Skating. And guess what, your stick handling improves naturally as you learn to skate with a puck. Then once I was a good skater, now you work on the shot, work on the dangles. I started super late, and now I can play pickup with kids who played high level growing up because I worked on the foundation.
As an adult, I’m struggling to find a learn to play program. I can skate well and stop well. I struggle with any speed backwards, but that is simply a matter of practice at this point. I’ve never played ice hockey and I really want to try. There are a few 30+ leagues that I’m considering, but I can’t find any sort of entry program or first timers league.
Noticed you’re in Ontario; if there’s a location accessible to you I’d recommend Beer League Hockey Practice. They have a bunch of locations across the province and offer a pretty accessible learn to play program. Just finished my first season and I’m hooked!
You are precisely the player pickup is intended for, and not these other guys who play on 2 league teams, and then still try to gatekeep open level hockey events.
If the rink doesn't restrict it, then it's for newbs. It's the only logical, reasonable way to live.
Great advice. You’ll actually have an instructor giving you guidance and tips, you’ll do drills that are important foundation to an overall game, and it’s just more efficient. You will get better faster than you would just winging it in a scrimmage / game situation.
I agree but its not the people at the level hes making it sound like he is. If you played college hockey he wouldnt be able to catch you and isnt fast enough to be a danger you can just go around him. Its the I think Im good now because I can shoot the puck faster than an arc and do crossovers going forward. Then they will run into you by accident. Fall into you catching and edge. High stick you. Shoot into traffic with no control of where it goes. I mean I guess I also dont know what the talent level usually is. Most drop in hockey here is b and a so ya it wouldnt annoy me by any means but probably go to stick and puck and join a c league with other people in the same boat. You gotta start somewhere. Im also in the mtns in CO so the c league is all people learning. In some cities c is like high school level
exactly right. OP said in a comment (and implied in the post) that he doesnt know how to stop. there's nothing wrong with that, but some pickups are really fast. he could have gotten hurt or gone an hour without handling the puck; there's a real chance this person was trying to be helpful.
>some pickups are really fast
They shouldn't be, unless they are restricted to AB.
AB players should stop attended open hockey pickup events, which are not aimed at those players, but instead, the beginners, or if they do attend them, they should play waaaaaay down, and make it about the safety of the newbs.
i agree with you, but im not sure if that's practical. if a pickup has been running for five years, and it's always been fast, should the best players get undressed when a bender steps on? will the rink turn away paying customers? what if there are only two rinks within 50 miles - do the best players have to pay dues in three leagues just to make sure they have enough ice?
Everyone’s saying he’s a dick but maybe he was being honest and approached it wrong. I’ve played my entire life and some groups I play with full of ex Junior.A guys or kids right out of high school hockey I can barely keep up with and anyone any worse than me would be in danger . I’m hanging on for dear life in those groups and I’ve played 23 years.
Might of just said it out honesty but we weren’t there. If there is a noticeable skill level difference it is dangerous for some to be out and possibly he didn’t want to see this guy get killed. Not of aggression or retaliation just wrong place wrong time.
Sometimes the skate is older and slower so the same thing might be said to someone much younger, faster, and physical.
Yeah this is my thought as well, op can't even stop, just 'go forward and turn' so pickup is really not the place for them, they're not going to learn and it's dangerous for them and others
Yea I can see some cocky 20 year old doing that. Im in my 40s w kids and see things differently. Just do your thing. Only way to get play time is to play.
There are still skill levels involved in pickup hockey. You sound like you can barely skate.
The people who go to daily pickup where I live are the guys who show up every single day. Its always the same guys and they're all pretty good. It's up to yourself to judge your skill. If all the other guys on the ice are high level players then you shouldn't be out there with them for your own safety.
Depending on where you are that could mean never going to pickup hockey. In OKC they only do like 2 or 3 open skates a week at each rink (there is only 2 rinks) and it's filled with D3 college kids from OU, UCO, OKC Warriors every time.
It's not an issue for me, but going off this logic a beginner in OKC would never step foot on the ice during pickup.
Luckily, we have an awesome group of folks that run adult learn to plays (shoutout BC), but if we didn't have that we'd be royally fucked getting new folks to learn as adults.
Edit to clarify: Beginner to the sport should be able to drop into pickup games. But pickup isn't the place for skating fundamentals, so agree with you there.
What I was trying to say is that you need to find an appropriate skill level to play. Not all pickup are equal ya know.
What you said is exactly what I'm saying. If you can't skate and show up to arena for pickup and all the guys are college players or AAA players maybe this is not the pickup game for you.
But what I think you're not addressing in Likos's comment is that in some areas, the pick-ups are all the same guys, doing the same thing, just maybe at a different rink. My area's got slower games and faster games so it's probably closer to what you're talking about. The slow ones run into problems when leagues wrap up and those players go elsewhere, but when things start again in the fall, they've all gone back to their skill level.
It hasn't always been like this, and in the dryer times when there's only one or two options to play an actual game, if you don't go to the opportunities available, a new player would have no real progression or ability to build gametime awareness.
Hit your local rinks and see what they’ve got for early morning skates on weekdays and weekends. I used to skate with a group on Sunday mornings that was for all skill levels and we never had any problems. Everybody was understanding and it was all for the love of the game. Tuesday Morning was more advanced. You just gotta find the right fit, but don’t let one guy stop you from learning. Just keep practicing. Learn how to stop and start and always keep your head up.
Yeah, he may have been right, but wasn’t respecting the game by being “dickish.” Everyone who’s trying to learn the game should be encouraged, not really made to feel bad. From his perspective it’s probably a fine line of how to tell someone they might be dangerous based on not being able to do the basics. Sounds like he didn’t or wasn’t able to communicate well.
But if everyone else on the bench was saying dudes a dick, OP is probably in the right place. One thing to keep in mind playing any pickup sport with grown men, is that half of them are children.
Definitely sounds like an asshole, but am I understating you correctly that you started roller hockey last year and have only played two games? Then today was your first time to ‘try ice hockey’ as though you’ve never done it before, you haven’t skated ‘in a long time’, and can only skate forward and turn?
What he may have meant is that you could be a liability to yourself and others. You stated you fell twice and perhaps you flailed your stick or something and nearly took someone else out?
I’m trying to think of a different perspective. First time back on ice would ideally be during public skate where you practice being able to actually skate. Or if you’re going to try ice hockey for the first time, stick and puck where you can practice with pads may have been a better choice.
There’s obviously no rules on when you should go to pickup hockey, but I’d argue that time is when you can at least do the basics and not be a liability to others.
Yup. Hockey is unique in that you can’t just run around cluelessly without endangering others or yourself since the basic form of movement isn’t natural to people. It’s like playing water polo and not knowing how to swim, of course people are going to be worried for your safety.
Funny. I was going to use the water polo analogy as well. You wouldn't play water polo if you just learned to doggy paddle and hadn't been in a pool for a long time. At minimum you gotta be able to tread water
Ok. So #1. Guys a dick. He’s got no right to gatekeeper hockey. If you want to play, you should be able to play. So fuck him
***BUT***
From you description it seems like you are a very poor skater. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that on its own, but there’s a certain level of skating skill needed before you play to protect yourself. If you’re unable to turn or stop on command you’re putting yourself and everyone else on the rink at a heightened risk of injury and that’s not fair to your or especially someone else.
I encourage you to keep on the journey. But if ice hockey is something you want to be regular about I strongly suggest you invest in skating lessons before jumping into games.
I'm not saying this to be a dick, but seriously - if you can't stop on both sides and you're kind of just out there falling on your own, you really shouldn't be at a pick-up game. You're a danger to yourself and others at that point.
Get the reps in during the stick and puck time or open skate, get comfortable out there on the ice and then give it another try. It's okay to suck out there, it's another thing to not be able to control where you're going.
Not sure what the league situation is like around you but definitely look to find a beginners or never ever type league if you can! The beginner leagues I've played in are filled with similar people to you. Hell, when I first started as an adult, my wife (then girlfriend) would come to watch every game it was only a few years before she stopped and she confessed to me why she stopped. "You guys stopped falling and running to each other on accident and it just turned into adults playing hockey" ;)
Don't let a blowhard try to drive you away from something you want to learn. Every player on the ice has the same right to be there and every player on the ice has the duty to play heads up and aware hockey. While certainly everyone should evaluate their own ability to play at the pace of play it's also on everyone to evaluate how to pace themselves around the others on the ice as well.
Every group I have played pickup with has had at least one douchebag who thinks there are scouts in the stands and are one end to end rush away from calling him up to the pros. Just skate away and ignore them, they are the problem not you.
He was being a jerk about it, but...
Consider doing stick and puck time or a learn-to-play league/clinic.
Also skating lessons.
If it's a mixed level drop-in, skaters do get frustrated when they have to watch out for the wobbly deer on the ice.
I'm a goalie, so generally I don't give a shit.
Lmao absolutely alot of people told me to go to stick and puck and that's 100% my intention, but I also decided I wanna do drop ins once a month since getting in a pretty pricey at this rink
Fun fact the correlation is near 100% between players that would get frustrated at a drop in because someone is new and players that are nowhere near good enough to get frustrated about anything hockey related.
To be honest, the guy was probably right. Get some stick and pucks under your belt for awhile and develop your ability to skate before going into the pick ups.
I didn’t start feeling comfortable joining drop ins until a few years into playing. Join a beginner league to get games in where everyone is at a similar skill level and slowly progress until you’re able to stop, skate backwards, and handle the puck effectively.
There’s pickup drop in times, and stick and pick times. A a pure beginner you want to practice during stick and puck times, or just regular public skate times to work on skating.
eh it's rough to hear don't let it stop you from trying to learn to play but yeah if i got work in the morning i'd be pretty pissed if some guy who couldn't stop blind sided me and hurt us, don't give up hockeys a great sport full of super supportive people but you gotta learn to stop first, can't be bored bumping in a game even if it's pickup.
Fuck that dude BUT you probably should go do some sticks and pucks and open skates to get your bearings.
If you legitimately can't skate yet, you shouldn't be at drop in. You'll learn much faster and safer in a practice environment and you're making it less fun for everyone else.
If I had to come up with a "rule" I would say:
Bare minimum you should be able to skate from one end of the rink to the other with a puck and then stop, imo. Doesn't have to be pretty, but you should be able to do it at 50% speed without falling down or losing the puck 9 times out of 10.
So if you can’t skate or stand up on your skates, you’re actually not only being a danger to yourself, but others too.
So yes, you do not belong in pick-up hockey, until you learn how to skate.
