The "Do you hockey?" thread.

[Illinihockey]

Started playing in 4th grade, played up through college at Illinois. Coach my oldest now who will be 13 this upcoming season. My youngest starts squirts. Not sure how I'm going to do all of this. Still play in a means league now but covid has put a big cramp in that.

 

[ChiHawks10]

Started skating at 5 or so. Started travel at 6 or 7 with the Chicago Hawks AA. Was there for mites and one year of Squirts. Played AA at St. Jude for one year, then back to Chicago Hawks AA for my first year of Peewee. From there, I followed a former coach with numerous other teammates to play my second year of Peewee and Bantam Gold at the newly formed Orland Park Vikings club. I had friends and a coach that moved to AAA, and wanted me to come over to TI with them, but it was too damn expensive for my parents then. I followed my coaches a lot during those years lol. When I hit high school age, I turned down one of my brother's old travel coaches who offered to pay my tuition to play for him at Marist, because none of my friends were going there. Probably a dumb idea in hindsight. I made the varsity as a freshman for the Cobras, and played three years of both the JV and Varsity, so I stopped club hockey. Then just the one squad senior year, with my brother coaching us to two separate championships in two leagues, and what should have been a final 4 in our state division, if not for us blowing a 3 goal lead in the 3rd period of the final 8. With less than like 5 minutes left too. Wanted to go play college for Wisconsin, or Juniors somewhere, but I had a baby in high school, and that snuffed out those aspirations. Played men's league for a bunch of years after that in different places. Took a break for a few years, then started back up with my brother out of Johnny's leagues, and then out of Fifth Third when the guy running our teams moved us over there. Destroyed my ankle and the plan was to take a season or so off, but then covid happened, and a newborn son happened last year, and haven't gotten back on the ice yet. Plan to soon, though, now that the little dude is a little older. So that's my hockey life to this point.

 

[Hawkaholic]

Did you guys down in Chicago ever play teams in Ontario? I'm just curious how AAA in Chicago stacks up against AAA in Ontario. I remember playing the Cincinnati Cyclones when I was about 10 years old. No idea what level they were considered in the US back then, but I assume it was the same level as us (A) if they were brought in to our tournament, and I remember beating them like 14-0 one game.

 

[ChiHawks10]

Did you guys down in Chicago ever play teams in Ontario? I'm just curious how AAA in Chicago stacks up against AAA in Ontario. I remember playing the Cincinnati Cyclones when I was about 10 years old. No idea what level they were considered in the US back then, but I assume it was the same level as us (A) if they were brought in to our tournament, and I remember beating them like 14-0 one game.

My AA teams played some Canadian teams in tourneys up in Michigan and Northern Wisconsin, and games were never lopsided like that. Always good games against them.

 

[Hawkaholic]

My AA teams played some Canadian teams in tourneys up in Michigan and Northern Wisconsin, and games were never lopsided like that. Always good games against them.

Do you know what division you played? AAA bantams are typically all OHL draft picks in Ontario, don't believe we have AA.

 

[ChiHawks10]

Do you know what division you played? AAA bantams are typically all OHL draft picks in Ontario, don't believe we have AA.

I'm assuming you mean which division from within Canada? No idea at this point. My last Gold and AA days were like 23 years ago.

 

[Hawkaholic]

I'm assuming you mean which division from within Canada? No idea at this point. My last Gold and AA days were like 23 years ago.

Yeah, curious if you played A teams, or AAA teams. (as designated in Ontario). But yeah, not surprised you can't recall, we are old as shit now.

 

[ChiHawks10]

Yeah, curious if you played A teams, or AAA teams. (as designated in Ontario). But yeah, not surprised you can't recall, we are old as shit now.

No shit huh? f***ing 37 this year.

 

[Hawkaholic]

No shit huh? f***ing 37 this year.

