Thanks to Joe from backyard-hockey.com for writing this guest post

This guide explains how to build a rink from scratch, if you are looking for a backyard kit that can be re-used you could consider picking one up on this page you can use our coupon code  HOWHCKY001   for $10 off. If you are looking to build your own, this guide should be all you need, any specialty products you may need (or want) are linked to in the article.

Building your own backyard hockey rink

As any hockey player knows, having an open sheet of clean ice is a rare and beautiful thing. I can remember back in high school, our team practiced right after school ended each day. As seniors, we’d set up our class schedule to have the last period free, meaning we could get to the rink with a full hour to go before practice officially started. To be the first one on that perfect afternoon ice was to have heaven all to yourself — to breathe in that beautiful rink smell, to feel the cold air sweep by your face, to be the first to carve ice with steel. In those solitary minutes, everything was right in the world. Before long, the ice was crowded with teammates and coaches, the structure of another practice in full swing, the perfect open ice gone for another day.

I didn’t build my first rink until I was 28. I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing, and I was a bit nervous, but when the boards were up and the liner was in and the water truck was parked in front of my house, I knew it would be incredible. And it was. A few days after we filled, the ice hard and my two-year-old son asleep, I turned on the floodlights and snuck out back, Bauers slung over Sher-Wood. I tied the cold laces and stood up. For the first time in a decade I felt the rush of clean, smooth, untarnished ice, the same feeling that had me sprinting for my car each afternoon as a teenager. The ice was mine and mine alone, just as it was then.

Building and maintaining a backyard rink is hard work, and nobody who has done it will tell you otherwise. But I’ll stop short of saying it’s difficult — and there is a difference. Chopping firewood and shoveling snow is hard work. Calculus and brain surgery are difficult. That’s to say that with proper planning and good instruction, everyone reading this can build a rink in their backyard. You just need to do a bit of homework first.

For all intents and purposes, a backyard rink is nothing more than an above-ground swimming pool, albeit one with only a few inches of water. When it comes to how to build it and what to use, there are literally thousands of variations, each rink as different as the person who builds it. But each one shares three common (and mandatory) components: boards, bracing, and a liner. Some folks in very cold climates will pack down snow and flood it, using snowbanks as boards. I don’t live in a climate that supports that, so I won’t be talking about that here. But what I will give you below is a rough idea of how most people I know build their rinks – me and my customers included.

Before we get into the materials, you’ll need to determine if your yard is suitable for a rink. I wrote a post on this process recently, but I’ll summarize it for you. The way to do this is by using wooden stakes, string, a line level, and a tape measure to determine your yard’s slope. Start by staking out the four corners of your would-be rink, visually determining which of these four corners is the high point. This will be the corner of your rink with the least ice thickness — we shoot for 4″ at a minimum. With your string tied to this stake 4″ off the ground, run the string to a different corner, attaching your line level to the middle of the string. When the string is level, measure how far off the ground the string is at the second stake. If your high corner is 4″ and the string is at 10″, then you know you have a 6″ slope and that your ice will be 10″ thick at this corner. Repeat these steps for the other two corners, making sure to write your numbers down. Once you know your water depth around the entire rink, you can move on to the rest of your build. (Note: many new rinkbuilders opt to skip this step, often saying “my yard looks level”. I hear this every year, and many of these people are surprised when the water is running over their deep end boards while the shallow end has exposed liner. Don’t be one of those people — they tend to have angry and disappointed kids.) Need more detail? Here’s a blog post on the process.

The Boards

For the most part, you’re looking at using one of three options: plywood, two-by lumber, or backyard rink specific boards like the thermoplastic pieces made by Nicerink. Which option you choose depends on things like budget, availability, and the aforementioned water height. For example, if your water height is 25″ in your deep end, then you won’t be able to use the Nicerink boards (which are 18″ tall) or 2x lumber. But if you’re lucky, and your yard cooperates, you have a choice to make. The Nicerink boards, part of a collection of Nicerink products made specifically for backyard rinks, are the best money can buy, and will last decades. But they’re not cheap, and so many rookie rinkbuilders opt for plywood or 2×12 lumber. The 2×12 (or 2×8, or 2×15, or…) lumber is thick and sturdy, but is heavy and not easily stored in the offseason. The plywood is inexpensive and easy to cut into strips, but tends to flex more and won’t last as long. So while all three kinds are viable and used throughout the backyard rink community, one may suit your yard, budget, and needs more than the others.

