OT: anyone's kids play ice hockey?

[vqdriver]

so we've found a sport my older son likes, and somewhat randomly it's ice hockey... what?!?!?!?
i'm a sports fan and all, but being born and raised in southern cal it's just not a sport i know anything about.

anyway, he's really enjoyed the month or so of coaching and his instructor seems to think he's good enough at skating that he recommends we bypass the typical intro courses (which typically take kids about 1-2 yrs) and go straight to hockey lessons.

no one's mentioned it but i want to get him a proper pair of skates so he doesn't have to keep renting from the ice center. what should i look for? stay away from? i'm seeing the 2 big brands online are bauer and ccm, they're okay??
i'm fine with him outgrowing them and having to replace, i just want them to fit well now so that we can maximize his interest. i don't want to hamstring him with anything ill fitting or so cheap it hinders his improvement.

i'm sure i'll come back to this later on but for now they seem to be focusing on skating and movement. no actual hockey yet so no other equipment... for now

[providence]

I’ve been skating since I could walk (I’m a Minnesotan...). I don’t have kids and am not up to date on all the new offerings as most of my stuff was accumulated when I was still playing high school and then junior.

Skates are a bit of a personal thing, think cycling shoes x10. If you have a specialized hockey store near you (not sure where you’re located) I would recommend going that route as opposed to buying online. CCM always tended to run wider, Bauer a bit narrower (Graf fan here).

Typically hockey skates run somewhere between 1-2 sizes smaller than a shoe size. For a kid who’s foot is still growing, I’d probably go with the unscientific test of kicking the foot all the way forward in the boot and looking for about 1.5-2 fingers worth of room between the heal and the back of the boot.

Hockey skates take time to break in. Depending on how often your kid will be skating, could take a month-a whole season. Expect blisters so make sure he has quality socks and they are not bunched up when putting the skate on. A reason to get skates at a local store is some places can ‘bake’ the boot around a foot. This will speed up the breaking in period. Want to tie the skate on the tighter side first but not cutting off circulation tight. I always wore my skates looser than most but that’s more of preference thing after playing for 30 years.

As far as price, hockey like any hobby, can get expensive fast. You can really spend as much as you want. Skates are probably the most vital part of the game so getting your child something quality will likely go a long way in enjoying it. At this experience level, rule out the very bottom rung of the name brands CCM/Bauer as well as the upper level. Anywhere in between is a good place to be at this level in my view.

Good luck to you and your kid. It’s a great game.

[Matthew]

Hockey is a great sport. Same here, skating since I was a kid. (Michigan). If you can, go to a shop if possible. Tons of brands out there now but CCM and Bauer are certainly a good place to start. I love my Mission skates but don't think they do skates anymore. As mentioned above, skates take a while to break in. Don't need to spend a ton of cash on them yet as he is likely to out grow them anyway. Here in Michigan there are equipment swaps every so often. Can typically find some decent gear at those for good prices. And much of it is already broke in. Ask around, do some research on equipment. If the local rink has a shop they often have used gear too. Check there. Good luck to your boy. Hockey is awesome. Should be way more popular than it is. Feel free to PM me if you have further questions. Matthew

[ghcs]

Canadian here.

No kids, but I play twice a week. Been skating since I was 4.

Providence's comments on fit are on point, but I think Graf went out of business a couple of years ago. Pretty decent guide on sizing here: https://www.hockeymonkey.com/guides/hockey-skate-sizing-buying-guide

Not sure about so-cal, but lots of hockey stores around here have buy-back programs for kids.

Hope your kid has fun. Greatest sport ever.

PS: It's not Ice Hockey, it's HOCKEY. The ice is understood. :)

[ntb1001]

Hockey is amazing....but the financial commitment is unbelievable if you reach the higher levels. My 18 year old lives away from home living out his dream playing Jr hockey.
It’s amazing...but the money, politics make it something you need passion to see through.
I have had 4 kids play...3 in rep hockey...now down to my son at Jr, and my daughter as a goalie. Great sport, but now I’m broke!! With the 3 in it last year, I spent over $25k combined.

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[hollowgram5]

Some great suggestions in the other posts. I grew up playing as well. Started in Iowa and played through most of college in Minnesota.

Where are you located? (I read you grew up in So Cal, but are you still there?)

Hockey equipment shops are similar to bike shops in many ways. You will have your big box stuff with online presence but then there's your smaller sporting goods stores that also sell hockey stuff and often deal in used equipment a lot like your LBS may do with kids bikes.

I remember going to the shop 45 mins away in Des Moines just to get my skates sharpened or buy a new stick. That shop also sold bikes, and I could spend hours walking around looking at all the cool stuff they had. As far as I know, the store is now closed, but one of the manages runs a pretty successful bike shop in the area still.

[old fat man]

Seems like hockey players are just beginning to present with CTE. Wonder if it will turn out to be as prevalent as NFL. Neither of these are sports I'd encourage my kids to pursue.

[Mike V]

I have 2 boys that play travel hockey. One boy is a goalie and the other defenseman.

I have never spent a lot of money on skates when they started out. They are teens now and I spend more now on last year midmodel close out skates. They wanted the latest but found out they get better skates if they wait.

Your in SoCal so check out Hockey Monkey. They have very good customer service.

Make sure he wants to stick with it before you spend the money on good equipment. It get expensive even with lower end equipment. We have a hockey budget. Yes HOCKEY BUDGET!

[hollowgram5]

Seems like hockey players are just beginning to present with CTE. Wonder if it will turn out to be as prevalent as NFL. Neither of these are sports I'd encourage my kids to pursue.OFM: There is risk in everything. Don't want to encourage your kids to play, that's your prerogative.

