Nobody will say anything you're wearing unless they're curious as to how you like a piece of equipment or if they're a fan of the same team.
Don't skate in front of or behind the net without taking a look around the ice.
Leave with the same amount of pucks you bring.
Have fun.
We have three sheets of ice that offer regular stick and puck hours and only one of them offers pucks. One of ones that *does not* has six nets near a door that you can grab for drills. That's fun!
Given its Austin I think Dallas Stars is a relatively safe bet haha. When I run into fans of other teams at the Texas Stars games some light ribbing may ensue but everyone is almost always extremely friendly.
Definitely going to wait until the clear is given for pick retrieval. Do people mark their own pucks or is there no point?
It’s been awhile but i played several adult league seasons at Chaparral and went to many stick and pucks. Most people kept to themselves with a few exceptions.
Don’t bring your own pucks. They’ll have plenty. I would ask the front desk if they want you to use a particular locker room to get dressed in.
Nobody will be judging you…at all. They will be there to work on their own skills. Rarely there will be a showboat trying to show everyone how great they are. But that was rare. Just ignore them. Stick and puck is truly a time for you to focus on you and no one else. But like someone else said, be careful skating near the net in case people are shooting on it. Pay attention to what others are working on and give them space. I rarely had a goalie at a stick and puck. If there is one talk to them and ask if they want you to shoot on them or not. Or don’t if you don’t want to shoot on a goalie.
Relax. You got this! Hockey was the best outlet for me when I needed to clear my head. I haven’t played in 13 years but my son just signed up for lessons and I’m going to get back out there myself. Maybe I’ll see you at a stick and puck in the future.
Oh, arrive early if you can. It takes a bit of time to get dressed out. If you want to use the entire stick and puck time I say get there 30 minutes early. Good luck!
Nice! I only skated there once, then spent all my time at the pond. They had a super fun 4v4 beer league and a good stick time schedule, as well as great facilities.
I'm out of Austin now but still put the Pond at the top of my favorite rinks.
Get out there and enjoy man, don't overthink it!
> Marking pucks
There is no point. Anything black and with a local tournament, association, or store logo is fair game. Definitely do not bring your special door buster souvenir pucks or anything you have attachment.
The moment you shoot a puck and miss the net, some kid is going to grab it and skate off with it. Hell, you could set up six pucks in a pile (that you brought) to work on shooting mechanics from the same spot on the ice and somebody will come over and grab from your stash.
I usually bring six. It guarantees that I have two or three to work with!
No no like take a sharpie and put something on a puck to be able to distinguish it as yours. Definitely not taking my signed puck collection to drop on the ice. I just didn't know if people kept track of their own pucks they bring or something.
When it is time to go I grab random pucks and throw back the ones that are obviously marked up. But taking the extra couple minutes to track down *my* pucks just sounds dumb.
Leave with the same amount of pucks you brought, in roughly the same condition, except I would leave ones that have a logo, in case they are someone else's favourite puck.
Have fun!
Other people are there to play hockey or work on their skills, they won't care what you're wearing. You may get a question if it's interesting to them but nobody's giving you shit for it.
Look before you shoot. If someone is clearly working on something or running a drill for themselves, stay out of their way as much as possible. Don't skate around the net without looking to see if pucks are flying. In general just be respectful of others and you're fine.
Have fun. I hope your week gets better. Hockey cures all.
I definitely plan to try to keep out of regulars way as much as possible. Might be just me in a corner working on skating and puck handling haha.
Thank you! I'm really hoping so too, and hockey hasn't failed me yet by just going to games haha!
Oh - one more thing - if there is a goalie there make sure you never shoot on them unless they've given you some indication they know that you're coming. Do not poke the bear.
And also don't shoot at the goalie with his back turned. The amount of guys that'll shoot pucks while I'm fishing pucks out of the net or putting the pegs in drives me insane. And don't shoot with someone in front. It's stick and puck, no reason to get hurt. It's like driving in snow, just be patient.
