Help me figure out what gear I need to start playing shinny

[Hack&Lube]

This summer, I'm going to start playing some shinny with some other beginner-intermediate players but I've been told I should get a full set of gear. I've never played hockey on ice before but I am okay at skating (but haven't skated for 3 years now).

I'll need a helmet w/visor, gloves, shoulder pads, elbow pads, stick, shin guards (might have some already), and I already have some old skates.

What should I be looking for in gear? What's a cheap way to get everything that I need? I'm not sure how the sizes and all the terms work for when I'm shopping for gear. Maybe buy a complete used set off kijiji? Do I even need stuff like hockey pants?

[North East Goon]

Better get a cup to protect the frank and beans.

[blankall]

You need all the gear, except for maybe a neck protector. You're taking a risk without one, but it's a risk most players take.

If you're going to invest in anything expensive, buy a nice pair of skates.

You're going to want to try all your stuff on, if you don't have any idea what you need. So I'd suggest buying in store as oppossed to online. If I were you I'd hit up Sport Mart and Sport Chek. Sport Chek is currently having a sale right now. You don't need the latest and most high end equipment, but I'd buy something descent. Online places like HockeyMonkey.com are great, but it might be a little difficult if you have no idea what size or type of equipment to buy. You can buy used, but that's gross. Most stuff doesn't last more than a few seasons of hard wear, so the only thing I'd look at buying used would be the skates.

You need:

Helmet + full cage. If you are starting out, I'd go with the cage, as oppossed to visor.
Shoulder pads
Elbow pads
Pants + suspenders
Shin pads
Socks
Cup
Gloves
Stick (definitely buy this at Sport Mart)
Skates
Jersey

I recently started playing hockey 2 years ago in a similar position to you. You will fall down a lot and get hit by pucks. Buy all the equipment. Even in no contact games there are lots of collisions and incidental contact. A lot of beer league players are dicks too. They will slash, crosscheck, etc.

[undercoverbrother]

Buy your stuff at Sports Chek. Specialty stores will charge you more and sell you better quality equipment than you need.

One piece of advice, do not skimp on the helmet (you could fall and hit your head lots) and skates, get good skates.

Enjoy

[Fobulous]

Just a suggestion. Buy extremely cheap, light shoulder pads. The lighter and skinnier the better. In shinny hockey you do not need to buy anything bulky that is going to save you from NHL caliber hits as they just don't happen.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by blankall

You need all the gear, except for maybe a neck protector. You're taking a risk without one, but it's a risk most players take.

If you're going to invest in anything expensive, buy a nice pair of skates.

You're going to want to try all your stuff on, if you don't have any idea what you need. So I'd suggest buying in store as oppossed to online. If I were you I'd hit up Sport Mart and Sport Chek. Sport Chek is currently having a sale right now. You don't need the latest and most high end equipment, but I'd buy something descent. Online places like HockeyMonkey.com are great, but it might be a little difficult if you have no idea what size or type of equipment to buy. You can buy used, but that's gross. Most stuff doesn't last more than a few seasons of hard wear, so the only thing I'd look at buying used would be the skates.

You need:

Helmet + full cage. If you are starting out, I'd go with the cage, as oppossed to visor.
Shoulder pads
Elbow pads
Pants + suspenders
Shin pads
Socks
Cup
Gloves
Stick (definitely buy this at Sport Mart)
Skates
Jersey

I recently started playing hockey 2 years ago in a similar position to you. You will fall down a lot and get hit by pucks. Buy all the equipment. Even in no contact games there are lots of collisions and incidental contact. A lot of beer league players are dicks too. They will slash, crosscheck, etc.

That's actually the only thing I wouldn't look at buying used. Skates break down and lose their stability, not to mention the fact that they will have formed around someone else's foot. Most other things are fine used, if you can look past the gross element.

I definitely second the full cage though. If you're playing with other beginners there will likely be plenty of falls and stumbles where sticks are flying all over the place.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by valo403

That's actually the only thing I wouldn't look at buying used. Skates break down and lose their stability, not to mention the fact that they will have formed around someone else's foot. Most other things are fine used, if you can look past the gross element.

Yeah the skates are a tough call. Depends on your budget and you really have to look for skates in descent shape. If you can buy a $600 pair of Grafs for $200 that are in good shape, I think you're better off doing that than spending $200 on a pair of Reeboks.

[Ben_in_Canada]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

One piece of advice, do not skimp on the helmet (you could fall and hit your head lots) and skates, get good skates.

Enjoy

+1.
You don't need the latest and greatest of anything but helmet & skates are the two items you will notice the comfort level of the most.

[bc-chris]

if i was you i'd buy used.... yea, it might sound gross, but honestly, take it to a place like esporta and get it cleaned (or if you have a front load washing machine you could just do it at home)

when i started playing goal i bought 2 new pieces of equipment - a goalie mask & a cup

everything else i got was used. i can wash all my goalie gear at home - it takes two loads total to wash everything - 1 load is the chest protector, the other is goalie pants, blocker, trapper, throat guard, knee pads

a crap load of soap, a little fabric softener and a lot of bleach

i wash my gear probably every 6 or 7 weeks (mind you, i play 2-4 times per week, every week of the year). i can't stand stinky gear


for playing out - i second the full cage mentioned by valo. i've found that usually the lower the experience the higher the sticks come up

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Ben_in_Canada

+1.
You don't need the latest and greatest of anything but helmet & skates are the two items you will notice the comfort level of the most.

I got my skates at these guys:

http://www.psscalgary.com/sites/pss/index.asp?pageID=2

They heat moulded them.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by bc-chris

if i was you i'd buy used.... yea, it might sound gross, but honestly, take it to a place like esporta and get it cleaned (or if you have a front load washing machine you could just do it at home)

when i started playing goal i bought 2 new pieces of equipment - a goalie mask & a cup

everything else i got was used. i can wash all my goalie gear at home - it takes two loads total to wash everything - 1 load is the chest protector, the other is goalie pants, blocker, trapper, throat guard, knee pads

a crap load of soap, a little fabric softener and a lot of bleach

i wash my gear probably every 6 or 7 weeks (mind you, i play 2-4 times per week, every week of the year). i can't stand stinky gear


for playing out - i second the full cage mentioned by valo. i've found that usually the lower the experience the higher the sticks come up

Have you had any issues with washing your blocker and trapper this way? I'm hesitant to throw my gloves into the washing machine.

[bc-chris]

^^ no problem at all with either

i found that a little fabric softener is good for the leather and washing them like this sure takes the stink out

[undercoverbrother]

This reminds my I need to wash my gear, my son's gear and my daughter's gear....I will add that to the list of to do's this weekend.

Thanks.

[ernie]

My advice having started playing a few years ago. First figure out what sizing you need. Several sites will be able to give you a rough idea of the sizing to look for (hockeymonkey, totalhockey etc). Then go to a store and try some stuff on and get the style/brand that feels most comfortable to you For example, I personally like the RBK pant (one of the more recent versions) but a lot of people don't like the lower back protection on the back. I also recommend trying a skate on with shinguards as the length of shin guard will depend on how you want to wear it...some D-men in my one league like to have that bottom of the shin guard fit down overtop the front of the skate for shot blocking purposes while others (myself included) want the guard to be shorter.

Once you have an idea what style/brand and pretty much specific size you want hunt for the best deals whether in store or online (down in the States here online is usually the way to go for deals). By hunting around you can often get all new equipment for the same price of even less than used stuff (again, that's the case down here).

For a beginner get everything. If you start to feel really confident you may choose to leave off the shoulder pads for a relatively non-competitive skate. NEVER leave off elbow pads, shin guards or cup. EVER. No matter how good you are everyone catches a rut or gets tangled up at some point and you will land on an elbow or slam knees first inot a board. We had one guy who played university hockey for the Razorbacks at a simple stick and puck decide not to wear his shin guards, catch something, go into the boards and explode his knee cap.

As has been mentioned you can buy muost things used but I would avoid buying used skates. Again find the brand and size that fits and look for the best price. Most models can be baked to fit your foot perfectly. I started out in Bauer Vapor XXX's but I never found them perfectly comfortable. I found them a little tight for the front half of the foot and I have a problem with my right heel slipping/lifting in them. This past Christmas I found an online sale for Reebok 7k (reg $289 US but half price on one site for a day) that I really like as the front of the skate is a bit wider and the pump locks that right heel in place. That simple changed helped my skating immensely.

Sticks....there are several different curve patterns and it is a matter of trial and error on what you like best. Perhaps contemplate buying some cheap sticks of a couple of patterns to see which you like. As you improve and want a better stick at least you'll know what curve you like.

Washing gear...I've had no problems washing any of my gear including gloves. A gentle washing machine works well or even a simple overnight soak in a tub with a bit of bleach followed by good rinse. Also control the smell build up by not allowing the bugs to grow....hang up your gear to dry immediately when you get home after a game.

[GrrlGoalie33]

Leaving your gear out in the hot sun for a few hours does wonders to kill bacteria/stink.

Also, in a spray bottle, combine 1/3 isopropyl alcohol and 2/3 water and spray your equipment down after every ice time. Way better than febreeze and actually kills bacteria.

[Hockeyguy15]

Or you can take your gear to Max Bell, there is an equipment sanitizer there and he does it for $40. I take mine every year and it's great.

[dubc80]

Looks like all key pieces of equipment have been covered.

I'm old school and still wear a separate garter belt, but most guys wear the jock shorts with the built-in velcro to keep the socks up.

Something else no one mentioned are shower sandals. Key piece of equipment to have in your bag.
Going barefoot into the shower is a recipe for disaster.
(insert related hockey shower jokes here).

Also, maybe a consider a mouthguard too.

[Hack&Lube]

What are good prices for beginning gear? Right now I have to say I am tempted to just get some random stuff from kijiji to try out to see if hockey is really my thing versus actually buying a bunch of brand new gear that I might only use infrequently.

[Mass_nerder]

Invest in good skates that fit well.
Everything else is secondary...a lot of rec league guys don't even bother with shoulder pads.
I would also look into a good mouth guard...especially if you're going with a visor like most guys. Getting your tooth knocked out in rec league sucks.

[Mass_nerder]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

What are good prices for beginning gear? Right now I have to say I am tempted to just get some random stuff from kijiji to try out to see if hockey is really my thing versus actually buying a bunch of brand new gear that I might only use infrequently.

As I said in my first post, spend on skates; I would say you're looking at $200+ (look at last years' models).
Most other items tend to be fairly cheap ($50-75 per item).
You don't need to splurge on everything to have fun.