Just turned 36 2 weeks ago. Tried to play hockey and baseball Tuesday night, was dead trying to play ball Wednesday night. Now I know why NHLers don't last much past 35. lol

 

[ChiHawks10]

Just turned 36 2 weeks ago. Tried to play hockey and baseball Tuesday night, was dead trying to play ball Wednesday night. Now I know why NHLers don't last much past 35. lol

Yeah, I'll be 37 in October. It's not as easy as it used to be. That's for damn sure. All I did was skate growing up. Lol. I was regularly on the ice 5 days a week with practices, power skate clinics, and games. Then throw in off-ice training a couple days...

And in HS I would regularly practice 4 times a week, and play 2-4 games per week, playing on both JV and Varsity in the underclassmen years. Sometimes I'd go straight from one game to the next in a night, and not skip a beat. We'd get out and play pond hockey for 8 hours straight in winter.

Not anymore...

 

[Marotte Marauder]

I'm assuming you mean which division from within Canada? No idea at this point. My last Gold and AA days were like 23 years ago.

How did you get 3 NIHL choices before Midget?

 

[ChiHawks10]

How did you get 3 NIHL choices before Midget?

What do you mean "choices"? Not being snarky, I have no idea what you're asking. Can you clarify?

 

[bigfootmcgibb]

I didn’t play as a kid played baseball and football. Both my sons however picked up the sport 2 years ago, and love playing it one is in pee-wee the other is in squirts. The only problem is the closet rink is over 100 miles away, but I still drive them 2-4 times a week to the rink. My daughter who is 13 is showing interest and wants to try goalie, so hopefully by the end of the year she will be ready to play.

I do skate with my kids during open skate, and have been asked to join beer leagues, but trying to set aside time to play is tough since I coach HS baseball, and when I’m not at the rink I’m at baseball. I have started to work towards coaching hockey, and hope to coach next year. I just love being at the rink, and watching my kids have fun.

 

[Marotte Marauder]

What do you mean "choices"? Not being snarky, I have no idea what you're asking. Can you clarify?

You played for 3 different organizations. NIHL used to restrict players to 2 choices for their youth "career" to reduce recruiting/poaching below AAA level.

One could petition for a 3rd choice based on a family moving quite a distance from either of their 2 clubs or if neither offered Midget hockey.

It may have been implemented after you were well along in youth hockey, I don't remember what year it took effect.

 

[Marotte Marauder]

I do skate with my kids during open skate, and have been asked to join beer leagues, but trying to set aside time to play is tough since I coach HS baseball, and when I’m not at the rink I’m at baseball. I have started to work towards coaching hockey, and hope to coach next year. I just love being at the rink, and watching my kids have fun.

Chicagoland needs WAY more stick and puck availability.

 

[ChiHawks10]

You played for 3 different organizations. NIHL used to restrict players to 2 choices for their youth "career" to reduce recruiting/poaching below AAA level.

One could petition for a 3rd choice based on a family moving quite a distance from either of their 2 clubs or if neither offered Midget hockey.

It may have been implemented after you were well along in youth hockey, I don't remember what year it took effect.

My guess it was implemented after I was already well-along in my youth hockey career, as you stated. They didn't even really enact a switch from like the A, AA to the bronze, silver, gold divisions until I was already a second year peewee, I believe, and by then, I only played for the Vikings until I hit HS. Once I was of HS age, I only played for the HS teams. My youth career spanned from 1989-1999, and in 2000 I started with both the JV and Varsity teams, so no time for club hockey anymore. I'm not even sure if they still use the bronze, silver, and gold divisions for travel hockey anymore, honestly. I've been out of youth hockey too long. I only helped with some coaching of my HS teams after I graduated. I don't even know if they use the mite, squirt, peewee, bantam, midget classifications anymore. Didn't they go to like a 10U, 12U, 14U type of system for travel more recently? Or is that still only AAA?

Edit: After looking it up, it looks like the 2-choice rule was implemented in 96-97. I only played for the Vikings Gold-level teams from 1997-2000.

It's funny, because in hindsight, the talent poaching was exactly why I switched organizations 2-3 times growing up. Lol. My coach would leave a club, and take a bunch of his best players with him, and build an "elite" team out of a mix of the kids from both organizations.