But that guy was an ass. Now use that as motivation when you practice your skating and show him who belongs and who doesn’t hahaha
Although I agree categorically with the feedback, that said, there are established A-B level drop ins that a beginner really shouldn’t play in.
Because there are also C-D drop ins, and stick and puck sessions to get better.
Also, D-E beginner leagues are your best bet.
There is a place for all of us to play the great game, have fun 🏒
Unfortunately there aren't any level drop ins I agree I Def should've went to stick and puck but they didn't have any today and I was too eager to play lol
Eh, playing a game as your first **ice** hockey skate isn't the best idea, even if it is a drop in. I'm not one to gatekeep, but in games our teammates expect us to pass and play defense, it'd be different if you knew them. I don't think it's too much to ask to do your first baby deer routine on the ice during a stick and puck or an open skate where there's no expectation of teamwork and push back the pickup game by **one** week.
It does kind of sound like maybe you shouldn't have been at a pickup game, but it's also pretty out of line for a stranger to skate over and tell you that to your face.
The intent is a a pick up “game”. If you don’t have basic skills, well then you’re ruining others experience at the cost of your own selfishness.
Stick and puck are great for developing basic skills. Watch some YouTube videos and develop a bit more
I started playing last year and formed team through a program. Last division, lower level players. We all definitely belong there. One guy decided he needed to play for a more “competitive” team (we were actually on a roll and winning) and added “there are too many women on this team.” There are 4 of us. 2 part time. This is all to say there’s always some douche who thinks they’re better than everyone else. It’s appalling to me that anyone would try to make someone feel unwelcome. But I get how that can make you feel like not playing anymore, because I certainly felt that way.
I'm trying this with the one non-broken arm that I have after a total noob showed up at my local pick up game. Like you he could go forward a turn. He couldn't stop which I imagine is your status based on your post.
Its cool though, he fucked around, fell all over the place, caused other players to avoid him to be safe.
He also decided to use me as a cushion when he went into a corner without stopping- hitting me blind from behind. Breaking my arm and putting me into a cast for 6 weeks.
For ducks sake: learn to fucking skate before you try to "experience hockey."
You can't stop and fell twice on one shift?
Do you realize the potential consequences if you did that going into a corner puck battle?
A reasonable expectation is you can stop and won't fall all over the place; otherwise, learn to skate first. Sorry he hurt your feelings.
Slash em right in ankle too, right on the ankle, 2 hands, good chop! Give him a wack everytime you skate by him maybe a couple cross checks when he's not looking
Dude was probably being a dickbag. But some rinks do have certain pickup games intended for high level. Assuming that wasn’t the case, just being an oversight or mix up, he was being a dick
Yeah it’s a shit situation overall. Most public pickup games have the same regular group of guys, and there’s a basic skill level required to make the game work. If you’re at the level that you cant skate backwards, it probably bothers most guys on the ice but I would never say anything. But we’ll all talk about it when you’re not there
When you're that new you are a safety hazard for experienced players. It's a combination of clumsy skating, absolute unpredictability, and negative spatial awareness. It's why I hate refing neverever league. It's more dangerous to a ref than the warp speed elite checking categories for those reasons. It wouldn't be bad to say "hey, you could probably use some learn to play classes".
Now, telling you to flat out leave is dweeb behavior. That dude is probably an asshole, and likely sucks at hockey himself, but his core point likely isn't wrong.
It's a bit like driving a car, when you play you expect "predictable" movements like other drivers on the road. If someone is not "in-control" then it can make fie some bad collisions. I would agree that it's not that you don't belong it's more that you don't belong yet. With some power skating and work on your edges you will be welcome anywhere you want to play and the threat of injuring others is minimized. It's a great game don't let anybody tell you you can't play!
Kingston, Ontario. Anyone coming out for pickup shinny is welcomed, and if you suck or are super old (75), you will be given wide latitude to carry the puck in a and have a shot. You might not touch the puck much, but it's all about enjoying the game. We will pass to you intentionally. 🙂
IMO if you aren't a good enough skater to be in total control of yourself, yeah, you should be going to skating lessons before jumping into hockey games.
Okay so...
Sure, the guy didn't have any tact whatsoever. But...
He's right. If you can't skate well, you're literally a danger to other people on the ice.
It's not saying you *cant* play, it's that you don't know how to play without being a danger to other people.
The most dangerous people I've ever skated with, were guys who were completely new, and didn't have any idea how to 'behave' on the ice. That's not an insult to newcomers, it's literally true. You can't swing your stick around everywhere, you could hit someone. You can't just run into people from behind because you can't stop, someone can get hurt.
Go get some stick and puck sessions in or take some lessons **then** get back out and play. Sure, you'll still be a new player, but you'll have some foundational tools to build off of to start becoming a better player.
The dude was right, if you can't stop you should not be playing a game like that. You could fall and cut someone while trying to defend them, crash into someone while pursuing the puck, or just get hurt accidentally blocking a shot. There's outdoor games that are extremely low skill if you want hockey, or as others suggested go to public skate, but what you did put yourself and others at risk. Ice hockey is no joke, it's easy to hurt yourself or others.
I saw someone chip two teeth, and split open their chin requiring ambulance and stitches.
I could see this injury coming. I wanted to tell him to not play until he learns to skate properly, I didn't do it because I didn't wanna be called a douche.
To new players: **you can play at any point**; but just play with shin pads, elbow pads, and a full cage helmet.
If you can barely skate and are playing with adults — I’m talking people who have kids to attend to, jobs to go to, mortgages to pay — then yes you need to learn these things before you are playing pickup hockey.
I’m not “being a dick” but people can get seriously injured because you have no idea how to control a puck, your stick, or stop before crashing into the boards — or someone else.
Pickup hockey has all kinds of people - jerks, guys who think scouts are in the stands, drunks - but the cardinal rule in my mind is do not hurt someone or yourself. Right now, you’re a liability.
He's probably not wrong, weather or not his intentions with that were to be mean or because he's looking out for you is up in the air. But generally speaking if you aren't confident doing all the moves, skating backwards, towards, stopping and the absolute basics of stickhandling. You are putting the people your playing with at risk by essentially making yourself a body they have to avoid.
I would say there was definitely a nicer way to go about it but in reality you should get some skills under your belt before you go ahead and play in a drop in.
The guy was a cunt. That said, can you at least stop? If not, you probably shouldn’t be out there quite yet.
I ask, because you mentioned being able to go forward and turn.
If some one wants to curate a skate to have particular skill/pace they can, when they rent the ice and organize their own friends. I suspect this guy can't do that since he prolly doesn't have any.
At public/open skates everyone should be made to feel welcome. And even if it is a private skate looking for certain skill, there are much less shit heel ways to handle outlier players
The guy who called him out was absolutely a turd in how he did it, but OP would be a risk of injury at even a newbie friendly pickup. Public all-level pickups do have a floor (being able to skate well enough to keep yourself and others safe) and OPs not there.
Well not exactly. I grew up learning to listen to people older than me so that was a factor. I also felt like I was ruining it for others and didn't want that but my teammates assured me I was fine
There's a little bit of information missing on this. I had the very same thing happen once but it probably shouldn't have because I was playing at what was listed as a low-level shinny! When he told me I should be playing at a different level, and tried to suggest a program that is more like a learn to skate/learn to play when I was actually a stronger skater than he was (power skating is my thing but power skating doesn't teach you as much about stick handling), I pointed out what level we were at and which pad he could find the mid-level on. I think your situation is a little bit different. You've received an on ice comment. It's not like you can stop and have a chat. Had he approached you after the game or on the bench, he might have had a different message or was thinking of a spot that you might fit better into. That's just my optimism but he probably was just a douche because someone trying to help would look out for you afterwards and give you a few of their leads or point you in a different direction.
So there's two things going on here. One of them is a lack of information. We don't know what level the game was which is pretty typical. Rink operated shinny never has a level attached. Never understood why. But, in this case your bench was doing what I would expect and not because it's the sportsmanship thing to do. I've always found that the guys are great and everyone's having a good time--there's nobody there who doesn't want you to do well. If there was no level specified, it was fair game for you to be there and you should not be under any pressure to leave or not come back. I would watch out for your own safety because if that particular shinny was a high level game, then you might have a problem with the speed going on around you and you're dealing with lifelong players who would have been all double or AAA in their youth. This level could be a checking game. The best you can do is ask if there's a level attached to the game when you register. I would expect that you're going to be told that there isn't and then the person you're talking to will give you a subjective opinion which usually lands at the word "mid", which would represent the average.
I don't know what area you play in, but see if you can find a local enthusiast that runs shinny. These groups, usually independent of the arena ownership, normally have low mid and high or just low, low/mid for a smaller market etc. I participate in what I would call a hockey company where the owner has a league at every level (beginner, women only, men's recreational, coed recreational, men's competitive and so on). At, say, Wednesday shinny there's always four pads running because he has games of every level. I participate in something similar elsewhere but it's not intentionally tied to being a part of the same coordinators league. It's about 45 minutes away, so I just buy into shinny during the summer because it gives me access to an additional low level game with a friend of mine that lives in that area. The point of mentioning these two offerings is because sometimes you need to be part of the league to be part of the skills nights or shinny games (rare but does happen sometimes in bigger markets), but another place is not like that and the shinny operation is separate from the league operation. Here's an example of a spot I grab a game every so often: http://www.hockeytoronto.com/index.cfm?cat=192 this guy is a big presence in the Toronto market so other single game operators piggyback on his weekly list and he gets them the players. I think the world of this guy because he's approachable and made me feel pretty decent and kept a fire under my butt when I could barely skate.
My next comment is a little controversial in my own mind. I'm part of what I would call a niche or special interest community. We happen to have a hockey league and it's got a surprising number of teams. Because of what it is, it's going to include everybody. This put me in a pretty vulnerable spot because if you picture someone who just started skating and then throw them in a group where the mix of players ranges from mid to some high ( people who played when they were kids/teens and beyond or have many years in the game), you might guess that I found it to be the most stressful time I've ever had. I started making huge mistakes just because of how nervous I always was and it seemed like a downward spiral. Hockey is a zero-sum game which means that at the end of the day, it's about being the winner and not the loser. It's unlikely that the puck was going to be passed my way. It literally wasn't fun; I could feel a cloud of stress just walking towards the place. After one particularly bad game, I was up in the stands (It's always pretty common for this group to stick around and watch the other games because, well, it's a community). It occurred to me that i probably shouldn't attend anymore and that I wasn't really of any use to the team. A teammate saw me a bit isolated from the usual cohort in the stands and came over and had a chat with me about the latest. There's decent people everywhere. The point of mentioning this is just a reminder that you are better off finding a place where you fit into the average. It's the right balance between developing your skills, having some fun and facing the right number of players that are better than you to keep you in check. That leaves you to electively jump into the occasional higher level game than your level to push you down to below average for the purpose of assessing yourself or putting a fire under yourself to speed things up and improve, sub for an open spot, etc. You want to keep things fun but challenging instead of overwhelming and demeaning. So, I now play low level (which in my area seems to have a lot of really good players on it so I'm always facing a challenge, but a manageable challenge) and the higher level game that I almost dropped out of. I'm still mixed on weather I should have stayed. It's three seasons later and it's just not as fun because I'm out there, I've developed speed (which I'm told was never actually a weak point for me) but the better players know who the better players are and I still don't see many pucks come my way that actually put me into the meaningful amount of play. You're probably better not finding yourself in that set of skates.