OP: I played through college and yes, I have my share of injuries, but I've also had incidents playing soccer and riding bikes. I wouldn't give up or do anything different today.

I found that learning the structure of the game, and how it works from a team perspective helped to develop my leadership skills and my ability to be a part of a team in a work environment.

The game has taught me more than I can measure. It's the best team sport out there, but can be a financial commitment (also like bikes end up being for some of us) as kids get older.

If (when?) I end up with kids, they will absolutely be introduced to the game and can make their own decisions about what they want to participate in.

Little did I know going to a game at 3 with my dad and my brother would lead to some of the greatest life experiences I could have ever imagined.

Like others have said, feel free to PM me if you've got questions or are looking for feedback.

[Matthew]

Don't have kids but if they wanted to play hockey or football I'd encourage them to play in a heartbeat. Stuff can happen doing most activities. I'm sure many folks here have ruined a helmet or two in crashes. Do we keep riding? Yup. Pretty soon we will be told to stay in the house because of all of the dangers outside. We all know the risks of sports.

[David in Maine]

If your son loves to skate, but doesn't really take to the hockey playing part of the equation, you can always look for a short track speed skating club. I've been speed skating for the last 8 years and it's super fun!

David

[fignon's barber]

OP, excellent choice made by your son to gravitate toward hockey. Shows good character!
I work with coaches from the Swedish National team. Our group runs skills camps for kids, as well as NHL, KHL, and SHL professional players.
As for skates, I would recommend not buying online. The 2 main brands each make 3 types of skates, each tailored to 3 foot shapes. If you pick the wrong one, it can turn him off to hockey as it will be painful. The skates are now made of plastic/carbon and other stiff stuff, so you have to pick the right skate fit. Second, buy a mid range skate. It will give all the performance of a high end one, but allow flex needed to learn to skate (by flex I mean forward flex, forcing shin forward).
Also, get him a Swedish hockey ball. They are little wooden or plastic balls that you can use off ice to practice stickhandling/passing. Get yourself a stick and watch some youtube videos. You can learn together.

[eddief]

by Fredrik Backman which is focused on kids, the sport, and a town that "lives and dies" by the sport.

[Davist]

Love hockey, my guy did it for a while, I even coached for a bit. I took it up in college, through adult leagues until my travel got unpredictable (paid full league fees for 2 games once, ouch!).

Many rinks have skate swaps, so you may be able to find skates there, or get an idea of the foot shape if a store isn't handy. Hockey Monkey (mentioned above) is in SoCal IIRC btw..

For other equipment, spend more down low, like on leg pads (I broke a knee cap through a cheap leg pad) and breezers (pants). Helmets are pretty standard, use full face bird cages and save on shoulder pads (primarily for impacts of checking) and elbow pads (though get them long enough so there's no gap between glove and pad, slashes happen all the time). gloves are preference, short/long cuff, looser or tighter, another item to try on and see what he or she likes, can spend huge $$ on gloves, especially if near adult size, so be mindful, not really necessary, IMHO.

Great fun to shoot around in your backyard with your kids, we had a little net and used tennis balls (the wooden Swedish balls are great for stick handling, but hurt if you shoot them!)

I lived near San Jose and we had a great program for kids and adults, focus was on fun. Here in PHL ended up pulling my kid out due to the parents attitudes (fistfights in stands at 10yo travel games)..

[vqdriver]

Thanks guys. Looks like Ill need to study the sizing charts a bit.

[Mike V]

FYI Hockey Monkey has brick and mortar stores called Monkey Sports. They are in LA and Orange County.

If you need help just PM. I live in NorCal but I was born and raised in Orange County so I know my way around there. Also have friends who's kids play for Jr. Kings and Ducks.

[vqdriver]

Yes, thats definitely on the table as well. I'll wait and see what he gravitates to


If your son loves to skate, but doesn't really take to the hockey playing part of the equation, you can always look for a short track speed skating club. I've been speed skating for the last 8 years and it's super fun!

David

[rwsaunders]

Popular sport here in Pittsburgh, as it really took off from a fan participation perspective after the Penguins won a few Stanley Cups in the early 90’s. Players such as Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby are right up there with Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris in terms of households names. In fact, among the 20 and 30 somethings, it might be the most popular sport around here.

There are rinks and leagues for every possible level and all of the high schools have either a team or a club team. It’s a yearound sport as are many of the youth sports these days, so be prepared to log parent hours as well.

Volunteering and eventually coaching swung me over to “the beautiful game” (soccer) and I have any great memories of spending time with my kids and that sport. Good luck to your son and if he’s old enough, Slapshot might be worth a watch...

[binxnyrwarrsoul]

Second three of the previous comments. As far as skates, buying online is a gamble. Find a decent shop and don't showroom. The expertise of a hockey equipment salesperson outweighs the nominal savings of typical trial and error of online shopping. Much like cycling shoes, skates are very personal. As a non sports guy, I love hockey. Was turned onto it in '94, marrying into a rabid hockey family (spectators, with a dabbling in playing/coaching/officiating) and fell in love/hate with the NY Rangers. The skill and artistry of the game is really something. Father of 2, uncle to 8, most "grazing" playing but not committing, it can take over your life, and get very pricey. Imo the level of disciple, hard work and reward is very good for a lot of the "device addicted" young peeps today.

[saf-t]

Both of my daughters played for their HS team. We found used (good quality) skates and pads pretty easy to come by, as my town tends to be pretty hockey-focused and there were always kids trading in one-year-old stuff. We almost never needed to buy anything new, with the exception of helmets.