The Bracing

A rink is only as good as the bracing used to support it. In general, water HATES being confined inside a backyard rink, and so when you fill your rink, that water works hard to push your boards outwards. It’s the bracing you use on the perimeter of your rink that keeps the water in and allows it to freeze. What you use to brace your boards is a function of the board material you chose, your slope, and your budget. Nicerink makes a triangular bracket with 6″ spikes along the bottom which are great because they accept Nicerink boards and 3/4″ plywood. Others have used wooden stakes, rebar, homemade triangular brackets, 2×4′s pressed up against the boards at a 45-degree angle, or even fence poles. A search online will yield dozens of designs, and it’s impossible to rank one over the other. For the most part, we advise that you put your bracing every four feet around the perimeter of the rink unless your water is more than a foot deep. If it’s deeper, make it every two feet. But there’s a rule I subscribe to, and that’s that there is no such thing as too much bracing. There IS such thing as too little. So err on the side of caution, particularly in your first year, and brace the ever-living crap out of your rink. It beats the alternative.

The Liner

The third component of your rink is the liner. I sell Nicerink liners (and use them on my own rink), but I’ve found that most communities will have a handful of places that sell tarps or sheeting suitable for rinks. The important things to note are thickness (thicker is better) and color. Ideally you want white or clear, because anything dark (like those blue tarps) will attract the sun and impact your ice quality.

Everything Else

As I said earlier, the boards, bracing, and liner are the three most important things you’ll need to build your own rink. But there are dozens of accessories available to enhance your experience. Most of my customers opt for yellow foam bumper caps, which help keep the liner in place while you fill and provide a soft, safe surface atop your boards. Lighting is another thing to think about, and it doesn’t have to be fancy. I have three work lights (the same kind you get at a home improvement store) attached to 2×4′s. You may not think you’ll skate at night, but the lights certainly help when it comes time for resurfacing. And that’s another thing you’ll want to think about getting: a resurfacer. Nicerink sells one (of course), and it’s a beauty, but there are instructions for building your own on my blog for a fraction of the cost. Regardless of which one you choose, using a resurfacer is the best way to get indoor-quality ice.

The Build

When I build rinks for my customers, I break my services into three visits, and they mimic the work you’ll need to do each season. The first is the frame build, which you’ll want to do before the ground freezes. This is because you’ll want to make sure you can pound your bracket of choice into the ground. Many people do this step between late November and early December.

The next step is the liner placement. You can’t really schedule this step, as it’s entirely weather dependent. You’ll need to look at the long-range forecast for your area, and target a cold snap that is 20 degrees(F) or colder at night and 32 degrees (F) during the day. Then, and only then, will you unroll your liner, carefully position it within your rink, and start to fill. Some tricks for this step:

-When you unroll your liner, make sure it’s flush against both your boards and the ground all around the perimeter. If it’s not, the water pressure could tear the liner as you fill. Order a liner large enough to drape over the outside of your boards, allowing for plenty of slack as you fill.
-Don’t EVER staple your liner to your boards before you’re completely full. Uuse the bumper caps, or inexpensive spring clamps, to hold the liner in place on fill day.
-Have some extra board material and bracing on hand the first time you fill. In subsequent years you’ll know what to expect, but whenever I build a new rink, I keep extra brackets or wooden stakes on hand in case I notice any board flexion as the water level rises.

The last step is rink teardown, which you’ll want to do as soon as the last bit of ice thaws. This is a sad but necessary job, particularly if you have grass underneath that you want to grow. Some people will roll up their liner and reuse it the next year. I’m partial to buying a brand new one so I don’t have to worry about holes when I go to fill the second season. It gives me peace of mind.

