[Hockey] How I learned to not fear the puck.

[Ibby]

Back in April or May of this year, I asked my 7 year old son if he'd be interested in taking ice skating lessons. We'd been watching the failed attempt by the Dallas Stars to blunder their way into the playoffs so we both had hockey on the brain. I found both a youth and adult intro skating class scheduled on the same day and time at one of our local rinks, so to help keep him engaged and because I'd always wanted to learn to skate as well, I signed us both up.

His enthusiasm waned about 6 weeks into it, so I told him if he'd finish up the final two weeks of classes, he didn't have to move on to the hockey skating class. Now while he lost interest, I did not. I would attend every open skate time that my work schedule would allow, and I'd bring my son along if he wanted a break from the summer heat.

I skated my way through the adult intro and beginning hockey skating, bought some honest-to-goodness real skates, then decided it was time to actually buy the rest of the gear. I managed to pick up an assortment of used and new pieces and even then spent way more money than expected. The next step was signing up for a weekly class where the hockey gear was required AND we'd get to use a puck.

The night before my class first met, I was terrified that I'd forget something vitally important. Helmet? Stick?? Pants? Jock???! I spent an hour on youtube watching 12 year old kids show me how and in what order they put their gear on. "Pants on before skates you idiot, unless you want to risk ripping the pant legs." I want to say I looked mightily ferocious and mean when all dressed up and wandering about the house, but only the dog was truly impressed. Once I was confident I could get dressed correctly, I packed it all away and headed off to bed. That night I dreamt of shorthanded goals, leaping over the boards for shift changes, running the opposing goalies, and posing for all the hotties that I knew would be watching from their seats on the glass.

The next night, I dragged my 42 year old self over to the rink, certain that the other skaters would be a bunch of punks half my age that were just looking for ice time by signing up to this beginner's class. In the end, most of the other skaters were in their 30s and 40s as well, and over the next two months or so, we had a blast slowly progressing through various hockey drills. We started with simple glides, fundamentals of stickhandling, shooting, passing and puck possession, and even got to do a few scrimmages. Anyone that's played hockey as a kid would have laughed their ass off at watching a bunch of old men and women out there, stumbling about trying to get the puck out of their skates, but to us, it was pure awesomeness. I enjoyed it so much that as soon as registration for the instructional league was open, I signed up.

The first i-league night was an evaluation skate, where they ran us through various drills while taking notes of skill levels. A few days later we were assigned to our teams and given jerseys and socks. The next week was the first team practice and we found that 6 of our 13 skaters had never played in a proper organized game before. I volunteered to be the left defenseman partly because I could skate backwards better than the others, but mostly because no one else wanted it.

We had our first game this past thursday night, and took a 2 - 2 tie game into the shootout, which we lost 1 goal to none. The whole game went by in a flash. I can remember a dozen or more frenzied puck battles, stifled breakaway attempts, slapshot misses, and crashes into the boards, yet I can barely recall sitting on the bench waiting for my next shift or whatever the coach was telling us.

Now that I have a real game under my belt, I have a better idea on what skills I need to work on. Hockey stops on the outside left foot are much stronger than to the right, same for my forward-to-backward transitions. Slapshots? Laughably lacking in power AND accuracy. There's nothing worse than a defenseman that can't take a slapshot. Tight turns to the right? Flawless. To the left? Embarrasingly clumsy and slow.

As an adult, ice hockey has to be one of the hardest sports to first get involved with. It's terrifying. You're on ice. You need to buy all sorts of stuff. There's a galvanized rubber puck, and it's coming at you fast...knee high. You'll fall down a hundred times, and will hear the snorting by all the wannabe elitists in the pickup games. It's totally worth it.

All of you Canadians are now free to point and laugh.

[GreenGoo]

This may be the most awesome thing I've read on OO in a long time.

You go Ibby!

[Remus West]

I'm jealous.

[J.D.]

Great story!!! I can skate pretty well but haven't played with a stick and puck in YEARS and I've been chicken about getting involved in an organized league for fear of ridicule. Your story has just inspired me to work on my skating this winter so I can join a league next year.

