Synthetic Ice Question - Finally Getting Back Into It

[Beer League Bender]

I’m 29, got a baby on the way (due in about 30 days), and am starting back up playing beer league hockey with some friends. Great time to get back in it, right?

My parents didn’t have the money for me to play when I was younger, but I’ve always been obsessed with it. I played a couple beer league seasons in college, had no idea what I was really getting myself into when I played with some friends who had me joined their team in the advanced league our local rink had. I put up a couple goals in each of the few seasons I played. My friends said I was pretty solid for never playing so that gave me some confidence. Well, life got busy and I had to work full time after college and also had shoulder surgery for a torn labrum (partially torn from high school football, fully torn after I laid the guy out) after I checked a guy pretty hard for following me around and slashing me nonstop for a couple shifts on the ice.

That’s my backstory and extent of my time playing hockey. Now I’m getting back into it and am pushing 30. I’m playing on one of my friend’s teams he put together and it’s the more competitive of the two beginner leagues. I’ve gone to a couple stick and puck sessions, but I feel like my stick handling and shot both need work. I’m going to pick up the Hockey Shot 8x16 tarp this week (pregnant wife doesn’t know, might be in some trouble lol) and I’m going to hang it in the garage. Now to my main question: should I get synthetic ice tiles, or just a shooting board? I know both will work. I probably won’t be on skates much in the garage if I’m being honest. I know some tiles allow you to use skates and others do not. Also, if I did end up going the synthetic ice route, how hard are they to put together/tear down after every use? I know my wife won’t want them out 24/7 and I don’t want them getting trampled on when I’m not using them. Sorry for the long winded post, just really excited to pursue hockey now that I’m financially stable and can play again. I figure the more I can practice my shot and stick handling the better I’ll get with time. Thanks for any and all help!

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[Mr Jiggyfly]

I’m 29, got a baby on the way (due in about 30 days), and am starting back up playing beer league hockey with some friends. Great time to get back in it, right?

My parents didn’t have the money for me to play when I was younger, but I’ve always been obsessed with it. I played a couple beer league seasons in college, had no idea what I was really getting myself into when I played with some friends who had me joined their team in the advanced league our local rink had. I put up a couple goals in each of the few seasons I played. My friends said I was pretty solid for never playing so that gave me some confidence. Well, life got busy and I had to work full time after college and also had shoulder surgery for a torn labrum (partially torn from high school football, fully torn after I laid the guy out) after I checked a guy pretty hard for following me around and slashing me nonstop for a couple shifts on the ice.

That’s my backstory and extent of my time playing hockey. Now I’m getting back into it and am pushing 30. I’m playing on one of my friend’s teams he put together and it’s the more competitive of the two beginner leagues. I’ve gone to a couple stick and puck sessions, but I feel like my stick handling and shot both need work. I’m going to pick up the Hockey Shot 8x16 tarp this week (pregnant wife doesn’t know, might be in some trouble lol) and I’m going to hang it in the garage. Now to my main question: should I get synthetic ice tiles, or just a shooting board? I know both will work. I probably won’t be on skates much in the garage if I’m being honest. I know some tiles allow you to use skates and others do not. Also, if I did end up going the synthetic ice route, how hard are they to put together/tear down after every use? I know my wife won’t want them out 24/7 and I don’t want them getting trampled on when I’m not using them. Sorry for the long winded post, just really excited to pursue hockey now that I’m financially stable and can play again. I figure the more I can practice my shot and stick handling the better I’ll get with time. Thanks for any and all help!

Congrats on the baby - nervous?

I bought synthetic ice for my daughter and I to mess around on when we lived at our old house…

Put a 12x12 in our basement to do our edge work, stops etc

Basically - it blows for skating if that’s what you want it for - very sticky and catches a lot. You need a fairly big skating surface because of the lack of glide.

I bought it like 5 yrs ago before my daughter started travel hockey and it was about $1500 or so back then for the size rink we had.

Now these were the skateable tiles, so they were ‘cheaper’ than the higher grade synthetic ice….

So if you don’t plan on skating, save your money and get the shooting tiles instead.

They aren’t that easy to move and pick up as they snap together and if you try to pick up the surface it will crack… basically has to be put down and left there… Ie can’t move them around like a shooting board.

As an example in our new house the rink is now in our garage and we shoot out there, but I put the rink down and haven’t moved it since.

We moved a year ago and have a big court right outside our door, so we use Marsblades out there and I’d recommend them for training off ice - crossovers, edgework etc is pretty close to ice as you can hope.

As a perfect example… I taught my daughter how to do linear crossovers on her Marsblades and she picked it up on the ice instantly.

So she does tons of drills for her linears on her Marsblades and it’s made a massive difference in her skating on the ice - night and day in how explosive she is now and without the Marsblades to practice, she would never have gotten to this level so quickly (started learning linears back in Sept).

So hopefully that gives you an idea of how effective Marsblades are as a training tool for ice.

 

[Yukon Joe]

I’m 29, got a baby on the way (due in about 30 days), and am starting back up playing beer league hockey with some friends. Great time to get back in it, right?