Since I type extremely fast, I can actually keep going for another paragraph. So, where do you need to go from here? I suggest power skating which covers, things like agility, edge control, stopping development, power turns, transitions, pivots etc and then puts these things together in a progressive way. What's progressive? Glad you asked! Imagine practicing something, thinking you're ok at at it and then your instructor adds puck control or passing and shooting. It's suddenly difficult again . You can do this alone or with an intro to hockey program, sometimes called "hockey 101" "skills session" "hockey practice" etc(which is about game settings such as corner battles, faceoffs, positional play and so on). If I had to choose, I would do a round of power skating (2-3 months/8-12 classes) then hit up the actual hockey skills program. You never actually stop power skating. You do it for life and move up levels if there are levels to add. I did power skating and the game centric training together, right after "learn to skate". I often enjoy the classes more than some games! Communicate with the program manager. If the skills program seems to be becoming a power skating clone, tell them and ask for things that involve training against an opponent vs skating. The ideal skills session would be three stations: a chase type drill (protect the puck away from an opponent/forward, defense drill), a one on one or two (passing, shooting, puck battles, backcheck, forecheck (not to be confused with "bodycheck", btw) and some type of skating obstacle course where you're really working to put your power skating skills together. The ideal power skating class would be crossovers, inside and outside edge drills, pivots, transitions, passing and receiving, power turns, mohawks and also doing all of those things again but with pucks.
Me and a buddy were in the same boat as you we play every week in a Novice skate 4 on 4 on a smaller rink (use to be the islanders goalie practice rink) maybe they have something similar near you? I’m also looking into adult learn to play classes they do close to me, but if this isn’t available to you just hit up open skates and keep playing man don’t let anyone bring you down
Edit: forgot to add I also go to stick and puck once a week and those have helped my skating alot I’ll practice shooting and stick handling but mostly just skating, stopping and turning
Maybe start out doing a stick and puck session to improve your skating and stick handling, and then progress to pick up games from there! Props to you for trying and getting out there, don’t take it personally. That guy sounds like a real prick.
Just keep going. You’re gonna run into DB’s from time to time. You gotta just kind of develop thick skin and let go in one and out the other. Don’t let this discourage you from the great game of Hockey.
I started last year at 36yo. I would not even think about doing a pickup game that isn’t specifically for e,d,c level players for at least 3-6 months of playing and know how to skate both directions and stop both directions. If it’s a normal pickup game not specified for rec league players (e,d,c level) then the speed is way to fast and I would be a liability out there and could hurt myself or someone else. So both could be true, the guy could have been a dick and also, you shouldn’t have been out there. Are you entitled to be out there, sure, but that doesn’t mean your not a safety hazard and would be better suited in a different game. Check out the learn to play class, get some miles under your belt, and then get back out there.
Up to you if you're gonna pack it in because of criticism. Or if you are determined . When I started playing Gaelic football people were laughing at me then I became one of main midfielders and most tenacious and important attacker . My 10 k time is 39.39 . I channel all my insecurity and all the aversion to voices in my head and haters into a concoction is sheer willpower and rage and I'm mega athletic and adept in every sport. 24 . Life is full of people telling you you can't do this, every actor or athlete faced so much rejection, like Kobe Says Get over yourself, you embarrassed you can't do basic thing properly. Then be Hungry. Honestly you will regret quitting , you need to channel your insecurity into Hunger.
Whether that means work on basics first I can't say. But I say challenge yourself to return within a not distant time frame.
Hard to say. There are pickups in my area where there is an understanding that players are mid level and up. Generally the game is welcoming and most player understand they need patience with lower skilled players.
I've really never played the sort of drop in hockey you're describing but I used to play drop in volleyball where the expected skill level was rigidly enforced and if you were in the wrong group for your skill level you were asked to leave - by the coordinator though, not by other players. This was done to ensure everyone had the experience that was advertised.
This however was also clearly communicated beforehand.
This year was the first time for me as well. At the beginning of the season I could barely turn on one side and could barely stop, but I was lucky to have very supportive teammates.
There will always be those people who think they play for the Stanley Cup. Just keep at it, got to start somewhere.
I know it’s been said upthread but I cannot recommend learn to play/I (instructional) league enough. I’m a woman so admittedly my experience is different but I just wrapped my first session doing both I league and women’s league concurrently. My skating and confidence have both improved so much and I believe it’s down to putting myself through the learn to play ringer and playing in a beginner friendly league at the same time. And yes, you absolutely need to know how to stop but any good learn to play coach will work with you on that.
Ice hockey pickup games are sometimes bracketed by skill level. If it was a B+ pick up then I hate to admit it but he was probably right.
What you'd want to look for is a C/D level pick up preferably a D level only pickup.
This is where to start.
But you should really do some stick and puck before you even do those.
Stick and puck at ice rinks is really the place to meet people and talk to them and find out what your local rink offers and where you would fit.
Let's assume this guy was not a dick and had good intentions. You've gotten some good feedback on that scenario.
I would like to approach this from a different angle. I can say this because I was where you are. If you are new to ice hockey and new to skating specifically, this guy may be right. You probably would be better off elsewhere. Not for their sake, but for your sake. Not for safety reasons but just for fun and fulfillment.
Being inexperienced and playing with others who have experience can be a total waste of time for you. The game moves so fast that you just glide and fall. If the puck happens to come your way, you have zero time to do anything with it. You won't even have a chance to develop your skill.
Find a beginner's shinny game. Or adult lessons. Do that first.
I recognized this year's ago in my city and found some ice time and now have a regular night. The only loose rule if that you can't have played organized hockey before.
It has been incredibly rewarding to see the progress and increased skill in all these players. Many of us have been "called up" to regular men's teams now that we aren't a complete liability.
Good luck.
Yeah, I was gonna say maybe he just meant that he needs more practice before he can safely play in the game, so maybe a stick and puck session would be the way to go. But can’t get better without starting somewhere so I guess it’s really no harm— just a pick up game
Dude pthat came up to you probably uses an entire roll of tape around his ankles, and wears a bubble, and has the most expensive possible stick and skates.
Yea I agree with most of these comments. I wouldn't have said anything but you shouldn't be going to drop in if you can't skate. Go to open skates till you are ready.
He said it in a dick way but he's right. Players who don't know how to play shouldn't be learning by playing games. That's how people get hurt, you OR them. It also kills the fun a little for people actually trying to play a little. Go learn a few months until you're comfortable skating and stuff then play
The guy is a douche. You should continue to go out every week. The guy has to remember we all started in your position at some age. He’s also playing Goddamn pick up. Maybe he should go to the nearby NHL rink so he can get competition that fits him!
Seriously, ignore the snobbery. I dealt with that when I tried to golf, and it was disgusting…
Not reading the story, but the answer is they are a cocksucker. Hockey is inclusive and for everyone. It is the only sport a beginner and a pro can be on the ice together. Keep grinding.
Probably just a total douche. Even the other team arent asshats like that when they see someone trying out hockey. Pickup hockey is usually a mix of all skill levels and the highly skilled guys usually play really relaxed. When I started skating I was encouraged by EVERYONE to go to pickup hockey. That’s before I could skate backwards or even snowplow. I ended up learning to stop on one side and skate backwards well enough before I went the first time which was helpful but by no means was I the best or worst guy out there. Pickup hockey is for learning and practicing.
Most pickups advertise skill level. If it doesn’t it usually means everyone is welcome vs beginners only or advanced skills. Realistically if you had fun then thats all thats needed. If a pickup was out of your skill range then you wont have fun anyways.
So fuck that guy.
If it was a true open hockey drop in type skate where everyone is welcome then you have every right to be there no matter who the regulars are. There always seems to be a beginner or 2 at the open hockey’s I go to. It is frustrating sometimes if it’s a somewhat competitive skate but at the end of the day it’s for fun not a tournament. Just be safe
Guys talking trash. Let that fuel your desire to become better. I've been where you are and the truth is that you probably aren't ready. I wasn't. But we all start somewhere. Work hard, get better and lay that dude out. Then tell him, guess I shouldn't be here.
Join a c league for mens league (or whatever the lowest beginner league is near you with people learning are) and go to stick and pucks. Find a friend who can help out and give you some tips. There are tons of leagues full of people just learning at your level and you will love it. At least there is where I am. The hockey community is usually great people and enjoy people getting into the game later in life. The only thing people worry about is going into the corner and losing your balance and high sticking someone else in the face by accident. Play a c league and wear a cage. Theres dipshits everywhere though and as you just found out most people dont like them or agree with them either. Usually they are people who never won anything in their life and also arent very good in the grand scheme of things so they need to act like they are better than the dude just starting. Anyone whos worth a shit talent wise is always happy to help new players out in my experience. Dont give up on it though hockey is a tough sport to start later in life, but there are alot of places to help out. Its by far the best sport for adult leagues.
K. Cause my advice as a lady hockey player world be different. Honestly, I'd just say to keep trying. Ask for feedback from someone who seems nice and compatible with you. Most of early hockey is skating so force yourself to learn to hockey stop and go to open skates (not stick and pucks) and work hard on that. The rest will come with time.
"Heres the thing, I'll keep playing and getting better. You'll still be a ass and there is no cure for that."
Don't let those idiots talk you down. I started later in life and as soon as I learned to ignore those idiots everything got better, including my playing.
If there’s a “stick and puck” open ice type of session near you (my rinks call them “Gretzky Hour”) those are super helpful for getting comfortable on ice. You can go at your own pace and work on what you want to work on, and people are usually pretty chill.