 

[Pez68]

Just turned 36 2 weeks ago. Tried to play hockey and baseball Tuesday night, was dead trying to play ball Wednesday night. Now I know why NHLers don't last much past 35. lol

Yeah, I'll be 37 in October. It's not as easy as it used to be. That's for damn sure. All I did was skate growing up. Lol. I was regularly on the ice 5 days a week with practices, power skate clinics, and games. Then throw in off-ice training a couple days...

And in HS I would regularly practice 4 times a week, and play 2-4 games per week, playing on both JV and Varsity in the underclassmen years. Sometimes I'd go straight from one game to the next in a night, and not skip a beat. We'd get out and play pond hockey for 8 hours straight in winter.

Not anymore...

Come on boys... I'm older than both of you, and still playing for four teams.

 

[Hawkaholic]

Come on boys... I'm older than both of you, and still playing for four teams.

Ya, just too out of shape at this point. Gyms havent been open in Canada for a year and a half (opened recently) so been tough to find the motivation.

 

[Marotte Marauder]

Ya, just too out of shape at this point. Gyms havent been open in Canada for a year and a half (opened recently) so been tough to find the motivation.

Find a playground with pullup bars, parallel bars, get some bands. Run sprints. No gym=no excuse.

 

[jaysoneil]

I vaguely remember playing Canada teams that were A compared to our AA teams and their AA teams playing our AAA, but was so long ago.

I'm not sure if the youth system has the same "northern progression" as men's league, but I was completely unaware of the difference in divisions the more north/south you got.

I play in an A/B+ league here in Central IL. We took a team down to Atlanta for a tournament a few years back and hopped in the B division and dominated. We took basically the same team up north in Michigan and got completely steam rolled in the B tournament. Night and day difference in skill level.

I've noticed A in the south is roughly equivalent to C in the northern states. Anyone else notice or experience this?

 

[Marotte Marauder]

Edit: After looking it up, it looks like the 2-choice rule was implemented in 96-97. I only played for the Vikings Gold-level teams from 1997-2000.

It's funny, because in hindsight, the talent poaching was exactly why I switched organizations 2-3 times growing up. Lol. My coach would leave a club, and take a bunch of his best players with him, and build an "elite" team out of a mix of the kids from both organization

The 2 choice rule was totally bogus as it did not restrict coaches' movement between clubs. So, a coach would encourage, recruit, poach a kid (who used up his 2nd choice) to change clubs. Coach gets a better offer somewhere else or sees a batch of "superkids" at another club that he would love to coach and he leaves. Kids that used up their choice by playing for him now were stuck. Play for a new guy at club 2 or return to original club. Guess how popular they were at their old club.

It was brutally unfair to a great many kids.

 

[Hawkaholic]

Find a playground with pullup bars, parallel bars, get some bands. Run sprints. No gym=no excuse.

Like I said, it's hard to find the motivation. I've only ever worked out in gyms. It puts my head in a different space, where I force myself to do it.

 

[ChiHawks10]

The 2 choice rule was totally bogus as it did not restrict coaches' movement between clubs. So, a coach would encourage, recruit, poach a kid (who used up his 2nd choice) to change clubs. Coach gets a better offer somewhere else or sees a batch of "superkids" at another club that he would love to coach and he leaves. Kids that used up their choice by playing for him now were stuck. Play for a new guy at club 2 or return to original club. Guess how popular they were at their old club.

It was brutally unfair to a great many kids.

I agree. I'm just pointing out that the things my coaches did when I was playing youth likely had a large contribution to the institution of the 2 choice rule. Lol. Somewhat ironic that you brought it up in that context of me explaining my playing history.

 

[nmgrbhfn]

Never played as a kid. Played roller hockey during that craze and ice hockey in rec leagues when older. Favorite memory is scoring goals on ice.

 

[Clownish]

I've never played, but kinda want to join a local rec league. Would it be a complete waste of time and money to get into something if I'm older than most of those in this thread saying they are old? The entry level divisions around here are all no-checking, no slapshot so I assume there wouldn't be too many knuckleheads trying to run noobs like me into the boards.