drinking in the locker room?

[shoeshine boy]

obviously this is for the adults.....so the thread about the co-ed locker rooms got me to wondering, do you drink in the locker room after your game? and if so, where (in the world) do you play?

this has become a minor issue in our local league. in Atlanta you are NOT allowed to bring alcohol into the rink. not sure why, it's just the way it's always been. every season we get complaints from the rink about a team leaving beer cans in the locker room, usually done by a guy who's just moved here and doesn't know any better. typically after games we either tailgate in the parking lot or head down to the bar which is maybe 100 yards from the rink.

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[RJ8812*]

you are not allowed to bring alcohol in any rink in Canada. However, I used to work at an arena, and we knew it was going on, but as long as we didnt see it, we didnt care

"what happens in the locker room, stays in the locker room"

 

[Skraut]

Our league in Cleveland strictly forbids it (we all had to sign papers to that effect) because all of the rinks in the area forbid it.

That doesn't stop us as long as we take the empties out with us. We don't do it every game, but once in while we do bring beer to celebrate a little bit. When we do bring we've offered some to the other team, and they've always had their own

 

[Jarick]

No we don't. You change, BS with the team, and then figure out where you're going for beers afterward. Most rinks don't allow it I believe.

Although a few years ago we got invited to "nationals", which were being held about 30 minutes from here, and after every game there was a case of Coors sitting in the locker room because that was the sponsor. So we were actually encouraged to drink afterward

Oh and Summit (local, awesome brewery) sponsors our league tourney so we get free drink tickets and they make a mint selling it at that rink to the friends/families/alcoholics. Good stuff.

 

[nesford2457]

I play and in buffalo and its pretty much an every game thing that someone brings the beer for after the game. The league has a rule no drinking before the games at all (at the rink or not), and i have seen people not allowed to play on multiple occasions because they were drunk, but after the game as long as you don't make mess they don't care.

 

[beth]

We have beer after our saturday games. It's never been an issue as far as I know.

 

[Whiplash27]

Sometimes people bring beer, some teams bring it more often. It's pretty much accepted at our rink. On our team if someone brings beer, no one has more than a couple. However, no one has ever come into our locker room to check if people are drinking. We're all adults, so they don't care. Plus there's a bar upstairs in our rink anyway.

 

[Devil Dancer]

Beer in the locker room after a game is a regular occurrence where I play in Maryland. Hell, some guys drink a beer before the game. It's only one, and they don't get drunk, so it's no big deal.

Occasionally I'll get to the bench before a game and see a bunch of empty beer cans there, though it's rare, and I've never seen someone drinking during a game.

 

[Cams]

Generally around Windsor area it is against the rules, but as mentioned above, the rink guys won't say anything as long as no cans or bottles are left behind. One rink in town used to have the dressing rooms licensed as well as their bar upstairs, and they would come to your room after the game selling cold beers on a cart. **This rink was/is privately owned, not city owned**

Usually the group I played with just drank in the parking lot after. Mind you tailgating in Canada is not allowed.

Also, with Ontario having stricter rules (lower % blood alcohol level) now, drinking more than one can be risky.

 

[AirTimid]

Beer seems to be common in the locker rooms here in Halifax, NS. I play pickup on Friday nights for 2 hours and the group that finishes before us are generally still drinking beer when I finish and leave.

 

[nyqs81]

Rink guys don't care if we bring it. Most rinks I have played in have a bar anyway.

 

[madmutter]

In Edmonton beers after the game is the norm with every rec team I've played with. At the rink I'm playing at now the locker rooms fall under the same liquor license as their stands I believe. They have recycling bins in the rooms as well and the league managers often stop in to the room after a game and nothing is said about the fact that most guys have a beer in their hand. This is at a privately owned rink though, city owned rinks do not allow drinking in the room so you have to keep it on the down low.

 

[edog37]

there's no point to playing in a rec league without the obligatory libation after the game....

we have beer in the locker room after every game & no one has ever said anything to us...

 

[Trevor3]

I played junior B last season here in Newfoundland and the local Molson distributer was our teams main sponsor, so obviously drinking occurred. It goes on in the main rec league (sponsored by Bud Light) and I only assume in every other "league" that plays here. I mean, they call them beer leagues for a reason.