Hey @Beer League Bender I get it. I came to hockey as an adult, I f***ing love it.

New baby on the way in 30 days, don't be spending money on hockey stuff. Your life is going to turn upside down very soon.

Now by no means stop playing hockey! You're going to need something that keeps you connected to who you are. But just wait.

 

[puckpilot]

IMHO, tiles are better than a shooting pad. The reason is you can add tiles to make your surface bigger if need. If the tile surface isn't that big, you can pick the whole thing up and lean it up against a wall. If you want to be industrious, you can try mounting the tiles on a sheet of plywood and move that whole thing around as one unit, but like I said if the surface is small, you can do it regardless.

I haven't checked prices lately, but skating tiles will cost you more, and you'll need more of them to make a usable surface. I found the smallest surface for me is a about 4x5 just for shooting and stickhandling. For skating, I'd estimate the minimum would be probably three times that size. And that's minimum.

It might be better to just get shooting tiles and a pair of rollerblades.

 

[Beer League Bender]

Thanks all for the responses. I am pretty dang nervous to see what life is like being a dad! It will be fun (and tiring) and I feel so blessed to finally have a little one tagging along with me throughout life. I don’t really plan on on skating on it per se, just want to maybe get the feel of it on skates also. That was just a thought though. Tiles may be the best option.

@Yukon Joe, you’re saying don’t buy anything? I have all the gear. I’m pay for the tarp at a majorly reduced price, all it has is puck marks. Then I’d just need a shooting surface to practice in the garage. Then I’m done spending money. I used to love firing pucks and street balls in my driveway when I was a kid, I’d do it for hours. I think it’ll be good for me between all the stresses of life lol.

 

[oldunclehue]

Thanks all for the responses. I am pretty dang nervous to see what life is like being a dad! It will be fun (and tiring) and I feel so blessed to finally have a little one tagging along with me throughout life. I don’t really plan on on skating on it per se, just want to maybe get the feel of it on skates also. That was just a thought though. Tiles may be the best option.

@Yukon Joe, you’re saying don’t buy anything? I have all the gear. I’m pay for the tarp at a majorly reduced price, all it has is puck marks. Then I’d just need a shooting surface to practice in the garage. Then I’m done spending money. I used to love firing pucks and street balls in my driveway when I was a kid, I’d do it for hours. I think it’ll be good for me between all the stresses of life lol.

Get the tarp and enjoy it. It will reduce any noise and allow you to fill some time while mom and baby nap. For those first few months there is lots of downtown for resting. I used to go outside and chip golf balls or workout while the wife was relaxing with the kids.

I have some synthetic tiles, they are ok but I wouldn't waste money on them if its just to be used for shooting and stick handling. A piece of plywood does the same trick when it comes to shooting and is much much cheaper. Get yourself a stick handling ball and its much better than any puck on synthetic ice for handling it.

As far as baby: I was never good with kids or babies before I had my own. It comes natural. When they cry its usually for food, uncomfortable or sick/teething. Pretty simple to solve those issues. Just become friends with your coffee pot as some kids don't sleep when they should.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Just be aware that there are shooting tiles and skating tiles. The shooting tiles are way cheaper:

I got mine at HockeyShot.com and they have both kinds of tiles.

It would still be about $750 for a 10x12 shooting only rink, to give you an idea.

So no clue what your budget is, but I’d rather put that money into Marsblades and just grab a shooting board for stick work, snapshots etc.

To each their own though.

 

[Yukon Joe]

@Yukon Joe, you’re saying don’t buy anything? I have all the gear. I’m pay for the tarp at a majorly reduced price, all it has is puck marks. Then I’d just need a shooting surface to practice in the garage. Then I’m done spending money. I used to love firing pucks and street balls in my driveway when I was a kid, I’d do it for hours. I think it’ll be good for me between all the stresses of life lol.

I'm saying don't spend a bunch of money right now. By all means go and fire pucks in your own driveway or basement.

But just wait until the baby arrives. See how much free time and money you actually have. After a couple months if you think buying some synthetic ice is a good idea then go for it.

 

[Beer League Bender]

I’m following now, thanks guys. Appreciate all the hockey and bonus parenting advice! Exciting times ahead for me in more ways than one.

 

[DougKnowsBest]

I think shooting tiles are great for basements. Shooting pads are best for driveway use if n my experience


Shooting tiles with ice on them in the driveway are super slippery also.

 

[Beer League Bender]

It’ll be mostly shooting in my garage, what shooting pad (brand or model) is best in your guys’ opinion?

 

[puckpilot]

I’m following now, thanks guys. Appreciate all the hockey and bonus parenting advice! Exciting times ahead for me in more ways than one.

FYI, the best puck for stickhandling on tiles is the dangle puck. It's got a ball bearing at the centre that lets it glide way better than anything out there. There's videos of it on youtube.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

FYI, the best puck for stickhandling on tiles is the dangle puck. It's got a ball bearing at the centre that lets it glide way better than anything out there. There's videos of it on youtube.