So while it would take me 10,000 words to tell you all I know about backyard rinks, this is a good summary that will work for just about every yard and budget. I have also summarized the tips below

Ten Tips for Having the Perfect Backyard Hockey Rink

Joe runs Baackyard-Hockey you can visit the blog here Backyard-Hockey.com, it has a bunch of how-to articles that go into each step in depth. Please bookmark that site if you’re thinking about building yourself. His other company, Elite Backyard Rinks, was created to help people who aren’t really interested in the DIY thing but still want a rink. They are an authorized distributor of Nicerink products, and even if you’re not in their service area (NH, MA, ME), they can help order your parts and get you connected to an installer in their network. And by all means, if you have any questions or need clarifications, leave a comment here, hitthem up on either of our Facebook pages (B-H.com – EBR), or reach out via Twitter.

I wish you the best of luck. Building rinks is not the easiest thing you ever do, but it may well be the most rewarding.

I think I might have a problem, I just can’t bring myself to throw out my broken hockey sticks. Many people pay over $100 for a stick, so when it breaks half way through the season it might be hard to accept the $100 loss and throw the hockey stick out. In this article I will share a few things that you can do with broken hockey sticks. I also have a video showing you how you can build your own defencemen to use while practicing your stickhandling and dekes.

Stick a Blade in it

If you have a one piece hockey stick and you break the blade, or pretty close to the blade you can continue to use the shaft, this is very easy to do.

• Take off the grip from the top of the stick, this is where the blade will go
• Buy a blade from the store
• Heat the glue up with a heat gun, or over the stove (try not to drop glue on the burner)
• Jam that blade in there, tape the spot where your blade USED to be, and you are good to go.

There are a few disadvantages to doing this, the stick might be shorter you are used to (depending where it broke) and also some high-end sticks have a specific technologies. For example many sticks have the kick-point manufactured into the stick, by flipping the stick the kick point will be at the top rather than at the bottom.

Give it to Your Kids, or make a street hockey stick

If the stick broke near the blade, you can flip it and put a blade in it like mentioned above. If the stick is too short after doing this you can keep it for ball hockey or road hockey, or give it to your kids (if you have any)

If the stick broke in the middle of the shaft just cut the jagged part off the shaft, tape a grip on it and give it to your kids to use for road hockey or mini sticks.

Make A Defencemen

This is my favourite option as it will help you improve your skills and you get a free hockey training aid. I did this as a kid and use it quite a bit, I just made another one and thought I would share it with my readers.

More Uses Suggested by Readers

• Collect a few and make a “tree” out of it. Use the hockey stick tree to hang your gear on for it to dry out after a game
• Attach a weight to it and use it to strengthen your wrists
• Buy a road hockey blade (they are plastic and slide over the shaft) and use it for road hockey (similar to my suggestion above) A broken hockey stick = a NEW road hockey stick
• Use it to hold up tomato plants (for the Italians out there )

What have you used broken hockey sticks for? Let me know in the comments section below.

The guys at Rink Gear are hosting a jersey design contest to find a hockey jersey for How To Hockey. If you, or anyone you know has a knack for design they can submit a design on the how to hockey jersey contest page. You can also visit that link to see the most recent designs, I have included a few below.

Hey, this is sort of an impulse post but after watching this video I am really disgusted and feel I need to share this with other hockey players. In this video a hockey player attacks another hockey player with his stick. Let me get one thing straight THAT IS NOT HOCKEY. A hockey stick should NEVER be used to hurt another player. If you EVER think about hitting another player with your stick PLEASE just drop the stick on the ice so you won’t be tempted. What would happen if you killed another player, or severely injured them? It could happen and it’s just not worth it, so please just vow never to hit another player with your stick. Sticks are for making passes, scoring goals, and riding on after your score

Disgrace to Hockey

The Hockey Community is a new website that I know is going to be a household name among hockey players in no time. The site allows hockey players to follow arenas in their area. If someone is organizing a game they can post it on the site, and everyone who follows that rink will be notified. This is a great way to organize pick-up games, and a great way for hockey players to get more ice time and meet new people.