[J.D.]

Also, having played for yourself sure makes you appreciate the skill required to play the game at an NHL level, right?

[tjg_marantz]

It's like watching your first born take his first steps. Grats! And welcome to the greatest game on earth, hope you don't pinch your nuts!

[Skinypupy]

I'm jealous.

Same here. I've always wanted to play hockey goalie (I was a really damn good soccer goalie in college and for a few years after), but now my back is so trashed I don't think I could ever do it.

[Moggy123]

I'm jealous.

Same here. I've always wanted to play hockey goalie (I was a really damn good soccer goalie in college and for a few years after), but now my back is so trashed I don't think I could ever do it.

I switched to goalie when the my skating skills were left lagging by everyone else. I love the position! Really hard work, though.

There is nothing, NOTHING, like stonewalling a 2-on-0

BTW, it's your knees (and quads) that take a battering...

[theohall]

I played goal for 6 years from 14 until 18. 7th to 12th grade. Was okay, but nothing special.

The trick was translating floor hockey into ice hockey when I proved to be good in goal at for hockey. Turned out I could skate backward with ease and wasn't afraid of pucks. Was fun, but not scholarship worthy.

[Canuck]

I just want to say that to go from not being able to skate to playing on a hockey team when you're 42 years old is just pure awesomeness!! I mean it's not like you took up playing basketball or something easy like that. Kudos to you sir!

[Vorret]

Awesome story.
Hockey is a really, really hard sport to learn if you've never skated before.

When you start at 6 everyhing kinda comes together, at 40+ it's a completly different ball game! I didn't know hockey was that popular in Texas though

[Ibby]

Also, having played for yourself sure makes you appreciate the skill required to play the game at an NHL level, right?

I watched a guy play during a pickup game that had unbelievable speed and skill. I thought for sure this dude had some pro experience, but from talking with him in the dressing room afterwards, he topped out at the minors in Alaska and then in Germany. He said he was never good enough to even get close. Take the worst skater in the NHL, drop him down two levels, and he'd probably be a god. It's all relative of course, but it's easy to forget just how good the upper tier players really are.

I was amazed at how little you really handle the puck during a game. Granted, we only play three 12 minute periods, but I bet I had control of the puck for perhaps 30 seconds.

I'd love to try goaltending since I don't have any knee or back problems, plus the ice time would be free as we've got a severe lack of goalies for the instructional/intermediate classes. It's just the cost of the gear, used or not, that's holding me back.

[tjg_marantz]

Awesome story.
Hockey is a really, really hard sport to learn if you've never skated before.

When you start at 6 everyhing kinda comes together, at 40+ it's a completly different ball game! I didn't know hockey was that popular in Texas though

It isn't

[Ibby]

Awesome story.
Hockey is a really, really hard sport to learn if you've never skated before.

When you start at 6 everyhing kinda comes together, at 40+ it's a completly different ball game! I didn't know hockey was that popular in Texas though

I see these 8 year old free stylists out there that have skated for years, and it's completely effortless for them. They're god damn ice hogs too.

We have Mike Modano to thank for the hockey influence here. I've got two rinks within 3 miles of my apartment, one associated with the Stars, and the other is home to our local CHL team.

[Terrified]

As an adult, ice hockey has to be one of the hardest sports to first get involved with. It's terrifying. You're on ice. You need to buy all sorts of stuff. There's a galvanized rubber puck, and it's coming at you fast...knee high. You'll fall down a hundred times, and will hear the snorting by all the wannabe elitists in the pickup games. It's totally worth it.

All of you Canadians are now free to point and laugh.

You called?

No laughing here. As a Canadian, I grew up playing hockey until a string of injuries in my teens forced me towards the much less dangerous soccer. But I miss it enough that the emotion you're creating is jealousy, not laughter.

One tip I'll give you is that hockey is a lot like chess. When you start, you're thinking "What's my next move?" If you watch a group of 5 year olds playing, they just chase the puck all over the ice. But as you start to understand the flow of the game, you start looking a few moves ahead. "Buddy is streaking down the wing, I need to give him a pass target on the opposite side." Then a few more. "I see Buddy cheating up, I can hit him on this breakout pass.", etc. Trust me there are few intellectual puzzles as satisfying as seeing the building play in your mind, and then taking the steps to make it happen. Much better than Tetris.

[LordMortis]

Awesome for you. My ankles and feet have never been good for ice skate (or roller blading) so real ice hockey has always been out. Even as a kid when we went ice skating, I spent a lot of time out in front of the Cultural Center, getting my culture by playing pinball. But growing up we loved pouring hot water on the creek and playing ice hockey in boots. Do even go outside in winter any more? It seems we have "it might snow days" to keep them away from weather.

[RLMullen]

apartment

????????

Did you move?

BTW, congrats on the new hobby. Based on your devotion to hockey as a spectator, I'd always assumed that you'd moved to Texas from a cold-weather state. I'd love to play hockey... except for the skating part. My brief affairs with roller skates and skateboards yielded a couple of broken bones and a concussion... I have no balance.

[ska5fe]

Very inspirational post! I grew up playing a lot of pick-up roller hockey, and I still play floor hockey regularly, but have never played ice hockey. Now I really want to give it a try.

[Ibby]

apartment

????????

Did you move?

BTW, congrats on the new hobby. Based on your devotion to hockey as a spectator, I'd always assumed that you'd moved to Texas from a cold-weather state. I'd love to play hockey... except for the skating part. My brief affairs with roller skates and skateboards yielded a couple of broken bones and a concussion... I have no balance.

Long story. Got divorced, sold my house, stuff. My mid-life crisis was to go out and learn to play hockey. Shame I didn't do this before I sold my house, since I had all the space to make a nifty shooting practice area.

[Vorret]

apartment

????????

Did you move?

BTW, congrats on the new hobby. Based on your devotion to hockey as a spectator, I'd always assumed that you'd moved to Texas from a cold-weather state. I'd love to play hockey... except for the skating part. My brief affairs with roller skates and skateboards yielded a couple of broken bones and a concussion... I have no balance.

Long story. Got divorced, sold my house, stuff. My mid-life crisis was to go out and learn to play hockey. Shame I didn't do this before I sold my house, since I had all the space to make a nifty shooting practice area.

If you want to destroy a basement that's the perfect thing to do...

[GreenGoo]

Long story. Got divorced, sold my house, stuff. My mid-life crisis was to go out and learn to play hockey. Shame I didn't do this before I sold my house, since I had all the space to make a nifty shooting practice area.

Ouch, sorry to hear that Ibby.

My mid-life crisis is to start jogging. It's not nearly as fun as yours. Very cool stuff.

For the record, I hate playing hockey and am ambivalent to watching it. As I Canadian I played of course, I just never liked it as much as football, basketball or volleyball. Plus, I'm a terrible skater, which probably has something to do with it.

Awesome that you're willing to put yourself out there, realizing that you will be TERRIBLE at first, and still going ahead and doing it. That's a risk that people tend to avoid as they get older, so congrats on going for it and not taking yourself too seriously while you do. Hockey is a tough one, given the many skills involved and how very few people have a natural affinity for any of them.

[Isgrimnur]

Awesome story.
Hockey is a really, really hard sport to learn if you've never skated before.

When you start at 6 everyhing kinda comes together, at 40+ it's a completly different ball game! I didn't know hockey was that popular in Texas though

It isn't

Then we must not like baseball either, as both teams were owned by Tom Hicks' group:

Dallas Stars

In April 2010, Hicks’s company defaulted on $525-million in bank loans backed by the Stars and a 50-percent interest in the American Airlines Center.
...
Texas Rangers

On May 24 [2010] Hicks and HSG filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection/separation of the Texas Rangers from HSG and asked the courts to approve of the sale of the Rangers to the group headed by Greenberg and Ryan. The move was made to expedite the sale and resolve the sale prior to the MLB trade deadline and draft signing deadline.

[Ibby]

If anything, it's safe to say we still have hockey and baseball in spite of Tom Hicks.

[RLMullen]

Long story. Got divorced, sold my house, stuff. My mid-life crisis was to go out and learn to play hockey. Shame I didn't do this before I sold my house, since I had all the space to make a nifty shooting practice area.

Yikes... I never saw that coming. I figured that I'd be the one from the guild who landed in divorce court.

Sorry to hear about your divorce and upheaval. Sounds like you are forging ahead which is the best plan.

FWIW, for my mid-life crisis I decided to become a drummer. I'm even taking lessons on and off. I finally let my WoW sub lapse over the summer, and I don't know if I'll go back (I'd re-up for a month if someone wants the GL spot for Hordenance). The only two games that have even sparked an interest are SWTOR and Diablo 3, and based on initial rumblings from beta my interest in SWTOR is waning quickly.

[Fretmute]

Tight turns to the right? Flawless. To the left? Embarrasingly clumsy and slow.

I'm not an ambiturner!

[GreenGoo]

Tight turns to the right? Flawless. To the left? Embarrasingly clumsy and slow.

I'm not an ambiturner!

Hah! I'm the exact same way on roller blades. Pisses me off to no end. So much so that I only turn to the left to try to correct this, but no luck and I've basically given up.

Ibby, you're left handed if I remember correctly? I am too. Wonder if that has any impact, although it's probably more related to dominant leg rather than hand.

[Fretmute]

I don't skate, but I turn better to my left on skis, and I'm right handed.

I have no idea on my footedness.

[GreenGoo]

I don't skate, but I turn better to my left on skis, and I'm right handed.

I have no idea on my footedness.

If you were trying to kick a soccer ball into the net, does one foot spring to mind over the other?

[Fretmute]

I don't skate, but I turn better to my left on skis, and I'm right handed.

I have no idea on my footedness.

If you were trying to kick a soccer ball into the net, does one foot spring to mind over the other?

I'd probably be tripping over my left.

[Ibby]

I'm right footed when it comes to soccer, but on skates I'm far more comfortable when using my left foot for balancing. I suppose its similar in that to kick right you have to plant the left first. The few times I've been skiing though, I do recall using the left ski more when stopping. It's probably that whole old dog/new trick thing.

My left footed dominance shows up in every facet of my skating style. A tight turn to the right where the right skate leads the way feels natural and easy to do. Not nearly so much to the left. Same thing for front-to-backwards skating...I'm more comfortable pivoting on my left foot while swinging my hips around. And same for the transitions where you skate forward, say to the blue line, and while keeping your shoulders square to the direction of travel, you semi-sorta-but-not-really-stop and transition to backwards skating.

My current focus is with those backwards crossover starts. Starting from a standstill, and ramping up to full speed backwards with the left and right crossunders feels fabulous when I can pull it off. I'm not able to do it gracefully though, especially when tired.

[Biyobi]

Just out of curiosity, which side do you shoot? For people that pick up the game as adults, I've noticed a tendency to turn better in the direction they shoot. I started playing at 19, I'm right-handed, kick better right-footed, but I shoot left and turn much better to the left. Guys I played with that started as kids definitely were ambiturners.

It takes a hell of a lot of practice to get good slapshot together, way more than your probably limited ice time will give you. I practiced power and form at home. When I was learning, our front patio was surrounded by a low concrete wall. I put down a piece of plywood to shoot off of, laced on the roller blades, and spent months chipping all the stucco off the wall (that I had to pay to repair). At team practice I worked on accuracy since I had more distance and a goalie in net to shoot around. By the time I finished with hockey my wrist shot was still mediocre, but I could put a booming "take your time and let 'er rip" slapshot anywhere I wanted, and a quick "here comes a defender" one with good accuracy.

[Koz]

Long story. Got divorced, sold my house, stuff. My mid-life crisis was to go out and learn to play hockey. Shame I didn't do this before I sold my house, since I had all the space to make a nifty shooting practice area.

Aw, bummer. At least your mid-life crisis is something worthwhile. I played a ton of street hockey as a kid but I never learned to skate (and I'm from New England, for shame). Perhaps once I have money to spend on such things I'll look into it.

[Skater]

Really belated spam.

[Isgrimnur]

TOTALLY not a bot.