7 Things You Only Know if You’re a Hockey Player

Hockey is one of the most popular high school and college sports games – and like all sports, things can get competitive. If you’re a hockey player or considering taking up the sport, here’s 7 things you’ll either find insanely relatable or you will after a year on the team!

1. The Difficult Process of Washing Your Equipment

The most annoying problem about playing hockey is by far the seeming inability to keep your equipment clean and odor-free. Hockey requires a LOT of movement and exercise, often in humid environments. You might be on ice, but things get warm in that safety gear!

Without proper cleaning, bacteria can grow on your uniform, which makes the smell extremely hard to remove. Beyond that, bacteria created by the sweat puts one’s own body and skin at risk. It can cause serious infections as bad as staph, so it’s crucial to keep up with properly cleaning and washing your equipment.

Luckily, companies like Love Your Gear help out by providing cleaning services to keep you clean and safe whether you’re just practicing or competing in a game. These cleaning services remove all odors, as well any potential viruses, bacteria, algae, cysts, mold spores, yeast, protozoa, and fungal pathogens. Next time you have a big game coming up and are trying to figure out how to wash hockey equipment, drop off your gear at a professional washing service for a deep clean.

1. Purchasing a New Hockey Stick Takes Time

Purchasing a new hockey stick is an exciting experience. It’s like Christmas morning for hockey players, but even better. Although it’s a very enjoyable experience and the reward is well worth it, the process is strenuous and takes a lot of time. Choosing a hockey stick means going to multiple stores to make sure the fit and style are perfect for you.

1. No One Understands the Rules

It’s pretty common for anyone who doesn’t play a certain sport to not understand the rules of the game. Yet for some reason, hockey seems to be the one sport for which no non-players understand the rules. Every time a new friend comes to one of your games, you have to explain the rules in depth multiple times just for them to get what’s happening. Going to watch a game with someone who doesn’t know the rules is even worse – then you have to answer all of their questions throughout the game.

1. Shin Guard Tans Last All Year Long

This applies particularly to field hockey players: the struggle to keep your legs one solid color continues year-long. It is a battle that is rarely won. Dedicated players spend hours outside every single day, either practicing or playing outside on the field. With shin guards being a requirement for play and covering the entire lower half of the legs, they end up looking like night versus day.

5. The “Sauce” Pass

Formally known as the “saucer pass”, this type of pass is now simply known as “sauce.” A sauce pass occurs when one player passes the puck to another player on their team, but in the middle of the move, the puck flies through the air avoiding other opponents before swiftly landing in just the right spot for a fellow teammate.

6. Shooting a “Howitzer”

In the game of ice hockey, a “Howitzer” is known as an incredibly hard slap shot, or simply a shot used with incredible force. These “Howitzer” shots are typically used on point shots, whether they actually make the point or not. “Howitzer” shots are mainly judged on effort and power rather than accuracy.

7. The Barn

In most sports, you refer to the place at which you play for what it is: the arena, the court, the pool, or the gym. In hockey, “the arena” in which the game is played is often referred to as “The Barn.” When referring to your own team’s playing arena, you’ll refer to it as “our barn,” and when you’re talking about another team’s home arena, you’d refer to it as “their barn.”