Getting Back on the Ice with Newha Hockey
So, I decided to get back into hockey. It’s been years, really. Stumbled across something called “newha hockey”. Wasn’t sure what it was exactly, sounded like some local league or maybe just a regular pickup game group that gave itself a name. Figured, why not? Gotta start somewhere.
First thing was digging out my old gear. Man, that stuff was ancient. Found my skates, helmet, gloves. The pads… well, let’s just say they’d seen better decades. Had to bite the bullet and get some new stuff. Went down to the local shop, spent a bit more than I wanted, but what can you do? Skates needed sharpening too, obviously. Felt weird just walking around in the gear again after so long.
Found out where these “newha hockey” guys played. Just an local rink, nothing fancy. Sent a message, got a reply telling me when they skate. Showed up that first night, feeling a bit nervous, honestly. Like the new kid at school, but everyone’s older and probably way better than me now.
The First Skate
Stepping onto the ice… woof. Legs felt like jelly. My balance was all over the place. Took a few laps just to get the feel back. The other guys were already warming up, passing pucks around. It was a mixed bag, skill-wise. Some guys could really fly, others were more like me, just trying not to fall too often.
We did some basic drills:
- Passing drills, trying to get the timing right.
- Some simple skating patterns, forwards, backwards crossovers (those were rough).
- Shooting on the goalie. My shot was pathetic at first.
Then we just scrimmaged for the last hour or so. It wasn’t super intense, more about getting touches and moving around. I tried to keep it simple, make easy passes, not get caught out of position too much. Managed to not completely embarrass myself, which felt like a win.
Sticking With It
I kept going back. Week after week. It wasn’t always easy. Some nights I was tired after work, didn’t feel like dragging my gear down to the rink. But I pushed myself to go. Slowly, things started coming back. My skating got smoother, my hands felt a bit less like stone. Started to recognize the other regulars, learned some names. Good bunch of guys, mostly.
The “newha hockey” thing? Turned out it was just what they called their regular Tuesday night skate. No big mystery. Just guys who wanted to play hockey. We chipped in for ice time, brought light and dark jerseys, and just played.
What I Got Out Of It
It’s been good, honestly. It’s exercise, gets me out of the house. It’s challenging trying to keep up sometimes, but it feels good when you make a decent play or stop a puck. Met some people I wouldn’t have met otherwise. It’s just hockey, nothing more, nothing less. Glad I found this “newha hockey” skate night and actually followed through. It’s a good reminder that sometimes you just gotta show up and do the thing.
