Is it time to find a new team?

[Yukon Joe]

I'll just throw this out there, see if anyone has some wisdom.

I've played with the same rec hockey team for the last 4 years. We started out entirely as a brand new team coming out of a "learn to play" program. Maybe half the team had literally never played before, while the other half had played just a little bit.

So fast forward 4 years. I really, really enjoy playing hockey. I enjoy the guys I play with. But of the group we started with only about 1/3-1/4 are left. As we have lost guys we've recruited new guys - all of whom came in with a lot more hockey experience. So over the last 4 years we keep being moved up the various tiers. We're now in the middle, closer to the top than we are to the bottom where we started.

All of which has me feeling useless out there on the ice. I've been moved up from defence (which I prefer) to the wing. I can see our D looking for a pass, seeing me, then passing to someone else because they rightly decide that even if I'm open the other guy is more likely to do something useful with the pass.

But I do like the guys I play with. Both the guys I've played 4 years with, but also the newer guys are all pretty good guys in the locker room as well. I just can't keep up with most of them on the ice. I also really, really want to score just one goal (four years on and I never have, though I pick up assists here and there) and the higher our team keeps moving up the less and less likely that ever is.

Any thoughts?

Click to read more...

 

[tarheelhockey]

This progression happens with a lot of new teams that come out of LTP programs. They're awful in their early seasons, attrition happens, and the replacements are far better players. A couple years in, you don't really recognize the lineup any more. Kind of like expansion teams in the NHL.

If I were you, I'd probably be looking for a lower-level team to join. You've been skating against increasingly difficult competition for years, so going back to a lower level you will probably realize you're better than you used to be. The game just moves slower and you can be successful with plays that don't work at the higher level.

That being said, it's also kind of up to your current team. We have a couple of players on my current team who really don't contribute much due to their skating and skillset, but they're good people and nobody minds them being on the team. It's just a rec league after all, nobody really cares all that much unless the game gets unusually intense for some reason.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Not scoring a goal in 4 years of beer league doesn't sound very fun. That's actually pretty shocking, esp considering you seem to have a foundation of skills and know how to play the game based on your other posts.

That combined with the part of your teammates not passing you the puck when you're open...I think the cold hard truth is you need to move down at least 2 divisions.

But if you are still enjoying yourself out there and your teammates don't mind having you, maybe it's not the worst thing if you stay.

 

[Smirnov2Chistov]

Not scoring a goal is the worst, but I typically don't get hung up on that. I'm always concerned about overall performance. Take my double-header ball/dek hockey game this Sunday:

My first game, I scored a goal through some traffic in the crease in the first 5 minutes. After that, the ball kept bouncing off my stick, kept floating out of position to cover someone else, passes being misplaced, and we ended up losing by one goal.

Game two, again, same issue. I couldn't connect with the ball this past weekend. My passes would go right in their feet, or wouldn't go to their target at all. We end up winning in OT, and I somehow grab an assist but I just wasn't in the groove of it

That combined with the part of your teammates not passing you the puck when you're open...I think the cold hard truth is you need to move down at least 2 divisions.

The only downside about moving down is you may run into the issue where you may become 'too good' for that league

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Not scoring a goal is the worst, but I typically don't get hung up on that. I'm always concerned about overall performance. Take my double-header ball/dek hockey game this Sunday:

My first game, I scored a goal through some traffic in the crease in the first 5 minutes. After that, the ball kept bouncing off my stick, kept floating out of position to cover someone else, passes being misplaced, and we ended up losing by one goal.

Game two, again, same issue. I couldn't connect with the ball this past weekend. My passes would go right in their feet, or wouldn't go to their target at all. We end up winning in OT, and I somehow grab an assist but I just wasn't in the groove of it




The only downside about moving down is you may run into the issue where you may become 'too good' for that league

Eh, no offense meant toward the OP, but if they haven’t scored a goal in 4 years, then they’re not going to be ‘too good’ for any beer league division.

 

[Yukon Joe]

Eh, no offense meant toward the OP, but if they haven’t scored a goal in 4 years, then they’re not going to be ‘too good’ for any beer league division.

No offence taken @Filthy Dangles. I suck, but I enjoy playing anyways. When it comes to my lack of production I think my skating (merely meh) is a lot better than my hands (absolute shit).

A couple of months ago we had a game right after a "learn to play" scrimmage was going on - the same one I did four years ago. My first thought was "OMG they are SO SLOW out there!". It's not impossible if I went right down to the lowest level I might be 'too good', but that would be a pretty novel experience if nothing else.

