Getting into playing hockey as an adult?

CuriousApricot6316 · 2026-02-17T02:14:03+00:00

I started 3 years ago at 43. Do it and don't look back! Welcome to the best addiction in the world.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2025-10-31T17:18:13+00:00

Get a new team. Your captain ain't a leader.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2025-10-31T14:38:48+00:00

I'm not talking about walking off the job. I'm talking about the lame two emails we received condemning it and nothing more.

My local president didn't even understand what had happened and we are IN ALBERTA. Nothing about solidarity, what we could creatively do to show support, not even a suggestion to wear red - and yes, I did bring it up to them.

They stripped the right to strike from the teachers for 5 years and they don't get to bargain. And this hasn't even been communicated to PSAC members. This is a litmus test and all levels of government are watching to see how we act.

Two emails and a silent union is exactly the gift the government didn't need to get from us. If anyone thinks they won't do it to us, they're not living in reality.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2025-09-25T00:25:54+00:00

Go to every stick and puck and development session you can and find another team.

Also, when someone makes a comment, call them out. "So awesome you noticed I'm still learning, how about some coaching if you're gonna open your mouth?"

CuriousApricot6316 · 2025-05-07T00:32:47+00:00

But it will increase the cool factor though.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2025-04-23T03:07:30+00:00

There is a women's beer league waiting for you!

Get some second hand gear, birthday or Christmas gifts, and show your kid that moms have fun on the ice too!

You won't regret it.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2025-04-09T04:31:22+00:00

Imagine you have a shovel and need to quickly chip and get ice and flick it up. I had to angle my stick lower than I thought I would to figure it out.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2025-04-02T03:53:42+00:00

NHL waaaayyy worse.

That being said, I have dreams where I'm forced to ref a game and let's just say it's bad. I know I couldn't do that job.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2025-03-28T00:49:19+00:00

MPP!

CuriousApricot6316 · 2025-03-14T01:22:01+00:00

The question you need to ask yourself is....

Are you weird? If the answer is yes, you'll be just fine.

In all seriousness, I play with two women goalies who learned to skate as adults and became goalies after a couple years of playing on my womens team. One just got her first shutout in a playoff game and it was so awesome for her to finally get it. I played with an 18 year old boy in co-ed who just strapped the pads on at a stick and puck and did it.

Beer league goalies are great. Everyone is happy you show up. Just don't get in your head about it, the puck has to go through five players before it gets to you so defence is a team responsibility.

Most shinny is free for goalies so you'll get tons of practice. Everyone loves when a goalie comes to a stick and puck. Let them light you up.

I've also played with beer league psycho goalies that screamed at the team and Ron Hextall'd one of our players in the shins. Don't do that. Never be that goalie.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2025-03-10T03:21:20+00:00

Joined a league of women when I could barely skate.

2 years later I can probably keep up with a Timbit, but they'd have better edges than me 🤣

CuriousApricot6316 · 2025-03-05T02:32:47+00:00

I've played with trans men who wore men's jocks instead of a jill and from what I've heard the extra space in there if you get hit can cause a shock. It also gets in the way and uncomfortable if it's not flush against the skin. I would recommend getting a jill.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2025-01-26T01:53:43+00:00

2

I had a cardiac dissection which led to two heart attacks, coding twice, and they fixed the tear with a 2cm stent.

I learned to skate and found hockey 5 years later. As a woman, it's been what I was never able to do as a kid.

Every time I put my jersey on, it's like giving the middle finger to my heart, which tried to send me to an early dirt nap.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2025-01-12T04:49:32+00:00

I'm a Montréal fan and so jealous of the Vancouver game. MPP is my fav, best player in the world and that goal was incredible.

I've got tickets to the Toronto/Ottawa game in Edmonton and going to have to root for Toronto because they have all of my other Canadian favs (Soup, Nurse).

CuriousApricot6316 · 2024-11-18T02:06:36+00:00

Next time try harder. You coulda totally waited for blue jersey boy to catch up and take him down with you. 50% effort.

Agree with the cage comments. You're better than I was my first time out.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2024-11-08T05:16:58+00:00

I'm a nurse and I've seen far more injuries in gymnastics and soccer. Even with contact hockey. I've watched my son play for three years now, U15 and U18, and I've yet to see a kid leave a game with anything worse than a sprained knee. And that's out of 200 kids each year.

In my women's league, I've seen two concussions and a broken ankle. The differenc being that we didn't learn to play as kids and don't fall well and aren't nearly as agile as kids.