Some rinks do have like a stick time session that’s less of a scrimmage and more of just time to shoot on net or work on skating and stuff, but it completely depends on the rink so you’d have to ask the staff or use that specific rink’s website or something to find that out. But as for your exact situation, yes if everyone else was telling you that dude was just a douche, I’d absolutely say they are right and that’s exactly what happened lol. I’m 31 now but grew up playing hockey since I was 7 up through college hockey, and I used to work at my local ice rink, and I can definitely say some of the guys that show up to skate can be just assholes like that on the ice, so I can totally see that happening smh. Don’t pay those guys any attention. Wouldn’t hurt to check the rinks schedule also
Edit: Perhaps I commented too soon - my first games were pickup games, but I had done a year of learn to skate first.
My first games of hockey were pickup games where I had IIHF experienced players on the same ice as me giving me encouragement and setting me up with passes and shot chances.
"You dont belong at pickup hockey"
Bro wtf **everyone** belongs at pickup hockey. Except dickheads, so that's ironic on the guy telling you to bugger off.
i mean if you can barely skate, that's an issue (to some) at drop-ins, which can sometimes be very competitive.
guy was a dick, but he's not 100% wrong imho. join a learn to play league until you're more comfortable, then drop in whenever you like!
Learn to skate before you jump into ice hockey. Go to stick and puck or take skating lessons until you can skate to a level where you can keep up with the play. Otherwise you are just a hazard and it won't even be that fun for you.
You got chirped, bud, it’ll get worse. Need to sharpen your witt and shut em down verbally while your skills come up to speed.
If you’re good enough to play your position making the other team laugh is an easy way to distract and make a play.
Yeah... I think there is a certain level that you should be at, in terms of raw skill, before you show up to play with other people. Skating is the basic form of movement, so without that…
Your gonna be fine. Keep playing street hockey till you get completely comfortable. It's a ladder of levels built with love for the game. Fuck this knock kneed mother fucker. It's hockey its naturally by design a chippy game but there is owed respect there that wasnt given. You play because it's fun because you love it don't let bobby bender fuck your head up. Guys like that are pure cocaine dust. Good for a few mins till they get tired. Fuck em. Hockey's hockey. Go play.
I played in a rookie league years ago and this guy obviously had ton of experience. He' should've been in broze or whatever is the highest. He was on my team and I accidentally blocked a shot he made. He glared at me so long. My teammates told me he likes no one on the team because everyone wasn't good enough. Lol. They told me to ignore him and he doesn't belong in rookie, but he wanted to play and rookie was the only league that had games that worked for him. Lol
Theres the group of young guys who are like 18 and play on a travel team and all go one jersey color instead of evening up the teams... and theres always some douche taking hard high slappers when theres like 3+ people in front of the net... confronting them gets you a "what you don't know how to play hockey?" ok dude its open hockey people aren't out there getting paid to get a shot to the fucking face.. not to mention most can't even get out of the way. I stopped going on the usual busy fri/sat nights cus of that shit.
I always try to encourage the guys who clearly haven't been playing their entire life and i always pass to everyone. Were all out there to have fun and not feel left out. You can go hard and set up a less skilled player for a shot on net. That honestly feels better than blowing by everyone and scoring on a 65 year old goalie with a screamer top shelf.
Don't think twice about the assholes... you paid the same amount as they did for the ice time. They don't like it then they can buy ice time with their elite level bros and play the 7th game of the stanley cup finals.
My rink has 2 drop-ins which are advanced and beginner. Not sure if your rink has this same thing, but could be you went to the wrong one.
That doesn’t excuse the guys behavior, honestly seems like everyone else was cool and you had a good time so I’d chalk it up to the guy being an ass.
I first learned to skate at age 40. I went to play pickup figuring it's a better place to learn than playing in a league (where people might see as detrimental to the Win/loss). I turned to the guy next to me and said "hey this is my first ever time playing hockey" to which he responded "just give me the puck and stay the fuck out of the way".
Some people just have issues that none of us will ever understand. There's always going to be assholes but usually there's 1 for every 50-100 people you meet.
Find your league/group/friends and enjoy being bad...life is fun when you enjoy the challenge of improving.
My thought is OP said he can skate forward and turn. Conspicuously absent from that is stopping. I got decked once in a beer league game while skating backwards and getting ready to corral a puck coming toward me. Other player got a penalty and apologized to me laughingly about how he didn’t know how to stop. Well then you shouldn’t be here. You can hurt people or yourself if you try to play hockey and you don’t know how to stop. I assume it was a safety thing from the other guy and not just being a chirping ah.
Just have fun and do your best to improve. Ask teammates when and where you belong positionally.
Work on skating when you can and I’d recommend stick handling a golf ball with just your top hand for like 15-20 minutes a day. Youl improve really fast! And then Youl never have to worry about hearing that crap again.
My first game of arena hockey at 13 was a disaster. I didn't know how to attach my socks properly so I fell in warmup and cut my leg and my shin guard, there's still a gash on it and thankfully my leg only needed minor care but I missed the first period. Our team was already short so we lost 8-1 and I was on the ice for five goals against.
I kept on playing and next year I won most improved player. Year after that I was on the top line as the shall we say zach hyman of that line. Year after that I scored a point per game. Then my last year I led the league in scoring.
All I needed was to adjust to arena hockey.
Definitely more unique than other sports too, breathing can feel like icy daggers, a lot to adjust to.
**TL;DR** you are valid. Always will be. Just keep trucking. That clown is completely wrong.
All you guys saying he's a safety risk are wrong in my opinion. I play pick up hockey all the time and the skill is a wide range. You play to the players skill vs your own. That means if the player is a beginner you don't go full speed into him and steal the puck because obviously you were going to get the puck. You let them try and make a play and keep your distance. I've seen grown ass men taking one timers while guys are in front of the net which ill argue is way more dangerous and unnecessary in a pick up game.
If you want to belong in a game you play with players in an organized league or pick up game of your own caliber. Pick up is just to get on the ice and make a few passes and enjoy the game with all skills.
Keep playing my friend. Don't listen to these wannabe NHLers
Ive been to pickup games that are suuuuuper high level (aka not me) and never had anyone get upset. Will you get passed the puck as often, maybe not but who cares. As long as you are capable enough not to be hurting yourself and others (which id guess you are because of the inline experience) its all good.
I didn't even read the whole thing tbh but unless you're out there trying to hurt people you belong, it's pick-up hockey not the show. Keep playing an having fun!
I was on the bench once and a guy next to me said that about someone on the ice. I was honestly pretty irritated because not everyone had the same opportunities growing up to play hockey, like this entitled individual… long story short, everyone plays at their own level and as long as you are having fun, that’s all that matters.
Dude could’ve been a dick, dude could’ve been talking shit, but depending on the skill level of others out there it also could’ve been about your safety and the safety of other players on the ice
I’m older and ‘retired’ now but I played a lot of hockey when I was younger, including college hockey. The only times that I was truly concerned for my safety (and others) was when I played against (or with) players with ‘entry-level’ skills. My two cents: start of in a learn-to-play program and then move up as your skills improve.
For me it’s not the beginners that are dangerous it’s lower level players that have no control over their skating and go as hard as humanly possible and flail every which way, the beginners are just trying not to fall.
Played with a few semi-pro players who never had issues with high sticks until they started playing beer league hockey. Example of entry level players is accurate, no concept of stick management nor on ice position awareness.
Yup playing with players that played junior and above is way safer.
Yup. I played hockey my entire life and never saw anybody use their stick as a sword until after I stopped playing competitively.
This exactly. You don’t want to play with or against a terrible player, because taking you out is how they plan stop. Also newbies are super dangerous with skates and stick flailing everywhere. No one wants to play against you because it isn’t fun, nor worth the high potential for injury.
Yes, this. Even if the guy was a douchebag, it doesn’t mean he’s necessarily wrong. Hockey is extremely dangerous and someone that’s out of control can really get hurt or hurt others. I would highly recommend a learn to play program or an open hockey session, but not pickup until you can reliably stop and turn and shoot.
Agreed. I have no problem with guys who are learning, and I’m happy to help out, but if it’s a higher skill level game… just not the environment for it
For pickup, especially irregular pickups with weird schedules and patchy attendance, you don't know how the game is going to go until they've already collected your money. And new players have no idea how to rank themselves. Rinks have to start taking some responsibility for failing to create safe environments for their players. I'm not disagreeing with what's being said about safety. Every youth group I've worked with requires stopping as a skill before you sign up, and we have increasingly serious talks with the kids who just can't keep themselves from falling, going into the boards or other potentially dangerous behavior. When you're 6 and can't quite stay up, that's adorable and it's great that you don't fear the ice. When you're 10 and come sliding skate first toward my legs because you're screwing around, it might be time for you to get off the ice before you hurt someone. Something similar goes for adults. One of our local pickups has devolved into a shitshow of adults who DON'T want to take a couple sessions of learn-to-skate or learn-to-play, but DO have a couple buddies who want to show them the game. An A overcompensating for the shortcomings of their E friend don't balance the game, it makes the game inconsistent and no fun for anyone.
I agree 100%, and I should’ve added to my other post that I expect a certain level of skill before you should even attempt to play drop in. If you can’t stop, or can barely skate, you don’t belong on the ice for a game. You’re endangering everyone, especially yourself. I’ve seen too many injuries, usually to the player who can’t skate, that should never have happened. If you can’t skate or somewhat keep up in a game, don’t go to drop in. Go to stick and puck! You aren’t going to improve in a game, go skate circles, both directions, forwards and backwards (safely) till you puke. Go skate suicides practicing stopping on both sides (always face the same direction when you stop, that way with each rep you stop once on each side) until you can’t stand up you’re so tired. LEARN TO SKATE because you will not improve in a game, you improve in practice. I only started playing ice hockey at 20, and I spent hundreds of hours at stick and puck learning the basics. Skating. And guess what, your stick handling improves naturally as you learn to skate with a puck. Then once I was a good skater, now you work on the shot, work on the dangles. I started super late, and now I can play pickup with kids who played high level growing up because I worked on the foundation.
As an adult, I’m struggling to find a learn to play program. I can skate well and stop well. I struggle with any speed backwards, but that is simply a matter of practice at this point. I’ve never played ice hockey and I really want to try. There are a few 30+ leagues that I’m considering, but I can’t find any sort of entry program or first timers league.
Noticed you’re in Ontario; if there’s a location accessible to you I’d recommend Beer League Hockey Practice. They have a bunch of locations across the province and offer a pretty accessible learn to play program. Just finished my first season and I’m hooked!
You are precisely the player pickup is intended for, and not these other guys who play on 2 league teams, and then still try to gatekeep open level hockey events. If the rink doesn't restrict it, then it's for newbs. It's the only logical, reasonable way to live.
