Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

Any triathlete hockey players out there??
Quote | Reply
My brother in-law has successfully talked me into hitting the ice on Thursday. I can skate well but have never held a hockey stick in my life. I'm afraid I'm gonna love the experience (there is a lot of gear to buy :-) ) and sign up with a beginner adult league. I have 3 IM's on the docket next year to make 12. I don't care too much about time but need to put in hours to finally get into the 12 hour league as a personal goal.

Does anyone play hockey in addition to IM training?? Am I asking for trouble, is it doable?? Would love you hear your experiences and advice.


-----

I use http://www.needtomeet.com to find a time that works for everyone. Meetings, events, dinners, tri clubs ... business or pleasure, great tool!
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I played hockey in college. Coached college women and high School men. USA Hockey level 4 coach.

Cycling transfers right over to power skating and endurance on the ice. Don't worry about your stick...just keep it below your waist. Keep your head up. The game is 90% about skating and thinking.

As far as hockey and training you will be fine. The work you do in IM is going to put you in better shape than 95% of the beer leaguers. Honestly, looking out for the beer leaguers...the lower the level the more likely they are to hurt you because they don't know how to stop or this is their Stanley Cup. Im serious, a guy dislocated my AC joint and tore my labrum because I scored too many goals. It was a not contact league on top of that. Also, I have been put into the boards head first more times than I can remember....probably the concussions. This is one reason I took up endurance sports and one reason I am stoping playing hockey.

Edit: I am retiring from playing and perhaps we could work out a trade of some of my old gear for triathlon junk.
Last edited by: LifeTri: Nov 28, 17 14:47
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I play once a week, every week. From April to October it is Spring/Summer league on Thursdays for an hour then October to March is Winter league on Sundays for an hour. I have been playing over 40 years now. The cardio transfers over from biking, but the hands, that is a whole other matter. Playing hockey keeps me in touch with the guys I have been playing hockey with since 2nd grade. It is a nice break from the tri training and it is a great hamstring/gluteus workout. Also, it is a lot of sprinting for a minute, then sit on the bench for a minute, then repeat for 60 minutes. It is like interval training. It is a great change of pace from long and slow. This is short and fast. Just look at professional hockey players. I would say they are probably the most "inshape" athletes of any of the pro sports. Plus, they are tough as shit. Lose some teeth? Get stitched up and right back out there the next shift.

Charity is injurious unless it helps the recipient to become independent of it. John D. Rockefeller Sr.
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Like someone else said shouldn’t be too bad for you. I played in college and was immediately fast on the bike. So biking will help out.

With no contact there isn’t too much to worry about in hockey from an injury standpoint unless you absolutely can’t skate.

If you were playing in A league for adult I’d say you might be sore for the next day but in a beginner league I’m guessing it won’t be too big of a deal.
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I played before I got into triathlon and quit a few years after starting tri.

I could already skate cuz I was a speed skater in my teens to early twenties so all I needed to do is learn puck handling which I was never really that good at.

I was skating 5 to 6 times a week before tri then went down to 2 skates a week afterwards cuz I needed the time to swim, bike and run.

The thing about hockey is it takes you 3 hours to play 1 hour on the ice which is really 50 minutes. It's really time consuming.
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Hockey is fun. Good training for cycling.

You're gonna get killed on sport specific skills like puck handling... but I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Yes for many years... goalie. Haven't played for year though

"Suddenly the thought struck me. My floor is someone elses ceiling"-Nils Ferlin
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Played hockey my whole life. I've found that endurance fitness doesn't translate to hockey. At all. I can be in 9:30 IM shape and one hard shift and I'm huffing and puffing on the bench like a 300lb pack a day smoker. Play hockey. Have fun. But don't expect it to help you with triathlon.
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I play in a competitive "beer league" where there are plenty of former Jr B, Varsity and OHL players. It can get pretty fast and with 3 IM's behind me I can attest to the fitness that is earned through cycling. Although as I get older it is reaction time that suffers as I play against guys 10 to 15 years younger than me. I certainly hold my own skating but certain things are lost with age. It is great fun though and I'm not ready to age up yet in this because the game really slows down once I do that.
Have fun, its a great sport and the camaraderie is unmatched if you end up with a good group of guys.

Don't worry if you can fit it in. I have done plenty of one hour blasts on the trainer and hopped off and headed straight for the game after. I thought it was no big deal even skipping the bike in favor of the game as it is basically a VO2 max workout if you go hard enough. Tri was just another hobby like everything else. Some years it was a priority but I have always been happier and lived a more balanced live when it wasn't.

A false humanity is used to impose its opposite, by people whose cruelty is equalled only by their arrogance
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I play in a official senior league in Switzerland and additionally some beer league games. We train 2-3 times a week some 1.5h at a time and additionally play 1-2 games/week.

It is my main sport during winter (mid Oct to March) and think it is a great change of pace compared to tri. Pretty much a polar opposite as a sport. I don't know how much it translates as workout, but I haven't been doing too bad (<9.30, 2xKQ in 2 attempts). I think any sport is good, doesn't really matter that much what you do in winter as long as you do something and get the hours in.

I do do some running, swimming and cycling also, but here a word of warning. Don't do long runs and go play hockey. The small muscles and nerves responsible for your balance get tired and skating in game situations becomes more difficult and this can lead to injury. I did this last year, although with x-country skiing and running and ended up breaking my ankle in a game. It was a stupid accident, but I am sure my tired state contributed significantly.
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Thank you all for your comments!! Much appreciated. Will be on the ice in 24hrs.

