Top 5 Snacks for Hockey Players
When kids are having a snack attack, how do you get beyond the junk food to something satisfying they will actually eat? First, be sure you keep these 5 everyday snack foods on hand, in your car and in the hockey bags to quash the hunger before you end up succumbing to the lure of vending machines and convenience stores. Everyday snacks—that you eat when you’re hungry and it isn’t mealtime— play an important role in keeping energy levels up throughout the day and taming hunger. (Later, we’ll take on the topic of performance boosting snacks required before, during and after practices and games.)
Used Hockey Equipment: What Is It Really Worth?
There’s no doubt that you can save money by buying used hockey equipment. But can you really make much by selling your used equipment? Is it worth the time and hassle of cleaning it up and then trying to sell it yourself or dropping it off at a resale shop? It depends on what your time is worth. A peek inside the workings of Play It Again Sports (PIAS) gives you an idea how much you’ll really get for equipment in good condition.
Glossary: Shoot Left, Shoot Right?
Ever scrambled around the rink, begging to borrow a stick because your player’s was lost, broken or—as is usually the case—forgotten at home. (Or, and we’ve all been there, locked in your spouse’s car. At work. Or at the airport.) When this happens, you’ll find out right away that you need to worry about more than the height of the stick. You need to know whether your kid “shoots left” or “shoots right.” Read more
Why 20/20 May Not Mean Perfect Vision
You know about visualization, right. In a player’s mind, he sees himself making the perfect pass to his linemate or imagines the puck whizzing past the goalie into the net. He feels the satisfaction of moving the puck down the ice and the excitement of scoring. But what if it doesn’t work for your kid? Your child winds up frustrated because his shot didn’t look the same on the ice as it did in his mind. Before you decide hockey just isn’t his sport, let an optometrist (not the pediatrician) check his eyes. Your child might have 20/20 eyesight, but still have a vision problem.
Glossary: The Give-and-Go
It’s frowned upon for hockey spectators to get up while the puck is in play. In fact, it’s more than frowned upon at NHL games, where the ushers won’t let you back into your section until the play stops. And if you know anything about hockey, you know that the puck is almost always in play—unlike those bathroom-break friendly sports of football, basketball and (of course) baseball. A big part of this is offensive tactics such as the give-and-go, which keeps the puck and players in motion.
Survival of the Fittest: Girls on Boys Teams
Girls hockey has come a long ways in the past several years, but many areas still lack a good all-girls teams. So if a girl wants to play good hockey—or sometimes even hockey at all—she will likely find herself on a coed team, which we all know means almost all boys. Playing on a boys team is not a big deal before checking is introduced (at PeeWee, age 11) and puberty hits. But as the game and players change, girls have to decide whether to continue playing with the boys or not.
Q&A: How to Fuel Up for Hockey
Q: It feels like planning and feeding my son to sustain his activity level and performance in hockey has become my third full-time job (behind parenting and my day job). It can be a little overwhelming and time consuming to make sure he eats properly before a practice or game—with enough time for the food to be digested and accessible to his muscles—and planning for his recovery drink, planning what he should eat between games at tournaments, etc. Any “fuel” guidance or tips you suggest would be appreciated. —Chef Mom
Help, My Kid Wants to Play Goalie!
Starting your child in hockey is a big decision. First, you have to figure out how much it will cost for equipment, transportation and registration, and then you have to fit games and practices into your busy schedule. Then, just when you think everything is running smoothly, your child tells you he wants to play goalie—the most expensive position in youth sports. What should you do?
Q&A: How Not to Get Hurt Playing Hockey
Q: My biggest concern as a new ice hockey parent is how to keep my son from getting hurt. It is so physical and I cringe every time he goes flying across the ice. As soon as someone gets the puck, they are a target! He has been playing inline hockey since he was 5, and is now playing high school ice hockey for the first time. —First-time hockey mom
Why to Play Soccer and Lacrosse
Everyone pays lip service to the idea that playing other sports in the off-season will make you a better ice hockey player. But how can that be true? How can kicking a ball on grass improve your ability to balance on a skate blade the width of a steak knife? How will whacking a player with your lacrosse stick translate to legal play in hockey? Skills aside, other sports start by helping you maintain your fitness level in the off-season. And many skills you acquire and perfect in other sports do directly relate to ice hockey.