It is really easy to sign up, and I already have. It might be a bit empty on the site right now, but they are getting new members around the clock and they have been featured on CBC (and How To Hockey )

You can sign up here

Now that we are nearing the summer, and many players will be wrapping up their hockey season, many players and hockey parents may be thinking of what hockey camp to enroll their children in. This seems like the obvious answer to help keep your child’s hockey skills up par, but have you considered other sports instead of hockey? 

Some people may not realize that you can really increase some of  your hockey skills by not playing hockey at all! Don’t believe me? Just ask some of the pros 

Here is a quote I found on the  Port Coquitlam Minor Lacrosse Association site, from Wayne Gretzky, originally posted in the National Post March 2000 

Wayne Gretzky –  ”If sport has a high point of the year, it must be the first week of spring.” “…When I was growing up, I used to love this time of year. It was when I put my hockey equipment away and I was absolutely ecstatic to see the end of the hockey season. One of the worst things to happen to the game, in my opinion, has been year-round hockey and, in particular, summer hockey. “All it does for kids, as far as I can tell, is keep them out of sports they should be doing in warmer weather. I could hardly wait to get my lacrosse stick out and start throwing the ball around. It didn’t matter how cold or rainy it would be, we’d be out firing the ball against walls and working on our moves as we played the lacrosse equivalent to road hockey.” “All the good hockey players seemed to play lacrosse in those days and everyone of them learned something from the game to carry over to the other – things athletes can only learn by mixing up games they play when they are young.”

Here is another quote from Peter Twists Complete Conditioning for Ice Hockey “[What advice would Gretzky have for a young player?] [For young athletes Gretzky recommends, “that they do not focus on one sport. Kids should play all sports. Varied sport participation will help their hand-eye coordination and improve their overall conditioning and athleticism. Team sports, at a young age, also help them learn to be unselfish.” 

If that is not enough for you here is another quote from Peter Twists book from a former NHL player and current NHL coach, Pat Quinn “One thing I don’t like about our game today is that one sport takes too much time from the kids. If they’re hockey players when they’re seven, it’s a 12 month job now, with summer camps and a heavy game schedule. This works against overall development of skill and athletic ability. I’d much rather see kids play as many team sports as they can.” 

I think I have your attention now, you may be asking what sports will your child enjoy, but also help them come back next season as a better hockey player? I have written several articles that sum up how each sport will help build your child’s overall athleticism, and also help them develop some great skills for hockey.  (linked at the bottom of this article)

I think it is a good idea to compete in many sports in order to be a good overall athlete. Many pro athletes also played a number of other sports, and I think that helped them become a complete player. One point to consider is the fact that muscles plateau, muscles will plateau if only worked to a certain point. I think the same goes with muscle memory, as well as building muscle mass, if you only play hockey, you will only be testing the muscles involved in hockey. Playing other sports will test and build your muscles, and muscle paterns in ways that hockey would not. This means that some areas will grow beyond any level you could achieve while playing hockey, helping to make you an elite athlete.  If you do not believe me that playing a variety sports will help you in hockey, just ask Wayne Gretzky and Pat Quinn  

How Soccer will improve your hockey skills 

How Tennis / Squash will improve your hockey skills 

How lacrosse will help improve your hockey skills

I hope you enjoyed these articles, feel free to share these with friends.

Photo credits: Hockey Boards – William Seested, Wayne Gretzky – Hakim Dahlstrom

Thanks for reading

Hello Everyone

For the past few months we have been talking at you, but not with you. I thought I would take a break and introduce myself.

