Stick

Selecting the proper stick is important. There are several considerations to keep in mind for any player when doing so.

 

Left or right?

 Your general stick curve (L or R) doesn’t always correspond to your handedness! Canadians typically put their dominant hand on top, but Americans are split much more on this topic. I’m right handed, but play “lefty”, with my right (dominant) hand on top. All I can suggest is to try them both, and see which feels most comfortable for you.

 

How long?

 In skates, most people use sticks that reach somewhere between their chins and their nose when they are standing up straight. Defensemen tend to use longer sticks, forwards shorter – but your mileage may vary! Sticks come in various lengths, but senior (adult) sticks usually start at around 56″ long. An average height male will typically be looking for a stick of around 58″.

 

What curve?

 There are a ton of blade curves to choose from. Most manufacturers will tell you, generally, what each curve is good for. For beginners, I suggest something they tell you is good for “all-around” play. 

 

What material?

For our purposes, it is crucial that you do NOT use a blade intended for ice hockey on ANY rough surface. While they are serviceable, at first, you will shred the bottom of a blade meant for that purpose, and it will quickly become unusable. Get something with an ABS (or similar material) plastic blade, intended for street or roller hockey. Shafts can be wood, carbon fiber/composite, or aluminum, and be 1-piece fused with a blade, or 2-piece, with replaceable blades. Wood shafts with fused or screw-on ABS blades are the “old reliable”, and usually the cheapest, but they are also easy to break, and much, much heavier. Aluminum shafts are practically impossible to break, but some feel that their design results in slightly less “feel” of the puck or ball. (I favor aluminum shafts, despite this issue, for full disclosure.) This is perhaps offset by the fact that you can use the same shaft for quite literally decades with negligible performance decay.  Carbon fiber shafts are very light, but they can and do break, eventually – and they are expensive. The most expensive, however, are composites, which can run upwards of 300$. Composite sticks are made of a variety of materials – and are ridiculously light – but they break very easily, albeit only after providing the very best performance during their lifetime. This is because they are the most consistently flexible, on average – and that added consistent flexibility (which produces a better shot for the same amount of force) comes with the price tag of durability. They are both the most expensive, and (arguably) the most fragile.

My Personal Equipment

I have a variety of sticks – one Bauer NSX specifically for ice (and sometime the wood floor roller rink up in Petal), which is a composite, as well as 2-piece stick which can be used for either purpose, depending on what blade I have in it. The shaft is a Fisher, the blades I use in it vary. I also have two one-piece sticks with fused ABS blades – one from Christian, another from Fischer, that I use as backup sticks. They are significantly heavier, but sometimes that solidity is welcome.

Currently, I use CCM FT475 shin guards, either my Reebok SC876 shoulders or a Demon brand padded shirt, CCM 50 helmet w/cage, Sherwood Code 3 gloves and elbow pads, either Bauer S21 pants or Relaxyee padded shorts, and Shock Doctor jock shorts & cup. I also play ice hockey, so I switch between my Bauer ice pants and padded shorts as conditions merit (I often stick with my ice pants for indoor roller hockey, as they have thigh pads, while my padded shorts do not) – and most of my other equipment is also usable on the ice, save the stick and skates (obviously!). Again, these are all my personal preference, and used as examples, not as recommendations.

For my baselayer, I typically use dri-fit Reebok pants, a dri-fit shirt, and arm sleeves, with my jersey and pants worn over the rest. I also have gone with an A&R branded skullcap, to wear under my helmet – which also has an integrated sweatband, but it is quite breathable on top. Socks are either very thin multi-layer synthetics, or thick wool – usually depending on which skates I am wearing at the time, and what shape my feet are in.

 

Protective

While we don’t require you to pad up like you’re in the NHL, we do play on concrete and asphalt! Road rash and head injuries are always a problem, even for the best skaters. In addition, while hockey balls are much softer than a puck, they can still leave bruises! Nobody is going to chirp you for being padded up. Here’s a run down of what they all do, and why those who do pad up, do so.

 

Helmets

Helmets are hot. I get it. A good helmet, however, will protect you from concussions. A hockey helmet will have hardpoints to attach a facemask to, which will protect your nose and teeth. Yes, we don’t have the infamous puck smashes to deal with, and we don’t allow checking, but a ball can still knock your teeth out or break your nose – and while checking isn’t allowed, hockey is still a contact sport. This doesn’t even count accidental sticks to the face, or an encounter with someone’s skate to the head if you fall! If you’re going to invest in any single piece of protective equipment, this is the one – with the possible exception of the next one.

Cups

 

Cups are something we don’t tend to talk about, but we will always remember, if we forgot them that one time. I’m not saying you have to wear one. I’m just saying that if there’s that one time you don’t, and should have… you’ll regret it. A lot. Don’t forget a jockstrap or jock shorts, if you’re not going to get a hockey girdle with a built-in cup holder!

 

Shin Guards

Shin Guards are big, bulky, and hot. Yeah, I know. Just think about this, though. The difference between an accidental kick to a shin with a pair of inline skates with or without shin guards is massive. This doesn’t count accidental stick slashes, the ball hitting your shin at 50mph, or, worst of all, a sliding fall at speed – which can be upwards of 10-15mph! Once you get used to wearing them, you won’t even feel them. You’ll feel it if you don’t, though, I promise you. If you’re trying to get geared out on the cheap, soccer shin guards are serviceable in a pinch, albeit providing significantly less protection – but don’t forget knee pads, if you’re going that route.