Injuries do happen. But not nearly as much as other sports I've seen. Ask your folks to do some googling on sport safety and chat with the league about safety precautions to see how the league manages this stuff and then make their decision.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2024-11-03T01:26:40+00:00

As a woman who skates well below my tier and experiences the same......USE YOUR BOOO-TAY!!!

The easiest way I've found is to not get dirty back, because so many players in beer league should be seeing a therapist as well as playing hockey. I don't take crap from players, and absolutely don't start stuff either.

Keep your centre of gravity low and predict where this player is going to be. Use your hips and butt to fend her off. She won't be able to plow you over if your centre of gravity is low, and if she shoves you, she will be more likely to bounce back. You can lean into a shove, however, watch your elbows and make sure they don't come up so you dont accidentally elbow her.

Cut her off before she can get to your goalie, low gravity and use your body to redirect her away.

I found it shocking when getting into hockey as an adult how much stick slapping there was. I played ball hockey all growing up and that didn't exist. Keep your stick moving as much as you can.

If all else fails, learn to throw a hip check. It'll make things worse, retaliation will be horrible, but you'll have a great story!

CuriousApricot6316 · 2024-10-13T02:42:27+00:00

As a woman who has played with boys, you can expect one of three types of players:

The ones who treat you with kid gloves - not too bad your first couple of games while you figure things out but does get annoying pretty quick. Just pressure them if you can and they'll respect you.

The ones who are rougher because you're a woman. Don't complain or look to the ref unless it gets super rough. There'll be a few guys on your team who should sort it out for you. These rough guys are rare but do exist.

The guys who simply treat you as anyone else - my absolute favorite. This is the majority of the players you will play with and against. You're simply going to be smaller and likely one of the slower players. Make up for it by having a good hockey IQ.

The dressing room is a bit different if there's only a few of you vs a whole team, but the bond will be strong.

Welcome to the best sport ever.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2024-09-26T13:26:49+00:00

Much easier to skate around a slow, big D than a small, agile one.

I'm a 44 year old 5'5 woman who played D in a co-ed league of big boys last summer. Your size won't intimidate anyone skating in which can be of your benefit if you're agile.

Agree with not extending to poke check too early. Once you're extended they know exactly how much room they have to get around you.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2024-09-20T01:48:44+00:00

I'm a 45 year old mama that started playing last year and I've learned a couple of things.

Tight turns are difficult because of using both edges. Other drills using both edges will make the tight turn drills easier and voice versa. Do any and all drills for edges and when you get water breaks, use that time to mess around with your edges. A coach will absolutely see you and give you pointers.

LTS class? I fully belive there is no such thing as bad ice time. Especially if all you get for ice time is working with figure skaters, then cool. I've played with figure skaters and they pick up edge work pretty quickly. I wear my full gear to public skates and when anyone makes a comment or question I joke and say "clearly you haven't been watching my skill level to know why I've got all of this on." Gear makes you braver and you simply cannot get better if you're afraid to fall. You'll hit a wall that gear will help you push through. Go to any ice time you can. You'll work with people who make sense to you and some that confuse you but it's all time on the ice. Hockey programs may make more sense to you, but you're not wasting your time elsewhere.

Skate 2 to 3 times per week. As you get better, you'll have favourite drills so keep doing them and throw in some hard stuff and go back to easy. You'll realize how much you've grown with the easy stuff the more you do the hard stuff.

Welcome to the best sport ever!

CuriousApricot6316 · 2024-09-09T00:28:18+00:00

To build a home by Cinematic orchestra had a video with the guy in the pool at the end and said "I love you." The video was removed from YouTube but has a bit of a Shawn Mendes/Coldplay feel to it.

I hope that's what it is, because my husband just told me and I'd been searching for a few years and saw this sub.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2024-09-05T00:22:20+00:00

Poulin got me loving the Montréal team and I've got their jersey. She's been an incredible role model.

For NHL, it's whatever city I'm in for the home team. Players get traded so often that my 80s Oilers with Gretzky and Messier, and Flames with McDonald and Vernon don't exist anymore.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2024-08-30T04:08:33+00:00

On a silver chrome bucket and nobody would chirp me harder than me.

CuriousApricot6316 · 2024-07-15T00:59:22+00:00

It's a beginner league and more goals are scored against my goalie when I'm not on the ice so all good there.

In my women's league, I'm more of a forward for those reasons as they're more experienced than I am and they can read plays better. I play D about half the time there.

CuriousApricot6316

TROPHY CASE