Advice on skating and playing hockey

[woods-racer]

She's zonked out on the couch. Those percocets are effective :lol:

 

That's really good. I'm sure she's been stressed and not sleeping. Glad tonight is going well for you guys!

[LTS]

So, as I mention, I coach youth travel hockey (Age 11).  Last night just blew my mind.

 

We're losing to the other team 4-3.  They are a local Rochester team as are we.  Our head coach used to coach in their organization but moved last year.  There is a bit of animosity between the two and they get a little jacked up when playing each other.

 

So, just inside the start of the 3rd period there is apparently a missed offsides call right in front of the opposing coach.  Then his player gets called for interference, no debate as he bowled over a kid without the puck.  The coach lost his mind. He began screaming as loud as I have ever heard anyone.  He let a few f bombs drop and got a bench minor from the ref.  That's when he proceeded to lose everything else. He was so enraged that he tried to get on the ice and could not even get the door to open.  Finally the ref called a forfeit against his team and ended the game.

 

I'm waiting to see what USA Hockey does to this guy.  He should be suspended at least 2 years from coaching (if not permanently).  He's also a hockey referee himself and I've heard he's on the local board for officials.  I can only imagine how that will go over.

 

Talk about doing the wrong thing for all the wrong reasons. He cost his team the game and likely ruined his involvement with youth hockey for a long time. I bet he made his son proud too.

 

Eeeeesh.

[woods-racer]

So, as I mention, I coach youth travel hockey (Age 11).  Last night just blew my mind.

 

We're losing to the other team 4-3.  They are a local Rochester team as are we.  Our head coach used to coach in their organization but moved last year.  There is a bit of animosity between the two and they get a little jacked up when playing each other.

 

So, just inside the start of the 3rd period there is apparently a missed offsides call right in front of the opposing coach.  Then his player gets called for interference, no debate as he bowled over a kid without the puck.  The coach lost his mind. He began screaming as loud as I have ever heard anyone.  He let a few f bombs drop and got a bench minor from the ref.  That's when he proceeded to lose everything else. He was so enraged that he tried to get on the ice and could not even get the door to open.  Finally the ref called a forfeit against his team and ended the game.

 

I'm waiting to see what USA Hockey does to this guy.  He should be suspended at least 2 years from coaching (if not permanently).  He's also a hockey referee himself and I've heard he's on the local board for officials.  I can only imagine how that will go over.

 

Talk about doing the wrong thing for all the wrong reasons. He cost his team the game and likely ruined his involvement with youth hockey for a long time. I bet he made his son proud too.

 

Eeeeesh.

 

Sometimes you have to wonder if there are other factors that weigh heavily on something like this. The job, home life, lack of sleep, who knows what else is wearing on him. Then BOOM, he goes and has a nuclear meltdown over a game played for fun. 

 

Maybe time he sits and enjoys just watching his son have fun playing hockey. For his health and well being.

[Taro T]

So, as I mention, I coach youth travel hockey (Age 11).  Last night just blew my mind.

 

We're losing to the other team 4-3.  They are a local Rochester team as are we.  Our head coach used to coach in their organization but moved last year.  There is a bit of animosity between the two and they get a little jacked up when playing each other.

 

So, just inside the start of the 3rd period there is apparently a missed offsides call right in front of the opposing coach.  Then his player gets called for interference, no debate as he bowled over a kid without the puck.  The coach lost his mind. He began screaming as loud as I have ever heard anyone.  He let a few f bombs drop and got a bench minor from the ref.  That's when he proceeded to lose everything else. He was so enraged that he tried to get on the ice and could not even get the door to open.  Finally the ref called a forfeit against his team and ended the game.

 

I'm waiting to see what USA Hockey does to this guy.  He should be suspended at least 2 years from coaching (if not permanently).  He's also a hockey referee himself and I've heard he's on the local board for officials.  I can only imagine how that will go over.