 

Gloves

Gloves aren’t something new players often think about, but while it isn’t necessarily the thing that will protect you the most, they are the piece of equipment that will keep you playing the most. Sticks tend to ride up other people’s sticks. That’s the nature of the beast. If you’re wearing gloves, they hit… armored gauntlets of doom. If you aren’t? You get nasty things like broken fingers, jammed fingers, cuts, abrasions, massive bruises… you get the idea. Those of us that work for a living need our hands to be functional. Even more importantly (I kid… kinda), you can’t exactly play next time with half your fingers taped, or your hand casted!

 

Elbow Pads

Elbow Pads are a big deal when it comes to falls. Getting your elbow shredded hurts, a lot. Breaking it hurts even more! This is an important, if overlooked, piece of safety equipment. Regular skater pads will suffice, if you get nothing else. Typically, you can get them in a set with knee pads, if that’s the route you’re going to take. Hockey pads, on the other hands, also include bicep and (limited) forearm guards, which help a lot as well.

 

Hockey Girdles/Padded Shorts

Hockey Girdles/Padded Shorts cover you all around the waist/kidneys, sometime include lower spine protection (girdles), but will always include tailbone padding, thigh and hip guards. Girdles will also include integrated cup holders most of the time, as well.

 

Shoulder Pads/Padded Shirts

Shoulder Pads/Padded Shirts matter most when checking – but when but hitting something at speed, or in an uncontrolled roll, these beauties will save your bacon. Don’t forget, though, that they include protection for the chest and back! You might not want the weight, heat and encumbrance, but when you crash, hard, you’ll be glad you were wearing them.

 

 

 

Apparel

While looking cool is a consideration, of course, did you know that there is a functional purpose for all of the different inner and outerwear “layers” that hockey players wear?

 

Hockey Jerseys

They aren’t just to look cool – although, let’s be honest, they do. Equipment has straps and buckles and such that can and do get snagged – on sticks, on other people’s equipment! Jerseys are the outer layer that covers it all up, as well as being a durable outer layer that protects even unpadded areas from casual abrasion. Lastly, jerseys are uniforms, the most important part of showing what team you are on. Hockey jerseys, in particular, are larger than you’d typically wear – because they are sized to fit over your equipment. Having a light and dark jersey with you (for pickup games, especially) is helpful!

 

Base Layers

These are important elements for any sport, and hockey is no exception. “Gear stink” is a big issue with sports like football and hockey, with lots of pads, that get sweated on a lot. Having compression fit, moisture wicking base layers on beneath your equipment will help keep some of that sweat off your equipment – and keep you cooler, to boot! In addition, having something between your skin and your equipment will keep dead skin off of the equipment, which accounts for most of the smell that accumulates over time. Some equipment is washable, but other items are not. Further, it will often alleviate or even eliminate “gear pinch” on the skin, especially when it comes to elbow pads or shoulder pads, which are notorious for it, being composed of multiple segments. The one place where you don’t want layers, however, is the hands. Hockey glove palms are made of exceptionally soft (yet durable) leather, and is fairly resistant as a result. You want as little between you and your stick as possible, and gloves are designed to preserve that balance between protection and sensitivity.

 

Socks

Look, socks are very important – but the right kind of socks. Whatever you do, do NOT wear cotton socks. In fact, don’t ever wear cotton with ANY sport footwear. They absorb too MUCH moisture, wrinkle easily inside the boot, and increase friction, which causes blisters. Very thin synthetic material socks are an option, especially if your skates are well-broken-in, but wool or multi-layer synthetic socks are the best choice. Opinions are divided over whether multiple socks increase or decrease blister-causing friction – but my general rule of thumb is, and take this for what it is worth – that if you have room for multiple socks, your skates probably could stand to go down a half size.

 

Roller Hockey Pants

These are something more or less unique to roller hockey, but something necessitated by the difference in the surface we play on, compared to ice hockey. Ice is generally smooth. Pavement is generally not. Roller hockey pants are great to have, because they are both breathable and provide road rash protection over the whole leg, not just where the pads cover. They are made to go over your equipment, and double as protection against snagged straps, similar to ice hockey socks.

Staying Clean

Just as an additional note – hockey gear IS WASHABLE. You can throw everything but gloves, shin guards (many have removable liners that are washable, however) helmets and skates in the washing machine. No kidding. I simply suggest that you buy laundry bags sized appropriately for your gear – especially to keep velcro, straps and buckles from making a rats nest – or getting ripped/torn! For non-washable items, such as helmets, gloves, and shinguards, I suggest giving them a quick wipedown with sanitizing or anti-bacterial wipes, and air-drying them as soon as possible after playing. I have a pegboard with “slots” for all my hockey equipment in my air-conditioned mancave, and air-dry all such equipment on that. When it’s truly soaked, I give it an hour or two on the clothesline first.

DO NOT, however, put your equipment in the dryer. Let it air dry. Hang it on hooks, a clothes line or an equipment tree in a garage, with the fan pointed at it, or in the direct sun.

Unfortunately, we don’t have any local hockey shops in the area. This means we’re forced to either travel to be fitted for gear (I have personally visited the Mid-South Ice Houseand will recommend their Pro Shop!), or to purchase that gear online. Below are some online shops that may have what you’re looking for – new or used! There are other great shops – like Hockeytron, ProStockHockey, HockeyMonkey, Perani’s Hockey World – and many more – so don’t let these links lock you in, just use them as notes to help you get started.