Hockey Equipment 101: The Basics- Blog

• Jock –Make sure that fits snug and properly or it could be painful if you were to get hit.  For female hockey players, the equivalent of a jock is a jill.

• Shin pads – Shin pads are a very critical part of your equipment.  When people are shooting the puck, you are most likely to get hit in the shins.  When purchasing shin pads, make sure they cover your whole shin, even down to your ankles.

• Pants –  Hockey pants have padding covering the thighs, tail bone as well as the hips.  The protection around the hips is crucial for body contact (such as hip checks) but it is also great protection for when you fall.  Make sure that your hockey pants fit snug and the bottom of the pants cover your thigh completely.  This should also cover the tops of the shin pads and minimize the amount of unprotected leg.

• Chest protector – The chest protector should cover most (if not all) your stomach, back, shoulders, and part of your arms.  The sleeve of the protection should come down a little before your elbow.  This gives some room for the elbow pad to fit right below the sleeve’s end.

• Elbow pads – The elbow pads should fit snugly around your elbow.  If it’s too tight, you will have trouble bending your arm which will cause some problems holding the stick.  Some elbow pads have protection which goes down the forearm a bit.  .

• Helmet with Cage– The helmet is the most important piece of protection you want to get.  When playing hockey, it is ILLEGAL to wear anything other than a CSA certified hockey helmet.   The helmet should fit snug on the head and you should adjust your chin strap accordingly.  The chin strap is there to ensure your helmet doesn’t fly off when you fall or get hit.  Ensure that you wear your helmet properly to reduce the risk of concussions.

• Gloves – The gloves are another key piece of equipment.  They protect your hands. .  There are certain styles of glove which can extend further up the wrist.

• Skates –  Like purchasing shoes, you want to get a pair that fit nicely.

• Neck guards – The neck guard protects your neck from possibly getting slashed or cut and it provides some padding in case you get hit.   In Canada, it is illegal to play a regulation game without a neck guard, but the mouth guard is optional.

 

• Hockey stick – This is probably the most diverse category of equipment because of the the variety of curves, brands, materials, flexibility, and ways to customize it.  If you are just beginning to play hockey, If you shoot left your left hand is the lower hand on the stick.  A left handed stick curves right while holding it.  Right handed shooters have their right hand lower on the stick and the curve is to the left.

Jerseys and socks – This is where you represent your team colours!! Of course, the socks go over your shin pads and can fasten to your jock or jill with Velcro or hooks.  The jersey goes over your chest protector and elbow pads.  Helpful hint: The number on your jersey faces the back and the logo faces the front.

original article: