If you have played hockey throughout your life then you have likely heard the term beer league. This level of hockey is not the most competitive but it allows older players to keep enjoying the game they love.
Beer league hockey is a lower competition recreational hockey league meant for players that have aged out of most hockey leagues. For the most part, beer leagues are going to be made up of players that only get on the ice once a week.
Since most players in a beer league are older the physicality of the game is greatly reduced in these leagues. Injury risks are higher due to age and players usually have a job and a family to get back to once the game is over.
Do’s And Don’ts Of Beer League Hockey
Like most sports, beer league hockey comes with some written rules and some unwritten rules. Follow this list of dos or don’ts to make sure you aren’t breaking any cardinal rules of beer league hockey.
Do’s
Keep It Fun
One of the most important aspects of playing beer league hockey is having fun. Even though hockey can be a competitive sport in most leagues you may want to dial it back a little in beer league.
Players should be playing hard throughout the game but you want to reduce the aggression of the game try to enjoy it as much as you can.
A good beer league hockey game should be competitive enough to keep you entertained but should always be a fun experience.
Back Check
Another key thing to do in beer league hockey is to back check. A lot of players in these leagues aren’t in the best of hockey shape. This means on rushes it is not uncommon for a player to get tired and abandon his back check.
This leads to tons of 2 and 1’s and 3 on 1’s in which the last defenseman and the goaltender have little to no chance. Though these will likely happen from time to time with your team it is something that you want to avoid as it does not make the game very fun for the defense or goalie.
Try your best to backcheck when possible in order to make sure you aren’t leaving your defensive players out there to dry.
Pass The Puck
One age old piece of hockey advice that still stands in beer leagues is passing the puck. Tons of players spend their time in beer league attempting to relive their glory days of hockey. Just because you dangled a couple guys in the 90’s doesn’t mean you have to try and recreate it every game.
Make sure to move the puck around when you play on your beer league team. This sort of playmaking is going to make your team more successful and will also increase the chances that you are going to earn yourself a pass back.
Don’ts
Yell At The Referee
Plenty of teams in beer leagues have the guy that always takes the game a little too seriously. These players will play hard for you but their over the top competitiveness can make the game a worse experience.
This is especially true when they start going after the officials. It’s totally normal to be upset with a bad call but once you start yelling at the ref things have gone too far. In most cases, it isn’t going to have any effect on the game not too mention it’s just beer league the result is not a huge deal.
Go Too Hard In Dangerous Situations
One thing you really want to be aware of when playing beer league is to take it easy in dangerous situations. A lot of times players in beer league are going to be middle aged. This means they can easily be one fall away from a serious injury.
This is why when heading in to a corner or fighting for a loose puck near the boards you want to be careful. Even if you aren’t going for a hit a fast paced battle for the puck can easily result in an awkward fall into the boards.
In order to keep all the players safe be aware of potential injuries and do your best to keep everyone on the ice safe.
Chirp After The Game
Another frowned upon part of beer league is players that continue chirping after the game. If you want to get into some light banter in the game that is fair play as chirping is part of hockey.
But once it comes to the handshake line it’s time to shake hands and shut up. Despite beer league not being a serious league not all players have the best control over their temper.
Chirping after the game does nothing but stir the pot and ultimately makes you seem like a hardo. If you do decide to chirp a little bit when playing beer league be sure to take it easy once the final whistle blows.