Man - played last night. We got a really early 5-1 lead, and suddenly I'm getting tons of passes. It was nice to be so much more involved in the play - but it was 100% because of the big lead we had.

 

[beedee]

I found myself in a similar position about 10 years ago, gosh that sounds weird to say. My team folded at one rink, and about half of us joined our buddies team at another (closer) rink. The level of play was at the "Upper Silver" level. (levels are: Gold, Silver, Bronze, Copper, Tin, Rookie). Back then I was playing winger and would score about 7 goals a season I'd say. As time went on I noticed similar things to the OP, some players were leaving for whatever reason, new teams coming in were younger and younger and I was feeling older, slower. Granted I was one of two guys that were 8 years older than the rest of the team. It got to the point where I felt like I just didnt have much time with the puck once I got it, and I got burned out on the constant shuffle of rotating wingers when having odd numbers of players, etc.

Once that season wound down I made the decision to drop down a level. At first I joined as a free-agent and the group was ok, but I just wasn't really feeling it overall. Luckily a few friends of mine were on another Bronze team and I joined them the following season. I also transitioned back to D (what I played growing up). The game was just slower enough in Bronze to where I was having fun again. And playing defense has been so much more fun for me. I find that the game is slower enough where the forecheck isn't as pressing and I can take that extra couple of seconds to find open lanes to make long stretch passes. I also extra time on the point to get shots on goal and what not. Its a lot of fun getting wristers/snaps/slaps on goal and seeing what happens. I've been playing in Bronze now for 3 years or so, bouncing back and forth between the Upper and Lower divisions of it, having a blast. These past two seasons I have scored 5 goals from the point, and have in upwards of 10 assists. Maybe its all in my head but I feel like I've been playing the best hockey of my adult life now.

TLDR; @Yukon Joe I say you drop a level or two, renew the fun and hopefully find a good group of guys to call "home".

 

[tarheelhockey]

Not scoring a goal is the worst, but I typically don't get hung up on that. I'm always concerned about overall performance. Take my double-header ball/dek hockey game this Sunday:

My first game, I scored a goal through some traffic in the crease in the first 5 minutes. After that, the ball kept bouncing off my stick, kept floating out of position to cover someone else, passes being misplaced, and we ended up losing by one goal.

Game two, again, same issue. I couldn't connect with the ball this past weekend. My passes would go right in their feet, or wouldn't go to their target at all. We end up winning in OT, and I somehow grab an assist but I just wasn't in the groove of it

That's me most of the time. I'm not very fast and don't have a shot that's going to beat a goalie clean. If the opponent is actually pretty good, I'm lucky to get an open look or two in a game. Lots of games I just can't quite get the puck on my stick long enough to do anything useful.

Therefore, if we're playing a really good team and I feel the pace starting to pick up, I start thinking in terms of taking defenders out of the play. I'll park my ass at the top of the crease and force the other team to defend the rest of the ice 4-on-4, or make a beeline right down the slot after we cross the blue line, or float in front of a guy to pick him off the forecheck. Nothing blatant enough to cause collisions or take penalties, but enough to bait the opponent into leaving their defensive positions so my higher-skill linemates can get the puck to the net (where I will be standing there whacking at the rebound, which is how I typically score in a game like that).

 

[Neutrinos]

It's more fun being the big fish

Find a new team, or get better at hockey

 

[puckpilot]

The one and only thing that matters is are you having fun?

Finding a team with a bunch of good guys is not as easy as you think. When playing with a potential team that wants me to join, I never think about if I can win with the group. I always think if I can lose with them. Because the losses always come.

I've been on teams where the players were awesome, we won lots, I scored lots. And it well, it was only OK. I wasn't really friends with anyone on the team. Nothing wrong with the people. They were nice enough, but no connection with them.

On the flip side of that, I've been on teams where the players weren't that great, we lost tons of games, and I wasn't scoring much, if at all. But I had friends on the team. We joked around. And despite the losing, etc, it was a lot more fun experience.

Now, if you want to contribute more--if time allows--maybe try working on your game. Find some ice and work on your skills. It's never too late to get better. Sometimes it's not even about the physical skills. It's about the mental game and just doing the right things at the right time and being in the right place at the right time.

But any ways. Remember the grass isn't always greener. And there's a lot more ways to contribute and being involved than just carrying the puck and scoring. Knowing how to stop a goal is just as good as scoring one. A skating route that cuts off a checker helps just as much as threading a 100 foot pass through three defenders.

