How young is too young to attend an NHL game?

[banks]

I'm speaking with firsthand experience as a father.

1 and under:
Probably a bad idea in general. Even if the baby is fine and doesn't bother anyone, it's going to be a lot for you. A sporting event isn't an easy place to change/feed/whatever the baby. If you have no fun, and the baby doesn't really know it's there, why bother? No-go.

1-3:
I've brought kids this young to sporting events, and they're usually fine. It always depends on the kid, obviously. But most can sit OK enough and appreciate what they're experiencing. But for any kid this age there's a chance they have a disaster and ruin the experience for everyone, including you and the people around you. At an AHL/OHL game, sure. But I sure can't afford to go to an NHL game knowing that I might miss it almost entirely. And I sure won't risk ruining the experience for the people around me. No-go.

3-5:
This is the age, for most kids, where it can be fun for everyone. Now's the time to start. Go!

 

[Sheppy]

To each their own but seeing people there with newborn babies just seems like the worst night ever.

 

[MOGlLNY]

My lower middle class grandparents had season tickets for the entire Gretzky Oilers dynasty.

2 seats, 1st row, second deck, blue line.

$20/seat per game.

Soviets teetering on the verge of collapse.

Better times.

I’m way after that but that sounds like good times too! I’m around the mid-late 90s until the really good Sabres teams post lockout

 

[Sol]

Look I might get flack for this but I think it depends what game you take them to for the most part. If I take my kid to a rivalry game where I know there will be trash talking I won’t take them. It’s important to instill values into your kids and if they’re too young to understand values then I wouldn’t take them. There’s a lot of drinking on the Jumbotron and swearing among fans. I think exposing your kids to belligerent adults is not a smart move. I’d wait until they’re older personally in their teens when they have some values defined. Anything under 12-13 is not a good idea. Unless you’re cool with the nonstop drinking on the Jumbotron and having full grown adults buzzed and swearing. Don’t know why some people even take like 5 year olds to events like this.

 

[Voight]

I'd wait until they ask to go

If they aren't excited about hockey it probably won't change anything

Eh depends. Matthews for example was brought to a game at 2 and that eventually piked his interested in the sport and started playing three years later.

 

[Machinehead]

Do you carry that philosophy for all of your children's experiences under 5 years old?

I wouldn't take my 4 year old because she would want to be running up and down the aisles and probably enjoy the concourse more than the game - it wouldn't be an ideal experience I think 5+ is a better age. But not taking her because 'she won't remember' is absurdly cynical and really misses the essence of building a relationship and trust with our kids.

There are plenty of ways to build a relationship with your kid besides spending NHL ticket prices on an experience that isn't going to benefit anyone involved.

I spent every day with my parents interacting with them and I probably went to the zoo or whatever the f*** to learn how to interact with animals.

I didn't go to games, concerts, amusement parks, etc. until I was old enough to remember going.

 

[Sheppy]

"I took you to that game when you were younger, Billy!"
"Dad, I was 9 days old"

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Do you want to change diapers in a crowded arena bathroom? I sure as heck didn't!

One interesting tip that I finally learned as a parent is that when they say "8-12 pounds", that's the size of the intended user and not the volume of waste that it can hold.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Shocked at the folks who took their toddlers and below to games. Proud dad to a 19 month old girl and her attention span is as short as my free time these days. Even when she watches a show she loves, an hour max on a good day it holds her attention. Couldn't imagine being at a 3+ hour game in the cold and asking her to sit in a seat on my lap. She would be all over the floor getting into things.

As I sit here today, I couldn't imagine taking a kid under 5 unless it was a local community game or something where you can easily leave without leaving money on the table.

 

[SirPaste]

Probably depends on the kid really. I took my son to his first game when he was 4 a couple months prior to turning 5 and he absolutely loved it, was pumped up and having fun the whole time. I waited because he had such a short attention span I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on tickets for him to get bored and want to leave after the first period. I have other friends who have taken their kids younger than that and had no issues though so like I said, probably just depends on the kid. Also where you are sitting, I would imagine closer to the action is better to keep them focused on the game.

edit: Forgot to mention we also did an afternoon game which helped a lot.

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

4-years old sounds about right.

