Hockey Puck Shipping
What is the best material for a hockey stickhandling pad?
The one below is the one I have now and is perfect. However, shipping is more than the cost of the product, so I'm hoping there must be a similar material more readily available at a hardware store.
This one is very thin - almost like a thin white poster board you would buy at a drug store (i.e., unlike a sheet of plexiglass). Also it has some kind of very faint texture that makes a real puck move smoothly (unlike plexiglass or a very 'smooth' surface to which a real puck sticks).
Thanks for any help.
http://www.snipersedge.com/Sniper_s_Ice_Hockey_Shooting_Mat_p/201-mat.htm
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that little mat will not help you stickhandle. All that mat will do is help you stickhandle in one place..........and that is not going to get you very far in a hockey game.
Through 30+ years as an NHL scout, I saw hundreds (possibly thousands) of players who had very good shots, who could stickhandle in place like nobody's business - but when it came to putting those pieces together in a game at 40mph on skates - 99% couldn't do it.
Do yourself a favour and take a bunch of pylons and learn to stickhandle while moving forward while doing side to side movement. Once you've mastered the pylons, master it without looking down.
If you are practicing shooting, use a puck.
If you are preacticing stickhandling, use anything. Most NHL teams use tennis balls, masking tape rolls, etc as part of stickhandling practice because on ice, the ice/puck interface reduces the pucks weight, so stickhandling with a puck isn't as important as shooting with a puck.
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 Air Hockey Kit Set 2x Goalies 2x Puck Felt Pusher NEW Free Shipping  US $8.99
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3 Less Known Game Tables that are a Lot of Fun
If you have a large enough home to have an open basement or large family room, and if you have kids or regularly have guests, then you may be in the market for some game tables. For a family, game tables are a great way to encourage activity and interaction between family members and friends. There is a large variety of available game tables on the market today, so there is virtually something for everybody.
The more popular, active games include foosball, air hockey and table tennis. A favorite past time for people of any age is pool, partially because it has been around for a long time, but also because a large variety of different games can be played on a pool table. Other types of game tables are more sedate, such as poker tables, or tables with built in game boards, such as chess, checkers and back gammon. Many of these types tables (especially antiques ones) have beautiful inlay tops that can be removed to reveal the game board. These tables also usually have drawers to store the game pieces. Besides all these types of game tables, there are three types of games that are not as common in a family game room, but that you family may really enjoy. Let's take a look at these three less common games.
- Basketball - this active game does not have to be just confined to the court, there is an indoor version as well, one that is often seen at arcades, but is also great in a family game room. After all, basketball is very popular among kids and adults alike. The basketball game has a hoop (or two for more competitive play), netting along the sides to contain the balls, and a trough for the balls to land in and roll back to the shooter. This game is can be enjoyed year round, but is especially great in the winter time when bad weather and short days keep people inside more.
- Dome Hockey - Let's face it, when air hockey was invented in the early 1970's, it was an instant success. But there is another version of table top hockey that is not as well known, but still a lot of fun to play. It is dome hockey. The best way to describe this game, is think of foosball for soccer, and now think of a similar game for hockey. The table is relatively small and the field is covered by a plastic dome. On the table top are small hockey players that are controlled by rods that stick out of the side of the table, just like in foosball. Each side controls 6 miniature hockey players: a goalie, two defensive and three offensive players. If you like air hockey or foosball game tables, you may really enjoy this one as well.
- Shuffleboard - When I think shuffle board, I think of elderly people playing the full sized version on board a cruise ship. The goal is the same, to send pucks gliding down the the field trying to get them to stop within marked scoring zones at the other end of the table. You use your hands to propel the puck. Though you can find shuffle board game tables that are as long as 22', the 9' version is more common for home use. This game can be a lot of fun, taking both skill and strategy to truly master game play.
About the Author
MJ is a freelance writer for Clickshops, Inc. where you can find a great selection of game tables for the whole family to enjoy at www.fungametables.com
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