Any ways, I hope you find your way to what ever you're looking for.

 

[Yukon Joe]

But any ways. Remember the grass isn't always greener. And there's a lot more ways to contribute and being involved than just carrying the puck and scoring. Knowing how to stop a goal is just as good as scoring one. A skating route that cuts off a checker helps just as much as threading a 100 foot pass through three defenders.

Any ways, I hope you find your way to what ever you're looking for.

That is 100% what I'm afraid of - that even if I find a new team, and can contribute more, that I just won't mesh with the guys.

Anyways the search is on. I posted online looking for a team. A couple of the guys from my current team saw it and razzed me (fair enough!), while a couple other guys said 'yeah I can see why you'd do that' (and one even asked if I found a team to let him know if they needed more players).

I've got one nibble. Going to talk to the manager tonight, for them to size me up, and me to do the same. Ideally you'd like to play a game or two with them first but winter registration is coming up fast so I don't think that will be possible.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I assume you want to get better… getting better means having more fun, right?

Getting better means a lot of puck touches.

If you are barely touching the puck now, you aren’t going to improve much.

 

[Slats432]

I have been through the ups and downs. Team started in a lower tier (I was one of the stronger players since I played all the way through to Junior). Started getting better, adding better players. Kept getting better so kept adding better players. Played all the way up to Div 2 (Mostly young talented guys who played up to junior). Captain kept getting us younger as I got older. (We had some older guys that wouldn't score a goal the entire season)

I said we needed to purge the young guys. So we regrouped and made our team older again back down to Div 10 out of 20. Kept a lot of the core, added a couple great guys. Team has been together since 2004 and still going.

Make sure you enjoy the experience and get the most out of it.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

I've had tons of fun on teams where we've lost every game of the season, and I've won tons of games with teams that were not fun to play with.

If you're not having fun, find a new team. It doesn't sound like the kind of problems you're having with them are things that you can really talk about and work through.

 

[May Day 10]

Did you ever consider finding a weekly pickup skate? (or 2?)

These can be a great place to have fun and remain at your skill level, while improving and getting better.

If you find the right group, its great and IMO can be far superior to beer leagues. Ice times can also be better and more routine.

Personally, I tired of beer leagues for a few reasons. First, I had a similar experience where my teams would always get promoted and I would be held just underwater of my ability. Second, lunatics who dont get it and take things way too seriously (both on my team and opponents). Why are we screaming at the poor ref for a judgement call? Why are we fighting? ugh.
Too many times we get to the playoffs and teams suddenly have new players who dominate.
Bad ice times too. Dont want to be at the rink until midnight on a Tuesday.

 

[predfan24]

I'll just throw this out there, see if anyone has some wisdom.

I've played with the same rec hockey team for the last 4 years. We started out entirely as a brand new team coming out of a "learn to play" program. Maybe half the team had literally never played before, while the other half had played just a little bit.

So fast forward 4 years. I really, really enjoy playing hockey. I enjoy the guys I play with. But of the group we started with only about 1/3-1/4 are left. As we have lost guys we've recruited new guys - all of whom came in with a lot more hockey experience. So over the last 4 years we keep being moved up the various tiers. We're now in the middle, closer to the top than we are to the bottom where we started.

All of which has me feeling useless out there on the ice. I've been moved up from defence (which I prefer) to the wing. I can see our D looking for a pass, seeing me, then passing to someone else because they rightly decide that even if I'm open the other guy is more likely to do something useful with the pass.

But I do like the guys I play with. Both the guys I've played 4 years with, but also the newer guys are all pretty good guys in the locker room as well. I just can't keep up with most of them on the ice. I also really, really want to score just one goal (four years on and I never have, though I pick up assists here and there) and the higher our team keeps moving up the less and less likely that ever is.

Any thoughts?

I'd ask your teammates that you suspect of not passing you the puck why that is. Do it in a nice way. IMO, Beer league hockey is supposed to be fun. I would always pass to guys I knew were more than likely going to f*** the play up if passing to them was the right decision in a game situation. Why?

We all pay the same money. Just because I'm better than another or another is better than me doesn't mean the worse player shouldn't feel a part of the game or touch the puck.

How the hell are these players supposed to improve without practicing these situations in game?

The only time I might decline to pass to a lesser player is if it's a close game with a minute or two left and we are going for the win.

Ultimately, in my experience there are a few things that make a team enjoyable.