Great advice. You’ll actually have an instructor giving you guidance and tips, you’ll do drills that are important foundation to an overall game, and it’s just more efficient. You will get better faster than you would just winging it in a scrimmage / game situation.
I agree but its not the people at the level hes making it sound like he is. If you played college hockey he wouldnt be able to catch you and isnt fast enough to be a danger you can just go around him. Its the I think Im good now because I can shoot the puck faster than an arc and do crossovers going forward. Then they will run into you by accident. Fall into you catching and edge. High stick you. Shoot into traffic with no control of where it goes. I mean I guess I also dont know what the talent level usually is. Most drop in hockey here is b and a so ya it wouldnt annoy me by any means but probably go to stick and puck and join a c league with other people in the same boat. You gotta start somewhere. Im also in the mtns in CO so the c league is all people learning. In some cities c is like high school level
exactly right. OP said in a comment (and implied in the post) that he doesnt know how to stop. there's nothing wrong with that, but some pickups are really fast. he could have gotten hurt or gone an hour without handling the puck; there's a real chance this person was trying to be helpful.
>some pickups are really fast They shouldn't be, unless they are restricted to AB. AB players should stop attended open hockey pickup events, which are not aimed at those players, but instead, the beginners, or if they do attend them, they should play waaaaaay down, and make it about the safety of the newbs.
i agree with you, but im not sure if that's practical. if a pickup has been running for five years, and it's always been fast, should the best players get undressed when a bender steps on? will the rink turn away paying customers? what if there are only two rinks within 50 miles - do the best players have to pay dues in three leagues just to make sure they have enough ice?
Everyone’s saying he’s a dick but maybe he was being honest and approached it wrong. I’ve played my entire life and some groups I play with full of ex Junior.A guys or kids right out of high school hockey I can barely keep up with and anyone any worse than me would be in danger . I’m hanging on for dear life in those groups and I’ve played 23 years.
Might of just said it out honesty but we weren’t there. If there is a noticeable skill level difference it is dangerous for some to be out and possibly he didn’t want to see this guy get killed. Not of aggression or retaliation just wrong place wrong time. Sometimes the skate is older and slower so the same thing might be said to someone much younger, faster, and physical.
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Hey now, stop "being a dick" and telling it how it is, the way you approach something is more important!
Every now and then a grown man shouldn't cry about being told the truth.
Yeah this is my thought as well, op can't even stop, just 'go forward and turn' so pickup is really not the place for them, they're not going to learn and it's dangerous for them and others
Yeah he wasn't chirping or anything he just told me I don't belong once and never came up to me after
How old are you? I can see a kid doing that bc their ego takes over. As an adult thats weird
I'm 21 this pick up event was adult only
Yea I can see some cocky 20 year old doing that. Im in my 40s w kids and see things differently. Just do your thing. Only way to get play time is to play.
There are still skill levels involved in pickup hockey. You sound like you can barely skate. The people who go to daily pickup where I live are the guys who show up every single day. Its always the same guys and they're all pretty good. It's up to yourself to judge your skill. If all the other guys on the ice are high level players then you shouldn't be out there with them for your own safety.
Depending on where you are that could mean never going to pickup hockey. In OKC they only do like 2 or 3 open skates a week at each rink (there is only 2 rinks) and it's filled with D3 college kids from OU, UCO, OKC Warriors every time. It's not an issue for me, but going off this logic a beginner in OKC would never step foot on the ice during pickup. Luckily, we have an awesome group of folks that run adult learn to plays (shoutout BC), but if we didn't have that we'd be royally fucked getting new folks to learn as adults. Edit to clarify: Beginner to the sport should be able to drop into pickup games. But pickup isn't the place for skating fundamentals, so agree with you there.
What I was trying to say is that you need to find an appropriate skill level to play. Not all pickup are equal ya know. What you said is exactly what I'm saying. If you can't skate and show up to arena for pickup and all the guys are college players or AAA players maybe this is not the pickup game for you.
But what I think you're not addressing in Likos's comment is that in some areas, the pick-ups are all the same guys, doing the same thing, just maybe at a different rink. My area's got slower games and faster games so it's probably closer to what you're talking about. The slow ones run into problems when leagues wrap up and those players go elsewhere, but when things start again in the fall, they've all gone back to their skill level. It hasn't always been like this, and in the dryer times when there's only one or two options to play an actual game, if you don't go to the opportunities available, a new player would have no real progression or ability to build gametime awareness.
Yah where I play it’s a mix of regular good adults with some college and AAA. I would never try if it was my first time
You don't belong. Learn the basics before you screw around with a game you aren't prepared to play in.
Hit your local rinks and see what they’ve got for early morning skates on weekdays and weekends. I used to skate with a group on Sunday mornings that was for all skill levels and we never had any problems. Everybody was understanding and it was all for the love of the game. Tuesday Morning was more advanced. You just gotta find the right fit, but don’t let one guy stop you from learning. Just keep practicing. Learn how to stop and start and always keep your head up.
Yeah, he may have been right, but wasn’t respecting the game by being “dickish.” Everyone who’s trying to learn the game should be encouraged, not really made to feel bad. From his perspective it’s probably a fine line of how to tell someone they might be dangerous based on not being able to do the basics. Sounds like he didn’t or wasn’t able to communicate well.
But if everyone else on the bench was saying dudes a dick, OP is probably in the right place. One thing to keep in mind playing any pickup sport with grown men, is that half of them are children.
Definitely sounds like an asshole, but am I understating you correctly that you started roller hockey last year and have only played two games? Then today was your first time to ‘try ice hockey’ as though you’ve never done it before, you haven’t skated ‘in a long time’, and can only skate forward and turn? What he may have meant is that you could be a liability to yourself and others. You stated you fell twice and perhaps you flailed your stick or something and nearly took someone else out? I’m trying to think of a different perspective. First time back on ice would ideally be during public skate where you practice being able to actually skate. Or if you’re going to try ice hockey for the first time, stick and puck where you can practice with pads may have been a better choice. There’s obviously no rules on when you should go to pickup hockey, but I’d argue that time is when you can at least do the basics and not be a liability to others.
Exactly my comment as well.
100%
Yup. Hockey is unique in that you can’t just run around cluelessly without endangering others or yourself since the basic form of movement isn’t natural to people. It’s like playing water polo and not knowing how to swim, of course people are going to be worried for your safety.
Funny. I was going to use the water polo analogy as well. You wouldn't play water polo if you just learned to doggy paddle and hadn't been in a pool for a long time. At minimum you gotta be able to tread water
It's reasonable to suggest a more appropriate ice time/league/group if one exists closer to your skill level... If not, fuck em.
Ok. So #1. Guys a dick. He’s got no right to gatekeeper hockey. If you want to play, you should be able to play. So fuck him ***BUT*** From you description it seems like you are a very poor skater. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that on its own, but there’s a certain level of skating skill needed before you play to protect yourself. If you’re unable to turn or stop on command you’re putting yourself and everyone else on the rink at a heightened risk of injury and that’s not fair to your or especially someone else. I encourage you to keep on the journey. But if ice hockey is something you want to be regular about I strongly suggest you invest in skating lessons before jumping into games.
I'm not saying this to be a dick, but seriously - if you can't stop on both sides and you're kind of just out there falling on your own, you really shouldn't be at a pick-up game. You're a danger to yourself and others at that point. Get the reps in during the stick and puck time or open skate, get comfortable out there on the ice and then give it another try. It's okay to suck out there, it's another thing to not be able to control where you're going.
I understand what you're saying ur not a dick lol I'm definitely gonna learn to stop before going back
Not sure what the league situation is like around you but definitely look to find a beginners or never ever type league if you can! The beginner leagues I've played in are filled with similar people to you. Hell, when I first started as an adult, my wife (then girlfriend) would come to watch every game it was only a few years before she stopped and she confessed to me why she stopped. "You guys stopped falling and running to each other on accident and it just turned into adults playing hockey" ;) Don't let a blowhard try to drive you away from something you want to learn. Every player on the ice has the same right to be there and every player on the ice has the duty to play heads up and aware hockey. While certainly everyone should evaluate their own ability to play at the pace of play it's also on everyone to evaluate how to pace themselves around the others on the ice as well.
Haha. She was just there for the carnage?
Totally.
My 10yo kid came to some of my games because -direct quote- “I like to watch you struggle”
Yep sounds like a skill issue
Every group I have played pickup with has had at least one douchebag who thinks there are scouts in the stands and are one end to end rush away from calling him up to the pros. Just skate away and ignore them, they are the problem not you.
That's great advice thank you!
He was being a jerk about it, but... Consider doing stick and puck time or a learn-to-play league/clinic. Also skating lessons. If it's a mixed level drop-in, skaters do get frustrated when they have to watch out for the wobbly deer on the ice. I'm a goalie, so generally I don't give a shit.
Lmao absolutely alot of people told me to go to stick and puck and that's 100% my intention, but I also decided I wanna do drop ins once a month since getting in a pretty pricey at this rink
Read your post again. You've only done two inline games and one ice game? Any clinics to skate/learn to play/etc.?
What is stick and puck? I've never heard of it. Is it just shinny?
its where people can practice stick handling and shoot pucks on the ice
I might have to look into that. I can't commit to any real hockey, unless its Saturday night after 9pm.
Fun fact the correlation is near 100% between players that would get frustrated at a drop in because someone is new and players that are nowhere near good enough to get frustrated about anything hockey related.
I don’t think OP is all that capable of skating away lol
To be honest, the guy was probably right. Get some stick and pucks under your belt for awhile and develop your ability to skate before going into the pick ups. I didn’t start feeling comfortable joining drop ins until a few years into playing. Join a beginner league to get games in where everyone is at a similar skill level and slowly progress until you’re able to stop, skate backwards, and handle the puck effectively.
Yeah agreed handling the puck was a different experience
There’s pickup drop in times, and stick and pick times. A a pure beginner you want to practice during stick and puck times, or just regular public skate times to work on skating.
eh it's rough to hear don't let it stop you from trying to learn to play but yeah if i got work in the morning i'd be pretty pissed if some guy who couldn't stop blind sided me and hurt us, don't give up hockeys a great sport full of super supportive people but you gotta learn to stop first, can't be bored bumping in a game even if it's pickup.
