Wearing Jerseys Pick-Up

[I Am Score*]

So I might sound like a total noob and a duster here but I don't really care. To be honest with you guys, my skating is decent and my shooting is not great. I'm working on my shooting and getting better but i'm not a bender or anything. I've been playing for several years recreational but i'm not crap..

So I'm wondering what jerseys are appropriate to wear during pick-up games. I know it's not a good idea to wear a current player such as Stamkos or Ovechkin as you make yourself look like a total fool.

The jerseys I currently have are:

White plain jersey
Black plain jersey
Capitals Practice Jersey Red
Wayne Gretzky Team Canada Jersey

So far i've always used my white or black ones. The Wayne Gretzky Canada one I have is pretty darn rare and i'm wondering if it's okay on using it on pick-up. It's collecting dust as i'm too afraid to take it out anywhere without being called a ***.

Thanks guys for your help

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[JoeCool16]

Bring the white and black, because you never know if it'll be uneven, and it's good to be able to balance out the sides!

Wayne Gretzky Team Canada Jersey - People will definitely joke around with you if you wear a Gretzky jersey, and if it's rare and you don't want to wear it down, I'd skip on it.

That said, most people I know aren't going to take offense that you were in a Gretzky jersey... they'll probably just smirk every time you screw up a play and go "nice one, Grez," or "The great one, ladies and gentlemen!" Nothing malicious, though.

If you can take that, and laugh along with them, then it'll probably be a good conversation starter. It'll also give them something to call you, since they probably won't know your name and that way they can yell for a pass.

 

[sanityplease]

Yeah, bring the white & black.

Wearing the Gretzky one may sent an unwanted message. A lot of guys who wear equipment like that, think/act like they're better than everyone else (kinda like Gretzky), & they almost always think that they're better than they really are.

There's only one guy in my league who wears a tinted visor & all game, everygame he stands up ice waiting for the stretch pass to score on a breakaway. Wears #8 on his Jersey. He doesn't get invited to some of the high level pick up games, & he can't understand why...

 

[#66]

Wear what makes you happy and tell the open hockey hero's to pipe down.

The only thing that I hate is when someone brings a yellow, light blue or gray. The tweener colors.

 

[Jarick]

I just bring my plain black and white jerseys. I suck enough without drawing attention to myself.

 

[ChiTownHawks]

It all depends on how you act on the ice. If you are a good guy and don't act like rat is game 7 of the Stanley Cup then you should have no problems. If you are a bit of ***** then people will start to chirp and probably use the jersey as ammo.

Let me give you an example:
I am playing in a rat with a guy who is wearing a full Mario Lemieux kit. Now I notice this from the start and in my head I'm thinking this is kind of ridiculous, but there is no way I'm going to chirp him for it. I don't really like chirping guys I don't know. Anyways during the rat he is playing real hard and at one point I'm skating into the zone and he steps right in my lane. I end up hitting him full speed as I have no chance to stop. Right away I go to check on him and I ask him if he's ok. He's pissed at me and tells me that his knee is not supposed to bend that way. I want to tell him to chill it out, that it was an accidental collision, and one that was his fault, but I bite my tongue. Then throughout the rest of the rat he starts playing a little chippy. So at one point after a slash or something I say, "Why don't you ****ing cool it Lemieux." And a couple other choice words about his full Penguins kit. You could tell that really got him b/c he shut up and did cool it. My guess is that he was thinking the same thing you were. He was thinking should I wear this or will I get chirped. Well he would not have if he wasn't being a dick, but since he was I felt like embarrassing him, and I know I did.

 

[Stickchecked]

Wear what makes you happy and tell the open hockey hero's to pipe down.

The only thing that I hate is when someone brings a yellow, light blue or gray. The tweener colors.

I cannot agree more. I don't even like Light jerseys that have large, bold, dark shoulders.

 

[Stickchecked]

I'm personally really keen to replace my pickup jerseys with some cool AHL or ECHL jerseys. I would love a Wheeling Nailers jersey.

I have a Bridgeport Sound Tigers jersey and always get compliments on it.

 

[Jarick]

If I played more pickup, I'd definitely hit up used sporting goods stores for goofy beer league or obscure team jerseys.

I used to play pickup with a guy who would wear a different college jersey with matching helmet and kit every game. Really nice guy though and he could play so it was no big deal. He was a huge college hockey fan and had a big collection of them.

 

[The Tikkanen]

Wear what makes you happy and tell the open hockey hero's to pipe down.

The only thing that I hate is when someone brings a yellow, light blue or gray. The tweener colors.

Bingo. It's such a simple concept, bring a black and a white jersey yet every pickup there is a guy in a red or yellow jersey. As for the Gretzky stuff I think that depends on where you play. I've never heard any sort of serious trash talking to anybody for wearing a particular jersey. If you wear Gretzky stuff and you can't pass worth a lick I think some subtle jokes deserve to be thrown out on the bench. The only issues I've ever had are ice time hogs, puck hogs and the guys with no black or white jersey. If you want to dress like Ovechkin go for it, it's hockey. If you care what other people think about you or your game without wanting to shove it back in their face you probably wont last long in the sport.