1. Camaraderie among the players.
2. Competitiveness. Don't have to win every game but losing almost every game and being outclassed isn't fun for anybody.
3. On an individual level, you don't want to be completely outclassed. It's not fun to never touch the puck, get it stripped away from you instantly, or/an always be behind the play. Additionally, some of your teammates may learn to be negative about your inability to play at the level of the game.

I think there is some truth to the cliche of playing with, and against, players better than you can help you become a better player. It matters HOW much better. I wouldn't improve by getting dominated by NHLers. Find a level of hockey that is challenging but doable.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Too many times we get to the playoffs and teams suddenly have new players who dominate.

Not to pull this off topic, but my league has announced they will be checking IDs at the door during the playoffs this season. And I can't even say I oppose that, considering the behavior they are trying to stop.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Not to pull this off topic, but my league has announced they will be checking IDs at the door during the playoffs this season. And I can't even say I oppose that, considering the behavior they are trying to stop.

There was a spoiled rich kid who played at a rink I used to play at who would pay individual league-fee for any team he wanted to play on and they allowed him to play for just about every team because he paid so much.

It didn't stop until he was on the rosters of all 4 teams in the semi-finals and he even had the gall to switch teams halfway through one of the games and help them to win with a 3-goal comeback.

 

[Smirnov2Chistov]

Not to pull this off topic, but my league has announced they will be checking IDs at the door during the playoffs this season. And I can't even say I oppose that, considering the behavior they are trying to stop.

What about a person who runs the league whose team wins the championship two years in a row?

Played against the guy who runs our Sunday ball hockey team in the finals and of course all of their ‘star’ players all showed up in the playoffs when they were in and out all season long.

We lost 5-1, but it’s the conspiracist in me that gets annoyed when no penalties are called (even when I was thrown into the boards), and dodgy goal decisions are given. Maybe I’m a sore loser!

 

[tarheelhockey]

There was a spoiled rich kid who played at a rink I used to play at who would pay individual league-fee for any team he wanted to play on and they allowed him to play for just about every team because he paid so much.

It didn't stop until he was on the rosters of all 4 teams in the semi-finals and he even had the gall to switch teams halfway through one of the games and help them to win with a 3-goal comeback.

What the hell kind of referee lets a player switch teams mid-game, especially in the playoffs?

 

[Rodgerwilco]

What the hell kind of referee lets a player switch teams mid-game, especially in the playoffs?

The kind of referee who plays AGAINST a team in a double-header, starts crap after he loses, and then puts on the stripes and refs that team in the 2nd game and literally says he's calling the entire game one-sided (and follows through). Or the kind of referee who laughs at me showing up wearing an eye-patch because his friend gave me a 95% corneal abrasion the prior week, with (shockingly) no penalty.

There's a reason I don't play there anymore, lol.

 

[tarheelhockey]

The kind of referee who plays AGAINST a team in a double-header, starts crap after he loses, and then puts on the stripes and refs that team in the 2nd game and literally says he's calling the entire game one-sided (and follows through). Or the kind of referee who laughs at me showing up wearing an eye-patch because his friend gave me a 95% corneal abrasion the prior week, with (shockingly) no penalty.

There's a reason I don't play there anymore, lol.

Yeaaahhhhh that's a goddamn clown show. No wonder you left.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Yeaaahhhhh that's a goddamn clown show. No wonder you left.

Yup, it's a mini Old Boy's Club. It's a shame because they have some of the nicest ball hockey facilities of any rink local to me, but yeah, I'm not dealing with that...

 

[Smirnov2Chistov]

There was a spoiled rich kid who played at a rink I used to play at who would pay individual league-fee for any team he wanted to play on and they allowed him to play for just about every team because he paid so much.

It didn't stop until he was on the rosters of all 4 teams in the semi-finals and he even had the gall to switch teams halfway through one of the games and help them to win with a 3-goal comeback.

I’ve seen that scenario play out years ago in an ice league I used to be in. Let’s just say the arguments in the parking lot were fun to witness

 

[Neutrinos]

There was a spoiled rich kid who played at a rink I used to play at who would pay individual league-fee for any team he wanted to play on and they allowed him to play for just about every team because he paid so much.

It didn't stop until he was on the rosters of all 4 teams in the semi-finals and he even had the gall to switch teams halfway through one of the games and help them to win with a 3-goal comeback.

Just sounds like someone who loves playing hockey, and has the funds to enjoy his passion

It's meaningless hockey, so let him switch teams every shift if he wants, he's not hurting anyone