For stickhandling tiles and boards a regular ice puck works well, even weighted pucks slide nicely.

We use Green Biscuits on the court when we are on our Marsblades and they work extremely well.

Green Biscuit has two types of pucks though… sniper and dangler/original.

The sniper puck is ass and designed for strictly shooting… I loathe it. It is hard to handle without it flipping over and doesn’t slide well at all.

The dangler is made for stick handling and we can make beauty saucers with it all day, do chaos drills, etc and it acts very much like an ice puck.

You aren’t suppose to shoot the dangler puck, but we have a dozen of them and have been taking wicked snap and slap shots with all of them and only one has cracked… and that puck still moves well.

We have had these pucks for about a year and half and they get heavy work. So GB sniper is definitely a puck I highly recommend.

 

[JMCx4]

... As far as baby: I was never good with kids or babies before I had my own. It comes natural. When they cry its usually for food, uncomfortable or sick/teething. Pretty simple to solve those issues. Just become friends with your coffee pot as some kids don't sleep when they should.

I learned with our first child that banging her head against the crib rail when lifting her out was another reason for infant crying. Plus my own crying, when my wife smacked me upside the head for doing that.

 

[Beer League Bender]

You guys have me feeling a bit nervous about becoming a dad

 

[puckpilot]

For stickhandling tiles and boards a regular ice puck works well, even weighted pucks slide nicely.

Those pucks are functional, but none of them are as good as the dangle puck in terms of sliding on tiles.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

You guys have me feeling a bit nervous about becoming a dad

Every new dad to be was nervous as hell that I ever met - when I found out my daughter was coming a week early when my wife had to be induced, there are no words for that kind of nerves.

I won’t get into the actual birthing process and the delays… heading into the OR scared as hell.

But you find your courage when you need it like all good dads before you.

Lots to learn so hopefully you have been reading up on baby care - best advice I can give you to keep your newborn safe is to learn about car seats and car seat inspection stations - don’t be a moron like I was and think you know how to install one properly - almost all car seats are installed poorly by dumb ass new dads like I was who don’t educated themselves properly about baby care.

Those pucks are functional, but none of them are as good as the dangle puck in terms of sliding on tiles.

Ya it’s a good enough puck but for $25, it is a little extreme.

GB is kind of a rip off to, but at least you can use them outside.

He can always get both, not like there is a rule agt it.

 

[Yukon Joe]

As far as baby: I was never good with kids or babies before I had my own. It comes natural. When they cry its usually for food, uncomfortable or sick/teething. Pretty simple to solve those issues. Just become friends with your coffee pot as some kids don't sleep when they should.

Ah man, I just have to say - not always! First of all feeling "uncomfortabl;e" can be pretty hard to figure out for a baby. And then there's the whole world of cholic. I shudder remembering when my middle kid was a baby - he'd cry non-stop for about 2 hours before finally falling asleep at night.

 

[Beer League Bender]

You guys are making me more nervous than anything now I think

 

[cowboy82nd]

For stickhandling tiles and boards a regular ice puck works well, even weighted pucks slide nicely.

We use Green Biscuits on the court when we are on our Marsblades and they work extremely well.

Green Biscuit has two types of pucks though… sniper and dangler/original.

The sniper puck is ass and designed for strictly shooting… I loathe it. It is hard to handle without it flipping over and doesn’t slide well at all.

The dangler is made for stick handling and we can make beauty saucers with it all day, do chaos drills, etc and it acts very much like an ice puck.

You aren’t suppose to shoot the dangler puck, but we have a dozen of them and have been taking wicked snap and slap shots with all of them and only one has cracked… and that puck still moves well.

We have had these pucks for about a year and half and they get heavy work. So GB sniper is definitely a puck I highly recommend.

First you say that the sniper puck is hard to handle and then you say that you highly recommend it. Did you mix up the pucks or do you really like the sniper puck?

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

First you say that the sniper puck is hard to handle and then you say that you highly recommend it. Did you mix up the pucks or do you really like the sniper puck?

Ya my bad, I meant I recommend the original Green Biscuit.

Green Biscuit makes two pucks: original and Sniper. The original is a bright green, Sniper is more of a dark green.

Sniper is for shooting only and blows ass when you try to stickhandle it on any outside surface.

The Green Biscuit original puck moves almost like an ice puck outside. You can sauce it and handle it at really high speeds.

We have about a dozen of the originals and a few of the Snipers.

The originals hold up really well even for shooting - they say you shouldn’t shoot it, but my daughter and I have ripped them 1000s of times over the last couple of years and only one or two have chipped a little.

 

[biturbo19]

I came into this thread to vent about how poor synthetic ice was when i was playing and training on it.


But arrived for some stuff that...would probably actually massively help me. If i had room for it. I can skate at the level of crappy Pro hockey players. But my puck skills are lolzy bad. I've got an alright shot and can make an okay pass. But too many of my developmental years as a goaltender have left me in pretty dire straits as a puckhandler in general. lol.


I don't actually intend to live in a place where i've got room for some fake ice to practice, personally. But i guess you never know.