 

Talk about doing the wrong thing for all the wrong reasons. He cost his team the game and likely ruined his involvement with youth hockey for a long time. I bet he made his son proud too.

 

Eeeeesh.

Well, in fairness to the coach, those doors at (the former) ESL rarely, if ever, work properly. Had he been at Lakeshore or any other local rink, he'd've gotten the door open. ;)

 

The poor quality materials that Donner the Hutt bought might have saved RYH a head coach. Though if he's able to lose it that easily, might be best for them to find another.

[darksabre]

So, as I mention, I coach youth travel hockey (Age 11). Last night just blew my mind.

 

We're losing to the other team 4-3. They are a local Rochester team as are we. Our head coach used to coach in their organization but moved last year. There is a bit of animosity between the two and they get a little jacked up when playing each other.

 

So, just inside the start of the 3rd period there is apparently a missed offsides call right in front of the opposing coach. Then his player gets called for interference, no debate as he bowled over a kid without the puck. The coach lost his mind. He began screaming as loud as I have ever heard anyone. He let a few f bombs drop and got a bench minor from the ref. That's when he proceeded to lose everything else. He was so enraged that he tried to get on the ice and could not even get the door to open. Finally the ref called a forfeit against his team and ended the game.

 

I'm waiting to see what USA Hockey does to this guy. He should be suspended at least 2 years from coaching (if not permanently). He's also a hockey referee himself and I've heard he's on the local board for officials. I can only imagine how that will go over.

 

Talk about doing the wrong thing for all the wrong reasons. He cost his team the game and likely ruined his involvement with youth hockey for a long time. I bet he made his son proud too.

 

Eeeeesh.

I'll be honest, I just assumed that's what all youth sports were like these days. Every time I show up at a rink around here and there are kids playing it is without doubt that there will be parents yelling vile things and banging on the glass. I feel bad for any coach who has to deal with these people. I'm sure it affects them.

[LTS]

Well, the guy has a history of being a hothead so it's not necessarily isolated to this particular moment.  However, I do think there have to be other issues at play for a blow up of those proportions to occur.

 

Also.. the Lakeshore rink gates are just as bad these days, almost lost a finger in one.

 

There are a lot of bad parents.  I hear all kinds of stuff and it really bothers me how much some people put into the game and on their children. Coaches do get bombarded by parents with "ideas", etc. Most of the time you can just pass it off but I know there are some really toxic relationships in the area.

 

It's sad... the kids are supposed to have fun and enjoy what they are doing.  Taking away from that because of some screwed up belief that your child will be an NHL great is robbing them of some important years in their lives.

[dudacek]

But Cody Hodgson's dad was right!

[woods-racer]

It's a long story, but ....

 

Would any of you at the age of 49+ consider getting back into hockey as an on ice official? 

 

It would be for the enjoyment of being back in the game after a 30 year interruption.

[pastajoe]

It's a long story, but ....

 

Would any of you at the age of 49+ consider getting back into hockey as an on ice official?

 

It would be for the enjoyment of being back in the game after a 30 year interruption.

I have a friend who is in his 50s. We coached our sons together and we still play on the weekends. A few years ago he became certified as a referee. The hardest part was trying to get scheduled for games. The guys in charge had their friends and favorites, and after a couple years of getting only a couple games, he gave it up.

 

So the physical part isn't the issue, it's can you break into your local scheduling "club" and actually get games.

[Stoner]

49 is the new 19, or at least I hope it is. Go for it. Age is just a number.

[woods-racer]

I have a friend who is in his 50s. We coached our sons together and we still play on the weekends. A few years ago he became certified as a referee. The hardest part was trying to get scheduled for games. The guys in charge had their friends and favorites, and after a couple years of getting only a couple games, he gave it up.

 

So the physical part isn't the issue, it's can you break into your local scheduling "club" and actually get games.

 

I never thought it was that hard to get games. Just figured the newbie would get the drunk beer league jack holes or worse, the squirt/peewee hockey with the stands filled with the next parents of an NHL superstar. I have no problems with being the substitute ref/linesman. Sounds like the dues/initiation to the good old boys club.

