Last Updated on January 2, 2021 by HodgePodgeDays
I’ve been an ice hockey fan since the mid 90’s and I’ve loved going to watch my local team, Manchester Storm play ever since. Last Christmas we took the small boy along to watch Manchester Storm play their arch rivals, The Sheffield Steelers. Now he is six, we’re starting to think about cultivating a bit of on ice confidence in him. Starting off with learning to skate, and maybe eventually picking up a stick and wanting to learn to play Ice Hockey for himself.
The overprotective mother in me does have a slight moment of panic at the thought of him wanting to learn to play Ice Hockey. Its a rough tough sport and not for the faint-hearted. But I’ve been around ice hockey long enough to know that the players are really well protected and serious accidents are thankfully very rare.
Just down the road from us, at the Silver Blades Ice Rink in Altrincham, they offer skating lessons as well as a whole range of skating sessions. We think this would be a good place to start him off, especially as he’s familiar with the rink from when we go and watch Manchester Storm games. It’s a friendly rink with a great family friendly atmosphere and lots of community spirit.
I’ve been doing a bit of reading and in order to learn how to play ice hockey, you need to be able to skate at level 5 or above. The course at the Silver Blades Ice Rink in Altrincham is approved by the English Ice Hockey Association. There is a lot of equipment and kit involved in ice hockey, but hey will be able to provide you with some equipment such as a helmet / neck guard and a stick to start off with, but you should have your own skates at least.
In the UK there are some specialist companies like Proline Skates who stock specialist ice hockey skates, protective wear and equipment, as well as lots of other general and specialist skates and skating equipment.
Their ice hockey lessons at the Silver Blades Ice Rink in Altrincham are currently £10 per session, and they will teach you more advanced skating skills, balance control, puck control and shooting.
Ice hockey is a growing sport in the UK. There is a lot of love for the game and the grassroots support for ice hockey is huge. It’s a little bit niche, but I think that’s probably why it’s so well loved. I would love it if my boy would like to get involved too.
– This is a collaborative post –
Great to see someone else showing interest in the sport I love. I was brought up watching the Durham wasps and more recently the defunct Newcastle vipers. Good luck to your son. Hope to meet you in a rink sometime.
@gfnncl
Oh I’ve loved ice hockey for 20 odd years now, hockey fans are the friendliest people and it’s such a great sport. Thanks for commenting.