Where To Buy Ice Hockey Equipment & What You Need

July 8th, 2011

Hi I’m Tony.  I hope you find this post on ice hockey equipment of interest and assistance to you. Please bear in the mind this is an information site.

If you are looking for ice Hockey equipment to Buy

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I know when my son Craig started to play ice hockey, I was in need of information of what ice hockey equipment I needed to buy and where best to buy the ice hockey products from.   But before buying, I also needed to learn about exactly what ice hockey equipment he needed before I could even think of where to buy it from.

There were certain ice hockey equipment items I thought we needed to go and try on, and off we went to the shop at our local ice hockey rink.   However, this shop was only small, serving the ice  hockey players as well as the figure skaters.   I didn’t feel entrusted that the right or best products were on offer and so I came home and started searching for more information and possibilities of where I could buy ice hockey equipment from.  I discussed the sizing and fitting of various items with other parents of the ice hockey team as well as the coach, and this gave us the chance to try some items for size and fitting and get a feel as to what suited Craig so I could go and find this gear at the best price.

There is a wide range of ice hockey equipment products available to choose from and you may find there is a certain brand you prefer whether it be for the look, the performance of the equipment or the fitting. 

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It is important that you ensure your ice hockey equipment is the correct size and fits you properly,  as we know that ice hockey is fast`and exciting game  and protection should come up high as a priority.

Ice hockey gear is available in a wide price range from the cheap ice hockey equipment available at the entry stage for beginners to the higher priced range for the more advanced serious players and you need to define as to what level entry you are entering and require.  For us, starting out, we also searched for used ice hockey equipment but this did not always bring a lot of success as I was conscious about how good and reliable the gear would be and why it was being sold.  There were certain items, such as his helmet, which I wanted to buy brand new.  Like any parent, I wanted to ensure that my son is protected when he goes out on the ice.

The more I searched, the more I found  online retailers selling ice hockey gear at much more attractive prices.  I have also found that depending on the time of year when purchasing your ice hockey gear, you can find some great bargains and discount ice hockey equipment or clearance items, particularly if you know exactly what hockey equipment you are looking for.  The reason for this is you may find that stores have an end of season sale, wanting to clear items to make room for new products to come in for the season ahead.   If the end of season sales fits into your time schedule for buying hockey equipment, it can certainly help you in saving a few pennies.

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After making my list of all the obvious and essential items of ice hockey equipment needed, such as helmet, skates, stick, shin guards, shorts, elbow pads, gloves, body armour and neck guard, there was also a few essential under garments that I needed to add including the protective box, long sleeve sweat or under skin and long leg sweat or under skin.   I really had not thought about these but shortly after he started playing I realised how important they were.   The protective box speaks for itself, but the skins are also important.   These help with controlling the body heat and taking the sweat that the body produces  when playing away from the skin and stops the protective gear sticking to the skin and rubbing against the skin, hence why long sleeve and long leg is important.

Click here for more information on hockey gear, sizing and fitting.

I hope that you have found this post of assistance and help to you finding your ice hockey equipment and wish you all the best in your hockey games.

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Ice Hockey Skates

June 26th, 2011

An essential item of ice hockey equipment for any player, is a pair of ice hockey skates.  It is important that your hockey skates are comfortable to ensure that you can concentrate on your game.

As you may expect there is a wide choice of ice hockey skates for sale  to choose from at many different levels of performance depending on what each individuals’ requirement is.    There are different brands to choose from such as Bauer, Nike, CCM, Reebok, Easton, SBK and Graf to name a few.

The cheap ice hockey skates are the entry level of hockey skates ideal for more recretional skating and beginners to the ice hockey game, such as CCM ice hockey skates.  The more advanced you become, the more you may look at the higher levels of ice hockey skates which may give better performance, more comfort and benefit from the latest advances in technology and materials, such as bauer ice hockey skates.

Skates are made from three basic parts, the inside padding of the boot, the exterior plastic part of the boot and the blade. Depending on the level of skate you are purchasing, these different areas will be made from different materials and have different advantages depending on the price range you are looking at.

It is important that your hockey skates give support at the ankle.  The cheaper ice hockey skates usually have a padded ankle the more advanced hockey skate could have gel padding in this area or the Reebok ice hockey skates that have air pump, whereby you fill the area around the ankle with the amount of air required for the individual.