 

 

49 is the new 19, or at least I hope it is. Go for it. Age is just a number.

 

As God as my witness, I fell of my 6' step ladder putting up Christmas lights on Thursday as it was so nice onto very soft grass. I did not feel 39, let alone 19 when I was getting up and dusting myself off. There was no bouncing  up and ready to go stuff. I did eventually get back up and get back to work. Friday morning was rough, I hurt. 

 

My wisdom at this age tells me not to play with the young bucks after being away for so long. The competitive side says now or never. I'm trying to split the difference.

 

Not the worldly wisdom I expected from you, but the other half of the brain thinks we need to go out and have a few beers and see what trouble comes our way!

 

Just so you know, I think I have a good inkling of your speed/distance in a foot race. If we where ever to find our selves trying to out run the young bucks, I'll be as good as I once was. I think I'm getting a bear joke and a country song mixed together here (?).

[PromoTheRobot]

It's a long story, but ....

 

Would any of you at the age of 49+ consider getting back into hockey as an on ice official?

 

It would be for the enjoyment of being back in the game after a 30 year interruption.

I'm 57 and still tend goal. C-level beer league. Most of the guys on my team are 50-something. No reason to stop playing because of age.

 

As for officiating you probably skate harder and longer than most of the players. If anything it's tougher.

[Taro T]

It's a long story, but ....

 

Would any of you at the age of 49+ consider getting back into hockey as an on ice official? 

 

It would be for the enjoyment of being back in the game after a 30 year interruption.

Go for it. You only live once. I did the clinic a year ago w/ my kids but was just too busy to grab any games. Maybe next year.

[josie]

She's zonked out on the couch. Those percocets are effective :lol:

This is the first I've been able to sit at my computer since the surgery last Wednesday, so an update for anyone who's interested how this busted leg stuff goes/who doesn't already know all too well... 

 

I caught my edge in a rut in the ice. I was trying to avoid a hapless opponent who was trying to keep the puck in the blue line in our zone. I knew he wouldn't be able to and was going around him to grab the puck and zoom off. Well, he stood up in front of me, I didn't want to hit him, stopped on a turn funny and caught some rough ice by the door of our bench. 

 

Spiral fracture. They offered me a cast or surgery, same recovery time. Took the surgery, as my ligament was not holding my tibia in place (only fibula was broken). So they put 4 screws and a plate in, I have a 6+ inch incision (which I have yet to see). Things feel pretty solid already.

 

I can feel the metal against my incision when I move my leg the wrong way. It's healing quickly, but I can feel the puckered skin rasping against the cotton of this splint. I get it taken off in another 1.5 weeks. 

 

I do not wish charlie horses on most people. I do not with charlie horses on a broken leg on my worst enemy. And they are very common for me. 

 

The doc put an extra piece of plaster out the back of my heel that makes putting on clothing nigh impossible (reasons were: elevation, discourage load bearing). Soooo I guess it's yoga pants in public for the next week and a half. I feel like such a slob. 

 

I developed a quick tolerance to Percocet and got off them immediately because that sh!t stops you up. Unfortunately, I'd been on them enough that I actually have gone through a mini withdrawal the last day or so. I can only imagine what ramping down from a legitimate addiction is like.  

 

But overall my toes are regaining their normal color, I still have little feeling/pins and needles in my big toe- i think the first splint was tight enough that it damaged some nerves. Small price I guess, but still vaguely unpleasant. I'll be in a flexible/removable cast after they take this off/stitches out, and I can finally SHOWER FULLY AGAIN. No more balancing act to hang a leg out the shower. 

 

In the realm of injuries sustainable in hockey, it's nothing. But I have about 2 weeks coming up here where I don't know how I"m going to get to work and teaching as I cannot drive. If you bust your leg on the rink, try to bust your left leg haha.. Then you could at least rent a car and drive an automatic.