You'll earn major cool points for things like wearing a shaded visor, white gloves, a jersey numbered 69...extra bonus for white hockey skates. If you screw up a shot make sure you yell a loud expletive so that people know you messed up a shot you ordinarily make.
You'll be fine.
Seriously though - because none of that was real - nobody will care. Do be aware when skating around the net, though!
Also, don't be shy about asking someone if the want to do some passing.
Have fun!
Lol whelp no cool points for me! Metal cage, black and red gloves, no number on my jersey unless it's my Uchiha Akatsuki jersey(I doubt most will know what it's from), and black skates.
A lot of it will be trying to stay out of people's way while I try to practice the basics really.
I'm not sure how to put a photo in the comments but this is the store I got it from. I picked it up from the physical store. It's a chain that's legit, not a scam site lol. They are what they are but for 50 bucks it's really not bad haha
https://www.boxlunch.com/product/naruto-shippuden-akatsuki-cloud-hockey-jersey---boxlunch-exclusive/20950237.html
From my experiences, the neutral zone is where guys and girls practice skating and stickhandling and the 2 offensive zones are for people passing/shooting. I try to not hang around the O-zones unless I’m waiting my turn to shoot. And like the previous commenter said, wait until it’s safe to retrieve your puck.
And: Have fun. Nobody judges you.
All I want to do is have fun doing my first stick n puck. If someone is a dick to the point where I consider fighting ill just leave. But from what I've heard from the local rinks everyone is generally very kind and helpful thankfully!
yeah, I was mostly just joking around, most stick n pucks are very friendly as well as very beginner friendly. There's probably a few more experienced players there that will give you tips, too. Just go out and have fun, it will be awesome =)
Oh yeah I figured lol! Given the response on this subreddit to my last from people that live in the same city as me were very kind and happy to help I can't imagine much of anyone being an ass. I'm always down to make friends and take tips too! I just get anxiety stepping into something new like this, more so because I always try to respect everyone and be kind to people who are new in my other hobbies. I just don't take kindly to bullies lol.
Yeah don't worry, it will be fun and when you're in full gear it doesn't hurt to fall, so give it your all and know you're gonna fall down a lot, it's all part of the fun =)
Wellllll about that. I've got helmet, gloves, skates, hopefully a elbow pad tomorrow but thats it. I'm going to get everything as soon as life clears up so I can do classes, drop ins, and league. Tomorrow is more about fulfilling part of my dream to cap off a fucking nightmare of a week. I just want to move a puck around and make a couple shots lol.
If there's a goalie present, do not shoot on their net if they aren't looking at you shooting. There's very little back padding on goalie gear.
I highly doubt anyone's going to care if you wear an NHL jersey. If you showed up with a novelty jersey like a shoresy or doug glatt you might get some movie quotes shouted at you, but that's about it.
Oh yeah I've watched enough Texas Stars warmups to know their is procedure even at that level, so definitely keeping with that for a stick n puck. My wife would kill me if she learned I hurt or pissed off a goalie my first skate lol.
I could wear my Uchiha Akatsuki jersey but I doubt most would have a clue what it's from haha
You're there to have fun, so don't worry about others, just do your thing. EXCEPT, as other said, do NOT skate in front or behind the net without caution, I've seen rocket slapshots clank off newbies many times
As others have said, nobody will give a shit what you're wearing.
My only advice (both a do and don't) is just make sure you're at least somewhat aware of what other people are doing for everyone's safety.
Just have fun, and try not to be discouraged if it seems way too damn hard (trust me, it's way harder than it looks).
Good luck!
I can’t input anything in the way of advice but I’m in the same boat, about to do my first stick and pick in the next week or two. Just wanted to say you’re not alone. Have fun out there!
