Ice Hockey Gear - What Gear Do You Need To Play?

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Ice Hockey Gear - What Gear Do You Need To Play?

If you are new to ice hockey and getting ready to play, you might be in for a rude awakening when it comes to all of the gear that is required to play. There is a LOT of required equipment. This article will walk through all of the most important gear that you will need to play ice hockey.Start with a good pair of hockey skates. My recommendation is to visit your local hockey shop and try on every pair that they have in your size and pick the ones that are most comfortable. If you end up with skates that don't fit well, you will not enjoy skating in them. To play ice hockey, you need to be decent on your skates. Learn to start, stop, go forward and turn in both directions before trying to actually play hockey. A lot of people use think skates when they use rental skate but this is not what you want when you are performance skating. Thin socks will allow you to feel and control the skates better than a thick sock will. Next up is your first hockey stick. Even though there are tons of choices, stick with a basic model that doesn't have any extreme blade curves or is super stiff when it comes to the flex rating. Get an inexpensive wood model and have the folks at the hockey shop fit it to you can cut it before you leave the store.With skates and stick in hand it is time for all of the defensive gear and there are a lot of pieces that you will need. The list goes like this: shin guards, hockey jill or hockey jock, hockey pants, check guard, elbow pads, gloves and a helmet. In most recreation leagues a full face shield is required on the helmet but some allow visors or no face protection at all. You will save a lot of bruises if you wear your protective equipment on when you are first learning to skate.You will need a few undergarments such as skate socks and an undershirt (a t-shirt will work fine). Thinner is better on the skate socks. For other clothing you will need a pair of hockey jerseys, a white one and a dark one, and hockey sock for the outside of your shin guards. Other miscellaneous hockey gear includes items like stick tape, shin guard tape, a mouth guard, some hockey pucks and a hockey bag the size that is large enough to hold all of your gear. A hockey bag with wheels might be a good idea if all of the gear is on the heavy side for you to carry.Once you start to use your hockey gear you will realize that it gets very sweaty and sticky fast. Make sure you air dry your gear after every use and don't be afraid to wash it every once in a while. Other tricks that I have learned include placing dryer sheets in my gloves after use and placing my hockey skates on a boot dryer when I get home from the rink. It is also a good idea to dry the blades of your skates a second time when you get home. Yes, there is a lot of gear required for you to play ice hockey! Once you get your first round of gear together you can swap out one piece at a time so the costs won't be so bad. One other thing to note is that it is very important that this gear fit correctly. Use the folks at your local hockey shop if you have any concerns about getting the right fit. Have fun and skate all out!