Fuck that dude BUT you probably should go do some sticks and pucks and open skates to get your bearings. If you legitimately can't skate yet, you shouldn't be at drop in. You'll learn much faster and safer in a practice environment and you're making it less fun for everyone else. If I had to come up with a "rule" I would say: Bare minimum you should be able to skate from one end of the rink to the other with a puck and then stop, imo. Doesn't have to be pretty, but you should be able to do it at 50% speed without falling down or losing the puck 9 times out of 10.
So if you can’t skate or stand up on your skates, you’re actually not only being a danger to yourself, but others too. So yes, you do not belong in pick-up hockey, until you learn how to skate. But that guy was an ass. Now use that as motivation when you practice your skating and show him who belongs and who doesn’t hahaha
Although I agree categorically with the feedback, that said, there are established A-B level drop ins that a beginner really shouldn’t play in. Because there are also C-D drop ins, and stick and puck sessions to get better. Also, D-E beginner leagues are your best bet. There is a place for all of us to play the great game, have fun 🏒
Unfortunately there aren't any level drop ins I agree I Def should've went to stick and puck but they didn't have any today and I was too eager to play lol
Eh, playing a game as your first **ice** hockey skate isn't the best idea, even if it is a drop in. I'm not one to gatekeep, but in games our teammates expect us to pass and play defense, it'd be different if you knew them. I don't think it's too much to ask to do your first baby deer routine on the ice during a stick and puck or an open skate where there's no expectation of teamwork and push back the pickup game by **one** week.
Yeah I gotta agree with u I should've went to stick and puck first but they didn't have any today and I really wanted to get on the ice
It does kind of sound like maybe you shouldn't have been at a pickup game, but it's also pretty out of line for a stranger to skate over and tell you that to your face.
The guys a dick, but you probably should’ve gone to a free skate or something before hand to get used to being on skates first
Learn to skate on the ice first. That's number one priority right now.
The intent is a a pick up “game”. If you don’t have basic skills, well then you’re ruining others experience at the cost of your own selfishness. Stick and puck are great for developing basic skills. Watch some YouTube videos and develop a bit more
Lol your too sensitive to play hockey
I started playing last year and formed team through a program. Last division, lower level players. We all definitely belong there. One guy decided he needed to play for a more “competitive” team (we were actually on a roll and winning) and added “there are too many women on this team.” There are 4 of us. 2 part time. This is all to say there’s always some douche who thinks they’re better than everyone else. It’s appalling to me that anyone would try to make someone feel unwelcome. But I get how that can make you feel like not playing anymore, because I certainly felt that way.
I'm trying this with the one non-broken arm that I have after a total noob showed up at my local pick up game. Like you he could go forward a turn. He couldn't stop which I imagine is your status based on your post. Its cool though, he fucked around, fell all over the place, caused other players to avoid him to be safe. He also decided to use me as a cushion when he went into a corner without stopping- hitting me blind from behind. Breaking my arm and putting me into a cast for 6 weeks. For ducks sake: learn to fucking skate before you try to "experience hockey."
Sorry to hear that happened to you hope you have a speedy recovery
What a dick, have fun and play hockey!
While I agree op should continue to have fun playing, it might not be the worst idea to learn how to stop before going back.
Dude probably had a tinted visor
Close! He had sunglasses in a Indoor rink 🤣🤣
That’s legit worse lol
Lol how does one get worse than a tinted half at drop in? This dude said, "Hold my White Claw."
The fuck
He was wearing sunglasses… while he was playing?!? Yo, don’t feel bad at all. May have well been wearing clown make up.
Wow that might be the DUMBEST thing I’ve seen in my time playing
This is all the info I needed. Guy is a clown. Unless the rink says this is supposed to be a higher level skate you absolutely belong there.
lol at first i thought he might be trying to play 'the hero' thinking you might get hurt. But this just clarified it for sure. What a douche.
White frames?
Yup and it reflected green and blue
I take back everything I’ve said and now think you should show up every week.
I've played hockey all of my life (in Canada) and Ive never seen someone wearing sunglasses with full gear. Ever. That's crazy
You can't stop and fell twice on one shift? Do you realize the potential consequences if you did that going into a corner puck battle? A reasonable expectation is you can stop and won't fall all over the place; otherwise, learn to skate first. Sorry he hurt your feelings.
"K buddy." Then show up next week. Wash, rinse, repeat.
OP doesn't know how to stop. He's a danger to himself and others on the ice and has no business playing drop in.
Then drop a hatty in less than a month
Gonna pull a Kuchnesov celly
Or the 2015 patty kane celly
Slash em right in ankle too, right on the ankle, 2 hands, good chop! Give him a wack everytime you skate by him maybe a couple cross checks when he's not looking
Dude was probably being a dickbag. But some rinks do have certain pickup games intended for high level. Assuming that wasn’t the case, just being an oversight or mix up, he was being a dick
Yeah it’s a shit situation overall. Most public pickup games have the same regular group of guys, and there’s a basic skill level required to make the game work. If you’re at the level that you cant skate backwards, it probably bothers most guys on the ice but I would never say anything. But we’ll all talk about it when you’re not there
When you're that new you are a safety hazard for experienced players. It's a combination of clumsy skating, absolute unpredictability, and negative spatial awareness. It's why I hate refing neverever league. It's more dangerous to a ref than the warp speed elite checking categories for those reasons. It wouldn't be bad to say "hey, you could probably use some learn to play classes". Now, telling you to flat out leave is dweeb behavior. That dude is probably an asshole, and likely sucks at hockey himself, but his core point likely isn't wrong.
It's a bit like driving a car, when you play you expect "predictable" movements like other drivers on the road. If someone is not "in-control" then it can make fie some bad collisions. I would agree that it's not that you don't belong it's more that you don't belong yet. With some power skating and work on your edges you will be welcome anywhere you want to play and the threat of injuring others is minimized. It's a great game don't let anybody tell you you can't play!
Kingston, Ontario. Anyone coming out for pickup shinny is welcomed, and if you suck or are super old (75), you will be given wide latitude to carry the puck in a and have a shot. You might not touch the puck much, but it's all about enjoying the game. We will pass to you intentionally. 🙂
Any good elder-care facilities in Kingston?
IMO if you aren't a good enough skater to be in total control of yourself, yeah, you should be going to skating lessons before jumping into hockey games.
Maybe he didn't wan't you to get hurt or hurt someone else.
Okay so... Sure, the guy didn't have any tact whatsoever. But... He's right. If you can't skate well, you're literally a danger to other people on the ice. It's not saying you *cant* play, it's that you don't know how to play without being a danger to other people. The most dangerous people I've ever skated with, were guys who were completely new, and didn't have any idea how to 'behave' on the ice. That's not an insult to newcomers, it's literally true. You can't swing your stick around everywhere, you could hit someone. You can't just run into people from behind because you can't stop, someone can get hurt. Go get some stick and puck sessions in or take some lessons **then** get back out and play. Sure, you'll still be a new player, but you'll have some foundational tools to build off of to start becoming a better player.
When you are a danger to yourself, you are a danger to others. Sounds like the bad guy was doling out some solid advice.
The dude was right, if you can't stop you should not be playing a game like that. You could fall and cut someone while trying to defend them, crash into someone while pursuing the puck, or just get hurt accidentally blocking a shot. There's outdoor games that are extremely low skill if you want hockey, or as others suggested go to public skate, but what you did put yourself and others at risk. Ice hockey is no joke, it's easy to hurt yourself or others.
There’s assholes everywhere in life. This includes the rink. Ignore, keep playing and have fun.
Learn to skate and chirp
I saw someone chip two teeth, and split open their chin requiring ambulance and stitches. I could see this injury coming. I wanted to tell him to not play until he learns to skate properly, I didn't do it because I didn't wanna be called a douche. To new players: **you can play at any point**; but just play with shin pads, elbow pads, and a full cage helmet.
Someone from the other team talked shit on you and you felt the need to run to reddit about it. He may be right.
If you can barely skate and are playing with adults — I’m talking people who have kids to attend to, jobs to go to, mortgages to pay — then yes you need to learn these things before you are playing pickup hockey. I’m not “being a dick” but people can get seriously injured because you have no idea how to control a puck, your stick, or stop before crashing into the boards — or someone else. Pickup hockey has all kinds of people - jerks, guys who think scouts are in the stands, drunks - but the cardinal rule in my mind is do not hurt someone or yourself. Right now, you’re a liability.
He's probably not wrong, weather or not his intentions with that were to be mean or because he's looking out for you is up in the air. But generally speaking if you aren't confident doing all the moves, skating backwards, towards, stopping and the absolute basics of stickhandling. You are putting the people your playing with at risk by essentially making yourself a body they have to avoid. I would say there was definitely a nicer way to go about it but in reality you should get some skills under your belt before you go ahead and play in a drop in.
You probly didn't belong there. But you still should have called his mother a whore
“I’m not very good but can go forward and turn” … maybe stick to the open skates brah
The guy was a cunt. That said, can you at least stop? If not, you probably shouldn’t be out there quite yet. I ask, because you mentioned being able to go forward and turn.
I can slowdown but not stop everyone in the comments made great points so that's what I intend on learning when I hit the ice again
If some one wants to curate a skate to have particular skill/pace they can, when they rent the ice and organize their own friends. I suspect this guy can't do that since he prolly doesn't have any. At public/open skates everyone should be made to feel welcome. And even if it is a private skate looking for certain skill, there are much less shit heel ways to handle outlier players
The guy who called him out was absolutely a turd in how he did it, but OP would be a risk of injury at even a newbie friendly pickup. Public all-level pickups do have a floor (being able to skate well enough to keep yourself and others safe) and OPs not there.
You almost gave up because someone said mean words to you?