 

I'd say 20 percent of my discomfort now is physical (coming out of that surgery was the worst I've had, nurses had crash carts ready, and I've had major heart surgery, throat surgery, and other surgeries), the other 80 is mental and my god is it awful. I went from doing everything/being the strong one to barely leaving the couch in a 72 hour period. I hate it. My abs are gone, showers are tough, I feel disgusting, depression sets in fast (I did so much to keep that crap at bay). I keep myself amused by doing chinups and any other arm exercises that don't p!ss off my leg. 

 

If you find yourself in a predicament like mine, I hope hope hope you have someone around to help you, if at the very least, visitors to keep you sane. And don't catch your edges. Ugh. I admit, when the time comes, I'm going to be scared to play hockey again. This is going to wipe out a lot of money for me, let alone time. 

 

But hey, I get to watch a lot of hockey now that I'm stuck on the couch..? And I've seen a lot of bad 80s movies I'd never seen before, so, positives? 

[SwampD]

Get better soon, Josie. This breaks my heart, knowing how much you love playing and doing stuff.

 

There's a lesson to be learned in all this, though. Given the choice of hitting someone or getting injured trying to avoid someone, always choose hitting them.

[darksabre]

Get better soon, Josie. This breaks my heart, knowing how much you love playing and doing stuff.

 

There's a lesson to be learned in all this, though. Given the choice of hitting someone or getting injured trying to avoid someone, always choose hitting them.

Unless the weight differential is like a hundred pounds :p

[SwampD]

Unless the weight differential is like a hundred pounds :p

I don't know. I've never been injured by someone smaller than me.

[woods-racer]

49 is the new 19, or at least I hope it is. Go for it. Age is just a number.

 

 

I'm 57 and still tend goal. C-level beer league. Most of the guys on my team are 50-something. No reason to stop playing because of age.

 

As for officiating you probably skate harder and longer than most of the players. If anything it's tougher.

 

 

Go for it. You only live once. I did the clinic a year ago w/ my kids but was just too busy to grab any games. Maybe next year.

 

You old guys are tighter than a band of thieves!

 

Thank you.

 

Sincerely.

[Stoner]

Woods, any update?

 

Also I heard there's a Hockey Giant store now in Cheektowaga. I think the guy said it's new? How would the three franchise places compare, Great Skate, Pure Hockey and Hockey Giant? Are there others? And are there locally owned places worth considering for equipment?

[darksabre]

Woods, any update?

 

Also I heard there's a Hockey Giant store now in Cheektowaga. I think the guy said it's new? How would the three franchise places compare, Great Skate, Pure Hockey and Hockey Giant? Are there others? And are there locally owned places worth considering for equipment?

I had no idea that Hockey Giant was already open. I forgot about it. I'll have to check it out at some point. 

 

Great Skate will be your local option.

 

Pure Hockey is (was) an east coast chain from Massachusetts. Larger scale operation than Great Skate for sure.

 

Hockey Giant is like a super store. Think Bass Pro. You travel to go to Hockey Giant.

 

Now where things get weird is that Hockey Giant is actually owned by Pure Hockey now. This makes TSG Enterprises the largest hockey retailer in the US. 

 

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pure-hockey-acquires-california-based-hockey-giant-300153385.html

 

IMO, around here at least, any of those stores is going to be good. It'll depend on what kind of stuff you're looking for. At least we have three good options around here now. Great Skate used to be the only game in town. 

I'll check the new Hockey Giant out next week maybe. I've never been in one. I notice that TSG is sticking to their old habits of buying old book stores. Our store in Rochester was a Borders and this Hockey Giant in Cheektowaga was also a Borders.  :lol:

[PromoTheRobot]

I sincerely believe all Bills players should learn to ice skate. There are muscles below the knees that only skating can work. Anyone who tried to skate the first time knows what I speak of, that incredible painful burning deep inside your calf muscles. As a goalkeeper, who has to make very tight skating moves in small spaces, my ankles are incredibly developed from skating. So much so that I am impervious to rolling my ankles. Not bragging. Just stating a fact. I have to believe skating would reduce ankle injuries in football players.  The Academy of Hockey would be an ideal place for an offseason skating clinic.

