Why this?

I started playing hockey not long after turning 50. I know my experiences aren't unique, but I still want to write about them. I'll be doing that here.

I'm not a professional, nor do I have the wealth of knowledge to be the perfect critic. I'll comment on the things I buy and try, as well as other stuff related to an old guy playing hockey. I think there are something things that are important to older guys that might not be as important to younger guys. Hopefully I'll be able to cover that with some success here by sharing my experiences.

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Buying Your First Hockey Gear

I think it's important when first starting out not to get in the trap of buying something online because it looks cool or you saw someone else using it. Unless you're lucky, you'll be doing a lot of returns. I went down to my local hockey shop [LHS] and consulted them there. As time went by and the relationship grew between me and the people at the shop, I felt that I'd like to support them, so I bought my gear from there as opposed to online when I could. The only things I bought online were helmets, which I was extremely lucky both times.

I looked at stuff online, and what people wore, and thought that I'd just get that same stuff. Thought it didn't matter what your body shape was and all that, outside of "yeah, I'm probably an XL in everything." Turns out I'm not an XL in everything. When I went down to my LHS and tried stuff on, I couldn't believe the differences, not only in manufacturers, but in each of those manufacturer's lines, and the sizes and shape differences in those lines. So each item needed to be fit to me, and it ultimately didn't matter what brand it was. The nice thing is that, even though I'm tall [6'4"], I weight about 225lbs, and have what I would consider a pretty normal body shape, if not a little lanky and long-armed. So chances are I could find an entire line of gear by one manufacturer's line and be pretty well off.
And that's exactly what happened, even though I tried other things first. After finding out that a lot of traditional fitting gear fits loosely on me, I ended up fitting very well in the Bauer Vapor gear. It's advertised as "tapered fit", so it gets thin in all the right places for me. Almost all my protective gear ended up being Vapor, except the elbow pads [Reebok 18k] and gloves [Warrior Dynasty AX2].

It's important to note that although I thought I would find a complete line that fit well, this was not the line I expected to fit, nor would it have been my second or third choice. Once I dropped the conception that I'd buy based on looks alone, I didn't really care which manufacturer my stuff came from, as long as it fit me. While each piece of gear alone isn't terribly expensive, together they are costly, and I didn't want to buy a bunch of bad-fitting gear.

I also decided early on that I wanted to go a step above entry level for most, if not all of my gear. Even the first step above entry level is usually an improvement in just about every piece of gear I've found, and I ended up with mostly Vapor 800 stuff, although I did pick up a set of Vapor 700 shin pads.
Due to the size of the shop, most of the gear wasn't current, with exception of the gloves. Not that any of that mattered, though, as it was all still new, still covered under warranty, and still very good gear. A lot of hockey players buy last year's model, as it's often discounted to move when the new model is released. Savings can be huge. I got my True A4.5 sticks for a fraction of the original price, all because newer models came out.

Deals can be had, especially if you shop wisely. Going through my LHS gets me deals on everything now, all the way down to tape. The know all my gear and can help with all of it. They can even suggest what might not help me, which is always helpful.

So head down to your local hockey shop, buy all that gear, and sit around in it in your house for a few days. Everybody does it. Get used to wearing it. Get used to putting it on and taking it off. Adjust it so it feels right. Experiment. Then get on the ice with it. Chances are you'll see right away what works and what doesn't. Having good-fitting hockey gear improves your game, no doubt about that.