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

If you're not gonna remember it, why am I bothering? That's pretty much how I look at it.

Do you have children? Because this is a strange response if you do.

 

[ACC1224]

I'm speaking with firsthand experience as a father.

1 and under:
Probably a bad idea in general. Even if the baby is fine and doesn't bother anyone, it's going to be a lot for you. A sporting event isn't an easy place to change/feed/whatever the baby. If you have no fun, and the baby doesn't really know it's there, why bother? No-go.

1-3:
I've brought kids this young to sporting events, and they're usually fine. It always depends on the kid, obviously. But most can sit OK enough and appreciate what they're experiencing. But for any kid this age there's a chance they have a disaster and ruin the experience for everyone, including you and the people around you. At an AHL/OHL game, sure. But I sure can't afford to go to an NHL game knowing that I might miss it almost entirely. And I sure won't risk ruining the experience for the people around me. No-go.

3-5:
This is the age, for most kids, where it can be fun for everyone. Now's the time to start. Go!

Wish more were like you.

 

[Machinehead]

Do you have children? Because this is a strange response if you do.

It's strange to not buy a ticket to a game they'll never know they were at?

 

[TS Quint]

Old enough to chew their own food, use a toilet, have their own seat and be interested in the game. Also ready to learn a new word when my team turns the puck over for a loss in OT.

 

[WhataKnight]

Depends on if you plan on getting into a fist fight in the upper bowl or not

I was waiting for this. Not disappointed at all.

 

[ijuka]

It's strange to not buy a ticket to a game they'll never know they were at?

Even babies learn from their environment even if they don't remember it when they're older. It might instead manifest as them liking hockey, for example.

 

[Machinehead]

Even babies learn from their environment even if they don't remember it when they're older. It might instead manifest as them liking hockey, for example.

Manifesting a love of hockey is not a priority for me.

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

It's strange to not buy a ticket to a game they'll never know they were at?

Is that a no on the kids?

Most everything your kid does in the first few years of their life they won’t remember.

It’s still a cool experience for them in the moment.

Imagine for a moment you’re 2, sitting in a stadium with 18,000 people at the same time, watching the dazzling physical feat that is pro hockey.

They’ve never seen anything move like that in real life. It just might spark an interest in the game that they’ll carry the rest of their lives.


All the cheering and screaming and laughing, the roar when a goal or save happens, it’s incredibly exciting for them.

And if it’s something someone wants to do, go for it. I’m sure it will be a mostly positive experience, and they’ll be glad they did it.

 

[ijuka]

Manifesting a love of hockey is not a priority for me.

So what? My point was this being the most important time for a child's development, while you're saying that it's irrelevant because the baby won't remember. You're moving goalposts.

 

[Machinehead]

So what? My point was this being the most important time for a child's development, while you're saying that it's irrelevant because the baby won't remember. You're moving goalposts.

I'm still waiting for somebody to explain to me why you have to go to a hockey game as part of the child's development.

 

[Machinehead]

Is that a no on the kids?

Most everything your kid does in the first few years of their life they won’t remember.

It’s still a cool experience for them in the moment.

Imagine for a moment you’re 2, sitting in a stadium with 18,000 people at the same time, watching the dazzling physical feat that is pro hockey.

They’ve never seen anything move like that in real life. It just might spark an interest in the game that they’ll carry the rest of their lives.


All the cheering and screaming and laughing, the roar when a goal or save happens, it’s incredibly exciting for them.

And if it’s something someone wants to do, go for it. I’m sure it will be a mostly positive experience, and they’ll be glad they did it.

I was at a Rangers game when I was 2. Here's what I recall from that experience:

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

I was at a Rangers game when I was 2. Here's what I recall from that experience:

Must everything be about you?

Your parents likely have a different memory, one that’s quite special to them. Especially since they only took you once.

 

[End on a Hinote]

I don't like to put a personal age restriction on stuff like this, but if you want the kid to really enjoy and appreciate the environment and remember it I'd say over the age of 6.

Under 3 is fine to since they are usually free

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

I'm still waiting for somebody to explain to me why you have to go to a hockey game as part of the child's development.

Nobody said that and nobody thinks that.