[darksabre]

I sincerely believe all Bills players should learn to ice skate. There are muscles below the knees that only skating can work. Anyone who tried to skate the first time knows what I speak of, that incredible painful burning deep inside your calf muscles. As a goalkeeper, who has to make very tight skating moves in small spaces, my ankles are incredibly developed from skating. So much so that I am impervious to rolling my ankles. Not bragging. Just stating a fact. I have to believe skating would reduce ankle injuries in football players.  The Academy of Hockey would be an ideal place for an offseason skating clinic.

I agree. I used to hurt ankles all the time before I started playing hockey. I don't think I've sprained an ankle since. 

[Stoner]

I sincerely believe all Bills players should learn to ice skate. There are muscles below the knees that only skating can work. Anyone who tried to skate the first time knows what I speak of, that incredible painful burning deep inside your calf muscles. As a goalkeeper, who has to make very tight skating moves in small spaces, my ankles are incredibly developed from skating. So much so that I am impervious to rolling my ankles. Not bragging. Just stating a fact. I have to believe skating would reduce ankle injuries in football players.  The Academy of Hockey would be an ideal place for an offseason skating clinic.

This is your best post ever.

I had no idea that Hockey Giant was already open. I forgot about it. I'll have to check it out at some point. 

 

Great Skate will be your local option.

 

Pure Hockey is (was) an east coast chain from Massachusetts. Larger scale operation than Great Skate for sure.

 

Hockey Giant is like a super store. Think Bass Pro. You travel to go to Hockey Giant.

 

Now where things get weird is that Hockey Giant is actually owned by Pure Hockey now. This makes TSG Enterprises the largest hockey retailer in the US. 

 

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pure-hockey-acquires-california-based-hockey-giant-300153385.html

 

IMO, around here at least, any of those stores is going to be good. It'll depend on what kind of stuff you're looking for. At least we have three good options around here now. Great Skate used to be the only game in town. 

I'll check the new Hockey Giant out next week maybe. I've never been in one. I notice that TSG is sticking to their old habits of buying old book stores. Our store in Rochester was a Borders and this Hockey Giant in Cheektowaga was also a Borders.  :lol:

Thanks. I didn't know Great Skate was locally owned. For some reason I thought it was a chain.

[LTS]

I sincerely believe all Bills players should learn to ice skate. There are muscles below the knees that only skating can work. Anyone who tried to skate the first time knows what I speak of, that incredible painful burning deep inside your calf muscles. As a goalkeeper, who has to make very tight skating moves in small spaces, my ankles are incredibly developed from skating. So much so that I am impervious to rolling my ankles. Not bragging. Just stating a fact. I have to believe skating would reduce ankle injuries in football players.  The Academy of Hockey would be an ideal place for an offseason skating clinic.

 

I never thought about that.  I didn't play hockey growing up but I skated a lot and even though I played volleyball (a sport for many rolled ankles) I never injured my ankles (I rolled them but was never injured from it).

[pi2000]

I sincerely believe all Bills players should learn to ice skate. There are muscles below the knees that only skating can work. Anyone who tried to skate the first time knows what I speak of, that incredible painful burning deep inside your calf muscles. As a goalkeeper, who has to make very tight skating moves in small spaces, my ankles are incredibly developed from skating. So much so that I am impervious to rolling my ankles. Not bragging. Just stating a fact. I have to believe skating would reduce ankle injuries in football players.  The Academy of Hockey would be an ideal place for an offseason skating clinic.

 

Studies show that skating tightens up muscles in and around the hips and lower back.    As a result, we would see more soft tissue injuries in the upper leg (groins, hamstrings, adductor) if they all took up skating.