Rec league hockey

[BerkeleyNat]

I'm going to start playing ice hockey again at the Hagerstown Ice Rink in May. I haven't played since the late 90s. Used to play and coach youth hockey quite a bit in Frederick back in the day. Anyone else play rec hockey?

[Obed_Marsh]

I played through high school and picked it up again after that for a couple years but haven't played since the 90s either.

[BerkeleyNat]

I played through high school and picked it up again after that for a couple years but haven't played since the 90s either.

I never had the opportunity to play hockey in high school as I grew up in Broward County, FL. I started watching hockey when ESPN started showing games in the 80s. I fell in love with the game and started playing in Germany while serving in the Army. I picked up skating pretty quick and got to be a decent player.

[Obed_Marsh]

What really made the difference for me was the University of Minnesota Duluth's hockey camp. Following that towards the end of high school, I had some interest from the Omaha Lancers, which were in a fairly new league at the time but I didn't play in the right areas of the country to attract college interest. I was always a defenseman.

After a long hiatus, I started playing again but ended leaving the league in question due to some differences in what constituted dirty play. Nothing formal but there were too many straight arrows who got bent out of shape over redirecting people's sticks, puching people with the thumb of the glove, or more subtle tripping, etc. To each his own but I was looking for a more competitive adult leage which I had not found at the time.

These days I'd be starting over again if I tried it. I think about it sometimes but the times you can get the rink generally suck and I don't keep a car anymore so it hasn't progressed beyond the occasional day dream.

[tomterp]

    I started playing pick-up hockey back when two things happened around the same time (mindfact) - we got the Caps, and Tucker Road ice rink opened.  We'd play on ponds in the Oxon Hill area if it got cold enough, else we'd get a group together and rent the ice at Tucker Road for an hour.  Nobody wanted to change shifts when it was so expensive to play.

Most fun sport I've ever played.   However, wrecked my shoulder playing at Tucker Road, when I should have been studying for an accounting exam the next day.      Another ride in the always stylish Co. 21 Cadillac ambulance, however.

[BerkeleyNat]

   I started playing pick-up hockey back when two things happened around the same time (mindfact) - we got the Caps, and Tucker Road ice rink opened.  We'd play on ponds in the Oxon Hill area if it got cold enough, else we'd get a group together and rent the ice at Tucker Road for an hour.  Nobody wanted to change shifts when it was so expensive to play.

Most fun sport I've ever played.   However, wrecked my shoulder playing at Tucker Road, when I should have been studying for an accounting exam the next day.      Another ride in the always stylish Co. 21 Cadillac ambulance, however.

(Image removed from quote.)

  Great story Tom. I actually hurt my knee back in 98, which pretty much led me to give up the game. Playing hockey wasn't paying the bills. The league in Hagerstown is non-checking. The next level up is a checking league.

[Minty Fresh]

My brother plays in a rec floor league in Arlington (he can't skate well enough to play ice hockey).

[Dave B]

i played a lot of roller hockey growing up, started play some ice in college. played in a men's league and then some pickup. a couple years ago i stumbled on a roller hockey game on the hill. there was a pretty varied mix of skill levels.  then we started advertising on meetup.com (look for capitol hill inline league) and the skill level has started to skew higher, but is still pretty varied.

basically play sunday mornings, no longer on the hill. there are a couple rinks in MD off 295. all the details are on that website.

i like ice hockey better, but am starting to prefer the roller hockey experience. get to play outside. if it is cold, you can kind of pretend it is pond hockey. no crazy hours. tomorrow should be nice (30's and sunny).

we usually have two full lines and goalies.  even with the high skill level, it is very friendly. wide range of ages. most people are at least 30. maybe some are even 60. so its not like there are punk kids playing.

due to the fact it is ball hockey, the skill level is higher than the A/B league I've played in. its just easier to play with a ball

its not even a league. no fees. just show up. really cant be beat

[BerkeleyNat]

i played a lot of roller hockey growing up, started play some ice in college. played in a men's league and then some pickup. a couple years ago i stumbled on a roller hockey game on the hill. there was a pretty varied mix of skill levels.  then we started advertising on meetup.com (look for capitol hill inline league) and the skill level has started to skew higher, but is still pretty varied.

basically play sunday mornings, no longer on the hill. there are a couple rinks in MD off 295. all the details are on that website.

i like ice hockey better, but am starting to prefer the roller hockey experience. get to play outside. if it is cold, you can kind of pretend it is pond hockey. no crazy hours. tomorrow should be nice (30's and sunny).

we usually have two full lines and goalies.  even with the high skill level, it is very friendly. wide range of ages. most people are at least 30. maybe some are even 60. so its not like there are punk kids playing.

due to the fact it is ball hockey, the skill level is higher than the A/B league I've played in. its just easier to play with a ball

its not even a league. no fees. just show up. really cant be beat

I've played inline hockey as well over the years. It's a blast to play, but I'm much better on ice skates for some reason. They have several leagues around where I live for inline hockey. It's a big deal in Martinsburg, WV and Winchester, VA. I know Martinsburg has two rinks that were built by the parks and rec, while Winchester has an indoor rink for inline hockey. Both cities have thriving youth leagues. I started playing inline hockey back in the 90s. It was a just show up and play type thing. They started up adult leagues in Martinsburg and Winchester shortly after that. The only problem that I had with the inline hockey leagues was that they were not set up very well. The talent gap between teams was really bad. I know that a team from Pennsylvania that was sponsored by Sheetz used to come down and play in the West Virginia and Virginia leagues. They were allowed to remain intact and not have to go through the draft process like the other teams. That's fine for tournament play, but it doesn't work well for league play.