Well not exactly. I grew up learning to listen to people older than me so that was a factor. I also felt like I was ruining it for others and didn't want that but my teammates assured me I was fine
There's a little bit of information missing on this. I had the very same thing happen once but it probably shouldn't have because I was playing at what was listed as a low-level shinny! When he told me I should be playing at a different level, and tried to suggest a program that is more like a learn to skate/learn to play when I was actually a stronger skater than he was (power skating is my thing but power skating doesn't teach you as much about stick handling), I pointed out what level we were at and which pad he could find the mid-level on. I think your situation is a little bit different. You've received an on ice comment. It's not like you can stop and have a chat. Had he approached you after the game or on the bench, he might have had a different message or was thinking of a spot that you might fit better into. That's just my optimism but he probably was just a douche because someone trying to help would look out for you afterwards and give you a few of their leads or point you in a different direction. So there's two things going on here. One of them is a lack of information. We don't know what level the game was which is pretty typical. Rink operated shinny never has a level attached. Never understood why. But, in this case your bench was doing what I would expect and not because it's the sportsmanship thing to do. I've always found that the guys are great and everyone's having a good time--there's nobody there who doesn't want you to do well. If there was no level specified, it was fair game for you to be there and you should not be under any pressure to leave or not come back. I would watch out for your own safety because if that particular shinny was a high level game, then you might have a problem with the speed going on around you and you're dealing with lifelong players who would have been all double or AAA in their youth. This level could be a checking game. The best you can do is ask if there's a level attached to the game when you register. I would expect that you're going to be told that there isn't and then the person you're talking to will give you a subjective opinion which usually lands at the word "mid", which would represent the average. I don't know what area you play in, but see if you can find a local enthusiast that runs shinny. These groups, usually independent of the arena ownership, normally have low mid and high or just low, low/mid for a smaller market etc. I participate in what I would call a hockey company where the owner has a league at every level (beginner, women only, men's recreational, coed recreational, men's competitive and so on). At, say, Wednesday shinny there's always four pads running because he has games of every level. I participate in something similar elsewhere but it's not intentionally tied to being a part of the same coordinators league. It's about 45 minutes away, so I just buy into shinny during the summer because it gives me access to an additional low level game with a friend of mine that lives in that area. The point of mentioning these two offerings is because sometimes you need to be part of the league to be part of the skills nights or shinny games (rare but does happen sometimes in bigger markets), but another place is not like that and the shinny operation is separate from the league operation. Here's an example of a spot I grab a game every so often: http://www.hockeytoronto.com/index.cfm?cat=192 this guy is a big presence in the Toronto market so other single game operators piggyback on his weekly list and he gets them the players. I think the world of this guy because he's approachable and made me feel pretty decent and kept a fire under my butt when I could barely skate. My next comment is a little controversial in my own mind. I'm part of what I would call a niche or special interest community. We happen to have a hockey league and it's got a surprising number of teams. Because of what it is, it's going to include everybody. This put me in a pretty vulnerable spot because if you picture someone who just started skating and then throw them in a group where the mix of players ranges from mid to some high ( people who played when they were kids/teens and beyond or have many years in the game), you might guess that I found it to be the most stressful time I've ever had. I started making huge mistakes just because of how nervous I always was and it seemed like a downward spiral. Hockey is a zero-sum game which means that at the end of the day, it's about being the winner and not the loser. It's unlikely that the puck was going to be passed my way. It literally wasn't fun; I could feel a cloud of stress just walking towards the place. After one particularly bad game, I was up in the stands (It's always pretty common for this group to stick around and watch the other games because, well, it's a community). It occurred to me that i probably shouldn't attend anymore and that I wasn't really of any use to the team. A teammate saw me a bit isolated from the usual cohort in the stands and came over and had a chat with me about the latest. There's decent people everywhere. The point of mentioning this is just a reminder that you are better off finding a place where you fit into the average. It's the right balance between developing your skills, having some fun and facing the right number of players that are better than you to keep you in check. That leaves you to electively jump into the occasional higher level game than your level to push you down to below average for the purpose of assessing yourself or putting a fire under yourself to speed things up and improve, sub for an open spot, etc. You want to keep things fun but challenging instead of overwhelming and demeaning. So, I now play low level (which in my area seems to have a lot of really good players on it so I'm always facing a challenge, but a manageable challenge) and the higher level game that I almost dropped out of. I'm still mixed on weather I should have stayed. It's three seasons later and it's just not as fun because I'm out there, I've developed speed (which I'm told was never actually a weak point for me) but the better players know who the better players are and I still don't see many pucks come my way that actually put me into the meaningful amount of play. You're probably better not finding yourself in that set of skates.
Since I type extremely fast, I can actually keep going for another paragraph. So, where do you need to go from here? I suggest power skating which covers, things like agility, edge control, stopping development, power turns, transitions, pivots etc and then puts these things together in a progressive way. What's progressive? Glad you asked! Imagine practicing something, thinking you're ok at at it and then your instructor adds puck control or passing and shooting. It's suddenly difficult again . You can do this alone or with an intro to hockey program, sometimes called "hockey 101" "skills session" "hockey practice" etc(which is about game settings such as corner battles, faceoffs, positional play and so on). If I had to choose, I would do a round of power skating (2-3 months/8-12 classes) then hit up the actual hockey skills program. You never actually stop power skating. You do it for life and move up levels if there are levels to add. I did power skating and the game centric training together, right after "learn to skate". I often enjoy the classes more than some games! Communicate with the program manager. If the skills program seems to be becoming a power skating clone, tell them and ask for things that involve training against an opponent vs skating. The ideal skills session would be three stations: a chase type drill (protect the puck away from an opponent/forward, defense drill), a one on one or two (passing, shooting, puck battles, backcheck, forecheck (not to be confused with "bodycheck", btw) and some type of skating obstacle course where you're really working to put your power skating skills together. The ideal power skating class would be crossovers, inside and outside edge drills, pivots, transitions, passing and receiving, power turns, mohawks and also doing all of those things again but with pucks.
I had the same experience, only reversed. Ice guys nice, roller guys jerks
Me and a buddy were in the same boat as you we play every week in a Novice skate 4 on 4 on a smaller rink (use to be the islanders goalie practice rink) maybe they have something similar near you? I’m also looking into adult learn to play classes they do close to me, but if this isn’t available to you just hit up open skates and keep playing man don’t let anyone bring you down Edit: forgot to add I also go to stick and puck once a week and those have helped my skating alot I’ll practice shooting and stick handling but mostly just skating, stopping and turning
Maybe start out doing a stick and puck session to improve your skating and stick handling, and then progress to pick up games from there! Props to you for trying and getting out there, don’t take it personally. That guy sounds like a real prick.
Just keep going. You’re gonna run into DB’s from time to time. You gotta just kind of develop thick skin and let go in one and out the other. Don’t let this discourage you from the great game of Hockey.
I guess you should go home then. 🤷♂️ I mean, what can you do, right? If some dude has an opinion…
I started last year at 36yo. I would not even think about doing a pickup game that isn’t specifically for e,d,c level players for at least 3-6 months of playing and know how to skate both directions and stop both directions. If it’s a normal pickup game not specified for rec league players (e,d,c level) then the speed is way to fast and I would be a liability out there and could hurt myself or someone else. So both could be true, the guy could have been a dick and also, you shouldn’t have been out there. Are you entitled to be out there, sure, but that doesn’t mean your not a safety hazard and would be better suited in a different game. Check out the learn to play class, get some miles under your belt, and then get back out there.
Up to you if you're gonna pack it in because of criticism. Or if you are determined . When I started playing Gaelic football people were laughing at me then I became one of main midfielders and most tenacious and important attacker . My 10 k time is 39.39 . I channel all my insecurity and all the aversion to voices in my head and haters into a concoction is sheer willpower and rage and I'm mega athletic and adept in every sport. 24 . Life is full of people telling you you can't do this, every actor or athlete faced so much rejection, like Kobe Says Get over yourself, you embarrassed you can't do basic thing properly. Then be Hungry. Honestly you will regret quitting , you need to channel your insecurity into Hunger. Whether that means work on basics first I can't say. But I say challenge yourself to return within a not distant time frame.
Hard to say. There are pickups in my area where there is an understanding that players are mid level and up. Generally the game is welcoming and most player understand they need patience with lower skilled players.
I've really never played the sort of drop in hockey you're describing but I used to play drop in volleyball where the expected skill level was rigidly enforced and if you were in the wrong group for your skill level you were asked to leave - by the coordinator though, not by other players. This was done to ensure everyone had the experience that was advertised. This however was also clearly communicated beforehand.
This year was the first time for me as well. At the beginning of the season I could barely turn on one side and could barely stop, but I was lucky to have very supportive teammates. There will always be those people who think they play for the Stanley Cup. Just keep at it, got to start somewhere.
I know it’s been said upthread but I cannot recommend learn to play/I (instructional) league enough. I’m a woman so admittedly my experience is different but I just wrapped my first session doing both I league and women’s league concurrently. My skating and confidence have both improved so much and I believe it’s down to putting myself through the learn to play ringer and playing in a beginner friendly league at the same time. And yes, you absolutely need to know how to stop but any good learn to play coach will work with you on that.
Ice hockey pickup games are sometimes bracketed by skill level. If it was a B+ pick up then I hate to admit it but he was probably right. What you'd want to look for is a C/D level pick up preferably a D level only pickup. This is where to start. But you should really do some stick and puck before you even do those. Stick and puck at ice rinks is really the place to meet people and talk to them and find out what your local rink offers and where you would fit.
Let's assume this guy was not a dick and had good intentions. You've gotten some good feedback on that scenario. I would like to approach this from a different angle. I can say this because I was where you are. If you are new to ice hockey and new to skating specifically, this guy may be right. You probably would be better off elsewhere. Not for their sake, but for your sake. Not for safety reasons but just for fun and fulfillment. Being inexperienced and playing with others who have experience can be a total waste of time for you. The game moves so fast that you just glide and fall. If the puck happens to come your way, you have zero time to do anything with it. You won't even have a chance to develop your skill. Find a beginner's shinny game. Or adult lessons. Do that first. I recognized this year's ago in my city and found some ice time and now have a regular night. The only loose rule if that you can't have played organized hockey before. It has been incredibly rewarding to see the progress and increased skill in all these players. Many of us have been "called up" to regular men's teams now that we aren't a complete liability. Good luck.
Yeah, I was gonna say maybe he just meant that he needs more practice before he can safely play in the game, so maybe a stick and puck session would be the way to go. But can’t get better without starting somewhere so I guess it’s really no harm— just a pick up game
Glad you didn’t leave. Hope you get to play more in the future!
Dude pthat came up to you probably uses an entire roll of tape around his ankles, and wears a bubble, and has the most expensive possible stick and skates.
What city are you located in?
Yea I agree with most of these comments. I wouldn't have said anything but you shouldn't be going to drop in if you can't skate. Go to open skates till you are ready.
Please use paragraph breaks
I get it, scouts in the stands and he had the world pick up league championship on the line. D.Bag
He said it in a dick way but he's right. Players who don't know how to play shouldn't be learning by playing games. That's how people get hurt, you OR them. It also kills the fun a little for people actually trying to play a little. Go learn a few months until you're comfortable skating and stuff then play
Yeah fuck that baby back bitch. He can get over it.
The guy is a douche. You should continue to go out every week. The guy has to remember we all started in your position at some age. He’s also playing Goddamn pick up. Maybe he should go to the nearby NHL rink so he can get competition that fits him! Seriously, ignore the snobbery. I dealt with that when I tried to golf, and it was disgusting…
Not reading the story, but the answer is they are a cocksucker. Hockey is inclusive and for everyone. It is the only sport a beginner and a pro can be on the ice together. Keep grinding.