As mentioned, it is important that you find a hockey skate which fits you well and will be comfortable to play in.   Your feet should fit snugly into the boot of the skate, there should not be too much room for the foot to move around and you should be able to wiggle your toes freely.  When you put your foot into the skate you should push your feet forward and you should be able to slip your fingers down between the heel and the boot.   Obviously fitting of a skate will become an individual choice.   It is best to try on different brands of skates, to ensure that you get the correct fitting as the sizing may differ between them.   It is best, especially if you are new to buying skates and unsure of sizing and feel, that you go and try skates on to find the best feel.   When you try them on you should crouch into a playing position to ensure that the skates fit and are comfortable around the ankle.   It is also a good idea to walk around on them for say 10 minutes to ensure that they do feel comfortable.  You will find that youth ice hockey skates or junior ice hockey skates come in sizes from size 2 to 5.    Senior ice hockey skates can be found from size 6 upwards to size 11.

The more advanced higher hockey skates are able to be heated moulded to your fit.   You can specifically get them heated and then you pop your feet in and then cool down to the shape of your feet thus giving a more comfortable fit for your own feet.

As a hockey player you need to ensure that your skates are sharpened and kept sharp to get the optium performance and prevent any slipping and falling over.    When purchasing your skates, they may come unsharpened.   It is important that you find a good reliable person/outlet to sharpen your skates as uneven sharpening can affect the lines and edges on the skates that can affect your skating ability.

We have been talking about player hockey skates, but there are also a specific ranger of goalie hockey skates.   Ice hockey goalie skates for goalies are cut lower at the ankle for comfort as well as some other changes.   Ice hockey goalie skates also lower to the icegiving a lower centre of gravity with a slightly longer blade and less of rocker to assist the goalie to move from side to side.

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Ice Hockey Sticks

June 24th, 2011

An ice hockey stick is another essential item of ice hockey equipment for a hockey player.   Each player will in time have their own personal preference as to which type of hockey stick they prefer and play a better game with.

Looking for an ice hockey stick at first, especially when you are new to the sport, can be quite daunting but it is actually not that bad once you work way through some of your choices and eliminations.

Starting off the, there are two types of hokey sticks depending on what position you are playing – goalie sticks or players sticks.   Goalie sticks are a totally different shape with a much broader and taller blade to block the puck from getting into the net.   A players stick consist of the blade and a long thin handle.

Looking at players hockey sticks first – there are different types made by different brands, such as Bauer, Easton and Warrior to name just a few.  Basically there are all in one hockey sticks and sticks that are split into the shaft (the handle) and the blade.    All in one hockey sticks are probably more popular but the two part ice hockey sticks have an advantage in that it is cheaper to replace part of the stick if, and when, it gets broken ie if the shaft (handle) snaps you only have to buy a new shaft.

An entry level of cheap hockey sticks for sale is the CCM wooden stick.    This provides a long lasting and powerful stick to get started with but will not be as lightweight as the composite stick and are often more prone to breaking.

A composite stick, such as easton hockey sticks or tps hockey sticks, are made out of lighter and stronger materials, but can have either wooden blades or alternative composite material.  These sticks can offer better puck handling and maneuverability.

It is important that a stick is the correct size or height for the player.    To get an idea if the hockey stick is the right height, the player should hold the stick upright in front of them with the blade on the floor and the top of the hockey stick should at least reach the players chin, if not the nose.   The player may wish to stand on tip toes to account for being on ice skates.

Junior ice hockey sticks can usually be found between 46″ and 54″, whilst senior ice hockey sticks can be found from 56″ to 63″.

Goalie  sticks are usually classified into three categories for size, being junior, intermediate and seniors.   It is very important to get these sticks the correct size as they cannot be cut down at all as the goalie stick will no longer be balanced.   Goalie sticks are sized by the length of the paddle which is the wider blade part of the goalie stick.

The size of an ice hockey stick is dependent on each player and their own style and comfort.   Depending on the position a player may play, could have an effect on whether they choose to play with a shorter or longer hockey stick.    A shorter stick can be easier to handle and be better for snap and wrist shots which can be more important to a forward playing ice hockey player.   A defensive player will prefer a longer stick which will give the more of a reach and b able to lunge.   The longer sticks also give more power to any shots, but if a stick is too long it can be easier to lose the puck.

