I suffer from adult-onset hockey, having started playing 12 years ago at age 42. My first team was in the PHA at Vallco/Bridgepointe and we moved to Sharks Ice a couple years later. Currently on three SIAHL teams (captain one), and am strictly D because I only have one lung and don't have the cardio to play F. Right-handed, always felt natural to shoot left.
Tell us about your hockey playing background
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Tw1ster
Registered User
Born in Saskatchewan, started playing hockey at 5 or 6 as a Novice and played all the way up until Peewee (first year of contact hockey) which is when my parents pulled me out of it due to being undersized. I was oblivious to the fact I was probably pretty bad which was the real reason they pulled me out. When I was super young, I never watched a lot of NHL or hockey in general until I latched onto the Sharks. After I was pulled out of hockey, me and my family moved out to BC and joined soccer and did quite well with it. Once I turned 18, got a job, and moved out, my love of the Sharks inspired me to get back into hockey so I joined a beer league that I’ve played in ever since, I’m 36 now. I’ve never been a great skater or puck handler but I’ve always been able to put up a lot of points just for knowing where to go, being good along the boards, and being a good passer. It’s been a great hobby in my adult years and I plan to continue to play until I physically cannot.
- Jul 30, 2005
- 9,233
- 1,793
Played some roller hockey as a young kid in goal. Got into an accident that required no activity for several months and then I never really felt up to doing anything through my high school years so I never really got back into it.
Pavelski2112
Bold as Boognish
Used to play a fair amount of street hockey when I was younger. A summer program I went to when I was a kid was run by a guy who was pretty buddy-buddy with the Sharks and I remember he was able to get us a bunch of hockey equipment and I played goalie for a while.
After that, nothing until I was about 21, when I started playing roller hockey at Silver Creek and did that for about 5 years. Mostly played D7.5/D7 but played a bit of D6C. At that point I was pretty much a Jacob MacDonald type F/D - good at nothing in particular, but not so horrible that I shouldn't have been on the ice (usually).
After that, nothing until I was about 21, when I started playing roller hockey at Silver Creek and did that for about 5 years. Mostly played D7.5/D7 but played a bit of D6C. At that point I was pretty much a Jacob MacDonald type F/D - good at nothing in particular, but not so horrible that I shouldn't have been on the ice (usually).
tiburon12
Registered User
- Jul 18, 2009
- 5,087
- 5,188
I've been playing ice hockey since I was 4. Was always big and fast and could score, but i never got good enough stickhandling and making plays with my head up to be a solid player. Played youth through highschool, topping out at JV (NE prep school hockey, so not THAT bad). Took a year off for freshman year of college but then joined a local men's league. Moved to BKK, found hockey here after 2ish years, and have been big in the hockey scene here since about 2016.
It's kinda cool, when I started playing here I was one of the better players, leading the league in goals a few times. Now hockey has grown so much that i'm a 2nd line guy in our league and some of the Thai kids i used to help coach and stuff are the better players in the league. Last night at shinny i actually skated with a former SHLer - we get a lot of amazing talent passing through.
Hockey is the best and I'm lucky to play in a country with average temps of 95 lol. I hope to play for the rest of my life.
It's kinda cool, when I started playing here I was one of the better players, leading the league in goals a few times. Now hockey has grown so much that i'm a 2nd line guy in our league and some of the Thai kids i used to help coach and stuff are the better players in the league. Last night at shinny i actually skated with a former SHLer - we get a lot of amazing talent passing through.
Hockey is the best and I'm lucky to play in a country with average temps of 95 lol. I hope to play for the rest of my life.
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Munnyro
Registered User
I'd be interested in hearing some tidbits about hockey in Thailand. An expensive sport in a relatively non-wealthy country and all.
It's gotta have its own unique flavor (see what I did there).
tiburon12
Registered User
- Jul 18, 2009
- 5,087
- 5,188
Because of the costs most of the kids who play come from super wealthy families, like stupid wealthy. For the most part, that's a negative, because these kids are spoiled and grew up being the #1, so they have a more difficult time playing a team sport like hockey. Everyone wants to be the superstar; role players don't really exist.
we're at an interesting point in Thai hockey where the best players are 28-35, then there is a gap, and then a whole wave of really good kids aged 16-20 rising the ranks. Many of those kids have already gone overseas (US, UK, Finland, Germany, etc) to play. It's really interesting to watch unfold. When i started there were probably 200 players (both thai and foreigner), now there are about 800 thais that play, and about 120 of those are girls/women. It's great.