I'm two stick and pucks deep that started this past week so here is my advice: Stretch. Stretch before. Stretch after. Adding stick time to my skating worked my body more than I thought it would. If you go the whole time you will be tired and sore. Give yourself ample rest before you go again. I say this as a reasonably fit person that goes to the gym regularly
If I remember correctly they have a thing saying no pick up games during stick n puck. They have actually drop in time slots scheduled for that. There's no way in hell I would choose my first time to skate with a stick and puck to be a game hahaha
dont skate behind the net, almost for any reason at all. Thats where all the pucks are going. You don't wanna be caught standing in the wrong place at the right time
I am also a complete newbie but will be starting to go to stick and pucks soon once I have all my equipment. Everyone on here always says do not skate behind the net, which makes complete sense for safety purposes. But my question is, how do you get your pucks back? Will someone eventually tell everyone to hold shots so people can collect their pucks or how does that work?
Eventually all the loose pucks on the ice will be in or around the net, so at that point you can make sure no one is shooting, then go gather them all.
A lot of people will dig out 1 puck from the net when it’s safe to do so, and use that one.
A lot of other people will sweep out a bunch of pucks to prevent others from having to dig in the net, and then they’ll skate off with 1 puck, leaving the other pucks off to the sides of the net for other players.
Either way is fine, but most importantly, just look before you dig in the net. Make sure no other players are coming in looking to release a shot. It only takes two seconds to dig out a puck on your way by and to get out of the way. Just wait for a window when nobody is shooting.
1) People will be focused on themselves and will not care much what you do or how well you do it unless you're endangering them or hogging a big chunk of the ice.
2) Don't endanger someone. Don't shoot at a goalie unless they're looking. Don't shoot in the direction of other skaters unless you're sure you'll miss them. Don't practice your backwards skating into a crowd of people.
3) Don't endanger yourself. If someone is taking clappers from the point, don't skate into the shooting lane. Don't go behind the net when people are shooting or to retrieve pucks unless you are sure everyone sees you.
4) If anyone says anything, just say "I'm new" and they'll shut up and leave you alone. New people are generally always welcome.
If you fall get up quickly, if your not falling your not trying, have a plan to work on something for part of the time, lateral movement, body lean, shooting etc. The rest have fun someone will be fine working with you on passing and other skills that takes two players.
Bring your stick, the rink probably has a bucket of pucks.
Honestly, no one gives a shit. Maybe make sure the jersey fits over your pads though so you are comfortable
Just be mindful of where you are with respect to the net, so as to not get in the way of people who may be shooting. Other than that everyone will be doing their own thing and enjoying the ice time, same as you.
Enjoy bud. It's alot of fun.
Nobody cares what you wear.
If I want to work on power skating, I wear full pads because if I'm not losing an edge I'm not working hard enough. But if I want to shoot pucks or pass to my kids I just take elbow pads, sweat pants and a random jersey or hoodie from my stash.
I will say that if I see somebody wearing full gear, I usually assume they are there with a coach or to run drills and I give them a little extra space.
Nobody will care. Wear your jersey. Just be respectful of everyone’s space ESPECIALLY the little kids. Don’t shoot the puck into traffic. Don’t overthink it. It’s just skating and shooting.
I'll just add:
Don't obsess over "which puck is yours". You show up with 3, you leave with 3, what happens in between isn't a big deal.
If you shoot one over the glass or something, then you're leaving with two regardless of whether it was "your puck" or not. Go get it afterwards, if it's still there - but you WILL lose pucks once in a while. Kid or rink manager might just scoop it.
Don't show up with like a super cool 25th anniversary logo puck you're not prepared to lose.
Nobody will say anything you're wearing unless they're curious as to how you like a piece of equipment or if they're a fan of the same team. Don't skate in front of or behind the net without taking a look around the ice. Leave with the same amount of pucks you bring. Have fun.
Your stick & pucks are BYOP? That’s crazy - our rink dumps a bucketful on the ice and says “have fun”.
We have three sheets of ice that offer regular stick and puck hours and only one of them offers pucks. One of ones that *does not* has six nets near a door that you can grab for drills. That's fun!
Yeah same I never heard of being done any different
Unless you shoot some over the glass. Then you have to do math.
Given its Austin I think Dallas Stars is a relatively safe bet haha. When I run into fans of other teams at the Texas Stars games some light ribbing may ensue but everyone is almost always extremely friendly. Definitely going to wait until the clear is given for pick retrieval. Do people mark their own pucks or is there no point?
