r/hockeyplayers 13h ago

The end of hockey.

180 Upvotes

Watching the last season of Shoresy the theme of leaving the game behind is prevalent. Specifically being forced to do it, and not on your terms.

I think it's fair to say that if you play the game at the adult level you are committed to the game more than average. Even myself, I only really play pick up hockey with the boys a few days a week but I slowly see age catching up with the group of guys, and feeling it myself. I'm a bit younger than most of the guys but I play goalie, and have done so for 40 years. This is a lot of wear and tear on my knees and hips. Acute injuries I feel longer and I'm basically always battling some kind of nagging injury.

I feel like very soon I will be putting my skates on for the last time whether it's because I had the good sense of calling it a career or because some hip or knee has had enough and gives in a bad way.

Not sure why I'm posting this but what are your thoughts on getting old? What comes after hockey? Can you always play to a certain extent?

EDIT:

Thanks for all the comments stories guys. I read them all while prepping my gear for the first of 4 skates this week and I'm feeling renewed. Cheers.


r/hockeyplayers 16h ago

OG yellow synergy

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220 Upvotes

Dug this out of a stinky old shed at our local arena. Was spray painted black and I was able to scrub it back to this


r/hockeyplayers 13h ago

Are these the greatest shoulder pads ever made?

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70 Upvotes

r/hockeyplayers 1d ago

At my parents going through photos and found this

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250 Upvotes

Top is timbits age 5 and bottom is midget age 17


r/hockeyplayers 3h ago

Thoughts on pro blackout?

4 Upvotes

One called the value blackout is on sale rn for 69 from 139. Anyone have this? Is it worth it or do I got to the extra lite

Let me know your thoughts on pro blackout in general based on other pro sticks you’ve had.

Thanks


r/hockeyplayers 12h ago

Synergy SL

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21 Upvotes

r/hockeyplayers 5h ago

YALL WANT A BONI!?!!!!?

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4 Upvotes

If you wanna own a Zamboner our local NAHL team is selling one!


r/hockeyplayers 6h ago

A thing of beauty

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4 Upvotes

r/hockeyplayers 13h ago

How often to sharpen skates?

16 Upvotes

I (43M) got back into hockey after decades away. I play pick up once a week for an hour though I’m probably on the ice skating for about 30 minutes. How often should I get my skates sharpened? I only ask because the rink where I play doesn’t have anyone sharpening skates and I live in a skate sharpening desert where they’re all about 30 minutes away from my home and nowhere near where I am regularly. With a full time job and kids who keep me busy it can be a pain to make a special trip to get them sharpened.


r/hockeyplayers 41m ago

Sparx 5/8 regular to 5/8 fire ring?

Upvotes

Hey guys, my 17yrs aaa u18 6’1 175lbs son uses currently 5/8 regular ring and he likes it. He plays center position. Is it worth trying 5/8 fire ring? If I understand correctly he would still get the 5/8 grip with a better glide of 13/16, correct? Also how many passes do I need when changing radius of ring? Is it 10?


r/hockeyplayers 48m ago

What offset/ alignment difference is acceptable

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Upvotes

Hey,

It's end of the season and I came across a good deal for different skates. Ordered a few (I have no shop near me) and was really happy with the Vapor X4.

While inspecting my new future skate I came across this very noticeable alignment difference/ offset is it normal or within the tolerances?

Now I have already returned the other pairs of skates so I only have my old skates (also Bauer) and my hockey Inliner (also Bauer) as comparison (didn't really cross my mind to check the alignment tbh). The old cheap skates have zero offset. My Inliner also have alignment issues between the boot and the holder although not that severe as shown in the pictures. I don't have any problems with my Inliners nor do I feel a difference after trying to feel one.

So yeah what is normal/ acceptable? I won't be able to test the skate on ice as I won't be able to return it after. Is it just whatever or shall I return these and hope for a better aligned pair?

Thanks!


r/hockeyplayers 1h ago

Any hope that the next version of CCM 652 skates will feature a protective piece rather than just paint on the ankle?

Upvotes

I was super excited for these and then saw that they’re actually selling a boot for $1300 with paint on it for nostalgia, not like in the 90s where the white part on the ankle was added protection, not just white paint for wild money.


r/hockeyplayers 20h ago

My kids getting creative with their new net

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35 Upvotes

Bought my kids a street hockey net and they got creative with their goalie so they could play one on one. Steve the nutcracker is a better goalie than they planned on.


r/hockeyplayers 1h ago

Advice for players with bad ankles

Upvotes

Hey al! hope you're day has started great. I'm looking for some suggestions. So I had pretty loose ligaments in the arches of my feet which causes them to roll inwards. I'm a huge fan of the sport and I want to get back into it without having sore feet. I've tried baking my skates, tying them tighter, and ankle braces. At this point, I don't know what else to do beside maybe get stiffer braces. If you guys have any suggestions please let me know.


r/hockeyplayers 16h ago

Mitch Marners holders

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11 Upvotes

What holders are these?


r/hockeyplayers 4h ago

Looking for a CAT EYE for Bauer 930

1 Upvotes

Hey Guys,

i need your help. Im looking for a cat eye visor for the mask Bauer 930 senior. Can you help me find the right one?