CJL182
Registered User
- Oct 9, 2008
- 2,705
- 565
Born and raised in the Bay, and grew up watching the other 3 big sports but wasn't exposed to it much besides what I saw on Sportscenter in the mid-late 90's. I remember randomly watching a full game on a Saturday afternoon on Fox in 98/99, was intrigued and wanted to watch more. Started catching games on ESPN and watched all of the 99 Final with the infamous Hull goal. I was hooked after that. The Daryl Sydor crawling on the ice moment in the 2000 Final is the first distinct memory I have of "Damn, THIS is how special the Cup is. THIS is what it means to players and what they'll do for it." I didn't realize the Sharks were so close and started following them closely and got invested. Went to my first game at the Tank in '03 and it was over after that. Football was probably my favorite sport growing up, but nothing has come even close to hockey since then.
After watching hockey for nearly 25 years, my buddy convinced me to start playing last year. I always knew it was incredibly hard, but it's definitely a new found appreciation trying to do it myself. I really wish I at least learned how to skate growing up, but better now than never lol. Want to play D eventually (played D pretty much exclusively in NHL), but my skating isn't there yet. My friend says my brain and hands are way faster than my feet haha. Finally scored my first goal last night though, that was a sweet feeling.
After watching hockey for nearly 25 years, my buddy convinced me to start playing last year. I always knew it was incredibly hard, but it's definitely a new found appreciation trying to do it myself. I really wish I at least learned how to skate growing up, but better now than never lol. Want to play D eventually (played D pretty much exclusively in NHL), but my skating isn't there yet. My friend says my brain and hands are way faster than my feet haha. Finally scored my first goal last night though, that was a sweet feeling.
Piirakainen
Registered User
My parents took me to public skating sessions about a 5 years old and that was the start of my "pond" hockey career. At winters I played ice hockey with my friends and summers floorball and football. I have decent skating and shot for a guy who never played hockey in a team. Still go shooting the puck now and then in the winter.
Have watched local teams here in Finland my whole life. In the '90s the coverage of the NHL wasn't that great and my knowledge of the league came from video games, hockey cards and results in the newspapers. My cousin had a cool cap with a logo of shark biting a hockey stick and I wanted that cool cap also (Thanks Santa!). Then came my first NHL video game, Nolan, Ricci, Marleau, Skullet man, Sharks' goalie masks... I was sold. Many times scored THE shootout goal against my friends. NHL was something mysterious and mythical back then and played a big part with our local teams that kept me on the ice day after day in winters.
The Sharks have stuck and now I'm too deep in this shit. Shame the home games start at 5 am in finnish time so can't watch them too often. But I try to remember to make a SNOG
Have watched local teams here in Finland my whole life. In the '90s the coverage of the NHL wasn't that great and my knowledge of the league came from video games, hockey cards and results in the newspapers. My cousin had a cool cap with a logo of shark biting a hockey stick and I wanted that cool cap also (Thanks Santa!). Then came my first NHL video game, Nolan, Ricci, Marleau, Skullet man, Sharks' goalie masks... I was sold. Many times scored THE shootout goal against my friends. NHL was something mysterious and mythical back then and played a big part with our local teams that kept me on the ice day after day in winters.
The Sharks have stuck and now I'm too deep in this shit. Shame the home games start at 5 am in finnish time so can't watch them too often. But I try to remember to make a SNOG
JungleBeat
Registered User
- Jul 25, 2007
- 4,538
- 5,566
I know this means Canadian interuniversity Sport, but I really was hoping it meant Commonwealth of Independent States and you played in Belarus or something.
Shark Finn
∀dministrator
Being a Finn I know how to skate by default, but never got into skating or hockey until I did my exchange studies in Sweden and joined an exchange student hockey team. I'm by no means good but in a group where many had never skated before, I was great (alongside one Canadian, one German and one Slovenian guy).
It was the most fun I've probably ever had and continued skating and going to an outdoor rink when I got back home and it has stuck now for a couple of years. I've trained my skating rigorously for quite a while and will probably get to the hockey part at some point too.
It was the most fun I've probably ever had and continued skating and going to an outdoor rink when I got back home and it has stuck now for a couple of years. I've trained my skating rigorously for quite a while and will probably get to the hockey part at some point too.
pappaf2
Registered User
I’m a born and raised Bay Area kid. Started to get into hockey with my friend and his older brother around 93 (shout out NHLPA 93 on snes). Started playing street hockey with them. I loved to rollerblade already at this point. I was actually a huge red wings fan and didnt like the sharks in the early-mid 90’s.