[Dave B]

I've played inline hockey as well over the years. It's a blast to play, but I'm much better on ice skates for some reason. They have several leagues around where I live for inline hockey. It's a big deal in Martinsburg, WV and Winchester, VA. I know Martinsburg has two rinks that were built by the parks and rec, while Winchester has an indoor rink for inline hockey. Both cities have thriving youth leagues. I started playing inline hockey back in the 90s. It was a just show up and play type thing. They started up adult leagues in Martinsburg and Winchester shortly after that. The only problem that I had with the inline hockey leagues was that they were not set up very well. The talent gap between teams was really bad. I know that a team from Pennsylvania that was sponsored by Sheetz used to come down and play in the West Virginia and Virginia leagues. They were allowed to remain intact and not have to go through the draft process like the other teams. That's fine for tournament play, but it doesn't work well for league play.

stopping and turning is much harder on rollerblades. i want to try ice skating again to see if my improved rollerblading has translated into improved ice skating. at most i'd play ice hockey once a week for an hour and a half for half the year, but i've been playing 3-4 hours of roller hockey for about 2 years running now

[BerkeleyNat]

stopping and turning is much harder on rollerblades. i want to try ice skating again to see if my improved rollerblading has translated into improved ice skating. at most i'd play ice hockey once a week for an hour and a half for half the year, but i've been playing 3-4 hours of roller hockey for about 2 years running now

I can turn on a dime on ice skates. I slip sometimes when I try to pull off a real sharp turn or cut on inline skates. I also have a harder time skating backwards on inline skates.

[Frau Mau]

Know this isn't the thread for it, but Leafs are getting mummy buttrapz.

[Obed_Marsh]

I feel like a dangerous menance on inline skates. I end up going much more quickly than I can control. Granted I prefer ice if available or just going directly to street hockey. Damn I miss having friends playing street hockey.

[BerkeleyNat]

I feel like a dangerous menance on inline skates. I end up going much more quickly than I can control. Granted I prefer ice if available or just going directly to street hockey. Damn I miss having friends playing street hockey.

That's how I am on inline skates. I just don't feel like I have the control that I have on ice skates. Inline hockey is fun, but I'm definitely more in control on the ice. BTW, Obed....I usually play defense also. I have played goalie in the past as well, but I prefer to be out skating around.

[BerkeleyNat]

Had my first practice last night in Hagerstown. I had a rough start, but really picked it up after about a 1/2 hour or so of skating. Felt almost like my old self by the end. I have a practice next Saturday, then our games start on the Saturday after that.

[Minty Fresh]

Ice? 

[BerkeleyNat]

Ice? 

Yes..ice hockey. I playing in the "C" league.

[Minty Fresh]

My brother plays in a floor league because he's a crappy skater.  I've tried to convince him to learn to skate so he can play ice.

[BerkeleyNat]

My brother plays in a floor league because he's a crappy skater.  I've tried to convince him to learn to skate so he can play ice.

It's not that hard to learn. It just takes time and LOTS of patience. 

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

The only summer rink in DC is Fort Dupont...no beer league hockey that I know of, but skating is skating when it's 100 degrees out.

[Dave B]

The only summer rink in DC is Fort Dupont...no beer league hockey that I know of, but skating is skating when it's 100 degrees out.

closed until july for renovations

[Dave B]

My brother plays in a floor league because he's a crappy skater.  I've tried to convince him to learn to skate so he can play ice.

tell him to take up roller hockey. not as good as ice, but much more accessible. and you can practice skating almost any time anywhere. i played a lot as a kid, then started playing ice in college. then stopped cuz it was a pain in the ass at strange times. now i play roller twice a week. pick up for 2 to 3 hours on sunday and one short game druing the week. havent been in ice for a while, but playing roller as much as i have has to have helped my ice skating.

[BerkeleyNat]

tell him to take up roller hockey. not as good as ice, but much more accessible. and you can practice skating almost any time anywhere. i played a lot as a kid, then started playing ice in college. then stopped cuz it was a pain in the ass at strange times. now i play roller twice a week. pick up for 2 to 3 hours on sunday and one short game druing the week. havent been in ice for a while, but playing roller as much as i have has to have helped my ice skating.

Agreed on the strange times for ice. Our league games start at 10pm. I didn't get out of there last week until about 12:30 pm. I'm off on Sundays, so no big deal. They have a public skate in Hagerstown from 8:00 pm to 9:50 pm. I got there last Saturday at 9:00 and there were like four people skating on the ice. The rink in Hagerstown was going to get shut down a few years ago by the city. It is now ran by the Hagerstown Youth Hockey League. They bring in enough money from hockey/figure skating fees and donations to keep it running. Hockey is pretty much what keeps that rink open.

[Minty Fresh]

tell him to take up roller hockey. not as good as ice, but much more accessible. and you can practice skating almost any time anywhere. i played a lot as a kid, then started playing ice in college. then stopped cuz it was a pain in the ass at strange times. now i play roller twice a week. pick up for 2 to 3 hours on sunday and one short game druing the week. havent been in ice for a while, but playing roller as much as i have has to have helped my ice skating.

I've tied convincing him to learn to skate.  He's got two young girls right now so he thinks it's a burden to take up an activitiy but I've tried to rationalize it by saying, "take the girls skating and you can learn right along side them."  Alas, to no avail.

Plus, I think he likes his floor league too much to try something new.  He drives from Laurel to Arlington twice a week just to play a rec floor league.  That's dedication.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I played a few times at a rink in the West End in downtown Vanvouver...being in the middle of a city, ice times were usually 3 or 4 in the morning, and many of the players were coming straight from the bars.  It was a total $hitshow