-Steven


-----

I use http://www.needtomeet.com to find a time that works for everyone. Meetings, events, dinners, tri clubs ... business or pleasure, great tool!
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Played my entire life, and at one point got paid for it. You'll enjoy the bike strength gained from skating. Biggest issue is getting hurt, especially in beer league. We play 3-4 times a week and I'll half ass it some skates and avoid the corners just to avoid potential risks. You'll enjoy the ability to skate all game, while most will gas mid second period (so take it easy early and then bury them with fast breaks later on).

I find hockey a great way to get some sprints in, but at my age (almost 40) and my past injury history, it's best to take it easy out there.
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I played a lot of ice hockey prior to college, at the local/state/regional level, and got pretty good at it. Was always good on skates. I would love to get back into it with my current fitness level.

FWIW, I picked up cycling *relatively* quickly after hockey. I had very strong legs from a lot of skating.

You may find it helps with anaerobic ability/top end. It's also an absolute blast, so even if it does nothing for you, who cares.

"Don't you have to go be stupid somewhere else?"..."Not until 4!"
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I played on a Wednesday night league for years. Some of the older guys retired and so we had to bring in younger guys who never adhered to the rule we had about no slap shots when there are players in front of you. Couple older guys took some hard shots off their shoulders and ankles and a couple of them broke their ankles. That's when I stopped playing as at the time I had 1000's of $ tied up in triathlon and didn't want to ruin my racing because some kid felt like he needed to win the Stanley Cup that night.
I still miss it.
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I first got on the ice at the age of 30 with a bunch of guys in the same boat - from the lowest div in beer league (9 in our case) where there were more of us on our ass than standing most of the game to (the same team) div 2 where I spent most of my time trying to stay out of the way of the guys who had played their whole life!

I had played lots of street and some inline hockey so that helped but I found the fitness also helped with recovery between shifts and later in the game when everyone else slowed down. I found it was a great break from sbr while getting a good top end interval workout (the times I wore my hrm, my peaks each shift were as high as any hard track workout). I also found the lateral movement and start / stop nature of the movement to be great for core and hip stability / strength which is typically weak with only tri training - really helped run durability imo.

I stopped, like others, because there was just a few too many guys that still felt there were pro scouts in the stands and they had a chance on draft day even at the age of 40+ - to be fair this was more in league hockey and the rec pick-up I have occasionally played since didn’t have this unwanted element (may just have been a good group as they all knew each other and had played as a group at the time time for years vs anonymous drop-in).
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
As others have said, as long as you can skate you'll be fine. Just keep your stick down and head up and have fun. It's a great anaerobic workout where you'll hit VO2 max in successive 60-second shifts, but you'll find you'll recover quick on the bench and be ready to go back out where some other guys may need some more time to recover or be dragging towards the end of the game. I play once a week and am on the ice a few times during the week coaching my daughter's team and it is good cross-training. Enjoy!



"You can never win or lose if you don't run the race." - Richard Butler

Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
In terms of training/playing hockey is a real time suck in terms of physical fitness. For an hour ice session you need to get to drive to the rink, get there 15-20 minutes before the ice time to get the gear one, play for an hour and then get undressed/shower.

I referee a lot of hockey and I love it, but I basically decided a few years ago that I couldn't play, referee, and train at the same time. Since my officiating helps to offset my summer triathlon costs I cut out scrub hockey.

Initially you might find some muscle imbalances but in the long run you're really going to be using your core a lot more and that can only help your riding and run form.
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I have played hockey my entire life and have continued to play while competing as a triathlete.

I think it's a good offseason activity. For me, it's a nice break from the triathlon training and a time to just go hang out with the guys and have fun. I don't look at is a training really and generally just fit it in along with the other training that I am doing. At the same time, I don't think it takes away from my training at all and it's likely a good switch for my body. Doing some activity that isn't linear. It also transfers to cycling as some others have said.

Good luck :) It's a fun sport but one thing to keep in mind is that skating is like swimming in a lot of ways. If you've done it your whole life it comes easy.. if you haven't.. it can be a struggle.

Team Every Man Jack
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [stevepiv] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
stevepiv wrote:
Thank you all for your comments!! Much appreciated. Will be on the ice in 24hrs.

-Steven

I've played hockey for the last two years.

However, where I live both "hockey" and "being on ice" are very different to what you're talking about.
Quote Reply
Re: Any triathlete hockey players out there?? [rj_tri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
rj_tri wrote:
I have played hockey my entire life and have continued to play while competing as a triathlete.

I think it's a good offseason activity. For me, it's a nice break from the triathlon training and a time to just go hang out with the guys and have fun. I don't look at is a training really and generally just fit it in along with the other training that I am doing. At the same time, I don't think it takes away from my training at all and it's likely a good switch for my body. Doing some activity that isn't linear. It also transfers to cycling as some others have said.

Good luck :) It's a fun sport but one thing to keep in mind is that skating is like swimming in a lot of ways. If you've done it your whole life it comes easy.. if you haven't.. it can be a struggle.


Having done both sports, I have to say that the road to be an accomplished adult onset hockey player, is harder than swimming. Simply because the skill set is very complex - skate in all directions, puck handling, teamwork, passing, checking, shooting and understanding what it means to be a goon.

I gave up hockey 4? years ago, after completely blind-side leveled by a Major Jr. A defenceman that was playing in our league. It was an SOB move, my back, ribs, shoulder were cranked and a bit of a concussion (I was wearing my neck wrap). Took 4 weeks of easy swimming to recover. So after 1000+ games and some 30 years, I tossed my #81 into the pile for good.

It's the best game tho, imo. A video game in real life.

Training Tweets: https://twitter.com/Jagersport_com
FM Sports: http://fluidmotionsports.com
Quote Reply