Yukon Joe
Registered User
Hey all,
So I am brand new to Hockey. I'm transitioning from Football. I feel that there is more playability with Hockey than after post secondary football.
Welcome to playing hockey! I can tell you that there is a surprising amount of "playability" with rec hockey - I know a few old timers up into their 60s and 70s that still play!
I wanted to try and answer a few of your questions because, like you, I am new to playing - I only started fall of 2018. Unlike you, however, I am not a former athlete in his 20s: I am a fairly unathletic man in my mid-40s. But here's what I have to say, for what it is worth.
First though, I have to suggest you be somewhat realistic about how far you're going to go. The muscle memory of learning to skate and stickhandle as a young kid and playing minor hockey for years and years is not something you can ever hope to replicate as an adult. Hockey is a great and enjoyable sport you can play for years and years, but it may also be humbling if you played football and MMA at a reasonably high level as well.
That being said, I've found hockey to be surprisingly welcoming. If you're a humble newbie people are always very welcoming, to the point of offering to help you up mid-game if you fall.
You suggested at one point you may wait a long while before actually playing a game. I urge you to reconsider. By all means try to improve and practice: but actually playing is the fun part. It's what gives you the motivation to learn and improve. Don't worry if you suck at first - just get in the game. And ability to skate, pass and shoot is only half the game: knowing positioning and "hockey sense" is a huge part. It's not like football where there are set plays and a specific pattern you are supposed to run.
Gear. This is tough because of your size. You do need to make sure you have gear good enough to give you proper protection. But at a beginner's level it's the skill holding you back, not the gear. Don't blow the budget on a lot of fancy gear.
I share your frustration at the lack of adult hockey camps or skills (unless you want to pay for one-on-one). Here in Edmonton I did find a good adult learn-to-play program that I did last fall, but there's pretty much nothing past that if you just want to improve. I know a few guys who have just taken the learn-to-play multiple times just because it was the only thing available to them to try and improve, even though they already knew how to play.
Public skates are okay, but kind of limiting as everyone just goes in a big circle. Stick and puck is better (just went to my first one last week!), but still will probably have a lot of kids out there. My personal favourite is to wait for outdoor ice: a lot less people, a lot less structured, you can just play around with the puck to try and improve.