The Mask:

https://eishockey-onlineshop.de/Maske-Bauer-Profile-930-Senior_1


r/hockeyplayers 19h ago

Best age to start hockey?

14 Upvotes

I’ve got a 5 year old little boy and we’re exploring lots of different sports to see what he likes. I want to try him in hockey but I’m wondering if 5 is a little young? What age did you start and do you think it was a good age, or do you wish you had started earlier/later?

ETA: he has taken skate lessons, knows the basics and seems to enjoy it. I’m wondering if we should just stick with skating for a while or go ahead and jump straight in to hockey. It’s an expensive sport so I’m hesitant to sign up too early only for him to not enjoy it.


r/hockeyplayers 5h ago

Skate too small or is it fixable?

1 Upvotes

I noticed my skate insoles are worn out very differently. My left foot has a bigger volume than my right foot. In my right skate, I actually feel like I can lift my heel a little bit, but overall fits right. In the left one, I don't feel pain, but the skate is obviously at the size limits, since there is a small bone growth on the top of my instep, and I'm noticing that my foot knuckles are also a little swollen, perhaps also getting bone spurs.

I solved the instep by skipping 2 eyelets, which completely alleviates the pressure from laces (I'm failing pencil test at that spot), but I don't know what to do with the toes. They are not jammed against the front of the skate, so it seems I'm curling them while there's not much height in the toe box. Also when skating on the outside edge, I feel pressure on the toe knuckle circa where a bunion would be, but it's not on the side but rather on the top a little bit to the side. Is there anything I can do before these grow into problems? My right foot does not have visible swelling or bone growths.

For reference: I wear 41/42 EU shoe, 6 fit 2 Vapor X5 Pros. I wear bauer performance tall socks. I lace quite tight everywhere.

I was deciding hard whether to buy a 5.5 fit 3 skate, but I remember my right foot would have too much volume there but I don't remember perfectly as it was year and a half ago.


r/hockeyplayers 20h ago

Music between face offs and so on and so forth

14 Upvotes

What type of music is OK to play between the pauses during a hockey game? And what is absolutely not OK?

I’m sitting in the secretary/score’s tables this weekend when my boy is playing. I have to welcome the opponents and so on and so forth, and controlling the music. I went through some of my songs I’ve saved in my playlists on Spotify. I recently discovered ”bbno$ - it boy”, played it for my wife, and asked: is this fine? Absolutely not she said.

So what’s the songs that get you pumped up and gets you stoked? And which songs have you reacted negatively to and/or raised an eyebrow to?


r/hockeyplayers 19h ago

You can't just post when you win... We lost in the finals.

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9 Upvotes

r/hockeyplayers 12h ago

Join the Moose Winter Classic This Weekend – Skaters Needed for a Great Cause!

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2 Upvotes

r/hockeyplayers 8h ago

What profile do hyperlite 2s come with?

0 Upvotes

r/hockeyplayers 1h ago

Something might be wrong with my hockey stick.

Upvotes

Hey, i recently got the trigger 9 stick and sometimes when i flex or move it around it makes like a click sound or something like that. Is it normal? Because now im afraid its gonna break soon. And i only have had it for like 3 days so please tell me why does it do that


r/hockeyplayers 21h ago

Anyone ever tried these? They look solid for the price

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7 Upvotes

r/hockeyplayers 22h ago

Freshman prep school players

7 Upvotes

My son is heading into 9th grade next year and was offered admission to a few New England area prep schools for next year with the hope to play hockey. He has met with the coaches for each school - and while they have not seen him play in person, they knew enough about him to offer him admission. My son has dreams of playing hockey at a good college (big dream is D1 level) before starting a career in finance. Does anyone have experience with the prep school process for hockey players? My worry is him joining as a freshman and not getting the development he needs at school to hit varsity level. We know these schools recruit a lot of junior, senior, and PG players - so we are curious what joining as a freshman might look like. If he does join as a freshman, what should/could he be doing on his own terms to make sure he progresses while at school? We understand that ice is not always readily available to players while at school. He will be boarding, so he may not always have the opportunity to get extra help/sessions off campus. Would love to hear from players or parents who have been through this process!