 

[Stickchecked]

Bingo. It's such a simple concept, bring a black and a white jersey yet every pickup there is a guy in a red or yellow jersey. As for the Gretzky stuff I think that depends on where you play. I've never heard any sort of serious trash talking to anybody for wearing a particular jersey. If you wear Gretzky stuff and you can't pass worth a lick I think some subtle jokes deserve to be thrown out on the bench. The only issues I've ever had are ice time hogs, puck hogs and the guys with no black or white jersey. If you want to dress like Ovechkin go for it, it's hockey. If you care what other people think about you or your game without wanting to shove it back in their face you probably wont last long in the sport.

I'm always torn on the red jersey. I agree it's a bit of a tweener jersey but it's a common dark color in my pickup games. So I wear mine. But at least it's a solid red.

We had someone where neon yellow one time. Talk about a mind ****.

 

[ChiTownHawks]

gray is by far the most annoying pick up color.

 

[Evergreen]

You really shouldn't wear a professional team's hockey jersey out there. First of all, it will probably get ruined fairly quickly. Secondly, you'll get a good amount of grief for it, especially if the name on the back reads "Gretzky." If you want to show off your cool NHL/International team jerseys, then wear them to a game or display them at your house.

The black, white, and red Capitals jersey are all perfectly fine for pick-up games.

 

[PaperworkNinja]

I've got a white, black, and two dark blue jerseys that I wear. The blue jerseys are usually for my learn-to-play sessions and the black & white jerseys are for pickup games at the rink. Then again, we get guys with their old college or junior team practice jerseys out there in yellow, blue, maroon, orange and green so it often winds up black & white vs. everyone else.

 

[wahsnairb]

gray is by far the most annoying pick up color.

followed closely by red
and yellow is just gross to look at

 

[ChiTownHawks]

followed closely by red
and yellow is just gross to look at

agree on the red for sure.

 

[29Potvins]

I love the design of NHL jerseys and International team jerseys. I also like wearing them to puck and stick. I only have blank versions of those jerseys though, because I don't want to suggest that I think I'm this or that player.. I'm no where near good enough.

 

[stamkosisboss]

The only problem I find with player name jerseys is that they are expensive so you don't want to damage them while playing pick-up. Personally I wear a leafs practice jersey thats white and just some black jersey I got from my dad.
But like the others guys said, they will only chirp you if you give them a reason too. You'll get the couple guys who think they are the hotshots who will chirp anyone, and you can just ignore guys like that

 

[Jarick]

What's wrong with red jerseys? Is it color blind people?

I went to a pick up game with a reversible jersey and the guy yelled at me for having a "gray" jersey. Fair enough.

Next game I came with my summer league jersey (red) and a white and he yelled at me for having a "red" jersey. Well **** you too buddy!

 

[Samuel Culper III]

Realistically, what's "appropriate" is whatever jerseys you have in your bag, if you just play men's recreational hockey. Preferably, one white, one black/color. If you don't have any jersey from a men's league team, you should just buy a simple practice jersey; again, one white, one color (preferably not red/yellow or a light shade of a color). This is so that you can always play for either the white/yellow/light team or the black/colors team. Having both means you can even up the numbers if it's unbalanced.

Wearing ANY kind of customized, professional, international, whatever jersey is super lame. Regardless of what team it is or what player is on the back (old or current) it's a massive waste of money and it makes you look like a bender, IMO. Just wear whatever you wear when you play, or practice jerseys.

 

[Samuel Culper III]

What's wrong with red jerseys? Is it color blind people?

I went to a pick up game with a reversible jersey and the guy yelled at me for having a "gray" jersey. Fair enough.

Next game I came with my summer league jersey (red) and a white and he yelled at me for having a "red" jersey. Well **** you too buddy!

Red and yellow jerseys are frowned upon because if there's an uneven distribution between white/dark they will take the guys in yellow or red and put them on the white team. Red/yellow are more easy to distinguish than blue, navy, black, etc. Red/yellow are basically the in between jerseys, so they're the worst jerseys to have for pickup purposes.

Edit: Okay, and obviously gray/baby blue are terrible choices too, but less common in my experience.

 

[Jarick]

I've never played where red was on the white team. It was either wear a white jersey or else borrow one from someone else...

 

[Samuel Culper III]

I've never played where red was on the white team. It was either wear a white jersey or else borrow one from someone else...

And when there's no extra white jerseys to borrow? If I played pick up 60 times in 2012, 40+ times there was at least one white or yellow mixed in on the white team, usually two or more reds. Not at all questioning your experiences; good on everyone there for having the appropriate jerseys, but where I play, there are almost universally always guys in red playing for the white side.

 

[Jarick]

Never seen it. Everyone brings a dark and white. Maybe 1 of 10 times a guy needs to borrow a jersey. I've probably played 100 pick up games.

 

[vapor11]

My pickups are similiar to Jarick..never seen red on the white team..never had a issue with red jerseys or any color for that matter..

I do think its silly when guys wear knockoff nhl jerseys though as they are pretty thick(good for throwing over a sweater in the winter and playing at the outdoors)..I have a plain white and black ccm light mesh practice jersey for pickup..I hate borrowing jerseys(or lending mine out)