Anyone recently start skating out for fun? How's that going?

[dstew29]

Recently getting the itch to buy some new or used player gear to skate out from time to time. Have a young one who will hopefully start skating in next few years and wanted to be ready for that too.

Plus I just like a new challenge so I think it would be a good change up from just playing goalie 100% of the time. How are you liking it for anyone else that's tried this.

[Puckstopper]

I've always found skating out for a few games here and there is a great way to purge all the negativity I sometimes build up in my head when playing net.   It's nice to not have the entire weight of the game on your shoulders for a little while.   Then, after a few games I get bored of NOT having final responsibility and scurry back to the crease.

Regardless, I feel like I've got a better grasp of the game having played both ways and it definitely helps my stickhandling in net.

[dualshowman]

I have done this on and off since I started playing as a goalie. I still do this now, and I love the challenge, although it's not as physically demanding as being in the net. I love skating super hard for about a minute, then getting off. Not a fan of the five minute coasting-around shift. One thing that is an issue for me, in particular: Skating out with lower-level skaters is risky. I feel the same way in net, but less so for obvious reasons. If I'm skating out, and I don't think the the hockey IQ and the level of fundamental ability is good enough to ensure a baseline level of safety, I'll split. 

[WillyGrips13]

Yeah, I started doing this twenty-plus years ago. I was going to play with groups that may or may not already have two goalies. So instead of being the third goalie or not playing that night, I could skate out on those nights.

I’ve kept up with playing both in some capacity. Currently, I’m playing goalie on a beer league team on Sundays and an over-35 group on Thursdays. Meanwhile, I go to stick and pucks as a skater to dick around. I was playing on a team last season as a defender, but that team folded and the players were distributed throughout the league. I was already picked up as a goalie so I didn’t need/want to also join another team as a skater. Plus goalie is free.

Certainly playing both gives you a better understanding of the entire sport. I think all players should play goalie a few times. It would show them that it’s difficult and give them a better idea of how to score and how to help their own goalie. 
I enjoy shooting and have been trying to improve my wrist shot. Seeing the ice and making great passes is also fun. I also get pleasure out of shutting down skilled players on defense. 
Wear a cage. It’s not worth the possible injury to your face to gain marginal vision advantage. You’ve played goalie with full face protection for your entire career, so you should be used to it. Also wear the shoulder pads. Same premise as the face protection. Not worth going without them. 

[MTH]

Cage. Always. Teeth and eyes don't grow back.

[MTH]

On 2/8/2021 at 1:38 PM, dualshowman said:

I have done this on and off since I started playing as a goalie. I still do this now, and I love the challenge, although it's not as physically demanding as being in the net. I love skating super hard for about a minute, then getting off. Not a fan of the five minute coasting-around shift. One thing that is an issue for me, in particular: Skating out with lower-level skaters is risky. I feel the same way in net, but less so for obvious reasons. If I'm skating out, and I don't think the the hockey IQ and the level of fundamental ability is good enough to ensure a baseline level of safety, I'll split. 

Lower level adult hockey is misery. I only filled in as a goalie for it. Always thinking I'll amaze. Never really happens. No game flow. Shots are random as fuck. Players not hustling. Throwing pucks all over the place. 5 minute shift cows standing at the red line.

I feel bad for their regular goalies. It's hockey purgatory.

Hell is the locker room after. The stories are off the wall. Guys will replay parts of the game like it was pro hockey. 

Those nights are the quickest I get changed. I sometimes want to drive home in my gear.

[coopaloop1234]

8 minutes ago, MTH said:

Lower level adult hockey is misery. I only filled in as a goalie for it. Always thinking I'll amaze. Never really happens. No game flow. Shots are random as fuck. Players not hustling. Throwing pucks all over the place. 5 minute shift cows standing at the red line.

I feel bad for their regular goalies. It's hockey purgatory.

Hell is the locker room after. The stories are off the wall. Guys will replay parts of the game like it was pro hockey. 

Those nights are the quickest I get changed. I sometimes want to drive home in my gear.

That's scary accurate.

[Colander]

2 hours ago, MTH said:

Lower level adult hockey is misery. I only filled in as a goalie for it. Always thinking I'll amaze. Never really happens. No game flow. Shots are random as fuck. Players not hustling. Throwing pucks all over the place. 5 minute shift cows standing at the red line.

I feel bad for their regular goalies. It's hockey purgatory.

Hell is the locker room after. The stories are off the wall. Guys will replay parts of the game like it was pro hockey. 

Those nights are the quickest I get changed. I sometimes want to drive home in my gear.

I agree with @coopaloop1234 - it's like you were at most of my Wednesday night shinny games - which for the record after 7 seasons I quit because of many of those specific traits...

[Mike24]

I skated out twice in high school. Only time I had a “back up” He wasn’t very good but his parents donated plenty to the program.  So I had to sit a couple games.  It was spring league between my Jr and Senior year. So I didn’t care.  When I got the news I was riding the pine I said to the other “goalie” (normally played forward).  Hey what size skates do you wear ?  It was within a half a size of mine.  I said hey do you mind? And can I use your player gear. He. said go for it.  