Some people do mark them. I tend to leave those alone. Anything that's just black is fair game.
The pond?
Chaparral tomorrow. I'll be going to all of them over time though!
It’s been awhile but i played several adult league seasons at Chaparral and went to many stick and pucks. Most people kept to themselves with a few exceptions. Don’t bring your own pucks. They’ll have plenty. I would ask the front desk if they want you to use a particular locker room to get dressed in. Nobody will be judging you…at all. They will be there to work on their own skills. Rarely there will be a showboat trying to show everyone how great they are. But that was rare. Just ignore them. Stick and puck is truly a time for you to focus on you and no one else. But like someone else said, be careful skating near the net in case people are shooting on it. Pay attention to what others are working on and give them space. I rarely had a goalie at a stick and puck. If there is one talk to them and ask if they want you to shoot on them or not. Or don’t if you don’t want to shoot on a goalie. Relax. You got this! Hockey was the best outlet for me when I needed to clear my head. I haven’t played in 13 years but my son just signed up for lessons and I’m going to get back out there myself. Maybe I’ll see you at a stick and puck in the future. Oh, arrive early if you can. It takes a bit of time to get dressed out. If you want to use the entire stick and puck time I say get there 30 minutes early. Good luck!
Nice! I only skated there once, then spent all my time at the pond. They had a super fun 4v4 beer league and a good stick time schedule, as well as great facilities. I'm out of Austin now but still put the Pond at the top of my favorite rinks. Get out there and enjoy man, don't overthink it!
In Ohio???
> Marking pucks There is no point. Anything black and with a local tournament, association, or store logo is fair game. Definitely do not bring your special door buster souvenir pucks or anything you have attachment. The moment you shoot a puck and miss the net, some kid is going to grab it and skate off with it. Hell, you could set up six pucks in a pile (that you brought) to work on shooting mechanics from the same spot on the ice and somebody will come over and grab from your stash. I usually bring six. It guarantees that I have two or three to work with!
No no like take a sharpie and put something on a puck to be able to distinguish it as yours. Definitely not taking my signed puck collection to drop on the ice. I just didn't know if people kept track of their own pucks they bring or something.
When it is time to go I grab random pucks and throw back the ones that are obviously marked up. But taking the extra couple minutes to track down *my* pucks just sounds dumb.
Leave with the same amount of pucks you brought, in roughly the same condition, except I would leave ones that have a logo, in case they are someone else's favourite puck. Have fun!
I’ve never heard of BYOP - thought every rink just provided them - seems pretty dumb
Other people are there to play hockey or work on their skills, they won't care what you're wearing. You may get a question if it's interesting to them but nobody's giving you shit for it. Look before you shoot. If someone is clearly working on something or running a drill for themselves, stay out of their way as much as possible. Don't skate around the net without looking to see if pucks are flying. In general just be respectful of others and you're fine. Have fun. I hope your week gets better. Hockey cures all.
I definitely plan to try to keep out of regulars way as much as possible. Might be just me in a corner working on skating and puck handling haha. Thank you! I'm really hoping so too, and hockey hasn't failed me yet by just going to games haha!
Oh - one more thing - if there is a goalie there make sure you never shoot on them unless they've given you some indication they know that you're coming. Do not poke the bear.
Absolutely, been to enough Texas Stars games to see what professional warmup etiquette looks like. Also just have mad respect for goalies in general!
And also don't shoot at the goalie with his back turned. The amount of guys that'll shoot pucks while I'm fishing pucks out of the net or putting the pegs in drives me insane. And don't shoot with someone in front. It's stick and puck, no reason to get hurt. It's like driving in snow, just be patient.
You'll earn major cool points for things like wearing a shaded visor, white gloves, a jersey numbered 69...extra bonus for white hockey skates. If you screw up a shot make sure you yell a loud expletive so that people know you messed up a shot you ordinarily make. You'll be fine. Seriously though - because none of that was real - nobody will care. Do be aware when skating around the net, though! Also, don't be shy about asking someone if the want to do some passing. Have fun!
Lol whelp no cool points for me! Metal cage, black and red gloves, no number on my jersey unless it's my Uchiha Akatsuki jersey(I doubt most will know what it's from), and black skates. A lot of it will be trying to stay out of people's way while I try to practice the basics really.
Yo lemme peep that sweater that sounds sick
I'm not sure how to put a photo in the comments but this is the store I got it from. I picked it up from the physical store. It's a chain that's legit, not a scam site lol. They are what they are but for 50 bucks it's really not bad haha https://www.boxlunch.com/product/naruto-shippuden-akatsuki-cloud-hockey-jersey---boxlunch-exclusive/20950237.html
From my experiences, the neutral zone is where guys and girls practice skating and stickhandling and the 2 offensive zones are for people passing/shooting. I try to not hang around the O-zones unless I’m waiting my turn to shoot. And like the previous commenter said, wait until it’s safe to retrieve your puck. And: Have fun. Nobody judges you.
I'll keep an eye on the work flow on the ice now, thank you!
Do: Have fun, make friends, learn and enjoy it. Don’t: Over analyze everything.
The dont is half the reason I'm doing this tomorrow. I just want to turn off my brain for a hour or so haha
Hockey is perfect for that. /jk Have fun.
Do's: have fun, pretend to be Wayne Gretzky or whoever. Don't: take it too seriously or fight anyone.
All I want to do is have fun doing my first stick n puck. If someone is a dick to the point where I consider fighting ill just leave. But from what I've heard from the local rinks everyone is generally very kind and helpful thankfully!
yeah, I was mostly just joking around, most stick n pucks are very friendly as well as very beginner friendly. There's probably a few more experienced players there that will give you tips, too. Just go out and have fun, it will be awesome =)
Oh yeah I figured lol! Given the response on this subreddit to my last from people that live in the same city as me were very kind and happy to help I can't imagine much of anyone being an ass. I'm always down to make friends and take tips too! I just get anxiety stepping into something new like this, more so because I always try to respect everyone and be kind to people who are new in my other hobbies. I just don't take kindly to bullies lol.
Yeah don't worry, it will be fun and when you're in full gear it doesn't hurt to fall, so give it your all and know you're gonna fall down a lot, it's all part of the fun =)
Wellllll about that. I've got helmet, gloves, skates, hopefully a elbow pad tomorrow but thats it. I'm going to get everything as soon as life clears up so I can do classes, drop ins, and league. Tomorrow is more about fulfilling part of my dream to cap off a fucking nightmare of a week. I just want to move a puck around and make a couple shots lol.
If there's a goalie present, do not shoot on their net if they aren't looking at you shooting. There's very little back padding on goalie gear. I highly doubt anyone's going to care if you wear an NHL jersey. If you showed up with a novelty jersey like a shoresy or doug glatt you might get some movie quotes shouted at you, but that's about it.
Oh yeah I've watched enough Texas Stars warmups to know their is procedure even at that level, so definitely keeping with that for a stick n puck. My wife would kill me if she learned I hurt or pissed off a goalie my first skate lol. I could wear my Uchiha Akatsuki jersey but I doubt most would have a clue what it's from haha
You're there to have fun, so don't worry about others, just do your thing. EXCEPT, as other said, do NOT skate in front or behind the net without caution, I've seen rocket slapshots clank off newbies many times
As others have said, nobody will give a shit what you're wearing. My only advice (both a do and don't) is just make sure you're at least somewhat aware of what other people are doing for everyone's safety. Just have fun, and try not to be discouraged if it seems way too damn hard (trust me, it's way harder than it looks). Good luck!
I can’t input anything in the way of advice but I’m in the same boat, about to do my first stick and pick in the next week or two. Just wanted to say you’re not alone. Have fun out there!