My friend and I have been working hard over the last few months to bring some great hockey tips to the online hockey community. We have been working so hard at making videos, articles and getting the word out there that we haven’t even taken the time to stop and say hello to our friends / followers (how rude eh). I thought I would take the time to introduce myself, and hopefully you will do the same

Jeremy

So that’s me, Jeremy. I live in Ontario and love to play hockey. I have a full time job that I balance with playing sports (mostly hockey) and working on this site. I have played hockey since I could walk and hope to continue to play until I can not walk anymore! I am a forward and love to dangle and of course score goals.

Ken

This is Ken, he is my best friend and biggest rival on the ice (when we are playing against each other) Ken played some competitive hockey in Alberta and then moved to Ontario to go to college (where we met). Ken is a defensive specialist, has a rocket of a shot and a few nifty dangles as well. He will be adding most of the defensive articles to the site.

What is the Point of this Website?

The point of this website is to get some really solid hockey instruction, articles, drills and how to videos online. When I was growing up I never had the oppurtunity to just hop online and learn a new move. I was desperate to learn some good moves so I paid $100 for some stickhandling videos when I was 15 and just loved them; I watched them all the time. I realize that not every child, or parent has that type of money so I wanted to provide some great hockey tips for free. If there is anyone that you know that might want to learn about hockey please share this website with them, and if you want to learn more about hockey then just pop your email address in the box on the left and join us (if you haven’t already)

Now it is Your Turn

We have close to 100 people who follow this blog directly by email, and a few hundred more following on Youtube and Facebook. I would love to get your input on what you think of the site, and what you would like to see. So how about leaving a little message in the comment section below. I think your name, where you are from, what level you play, and what you would like to see more of on the site is a good start. I hope to hear from most of you, and don’t be afraid to share the site with your team mates!

Jeremy

The Canadian Pond Hockey Championships were held in February 2010 at Deerhurst Resort in the beautiful town of Huntsville, Ontario. I had the privilege of attending this great event and wanted to share the experience.

Why I love Pond Hockey

I have played hockey outdoors since I was a child. I remember the days where I would skate until I could not feel my toes, and then skate some more. Whether the temperature was 2 above or 20 below, I would be out on the pond skating. There is an amazing feeling that you get when you lace up the skates, pick up your stick, drop the puck and just play. No rules, no refs, no pressure, just hockey… pond hockey that is.

Many of the guys who skated in this years pond hockey championships felt that feeling, skating on the frozen lake, dodging pressure cracks and facing temperatures of 25 degrees below 0 or more! There is no global recognition or prize money for the winning team, just bragging rights and a cool trophy. So why did over 200 men and women come out to play hockey, outside, in the blistering cold? Because they love the game of hockey, and that is something we can all relate to.

Canadian Pond Hockey Championship Pictures

I took a few pictures from the pond hockey that I wanted to share. I hope you guys like them 

The event was hosted by Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ontario. The resort is an amazing place to stay in the winter. They have snowshoeing, dog sledding, horse and buggy rides, tubing, cross country skiing and about 100 other things to do during the winter, oh and pond hockey

On this particular day the temperature was -19 (here is proof) I think the coldest it got during the tournament was -28 but every team still participated, that’s what I call true Canadian spirit!

 Here is a shot of the lake from the resort, the staff at Deerhurst worked for weeks and weeks to get all of the rinks cleared, 24 in total!

The teams show up in style, every team wore a unique uniform or jersey.

Here is a shot of a few of the guys lacing up for a game of pond hockey

After a great game the teams line up and shake hands, the sportsmanship lives on, indoors and out.

Here we have a team starting a team cheer before the game.

The first night teams were playing into the night, and some even stayed out to get some extra ice time. I had to work so I did not get a chance to get any night shots, but I did manage to get this cool silhouette

Here is my favourite shot from the tournament, and would also make a pretty cool ad for Source for Sports!

I hope you guys like these shots, and hopefully they will inspire you to call up some friends, shovel off a piece of ice on your nearest lake or pond and play some good old fashioned pond hockey!

Share your favourite pond hockey memory below. My favourite memory is going out with my best friends, playing until we could barely stand, and then making a massive pasta dinner!