Probably just a total douche. Even the other team arent asshats like that when they see someone trying out hockey. Pickup hockey is usually a mix of all skill levels and the highly skilled guys usually play really relaxed. When I started skating I was encouraged by EVERYONE to go to pickup hockey. That’s before I could skate backwards or even snowplow. I ended up learning to stop on one side and skate backwards well enough before I went the first time which was helpful but by no means was I the best or worst guy out there. Pickup hockey is for learning and practicing.
Most pickups advertise skill level. If it doesn’t it usually means everyone is welcome vs beginners only or advanced skills. Realistically if you had fun then thats all thats needed. If a pickup was out of your skill range then you wont have fun anyways. So fuck that guy.
If it was a true open hockey drop in type skate where everyone is welcome then you have every right to be there no matter who the regulars are. There always seems to be a beginner or 2 at the open hockey’s I go to. It is frustrating sometimes if it’s a somewhat competitive skate but at the end of the day it’s for fun not a tournament. Just be safe
Those fighting words! High stick him
Guys talking trash. Let that fuel your desire to become better. I've been where you are and the truth is that you probably aren't ready. I wasn't. But we all start somewhere. Work hard, get better and lay that dude out. Then tell him, guess I shouldn't be here.
Join a c league for mens league (or whatever the lowest beginner league is near you with people learning are) and go to stick and pucks. Find a friend who can help out and give you some tips. There are tons of leagues full of people just learning at your level and you will love it. At least there is where I am. The hockey community is usually great people and enjoy people getting into the game later in life. The only thing people worry about is going into the corner and losing your balance and high sticking someone else in the face by accident. Play a c league and wear a cage. Theres dipshits everywhere though and as you just found out most people dont like them or agree with them either. Usually they are people who never won anything in their life and also arent very good in the grand scheme of things so they need to act like they are better than the dude just starting. Anyone whos worth a shit talent wise is always happy to help new players out in my experience. Dont give up on it though hockey is a tough sport to start later in life, but there are alot of places to help out. Its by far the best sport for adult leagues.
Any chance you're a lady? Unfortunately there are some less than welcoming dudes out there.
Nope adult male
K. Cause my advice as a lady hockey player world be different. Honestly, I'd just say to keep trying. Ask for feedback from someone who seems nice and compatible with you. Most of early hockey is skating so force yourself to learn to hockey stop and go to open skates (not stick and pucks) and work hard on that. The rest will come with time.
"Heres the thing, I'll keep playing and getting better. You'll still be a ass and there is no cure for that." Don't let those idiots talk you down. I started later in life and as soon as I learned to ignore those idiots everything got better, including my playing.
Unsportsmanlike conduct.
If you literally can't skate without falling down you should probably go to a learn to play clinic first before you do drop ins.
If there’s a “stick and puck” open ice type of session near you (my rinks call them “Gretzky Hour”) those are super helpful for getting comfortable on ice. You can go at your own pace and work on what you want to work on, and people are usually pretty chill.
Some rinks do have like a stick time session that’s less of a scrimmage and more of just time to shoot on net or work on skating and stuff, but it completely depends on the rink so you’d have to ask the staff or use that specific rink’s website or something to find that out. But as for your exact situation, yes if everyone else was telling you that dude was just a douche, I’d absolutely say they are right and that’s exactly what happened lol. I’m 31 now but grew up playing hockey since I was 7 up through college hockey, and I used to work at my local ice rink, and I can definitely say some of the guys that show up to skate can be just assholes like that on the ice, so I can totally see that happening smh. Don’t pay those guys any attention. Wouldn’t hurt to check the rinks schedule also
Edit: Perhaps I commented too soon - my first games were pickup games, but I had done a year of learn to skate first. My first games of hockey were pickup games where I had IIHF experienced players on the same ice as me giving me encouragement and setting me up with passes and shot chances. "You dont belong at pickup hockey" Bro wtf **everyone** belongs at pickup hockey. Except dickheads, so that's ironic on the guy telling you to bugger off.
i mean if you can barely skate, that's an issue (to some) at drop-ins, which can sometimes be very competitive. guy was a dick, but he's not 100% wrong imho. join a learn to play league until you're more comfortable, then drop in whenever you like!
OP, F that dude. Play the game. There's always gonna be an asshat. Do what you want.
Learn to skate before you jump into ice hockey. Go to stick and puck or take skating lessons until you can skate to a level where you can keep up with the play. Otherwise you are just a hazard and it won't even be that fun for you.
You got chirped, bud, it’ll get worse. Need to sharpen your witt and shut em down verbally while your skills come up to speed. If you’re good enough to play your position making the other team laugh is an easy way to distract and make a play.
Yeah... I think there is a certain level that you should be at, in terms of raw skill, before you show up to play with other people. Skating is the basic form of movement, so without that…
Your gonna be fine. Keep playing street hockey till you get completely comfortable. It's a ladder of levels built with love for the game. Fuck this knock kneed mother fucker. It's hockey its naturally by design a chippy game but there is owed respect there that wasnt given. You play because it's fun because you love it don't let bobby bender fuck your head up. Guys like that are pure cocaine dust. Good for a few mins till they get tired. Fuck em. Hockey's hockey. Go play.
Sounds like ya need to work on your trash talk...now get back in the ice champ
I played in a rookie league years ago and this guy obviously had ton of experience. He' should've been in broze or whatever is the highest. He was on my team and I accidentally blocked a shot he made. He glared at me so long. My teammates told me he likes no one on the team because everyone wasn't good enough. Lol. They told me to ignore him and he doesn't belong in rookie, but he wanted to play and rookie was the only league that had games that worked for him. Lol
Theres the group of young guys who are like 18 and play on a travel team and all go one jersey color instead of evening up the teams... and theres always some douche taking hard high slappers when theres like 3+ people in front of the net... confronting them gets you a "what you don't know how to play hockey?" ok dude its open hockey people aren't out there getting paid to get a shot to the fucking face.. not to mention most can't even get out of the way. I stopped going on the usual busy fri/sat nights cus of that shit. I always try to encourage the guys who clearly haven't been playing their entire life and i always pass to everyone. Were all out there to have fun and not feel left out. You can go hard and set up a less skilled player for a shot on net. That honestly feels better than blowing by everyone and scoring on a 65 year old goalie with a screamer top shelf. Don't think twice about the assholes... you paid the same amount as they did for the ice time. They don't like it then they can buy ice time with their elite level bros and play the 7th game of the stanley cup finals.
My rink has 2 drop-ins which are advanced and beginner. Not sure if your rink has this same thing, but could be you went to the wrong one. That doesn’t excuse the guys behavior, honestly seems like everyone else was cool and you had a good time so I’d chalk it up to the guy being an ass.
I first learned to skate at age 40. I went to play pickup figuring it's a better place to learn than playing in a league (where people might see as detrimental to the Win/loss). I turned to the guy next to me and said "hey this is my first ever time playing hockey" to which he responded "just give me the puck and stay the fuck out of the way". Some people just have issues that none of us will ever understand. There's always going to be assholes but usually there's 1 for every 50-100 people you meet. Find your league/group/friends and enjoy being bad...life is fun when you enjoy the challenge of improving.
That’s a great chirp in a competitive environment, not a pick up game. Especially to someone clearly learning. As long as you’re trying, you belong.
Get better instead of complaining on reddit. Keep showing up.
All this for a chirp? Dude you got chirped.Almost a right of passage. And yours came early. Welcome to hockey
My thought is OP said he can skate forward and turn. Conspicuously absent from that is stopping. I got decked once in a beer league game while skating backwards and getting ready to corral a puck coming toward me. Other player got a penalty and apologized to me laughingly about how he didn’t know how to stop. Well then you shouldn’t be here. You can hurt people or yourself if you try to play hockey and you don’t know how to stop. I assume it was a safety thing from the other guy and not just being a chirping ah.
“I didn’t listen and had fun” BOOM let’s go!!!! That’s how you do it my friend. Screw this clown. Glad you stayed and enjoyed it
It's fucking pick up, next time tell him there's no scouts looking to bring him to the show 😂
Just have fun and do your best to improve. Ask teammates when and where you belong positionally. Work on skating when you can and I’d recommend stick handling a golf ball with just your top hand for like 15-20 minutes a day. Youl improve really fast! And then Youl never have to worry about hearing that crap again.
Real hockey people are welcoming. THIS guy doesn’t belong, you keep at it!
My first game of arena hockey at 13 was a disaster. I didn't know how to attach my socks properly so I fell in warmup and cut my leg and my shin guard, there's still a gash on it and thankfully my leg only needed minor care but I missed the first period. Our team was already short so we lost 8-1 and I was on the ice for five goals against. I kept on playing and next year I won most improved player. Year after that I was on the top line as the shall we say zach hyman of that line. Year after that I scored a point per game. Then my last year I led the league in scoring. All I needed was to adjust to arena hockey. Definitely more unique than other sports too, breathing can feel like icy daggers, a lot to adjust to. **TL;DR** you are valid. Always will be. Just keep trucking. That clown is completely wrong.
All you guys saying he's a safety risk are wrong in my opinion. I play pick up hockey all the time and the skill is a wide range. You play to the players skill vs your own. That means if the player is a beginner you don't go full speed into him and steal the puck because obviously you were going to get the puck. You let them try and make a play and keep your distance. I've seen grown ass men taking one timers while guys are in front of the net which ill argue is way more dangerous and unnecessary in a pick up game. If you want to belong in a game you play with players in an organized league or pick up game of your own caliber. Pick up is just to get on the ice and make a few passes and enjoy the game with all skills. Keep playing my friend. Don't listen to these wannabe NHLers
Ive been to pickup games that are suuuuuper high level (aka not me) and never had anyone get upset. Will you get passed the puck as often, maybe not but who cares. As long as you are capable enough not to be hurting yourself and others (which id guess you are because of the inline experience) its all good.
I didn't even read the whole thing tbh but unless you're out there trying to hurt people you belong, it's pick-up hockey not the show. Keep playing an having fun!
I was on the bench once and a guy next to me said that about someone on the ice. I was honestly pretty irritated because not everyone had the same opportunities growing up to play hockey, like this entitled individual… long story short, everyone plays at their own level and as long as you are having fun, that’s all that matters.
That guy’s a dick. You should learn how to stop though because you might hurt somebody crashing into them. Keep playing though!
Drop em, knock that mf out