Started playing Peewee’s at Dublin Ice (Tri-Valley). I was not good at the beginning , played D on the peewee C team. Really had to work on my skating, specially backwards crossovers. I got progressively better over time, actually got to be a pretty good skater. Progressed upwards to the B levels of Peewee’s, bantams, and Midgets. I always gave 110% and loved nothing more than trying to crush people with body checks. Turns out adolescent boys might have some anger issues! One coach even inscribed my trophy at the end of the year as “most penalty minutes”.
By the time I made it into my last years of midgets and I stopped trying to annihilate everyone else on skates I became a more effective player. Got selected to play for midget A team my last year but I had to give it up due to some poor life choices.
About 10-15 years after high school I played a couple of years of inline hockey when they had a league in Lafayette but that was years ago at this point. Keep thinking about trying to get back into it but I have had a hard time committing to that.
Started playing Peewee’s at Dublin Ice (Tri-Valley). I was not good at the beginning , played D on the peewee C team. Really had to work on my skating, specially backwards crossovers. I got progressively better over time, actually got to be a pretty good skater. Progressed upwards to the B levels of Peewee’s, bantams, and Midgets. I always gave 110% and loved nothing more than trying to crush people with body checks. Turns out adolescent boys might have some anger issues! One coach even inscribed my trophy at the end of the year as “most penalty minutes”.
By the time I made it into my last years of midgets and I stopped trying to annihilate everyone else on skates I became a more effective player. Got selected to play for midget A team my last year but I had to give it up due to some poor life choices.
About 10-15 years after high school I played a couple of years of inline hockey when they had a league in Lafayette but that was years ago at this point. Keep thinking about trying to get back into it but I have had a hard time committing to that.
pappaf2
Registered User
Yeah I relate to those late night practices. Kind of shocking they have adolescents practicing that late on a school night. I remember drinking a Josta (for you youngsters that’s the first energy drink that was widely available) post practice and then wondering why I couldn't fall asleep!
SoftDumpInTheCorner
Registered User
Born and raised in San Jose, my obsession started just before the Sharks arrived. I was a Pens fan, more so Lemieux/Jagr fan. Then I attended my first hockey game Sharks v Oilers in the old Cow Palace. From there I was obsessed, I began skating everywhere possible on and off the ice with rollerblades. I begged my parents to let me to play ice hockey but they wanted to keep me in baseball and didnt want to spend the money for gear and leagues, mainly they knew nothing of the sport.
I ended up working at Gremic's Roller Hockey in downtown SJ in high school to pay for hockey, I used to spend my weekends at a local church black top in East SJ where a guy named Mike Ford would bring all sorts of equipment for anyone to play, he had two sets of goalie gear, two nets and extra sticks for anyone to play. It started with foot hockey then everyone transitioned to roller hockey. Many of the players from that group went to Rollin Ice at the fairgrounds, then to the plex and finally transitioned to ice.
Myself, I played forward/C early on because of my size and skating ability. Then transitioned to defense mainly because nobody wanted to play it and because of my skating it was an easy move. I had a pretty good shot that stung people if they got in the way, shattered someone's helmet with a roller puck
(anyone remember Hockey Workout and the puck chasing dog
) I played off and on during my 20's then finally years later I fully transitioned into ice and of course it felt right. Captained a few years at Sharks Ice and had to walk away because of constant injuries from freak accidents and also having a new born.
Fast forward my son is 6 years old and is starting his hockey journey on the ice, we both skate regularly just for him to work on his skating, he's going through a beginners hockey class that I hope translates to league play. But being on the ice is starting to rekindle that hockey fire to play again.
I ended up working at Gremic's Roller Hockey in downtown SJ in high school to pay for hockey, I used to spend my weekends at a local church black top in East SJ where a guy named Mike Ford would bring all sorts of equipment for anyone to play, he had two sets of goalie gear, two nets and extra sticks for anyone to play. It started with foot hockey then everyone transitioned to roller hockey. Many of the players from that group went to Rollin Ice at the fairgrounds, then to the plex and finally transitioned to ice.
Myself, I played forward/C early on because of my size and skating ability. Then transitioned to defense mainly because nobody wanted to play it and because of my skating it was an easy move. I had a pretty good shot that stung people if they got in the way, shattered someone's helmet with a roller puck
(anyone remember Hockey Workout and the puck chasing dog) I played off and on during my 20's then finally years later I fully transitioned into ice and of course it felt right. Captained a few years at Sharks Ice and had to walk away because of constant injuries from freak accidents and also having a new born.Fast forward my son is 6 years old and is starting his hockey journey on the ice, we both skate regularly just for him to work on his skating, he's going through a beginners hockey class that I hope translates to league play. But being on the ice is starting to rekindle that hockey fire to play again.