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Ice Hockey Shin Guards

June 23rd, 2011

Here we are looking at ice hockey shin guards, products available and important information to consider when looking to buy this essential item of ice hockey equipment.

Shin guards is the ice hockey terminology for the hockey  shin pads that cover the shin area of the front and side of your leg from the ankle where the top of your skates are to and including your knee and around the calf area to give protection to the joints, front and calf area from slashing.

The two main entry brands in hockey shin guards are CCM and Reebok, both offering protective shin pads at a good price. There are also shin guards by Easton, Warrior and Bauer.

Ice hockey shin guards come in many different sizes, measured in inches being the length required to cover the leg and knee.   There are three groups of sizing being youth (size 8″, 9″ and 10″), junior (11″, 12″ and 13″) and senior (14″, 15″ and 16″).

It is important that the shin guards fit properly and are the right size.  If they are not the correct size you are at risk of the knee or lower leg/ankle being exposed.

When trying to determine what size shin guard you require,you should measure from the center of the kneecap to the top of the skate boot.   It is best for the player to be sitting down when the measurement is taken.

The entry level of ice hockey shin guards in the CCM range is CCM U +05.  These come available in many sizes covering junior, youth and senior sizes.   They have an Anatomical shin component which provides protection against  impact along with an inner layer which is adjustable and removable.  This gives the benefit of customizing the fit and can be removed for ease of  drying.

The next CCM model up, the Vector Dryliner,  has similar characteristics but with an anti mould treatment and a deeper molded anatomical knee cap which is vented as well as an extended segmented side knee coverage and  foam calf wrap foam  as well as a removable knee shin bed.  This product allows for more breathing.

The difference with the CCM U+09 free-flex construction gives more mobility without compromising on any level of protection.  This shin guard is ideal for the more passionate hockey players.

In the Reebok range the RBK 3K KFS shin guards are of an ASD construction with an  anatomically designed shell giving possibly a better fit and stability.   They consist of a  JDP knee cap to disperse the impact away from the joint.

The next level of Reebok shin guards are the RBK 4K KFS which are made from a Fit lite construction with molded foam.   These provide quality protection but are more lighter in weight and have a vented shell/liner to enhance the air exchange and allow them to breathe.

The RBK 6K KFS shin guard are also made from the Fit Lite construction with an EPP foam which  provides top quality lightweight protection.  The fixing system in these ones are designed to wrap the calf muscles at its widest point and held in place there.

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Ice hockey gear

June 21st, 2011

When you are looking for Ice hockey equipment then you can generally use most of the same equipment if you play roller hockey as well. Starting from the top you will need to buy yourself an ice hockey helmet. You can buy one with a cage, without a cage or even a visor.
The three main makes you can buy are Bauer, CCM and RBK and generally have a different fit. Once you have the helmet you have to get yourself a neck guard, generally two types you can buy. One is the standard player type and the other is designed more for goalies.

Next down is you will need some body amour. The body amour should cover your shoulders and chest and back area as well as sometimes the top of your arms. Moving on to your elbows will need your some elbow pads to protect you and they generally come in junior, youth and adult sizes and have a Velcro fastening in many elbow pads.

Moving further down the body you will need a box of some sort to protect your private areas. There is one designed for men as well as women. Some come in elasticated boxer style shorts, the other type being a jock strap affair. After your box pop other hockey equipment needed are some knee pads which should be long enough to cover your ankles as well as your knee caps. once your hockey knee pads are on, then the next step is to buy yourself some hockey socks.Hockey tape may be needed to hold your socks up. Hockey shorts are next and again there are a few different manufacturers including Takra, RBK, Bauer CCM etc. Look out for a tail bone protector for added protection.

You may wish to buy some braces to hold them up too. Next you will need some hockey skates and these are a different design to your figure skates. Ok next is a hockey shirt. If you are just training, then a plain shirt will do and are generally cheaper than team shirts. Right next on the list is a pair of hockey gloves which are padded to protect your hands and knuckles. You will also need a hockey stick as part of the equipment. Wooden or carbon fiber are generally available. You can also generally buy them in left and right handed versions.

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