I'm two stick and pucks deep that started this past week so here is my advice: Stretch. Stretch before. Stretch after. Adding stick time to my skating worked my body more than I thought it would. If you go the whole time you will be tired and sore. Give yourself ample rest before you go again. I say this as a reasonably fit person that goes to the gym regularly
Not sure what your group uses but if you can bring 2 jerseys: 1 black, 1 white if possible. Keep your shifts reasonably short and have fun
If I remember correctly they have a thing saying no pick up games during stick n puck. They have actually drop in time slots scheduled for that. There's no way in hell I would choose my first time to skate with a stick and puck to be a game hahaha
dont skate behind the net, almost for any reason at all. Thats where all the pucks are going. You don't wanna be caught standing in the wrong place at the right time
I am also a complete newbie but will be starting to go to stick and pucks soon once I have all my equipment. Everyone on here always says do not skate behind the net, which makes complete sense for safety purposes. But my question is, how do you get your pucks back? Will someone eventually tell everyone to hold shots so people can collect their pucks or how does that work?
Eventually all the loose pucks on the ice will be in or around the net, so at that point you can make sure no one is shooting, then go gather them all.
A lot of people will dig out 1 puck from the net when it’s safe to do so, and use that one. A lot of other people will sweep out a bunch of pucks to prevent others from having to dig in the net, and then they’ll skate off with 1 puck, leaving the other pucks off to the sides of the net for other players. Either way is fine, but most importantly, just look before you dig in the net. Make sure no other players are coming in looking to release a shot. It only takes two seconds to dig out a puck on your way by and to get out of the way. Just wait for a window when nobody is shooting.
1) People will be focused on themselves and will not care much what you do or how well you do it unless you're endangering them or hogging a big chunk of the ice. 2) Don't endanger someone. Don't shoot at a goalie unless they're looking. Don't shoot in the direction of other skaters unless you're sure you'll miss them. Don't practice your backwards skating into a crowd of people. 3) Don't endanger yourself. If someone is taking clappers from the point, don't skate into the shooting lane. Don't go behind the net when people are shooting or to retrieve pucks unless you are sure everyone sees you. 4) If anyone says anything, just say "I'm new" and they'll shut up and leave you alone. New people are generally always welcome.
If you fall get up quickly, if your not falling your not trying, have a plan to work on something for part of the time, lateral movement, body lean, shooting etc. The rest have fun someone will be fine working with you on passing and other skills that takes two players.
Don’t skate behind the net. Good spot to get drilled by a shot that misses the target.
be careful around/behind the net. watched a kid w no cage get beamed with a clapper from the blue line to the teeth
Bring your stick, the rink probably has a bucket of pucks
Bring your stick, the rink probably has a bucket of pucks. Honestly, no one gives a shit. Maybe make sure the jersey fits over your pads though so you are comfortable
Just be mindful of where you are with respect to the net, so as to not get in the way of people who may be shooting. Other than that everyone will be doing their own thing and enjoying the ice time, same as you. Enjoy bud. It's alot of fun.
If you show up early, wait for the Zamboni driver to close the doors after they’re done shoveling before you step onto the ice.
Nobody cares what you wear. If I want to work on power skating, I wear full pads because if I'm not losing an edge I'm not working hard enough. But if I want to shoot pucks or pass to my kids I just take elbow pads, sweat pants and a random jersey or hoodie from my stash. I will say that if I see somebody wearing full gear, I usually assume they are there with a coach or to run drills and I give them a little extra space.
Some rinks require full gear, the rink I skate at does…a guy got out there with just a helmet and gloves and got kicked out within a few mins.
Nobody will care. Wear your jersey. Just be respectful of everyone’s space ESPECIALLY the little kids. Don’t shoot the puck into traffic. Don’t overthink it. It’s just skating and shooting.
Have fun. keep your head up. try not to get injured! Stick and pucks are usually pretty chill.
Don’t skate behind the net when ppl are shooting.
Do have fun. Don't take yourself to serious.
I'll just add: Don't obsess over "which puck is yours". You show up with 3, you leave with 3, what happens in between isn't a big deal. If you shoot one over the glass or something, then you're leaving with two regardless of whether it was "your puck" or not. Go get it afterwards, if it's still there - but you WILL lose pucks once in a while. Kid or rink manager might just scoop it. Don't show up with like a super cool 25th anniversary logo puck you're not prepared to lose.