 

[Wildturkey12]

It seems to be the norm to drink beer in the locker room after a game. Our rink seems to be the only one around here that doesnt allow it but that is because they have a beer and wine license, so we just have to change and go upstairs and get a few pitchers. If you get caught drinking in the locker room or parking lot the team rep gets suspended for 3 games.

 

[SuburbanArgyle]

When I played in Texas it was fine to drink in the locker room until the rink put a bar in, and then it became illegal to BYOB, we had to buy a case from them and they'd bring it down and ice it while we were playing. It was overpriced though, so usually someone would smuggle in a case and then we'd just make sure to take the empties with us.

Here in Maryland though, you drink whenever and wherever you want!

 

[Steelhead16]

Rink I play at in Boise is owned by the city so no drinking. Rink I play at in CA. is owned by the Zamboni Corp. so nobody cares but most people go outside afterward anyway.

 

[rinkrat22]

90% of the rinks in the Greater Chicagoland area allow it, either outright or don't ask don't tell. I have never seen anyone drunk or acting like an ahole. The one rink I play at they have a patio with a fire pit and a grill. its a three sheet rink and whoever has the early games they get the fire and grill going. you will have parts of 12 teams in the summer sitting out back drinking till the early morning.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

I actually manage a hockey league in Kitimat, British Columbia. Also played in several recreational leagues in Vancouver.

No league anywhere says you are allowed to bring alcohol into dressing rooms. Some rinks have designated bars where you go to purchase alcohol after games. With that said, there is widespread "turning of the other cheek" with respect to alcohol. It's a bit of an out of sight, out of mind thing. As long as you keep in the room, don't go flashing it to kids or arena staffers, and above all you do not make a mess, nine times out of ten the arena staffers simply do not care.

It was the same in Vancouver, and it is unbelievably lax in Kitimat. (although our league has received several fines from the District for smoking violations--they do get touchy about that. Some people just can't step out of the damn building for a puff...)

But anyway--no arena, no staff member, and no league will publicly advocate alcohol consumption in dressing rooms for a myriad of reasons--noteably that it violates a whole bunch of rules/liquor licensing codes. But many of them will willingly turn the other cheek as long as the players clean up after themselves and no one gets rowdy with the facilities and especially the staff.

 

[HowToHockey]

Yeah in Canada you are not supposed to but most rinks still let it happen. Both the rec teams i play on had a case of beer after each game.

 

[beth]

The one rink I play at they have a patio with a fire pit and a grill. its a three sheet rink and whoever has the early games they get the fire and grill going. you will have parts of 12 teams in the summer sitting out back drinking till the early morning.

What a great idea. That would be so fun!

 

[CGNY87]

our local rink doesn't seem to care. If you walk in with a six pack under your arm they will probably say something. But if it only comes out in the locker room no one cares. I have heard of one team being kicked out of the league becaue they would frequently try to bring pitchers over to the bench.

 

[blueberrydanish]

At my rink they bring iced beer for after our games in the locker rooms, rather convenient

 

[noobman]

Signage says that it's "strictly forbidden", but in reality it happens. I've gone into dressing rooms with beer cans all over the place from the guys prior. I mean you can't walk into the dressing room with a 24 in your hand or skate around with a beer bottle, but you can hang out and drink no problem.

For whatever reason though I can never drink and play hockey in the same day... I either play like crap or feel like crap.

 

[ChiTownHawks]

90% of the rinks in the Greater Chicagoland area allow it, either outright or don't ask don't tell. I have never seen anyone drunk or acting like an ahole. The one rink I play at they have a patio with a fire pit and a grill. its a three sheet rink and whoever has the early games they get the fire and grill going. you will have parts of 12 teams in the summer sitting out back drinking till the early morning.

I agree with Beth that sounds awesome. Didn't you say you play down in Joliet?

The 2 rinks I play at in Chicago have bars in them and no one discourages drinking at all. In fact if you give one of the Zamboni drivers 5 bucks a guy he will put a bucket of beer in your locker room for after the game. We never partake though b/c that seems a bit pricey and kind of nasty.