So I played out out and get this I scored a goal. We skated to a 4-4 tie which I almost had a breakaway toward the end of the game.  I blame his stick being too tall.  It was fun I had so good checks.   I did it one other time that year.  
 

[RichMan]

On 2/8/2021 at 12:17 PM, dstew29 said:

Recently getting the itch to buy some new or used player gear to skate out from time to time. Have a young one who will hopefully start skating in next few years and wanted to be ready for that too.

Plus I just like a new challenge so I think it would be a good change up from just playing goalie 100% of the time. How are you liking it for anyone else that's tried this.

  

[CJ Boiss]

I find that seeing the game from a different angle benefits my play in net. Plus, it's fun to score goals and frustrate guys when I'm playing D or forward.

('course, I grew up skating out so I'm pretty biased)

[creasecollector]

14 hours ago, MTH said:

Lower level adult hockey is misery. I only filled in as a goalie for it. Always thinking I'll amaze. Never really happens. No game flow. Shots are random as fuck. Players not hustling. Throwing pucks all over the place. 5 minute shift cows standing at the red line.

I feel bad for their regular goalies. It's hockey purgatory.

Hell is the locker room after. The stories are off the wall. Guys will replay parts of the game like it was pro hockey. 

Those nights are the quickest I get changed. I sometimes want to drive home in my gear.

This is the most accurate post I've ever seen.

[SaveByRichter35]

On 3/4/2021 at 10:29 AM, MTH said:

Lower level adult hockey is misery. I only filled in as a goalie for it. Always thinking I'll amaze. Never really happens. No game flow. Shots are random as fuck. Players not hustling. Throwing pucks all over the place. 5 minute shift cows standing at the red line.

I feel bad for their regular goalies. It's hockey purgatory.

Hell is the locker room after. The stories are off the wall. Guys will replay parts of the game like it was pro hockey. 

Those nights are the quickest I get changed. I sometimes want to drive home in my gear.

[MTH]

Way back in the day when I was 33, I injured my hip. I went to the local major sports ortho place (Rothman) and within 5 minutes, the 24 year old doctor told me I needed a new hip and that I could schedule it that day at the desk.

Nope. So the next season I played out for my team. 5th liner on a good men's league team. It was fun at first. 

After a while you miss playing goal. Not so much for the fun of making saves. More for the fact I got to stand alone in the crease all game. Sitting on the bench and listening to your teammates was tedious. I'd get on the ice and go as fast as I could for 40 seconds then get a change. Everything us goalies always wish our team did. I'd forecheck like mad, backcheck like it was game 7. I scored a few goals along the way. Nobody else really went hard. Too many guys coast while on the ice. Line changes were ugly and hard to watch.

Every ref would stop and ask me what the hell I was doing playing out. Amazing how we're the only guys on the ice they really like.

Warmup shots were always waist down on the goalie. My gear was crap as I didn't see the need for new stuff. My shin guards were from when I bought a pair of CCM shins to downhill mountain bike with as they were cheaper than the bike branded ones that were basically the same.

While it was hard not to tell the new goalie that I was the goalie for the past dozen seasons, I didn't. Guys on the team would say stuff. Thought it would be hard knowing that there was another goalie on the team. Sorta like dating a girl that still lives with her ex.

But when the new goalie couldn't make it - hey we got another goalie. Even though I promised my wife I was done. I'd sneak my gear out of the garage and in my Jeep. 

Playing net was awesome again. I knew what I was doing. I was in better shape. I had a shutout and a game winning goal in the same season. So that was fun.

[Mike24]

@MTH the goal I scorered was against West Deptford. 

[loki1416]

As someone who started as a player:

 I love it. I play in different divisions or even different leagues as goalie/skater. Every Sunday it's 2 games, one as a goalie and one as a skater. I will say up front, it's all about the team your on.  I will also say, up front, that when I skate I still think like a goalie and will block shots (even so far as I've dropped into a butterfly as a skater and they STILL havn't forgotten that one 3yrs later). There's good/bad to both. But I wouldn't drop one over the other because I just want to be out there. 

 MTH had a great comment above. But I take it all in and have fun with it. Make fun of everyone (can't let anyone feel left out!), including yourself. It's all in your approach, your mind set, on how it is/goes.  I love both and won't give up either one for the other.

[CJ Boiss]

27 minutes ago, loki1416 said:

As someone who started as a player:

 I love it. I play in different divisions or even different leagues as goalie/skater. Every Sunday it's 2 games, one as a goalie and one as a skater. I will say up front, it's all about the team your on.  I will also say, up front, that when I skate I still think like a goalie and will block shots (even so far as I've dropped into a butterfly as a skater and they STILL havn't forgotten that one 3yrs later). There's good/bad to both. But I wouldn't drop one over the other because I just want to be out there. 

 MTH had a great comment above. But I take it all in and have fun with it. Make fun of everyone (can't let anyone feel left out!), including yourself. It's all in your approach, your mind set, on how it is/goes.  I love both and won't give up either one for the other.

Hey, another one! I've definitely gone down in a butterfly to block a shot or make a save as a player, guys are always amazed by it for some reason. XD